- Grudge Match Games Week 13
Pismo Penetrator's (10-3) @ Louisiana Hurricanes (7-6)
Win or lose the Penetrator's know they will be the #1 seed in the Fanatic Bowl playoff. The Louisiana Hurricanes and seven other teams are battling for one of the other 5 seeds in the championship bracket. Although we can't predict how much another loss would cost the Hurricanes, it would be a good idea to concentrate on the win. A five game win streak has helped propel the Hurricanes into contention for the championship. Pismo Penetrator's played host to the Hurricanes during the first week games, Pismo hung on to win by 2.52 points. That win by the Penetrator's kept them undefeated (3-0) versus the Louisiana Hurricanes. This year, in the division, the Hurricanes defeated the WARHORSES two times, split two games with the Stealers, and lost the first game to Pismo to give them a 3-2 division record. Pismo Penetrator's split two games with the Stealers and split two with the WARHORSES. This game will determine whether the Penetrator's split with all three division rivals, or sweep the Hurricanes.
WARHORSES (4-9) @ Stealers (8-5)
Both teams enter this game after losing to division rivals in week 12. You might think the Stealers would be confident coming into this game with a 8-5 record against a team with a 4-9 record. Not so fast my friend! The WARHORSES are 3-0 versus the Stealers. The margin of victory in those games was 3.98 (08), 5.30 (08), and 11.02 (09). WARHORSES average 110.80 points per game versus the Stealers who average 104.03 per game when playing the WARHORSES. In division play this year, the WARHORSES are 1-1 versus the Penetrator's, 0-2 against the Hurricanes, and 1-0 versus the Stealers with one game to play this week. As for the Stealers, they split the series games with the Penetrator's and the Hurricanes. Will they pull the upset this week and finally win versus the WARHORSES? or will they take another shot to the chin? 1-3? or 0-4?
Phantom (7-6) @ Holy Toledo (8-5)
Phantom just needs a win to solidify their place in the Fanatic Bowl. Of course, there's one obstacle in their way, Holy Toledo. Holy is only one game ahead of the Phantom in the division this year, but they're 3 games up in the series (3-0). Phantom might want to tweak their game plan this week. The SPARTANS at 7-6, THE BIG BANG 6-7, and Brett's Bruisers 6-7 are watching this game closely. If the Phantoms lose and the SPARTANS, THE BIG BANG, or Brett's Bruisers win, then they might slip past Phantom in the brackets. It looks like Holy Toledo plays their best games against Phantom. They score an average of 151.52 points per game, while Phantom struggles against the Holy Men, scoring 103.34 per contest. In the division, both teams are 2-3. Phantom owns wins over Brett's Bruisers (1-1) and THE BIG BANG (1-1), but lost the first game versus Holy Toledo (1-0). Holy Toledo hasn't been any better in the division than Phantom. They have one win over THE BIG BANG (1-1) and two losses at the hands of Brett's Bruisers (0-2). Of course they do have that one win over Phantom. It looks like Holy Toledo will end up with either the #2 (with a first round bye) or #3 seed this year.
THE BIG BANG (6-7) @ Brett's Bruisers (6-7)
You talk about a couple hungry dogs. Here's two. They're both well aware they still have a chance to, "Get In". They just need someone to lose this week, creating an opening for them to get through if they win this game. Of course, one of them will win, but who? Something tells me, when a BIG BANG and a bunch of Bruisers get together, for an important game like this, you can expect some big hitting from both sides. The all time series record is 2-1 in favor of THE BIG BANG. They won both games in 08 but lost the first game this year 133.76 - 118.46. The margin of victory for THE BIG BANG in the two 08 games was 11.38 and 13.02. The BIG BANG averages 135.90 points per game and Brett's Bruisers average 132.87. In division games, Brett's Bruisers have been impressive winning 4 and losing only 1. The loss was to Phantom. The wins came against Holy Toledo (2), Phantom once, and THE BIG BANG once. BIG BANG lost three games and won two in the division, Brett's Bruisers (0-1), Phantom (1-1), and Holy Toledo (1-1). The Bruisers are 4-2 in the last six games while BIG BANG is 3-3.
ERUPTION (4-9) @ The Augusta Nationals (3-10)
What can we expect in this game? One team will end their current losing streak. ERUPTION has lost the last 3, while The Augusta Nationals have lost 5 in a row. Both teams are headed to the consolation playoffs this year. There's no pressure on either team as they prepare for this game. The Nationals (3-0) have pushed the ERUPTION (0-3) around in the first three games between the two. The Nationals average 104.22 points per game, compared to 93.82 points per game for ERUPTION. Augusta's lone win in the division was against the ERUPTION in week one by 2.16 points. A win this week would give the Nationals a sweep. If ERUPTION drops this game, they will have lost two games to each division rival (0-6) earning them a three-sweep in 2009.
Maulers (8-5) @ SPARTANS (7-6)
If the series history holds true, the SPARTANS should expect to win this week. In three games played, the home team has won them all. The Maulers hold a 2-1 lead, probably because they had two home games and this week will be the second home game for the SPARTANS. We'll see if that holds up. 2008 saw the SPARTANS win the division with an 8-6 record. Maulers finished second with a 7-7 record. If the Maulers win this game, they will finish with a perfect 6-0 division record. The Spartans have played well in the division too, winning 2 from The Augusta Nationals and 2 from ERUPTION. Their only loss was to the Maulers in week one. I won't mention the score. Taking a look at how both teams have played in their last six games, the Maulers have a slightly better record of 5-1 to 4-2 for the SPARTANS. A win by the SPARTANS would probably mean both teams could start planning their run to a championship. A loss by the SPARTANS would most certainly end their chance for a championship in 09. Don't forget SPARTANS, this is a home game......
