Well, as the 20th JBL season slowly starts to become a memory my desire to provide in depth reports on each team (for the 6 guys who read this blog) is starting to diminish. So, I'm going to be making them much shorter in the coming days. And this morning, I'm going to deal/address with 11th all the way up to....we'll see. And I'm going to focus less on players and more on the owners actions...just because.
11th - Manhattan - This was the return of Bobby Hucul to the JBL in many years. Now, despite the success that he can claim he beat Golden - that's about the only positives this season really. Bob did his best Pearl Necklaces impression and acted like an absent owner for most of the season. It's inconceivable how a fantasy team, with a $130 Free Agent budget, can only manage to spend $6 bucks over a 6 month period. I don't get it. The Ballers were in the middle of the pack the entire season and there wasn't anyone on the waiver wire who could help his team?? Marcus Thornton? Jordan Crawford? And how many trade offers did you RECEIVE from MBB? Any? The JBL needs a much more active MBB in 2011/12.
10th - Juan de Fuca - this once proud franchise has now gone 10 years since it's JBL title. It seems like more than that. The Juan team struggled for most of the season and their real focus was just getting out of the basement to try and cover a side-bet with Bangkok. For many years, Juan was always considered a title contender in the JBL. However, the last 3 years now read 10th, 9th, and 7th in the standings and it appears they are going through the 'down cycle' of fantasy basketball. Is 3 cooks in the kitchen finally becoming an issue? It will be interesting to see how Juan responds next season after their arch rivals Bangkok, for the 3rd straight season, finished ahead of them in the standings.
9th - Maui Ribs - despite a horrible start to the season the Maui Ribs played the role of spoiler for part of the season. The Maui season was doomed from draft-day in my opinion as he didn't have any bonafide fantasy stars and his team was destined for mediocrity. Maui was very good in 3PT% (3rd), Blocks (3rd) and rebounds (5th) but struggled in the other categories. Trevor was at least active in the Free Agent market and did make a couple of trades. But overall, this was a typical transaction season from Trev - quiet. Despite the 9th place finish, this was a historic season for Maui because after 20 years of JBL action, Maui finally finished ahead of the Golden Showers. Well done Trev, well done.
8th - Yuma Thurmans - Chubby grabbed the coveted 8th place spot (3 keepers) by a measly 4 points. I don't know if he would be excited about that fact or not as Pat was very quiet this past JBL season. I ask you again - did you receive a trade offer from Yuma? Yuma, like MBB, spent a paltry $26 bucks on FA's this season and made just 2 trades. So, the question is - did Yuma think his team was good enough to move up in the standings as is? I'm not sure whether Pat (or Bob) were really into this year. It would be interesting to see what they would do if they were actually in contention. Maybe next year.
7th - Brussels Muscles - the last of our also-rans at least I can honestly say Tim tried everything to improve his team and I know he had fun doing it. Kudos to Timmy P for making the JBL fun. Trade offers, FA signings, trash talk or whatever it is - Tim loves the JBL and he's a favorite owner of mine for sure. I mean if we looked at Brussels and Yuma and their 7th and 8th place finishes - at least Tim made it interesting - and isn't that what fantasy pools are supposed to be? Fun? Tim, like other active JBL owners, isn't afraid to make a deal even if there is risk he may not win the trade. He takes chances. He's active in the pool. Thanks for being you Timmy.
6th - Chilliwack Offs - another long time JBL'er came up just short in his pursuit of the money spot. I liked this team on Vegas draft night. How could you not when Benny whips out that Excel spreadsheet and explains the reasoning and logic behind his every pick? Even on the last night of the season - Benny was still in contention for 4th. And I like his keeper talent for next season so I'm expecting another big season from the Wack. Why is Benny always in contention? Cause he cares and tries. I think we're seeing a theme here fellas.
5th - Arctic Circle Jerks - another heart-breaking finish for the Jerks. That makes the last 3 season read like this 5th, 6th, and 5th and pretty much losing out on the money spot in the last week or even on the last night. If I've learned anything, Crikker is now in the 'automatic contender' category every season. He puts in the time. He makes trades. He signs FA's. And he does his homework prior to the JBL draft. Well done Crikker...you're so close. Although I do think I figured out why you missed out on the money spot - no podcasts. May I suggest an off-season wrap up podcast in the near future?
Well guys, that's it for this morning. I'll cover off the best 4 teams in the coming week. I think we can all see what it takes to be successful in the JBL (or in any fantasy pool). The teams that 'try' and put some or any time into the pool will (typically) finish higher in the standings. I know Golden's 12th place finish doesn't support that theory - but trust me - 7 JBL titles in 20 years say otherwise.
Thought I would include a fitting video to show that it is all about 'trying'. It applies in the JBL, life, or even singing. If you take anything away from this video take these:
- no matter how bad you are - keep trying
- at some point, you just can't go any higher (or get any better)
- always remember facial expressions are important.
Cut and paste this URL in your browser and remember to always try in life...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsQISnFx2sg
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