Tuesday Triple-header May Be Historic

In the second half of this season, it's all about the first of March. To my knowledge, since the separation of Simply Pool Souls' founding members from the old Pool Fiction SPS has never beaten PFN in any interleague match (or Xtreme Poolerz for that matter.) You may recall a previous WSOP meeting where SPS held a 3-0 lead needing just one more win to get into the Playoffs, only to fall victim to four straight losses and miss out. With Pool Fiction struggling as of late, this week may be Monte's best chance to make history.

BREAK AND RUN @ MISCUES - Monday, 7:00

Miscues did it again last week by taking down Freedom. At 5-0 there really doesn't seem to be any cause for even the slightest concern. Ant continues to lead the way at 6-0 while nerdherd comes in with "only" a 5-0 record. That's two undefeated players each playing every week and one with a sixth victory just to sweeten the numbers a bit. It's no secret Miscues is the best team in interleagues right now. Break and Run on the other hand may be in the best position to spring the upset. Like MC, BNR is 19-11 overall. Like MC, BNR also has two undefeated players who have played every week (Jim and Jordy.) After an 0-2 start BNR has gone 3-0 with a 14-4 record. Break and Run is on form, and on Monday night I think they've got a real shot at avenging a week one loss. BNR wins 4-3

STRAIGHTSHOTS @ POOL DRAGONZ - Tuesday, 6:00

The first meeting went to Straightshots of course. Pool Dragonz has not won a match yet. Last week was one of PDZ's better opportunities for a victory but the Dragonz fell in game seven to Simply Pool Souls. The addition of Joe to this team adds a little depth to a team which badly needs any help it can get. However unpopular he may be Joe still provides, at the very least, a solid body in a 6-player lineup. Straightshots lost in controversial fashion last week. A tape DQ in game two after acehandsaa failed to record his break began a string of 3 BNR wins en route to a 4-2 BNR win. Straightshots has featured 14 different players this season. In the next five weeks, Shelle will need to keep an eye on Playoff eligibility. This week SS will be fine. The rest of the season may prove a little more challenging. SS wins 5-1

FREEDOM @ SEXY POOLERZ - Tuesday, 6:30

All season long Sexy Poolerz has looked okay against the good teams but utterly pathetic against its fellow cellar dwellers. Like Pool Dragonz, SP sits at 0-5. Unlike Pool Dragonz, SP was embarrassed by Roy and Deadstrokes last week. It seems Sexy Poolerz has just about folded this season, though I'm sure the team will still show up and put a little effort into playing the role of spoiler whenever possible. Freedom beat SP the first time around thanks to a tape timing out, eliminating the need for a seventh game. Freedom sits in a tie with Pool Fiction for the second spot in the West. Both teams have a two-match advantage over Deadstrokes. After taking Miscues to game seven last week, I have little doubt FR will be fine this week. FR wins 5-1

MATCH OF THE WEEK: SIMPLY POOL SOULS @ POOL FICTION - Tuesday, 7:00

Here we go again. Ever since the split between these two leagues which effectively killed the original Pool Fiction, there has always been a bit of an edge to this match. Neither side will necessarily come out and say they want to bury the other in a match, but that's what PFN did to Simply Pool Souls in the cruelest of fashions when the leagues clashed in the match mentioned above. Both teams come in at 3-2. Both teams are 15-15 overall. Both teams do want to win this match at all costs. And more importantly, both teams will be essentially playing at home, in one way or another.

Simply Pool Souls won last week in seven games - a welcome shift in momentum after dropping two matches in a row. But you have to look at who SPS lost to: Straightshots and Miscues. Those are both very talented teams. Monte's team is still very much in the Playoff hunt. There is a three-way tie for the second and third positions in the East and, as you may recall, SPS did knock off Break and Run in week two. Last week may also have been a good omen for Simply Pool Souls. Delusional Eclipse beat PDZ's Joe, a former Pool Fiction team member, in game seven. That is, if you believe in omens.

