League
Tables
COMMISSIONER'S
COMMENTARY
Week Nine (Yahoo Week
Twelve)
After enduring a
maddeningly long 7 day delay by Yahoo to add the points from the week's final
match, at long last the results of Season One Week Nine are complete and
official, and the Championship races all wrapped up.
And I'm happy to
say that I can count myself among the winners, as Japhy's Boys2 claimed the
Season One J
League crown, slipping past Japhy's Boys by a single point, 16
to 15. Close behind were KRAZY KILLERS and BABYREDS, both on 14 points. Indeed,
the whole division was very close, and JB2's 16 points were the lowest of any
other title-winner. At the other end of the table, Wendigo's Lips & Knickers
was consigned to relegation a week ago and is now joined by Boot Room Boys, who
finished on 10 points, just a point back of O Dogg on 11 points.
Perhaps one of the
more surprising results, however, came in Division
One, where FC Arges had led the pack from Week One, enjoying
the overall group top spot most of the way and even now sitting second
(of Season One participants), only to miss out not only on the
Championship but on Promotion as well! Arges' 3-2 loss to Hammersmith
Odeons, coupled with Systemix [2] Logic's 3-2 defeat of Kawwa Park and Blunder
Heaven's 4-2 win over Pogue Mahone Fulham meant that the latter two leapfrogged
him in the standings to claim the title and the promotion spot, respectively.
Meanwhile, on 6 points and 9 points, D-Star United and Geisha FC were
relegated.
Tristan Rangers'
earned yet another win this week in Division
Two, defeating fellow title challenger Caspian Bandits
4-2 and taking him to 20 pts, the highest total achieved in any
division in Season One. Earning promotion and finishing second was city
slickers, while Losers United and Rayners Rovers were relegated. Division Three was home to the
Season's tightest finish, as both Clipse and Bristol Rovers finished on 19
points. The title, however, goes to Clipse on the strength of his superior Goals
For (28 to BR's 21) and also due to his 2-1 victory over Bristol in Week Two.
Suffering the drop in this division were United FC and Kawasaki Crotch
Rockets.
Last, in Division
Four Ricko's Team of Legends managed to win the title despite
losing 3-1 to madmen, as challenger Ocsaigin was held to a 3-3 draw by Legia
Warszawa. This division also saw the group's sorriest performer in Putra FC, who
managed to earn only a single point in the whole season (the next lowest total
was Rayners Rovers' respectable tally of 4 in Division Two).
On that note, I
enter into the other big news for the week. As you may have noticed, the
composition of the group has changed quite a bit. I made the executive decision
to boot a some of the weaker, and less talkative, managers. I did this for two
reasons--why go to the trouble of doing this if no one seems to be
participating, and also I just wanted to simplify things and get rid of one
division. Therefore, Season Two, which began with Yahoo Week 13, will have a 4
division format, with each division comprised of 12 teams. Although there are 49
teams in the group, Kawwa Park will be sitting out as that is the second team of
Tigers United FC, who is currently in 9th place in the group.
Well, that's about
all for now. Season One is now part of the archive. Good luck in Season
Two!
Week Eight (Yahoo Week
Eleven)
As we await the final week of Season One,
suspense is high throughout the league. Championship battles and Promotion and
Relegation races all look set to end in photo finishes.
In
the J
League, four different teams--Japhy's Boys2, BABYREDS, BABYBLUES
and Japhy's Boys--still have a chance to win the title. Nonetheless, Japhy's
Boys2 remains the favorite given his match against bottom-side Wendigo's Lips
& Knickers, while BABYREDS, at just a single point off the pace, must be
dreaming of a Double and adding the J-League crown to the J-League Cup she won
last week. And at the other end of the table, one thing is certain: Wendigo will
be relegated and will spend next season in Division One. The second relegation
spot remains unknown, although Cliftonville Reds or Boot Room Boys are the
likely candidates, while KRAZY KILLERS, Fulham Strikers, and O-Dogg remain
mathematically at risk for relegation.
It's a jumble at
the top in Division
One, as FC Arges, Pogue Mahone Fulham and Systemix [2] Logic all
sit on 16 points, while Blunder Heaven, 2 points behind the leading trio on 14,
also retains a slim shot at the title. At the bottom, D-Star United has been
relegated, while Pele is the Old Andy Hunt and Geisha FC face each other in a
match that will decide who will partner D-Star on the
drop.