Pool Fiction is of course led by Kerry, a Captain who has been there and done that countless times. It's no secret there are matches she wants to win just a little more than others. This is one of those matches and to this point she has been successful. But keep in mind Kerry herself has not been the Captain for very many of these PFN (or XP)-SPS matches - it has been mostly myself and Andy, while Kerry of course plays. Pool Fiction has run into a wall as of late though. A stunning 5-1 beatdown at the hands of West-leading Extreme Pool Competitors, losses in CIP to BNR and Miscues, all very good teams but losses nonetheless.

Tuesday night's finale should not lack for drama. Both teams will no doubt get up for this match and they'll be ready to play for keeps. For Simply Pool Souls, a win means history and a significant boost in the Playoff race in the Eastern Division. For Pool Fiction, a win means another tiny dose of vengeance and significant separation from fourth-place Deadstrokes in the West. I think SPS comes very close. They may even have a very good lead here. But I think PFN keeps the streak in this pairing alive. PFN wins 4-3

EXTREME POOL COMPETITORS @ DEADSTROKES - Wednesday, 7:00

This is a rather anti-climactic finish to a week after Tuesday's triple dip. Extreme Pool Competitors is at the top of the Western Division after thoroughly dominating Pool Fiction last week. At 4-1, EPC has all but guaranteed a spot in this season's Playoffs. If the second half is as good as the first, EPC is on pace to go 8-2. The key to this team's success has been JT. With a 5-0 record, jt.jester could very well be on his way to being the MVP of the Western Division. Deadstrokes shocked Sexy Poolerz last week when Roy won game six. A DS win here could really, really shake up the Western Division. But I don't think DS has the horses to do it. Roy may be the Judge, but this is Jack's court. And the court Jester may have something to say about any thoughts of an upset. EPC wins 5-1

That's a look ahead to week six. The second half of the season is upon us. Let Playoff Fever begin!

Week Five Features Battles Between Top Dogs

As the halfway point of the WSOP's third season approaches the Playoff races start to heat up and the contenders start to separate themselves from the rest of the field. This is no more apparent than in the Western Division where three teams sit in a 3-1 tie while the other two teams remain winless until the middle of the week.

POOL FICTION @ EXTREME POOL COMPETITORS - Monday, 6:00

Pool Fiction is mostly responsible for the three-way tie atop the Western Division after beating Freedom 4-2 last week. It was a strong performance, albeit not pretty. But any team that can end a match with Brian, Kalpz and Scotty is going to be very difficult to beat on a normal night. EPC looks like for now it will hang around and actually complete this season. It would take a monumental collapse for them NOT to make the Playoffs considering the top three leagues each have a 3-game lead over the winless teams below. When EPC is interested, the usual lineup has some talent. Jester is 4-0, Cam is 3-1, Pro boy and Jack haven't lost yet either at 3-0 and 4-0 respectively, there's a sense that this is a team that's overachieving. I disagree. It's more like a team that has played Freedom and lost, then beat the three teams that are still yet to win a game. I think PFN is up to the challenge of bringing EPC back down from the top. PFN wins 4-2.

MATCH OF THE WEEK: FREEDOM @ MISCUES - Monday, 7:30

Two teams atop each division, both were 3-0 going into action last week. Freedom's lone loss came last week in Pool Fiction's "return" to WSOP. Miscues hasn't really been tested at all. Both teams kind of run into the problem of not having their full team show every week but given that the match has been rescheduled, you can bet both teams will be at full strength.

For Miscues, this is an opportunity to extend the lead in the Eastern Division. Two players at 4-0, a pair of clinchers for Ant, and a 16-8 record make for an early favorite to win the whole thing. As the only undefeated team in WSOP entering play this week, Ant, Ben, Trey and nerd herd can also look at this as an opportunity to make an emphatic statement.

On the other side of things, Freedom is still 3-1 with the only loss coming in a matchup that always features some Yahoo! shenanigans and momentum swings back and forth. Freedom also lost with its Captain, Pete, absent. It's not unreasonable to think Freedom would've fared much better had it not been left on Matt to run the team. With six matches left, Freedom also has to keep an eye on the stats as well and concern itself with Playoff eligibility. Five players have only played one game each, three made their debut and lost last week.

It should be a much better match for Freedom with Pete back at the helm. But for the second week in a row they play a team that's very good, and also able to focus. Miscues has superior talent, arguably better talkers as well, and I think MC wins both the battle on the table and below the table. MC wins 4-2

SEXY POOLERZ @ DEADSTROKES - Tuesday, 6:00

Finally the West will be down to just one winless team. Sexy Poolerz does have twice as many wins as Deadstrokes (8 to 4). Sexy Poolerz has also been much closer on many occasions. I don't think there's really any question who the better team is here. DS is an absolute mess, DS got swept last week, they'll come close to getting swept again this week. SP wins 5-1.

BREAK AND RUN @ STRAIGHTSHOTS - Wednesday, 6:00

This Eastern Division showdown could also be considered for match of the week. Break and Run has come alive in the past two weeks after losing to Simply Pool Souls. I think the biggest head scratcher in that loss was the interaction between Jordan and Joe (mvp_adept) before and during that match. Before the match Joe appeared to be upset with Jordan in one of the eligibility tourneys. As the Captain for that match, Joe played and lost game seven. He hasn't been involved in the last two matches, BNR is 2-0 in those matches. But keep it in perspective: BNR has only beaten Pool Dragonz and Deadstrokes. Straightshots picked up its signature win on the season by beating up on Xtreme Pool Legendz in week three. SS jumped out to a 3-0 lead, took the fight to what was XPL at the time, nhan is having a solid season at 3-1 with a clincher. I think this is the second-best team in the East and SS will prove it Wednesday night. SS wins 4-2

SIMPLY POOL SOULS @ POOL DRAGONZ - Thursday, 7:00

Pool Dragonz had its best opportunity for a win facing BNR a couple of weeks ago. This is also a good chance to pick up win number one. Simply Pool Souls has come back down to earth after beating BNR to improve to 2-0. Losses to Miscues and Straightshots at the top of the division haven't exactly been surprising. Now SPS sits at exactly .500 - 2-2 with a 12-12 overall record. It's not panic time in SPS though. They're still better than the Dragonz, but DJ has shown an ability to put his team in a position to win against a superior foe. Could be an interesting match, but I think SPS will be fine. SPS wins 4-2.

That's a look at week five. Should be some fun matches. I'll have to miss them while I'm covering high school basketball all week. But I should be back with another broadcast of a match next week (week six), even though there aren't many compelling matches. Time will tell!

Pool Fiction's Return Highlights Western Showdown

Nearly two months after leaving Pool Fiction to join the more active Xtreme Pool Legendz, Kerry has returned to her longtime home in hopes of reviving one of the most storied leagues in pool. It's a fitting coincidence then that following a Bye in the CIP competition, Pool Fiction will play its first WSOP match of the season against Freedom at the end of the week. But before that match there are two double-headers on the schedule.

POOL DRAGONZ @ MISCUES - Monday, 7:00

Pool Dragonz Captain DJ did all he could to put his team in a position to win last week against Break and Run but PDZ was simply outmatched. This week should be an even taller order. Miscues is coming off a convincing 4-2 victory over previously unbeaten Simply Pool Souls. The biggest problem MC should have this season is dependability. Only five players showed up for what could have been a very difficult match on a different night. Barring some sort of catastrophic attendance mishap I think MC should have no problem this week. MC wins 5-1

Actual Result: MC wins 5-1

DEADSTROKES @ BREAK AND RUN - Monday, 7:00

Neither team has been particularly impressive to this point but it should be very clear which team is more talented. Break and Run's two losses had come against the two teams which played each other last week - undefeated Miscues and the aforementioned SPS. Deadstrokes also comes in as statistically the worst team in WSOP with only four wins in 18 games. BNR is generally weak early but if Dina can keep her team in contention we all saw last week how good a team can be when they can go Jordy-Daru-Jim to close out a match. This week should be no different. BNR wins 4-2

Actual Result: BNR wins 6-0

EXTREME POOL COMPETITORS @ SEXY POOLERZ - Tuesday, 6:00

Sexy Poolerz is one of just three winless teams in WSOP. But the past two weeks have seen SP suffer rather cruel defeats. Against Xtreme Pool Legendz (now Pool Fiction) two weeks ago, it was a game seven loss. Last week a tape timed out and overturned a result as part of a 4-2 Freedom victory over SP. EPC on the other hand has not faced any competition at all after losing in the first week, having beaten winless Pool Dragonz and Deadstrokes. This week, EPC plays yet another winless team but this time it's the best of the three. I think Sexy Poolerz will go the distance again, but also come up short yet again. EPC wins 4-3

Actual Result: EPC wins 4-2

STRAIGHTSHOTS @ SIMPLY POOL SOULS - Tuesday, 7:00

For the first time this season Simply Pool Souls must try and rebound from a loss. Last week SPS fell to undefeated Miscues in a battle for the top spot in the Eastern Division. This week it's a contest for the second spot in the East against Straightshots. Last week SS handed Xtreme Pool Legendz its first - and technically its only ever - WSOP loss. That was essentially Straightshots' premier lineup. I suspect you'll see those same six scattered among other SS lineups as the season goes on. SPS will need its big guns to show up in full force for this one. Giving an actual prediction for a match like this is difficult because you're never really sure who will show up. I think SS will see this as an important enough match to call the heavy hitters in for. SS wins 4-2

Actual Result: SS wins 4-2

MATCH OF THE WEEK: FREEDOM @ POOL FICTION - Wednesday, 6:00

Pool Fiction returns to the World Series of Pool after Kerry had decided XPL was going nowhere as a league following the absence of its Head Admin, Nick. There is no more appropriate opponent for PFN to face than undefeated Freedom, which has combined with Pool Fiction (and briefly Xtreme Poolerz) to create many memorable moments and develop a sort of rivalry between members of the teams.

Pool Fiction may not necessarily have its entire XPL roster transfer over. Eligibility will be a concern for players who were not previously on the Pool Fiction ladder. But last week's loss to Straightshots should prove to be an eye opener for the players that do follow along into PFN. The team has played good enough to win for the past month or so. But at this point in the WSOP season the competition has been much tougher. Kerry will no doubt bring her best six for this matchup as Pool Fiction looks to create a tie atop the Western Division standings.

Freedom is one of three teams with a combined 8-1 match record who share 12-6 overall records. They've walked the tightrope in a couple of those matches, getting a forfeit credit which led to a game seven win for Captain Petey against EPC, and then a DQ via tape timer last week which led to Pete clinching a win in game six rather than forcing another decider. It's a dangerous team at full strength and a contender for not only the Western Division crown, but also the WSOP title. There's concern that because the match couldn't be rescheduled Freedom will not be at full strength. Personally, I doubt it. The two leagues have plenty of history together including most recently a 4-0 sweep to finish off Pool Fiction in the CPA Playoffs last month. Wednesday may not quite provide the entertainment value the previous Pro Players Association season (or any other matchups between the two) delivered, but it should still be a hotly contested match. PFN wins 4-2

Actual Result: PFN wins 4-2 (http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/12738558)

With one week to go before the halfway point these games gradually become more and more important. This is the part of the season where you see the contenders prove themselves and the frustration at the bottom set in. We're in for an exciting month and a half in WSOP.

WSOP: Best Captaining Performance This Week

With still one match left I may be getting ahead of myself but I want to walk you through what I believe was the most well-managed match of the week.

Pool Dragonz and Break and Run entered the week at 0-2. While the teams shared equal match records it's very clear BNR had much more talent - the teams BNR lost to were a combined 4-0 entering play this week.

In the opening game, Croz gave BNR a 1-0 lead by beating WSOP newcomer poisonivy. With a 1-0 lead, Dina calls sumner knowing she can afford to go weak - even with the break - given the big guns waiting in the wings. So DJ calls bud_man, one of his "better" 0-2 players. Bud survived a masterful cuebank from Sumner to tie the match at one win apiece.

The third game became the most critical game of the match. If PDZ wanted to spring the so-called upset, it would take a win in this specific game. A 2-1 advantage for Pool Dragonz would mean they would only have to win one of the next three games to force at least a tiebreaker. And more importantly, PDZ had the break in odd games which would include a seventh game if necessary. BNR still has two games with the break from this point, so burning Jordy would be a no-no. She calls on Palp instead. This game means much more to PDZ than it does BNR. She still has Jordy, Daru, Ross and Jim available for the final 3 games. No problem. DJ decides to call himself. He wants to lead his team to a 2-1 lead, rightfully put it on his own shoulders, and set himself up with the break in game 7 if it gets there.

Despite falling for a brilliant trap set by Palp at the end, DJ does in fact win and give his team a 2-1 lead. By now Dina knows DJ is basically looking for a tiebreaking 7th game - everybody at the table knows PDZ doesn't have the firepower to win this outright. So she all but nullifies the fourth game by calling Jordan with the break. Even though his break came up empty, his opponent - appropriately named "Lazyass" - decided not to go for the run and extended the game. I'll get into why this was a bad idea in a moment. Jordan does win to level the match at 2-2.

For game five with the break DJ has Charles and Missy available. Dina has Daru, Ross and Jim available off the break. We all know what Daru does, so he gets the call for BNR. DJ calls the more experienced shooter between the two, Missy. But she makes one essentially fatal mistake. For her break, she goes for a tap break. Even worse, she missed the rack entirely - essentially forfeiting the break.

Here's why the approach by PDZ in the fourth and fifth games is bad: Lazy and Missy can play Jordy and Daru respectively in 50 straight safety games. They will combine to win exactly zero of them. When you're an inferior player going up against one of the best in the game, you want the game to be as short as possible. Certainly if you go for a run and don't finish it you're just about screwed. But by extending the game and playing safeties early on you're giving a far superior opponent more shots and more opportunities to back you into a corner. Jordy did that to his opponent, and Daru made quick work of Missy after being able to essentially take control of the game immediately. Pool Dragonz, in back-to-back games had a chance to really put BNR on the ropes and swing momentum entirely in their own favor... But elected to slow things down, let BNR recover, and eventually re-gain the lead at 3-2.

Jim got the call for BNR in game six, he extended his record to 3-0 when Charles' last colored ball hung in the top left pocket - a fitting, heartbreaking end to PDZ's upset bid Monday night. But it's not for any fault of the Captain that they lost. DJ made all the right moves - and capitalized on a lucky break - to put his team in a position to win. Problem is he ran into a Captain who was every bit as sharp as he was, who also made all the right moves to get her team the victory.

In the end, the matchup between two of the worst teams in WSOP to this point proved to be one of the most well-managed of them all. It won't get any easier for the Dragonz - they take on Miscues next week. BNR has Deadstrokes. It will be interesting to see if anyone has learned any lessons they can take into next week.

Winless, Undefeated Teams Battle In Week 3

Week three of the World Series of Pool is set up like any good boxing or wrestling pay-per-view event. At the start of it all you have a rather uninteresting matchup between a pair of 0-2 teams (Break and Run and Pool Dragonz). The week steadily gets more interesting before finishing with the far more compelling battle between unbeaten Simply Pool Souls and MisCues.

BREAK AND RUN @ POOL DRAGONZ - Monday, 7:00

Both teams may be 0-2 but it's hard to go against Break and Run. Two players (Pesadilla and Jordy) have won each of the first two weeks and while BNR may be suffering from some internal disagreements after losing to Simply Pool Souls last week I don't believe Pool Dragonz will be too much of a threat. I will say, however, that BNR will do itself a huge favor by putting Jordan in for those big games. Admittedly I didn't see the end of BNR-SPS so I don't know if he was available for the seventh game. If Pool Dragonz want a win they'll need to follow the path SPS took last week: win early and often. I don't think they have the personnel to do it. BNR wins 5-1

Actual Result: BNR wins 4-2 ( http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/12537732 )

XTREME POOL LEGENDZ @ STRAIGHTSHOTS - Tuesday, 7:00

Interconference action between two contenders makes for a pretty interesting matchup. XPL has been dodging bullets for the past week and a half in my opinion. The league has been chaotic with the absence of its Head Admin and the team has played "good enough" in recent matches. This will be a real eye-opener for Brian, Kalpz and company as they take on a solid Straightshots team. XPL did beat SS in last Sunday's CIP season opener. But they have to come in with the mentality of "we are playing pretty good, but we know we can be better and we NEED to be better." Straightshots is better than they played that Sunday evening and you can bet they'll be looking to reach the plus side of .500 this week. XPL wins 4-3

Actual Result: SS wins 4-2

DEADSTROKES @ EXTREME POOL COMPETITORS - Wednesday, 6:00

The opening act for Wednesday night's double-header is essentially a coin flip. You never really know how prepared EPC will be for a match nor do you know what to expect from Deadstrokes. On paper EPC is vastly more talented and all-around better. But Deadstrokes has to be due for a breakout performance at some point. After a pair of 1-5 losses the potential is certainly there. But everyone needs to be on the same page and I don't know how likely that is in DS right now. I think because it's early on and EPC has a strong team on paper and a chance to make a run you'll see a more organized team and they'll take care of business. EPC wins 4-2

Actual Result: EPC wins 4-2

SEXY POOLERZ @ FREEDOM - Wednesday, 7:00

Freedom, like EPC, has a reputation of not being the most reliable team in the game. But they've managed a 2-0 record while their opponents this week have managed the exact opposite. FR will ultimately go as far as their Captain Pete can take them. There are other players who contribute and can pick up the slack on occasion but none with the consistency of Pete. Sexy Poolerz put up a real fight against XPL last week, losing in the seventh game. They are capable of hanging with Freedom but I don't think they have the depth necessary to beat FR at its best. FR wins 4-2

Actual Result: FR wins 4-2

MATCH OF THE WEEK: MISCUES @ SIMPLY POOL SOULS - Thursday, 7:00

One of these teams will lose a match for the first time this season. Miscues is led by the usual suspects - Ant, Safdar, Ben, all talented players. MC has done it without any help from James who's 0-2. He's usually much better and I would suspect this week he'll pick up his first win of season 3.

Right beside MC at the top is an SPS team that has received strong contributions from b.soccer and the league's leader Monte. Soccer picked up the tie-breaking win last week against BNR as part of a 3-0 start for the season. SPS will need more of the same and more big shots from Monte and others if they want to win this week.

While both teams are 2-0 it's important to note that SPS has beaten a pair of teams that are still currently winless. While BNR is generally a quality win, last week I don't think they had it together at the top and it created an ugly ripple effect. MisCues is going to be a very difficult team to beat this season and especially for SPS this week. MC wins 4-2

Actual Result: MC wins 4-2

That's week 3 of season 3 in a nutshell. As we come closer to the weekend I'll have a preview of CIP as that interleague also approaches its third week of matches.

Back At It!

The "ypool blogging" fad has been around for years now and the landscape has somewhat evolved with the concept of anonymity. People who know me know that I'm not a fan of that approach - I feel it takes away the idea of accountability. I've said many things about MLP and about Pool Fiction on MLP Sports Center while I was involved with both. Some got me into trouble but I welcomed that because it made me think about what I said before saying it.

Is it wrong to "hide"? Certainly not. It still does have some advantages. Occasionally there are things you really need to get off your chest but don't want to deal with the backlash. Different people have different motivations. I've never felt it was so important to protect myself by hiding behind yet another nickname - "Cubby" is already one. I don't need another.

So I'm going to try my hand at a couple of different interleagues: WSOP and CIP. One weekday interleague an one on the weekends. I'll begin with WSOP in my next post. There is certainly no shortage of "predictors" in WSOP so this will accomplish little more than adding a bit more noise in the grand scheme of things. But it's the interleague I feel is far and away the best around. That makes it more interesting in my view.