In Division
Two, Tristan Rangers and Caspain Bandits meet in a match that will
determine who takes home the title, and while Tristan has already guaranteed
promotion whatever the result, Caspian's fate is still up in the air. Meanwhile,
Rayners Rovers is condemned to relegation and will be joined by either Losers
United or peter's team.
The situation
in Division Three is also pretty tight, and Clipse's 2-3 loss to NEWCASTLE UNITED
means there's still a chance that he could miss promotion, as Bristol Rovers and
FLATLANDERS both gained ground with wins. Indeed, FLATLANDERS and Clipse meet
this week in a match that could well determine who lands the title as well
as who earns promotion.
After another
very solid week, Division
Four leader Ricko's
Team of Legends guaranteed promotion after a dominating 4-1 win
over The JTs. Despite that setback, however, The JTs along with
Crystal Palace still may entertain dreams of promotion, although both will have
to hope for another stumble from Ocsaigin, 3 pts above them, who lost 2-4 this
week to Delaware Kings.
Lastly, Team
Four maintains its perch atop the table in The Five-a-Side Cup, preserving its unbeaten record after squeaking past Nova-53x
4-2. Japhy & Da Boys occupies third place after a solid win over
pointless and last-placed The FCs, while The Tenners recorded a strong 5-1
victory over Fulham Strikers & Da Assassins and moved into second spot. This
week sees early leader Team Four facing Japhy & Da Boys--the team with the
highest overall total points--in what could be a crucial
match.
Well, that's
all the news for this week. Hope you're all enjoying the competitions and good
luck to everyone this week. Every division should enjoy an exciting finish, with
a whole lot of teams still good shots to be crowned Champions or at least earn
Promotion. Good luck!
P.S. Season Two will start the
following week (Yahoo Week Thirteen) and I will reorganize the fixtures and
Divisions according to how the Promotion/Relegation battles work out this week.
I think I may also dump some of the less active teams out of the group and
replace them with active players from other groups I've seen.
Week Seven (Yahoo Week
Ten)
Welcome back to
The J-League after a two week hiatus due to International fixtures.
Unfortunately, like my Gunners, my form suffered slightly from the break in
action. Both Japhy's Boys and Japhy's Boys2 drew in the J
League while BABYBLUES nipped past Japhy's Boys by just 0.11 points
to claim Third Place in the J-League
Cup. Not only did BLUES enjoy success, but BABYREDS held on for a
tight 147.79 to 139.78 win over FC Arges to win the Cup. CONGRATULATIONS to both
BABIES on their excellent performance in Cup play!!! Also deserving
congratulations this week is Ricko's Team of Legends, who recorded the 38th
highest Week 10 score in the world, and in the process rocketed up to 10th in
the group.
In Week Two of
The
Five-a-Side Cup, Team Four became the only side to notch two wins,
downing The Dons 4-2. This week also saw the first draws, as Japhy & Da Boys
drew with The Tenners, as did Team Five and The Axis, along with seeing the
first 6-0 score, as Nova53x smashed AC Reds.
As ever, the
J-League is congested at the top, with my teams leading the pack on 12 points,
but Fulham Strikers and BABYREDS are both very close behind at 11 points. In
fact, aside from cellar-dweller Wendigo's Lips, all 9 other teams are within 4
points of the top spot with two weeks to go in Season One, so the title race
remains almost wholly up in the air. Of course, it's my bad luck that Japhy's
Boys and Japhy's Boys2 square off this week, meaning that one of them will
likely fall behind--or worse yet, they'll draw and somebody will jump ahead of
them both!
The situation
in Division
One isn't quite as crowded, although it is slightly more
so after early leader FC Arges' second slip-up in the past three
weeks. Still, FC Arges and Systemix Logic look likely bets for promotion,
but Pogue Mahone Fulham is waiting in the wings as well, just two points off the
pace. Division
Two's table looks about as crowded as the J-League, with the top
six teams all within 4 points of one another, although Tristan Rangers, city
slickers, Roots United and Chelsea FC are frontrunners to earn the two promotion
places. Meanwhile, Clipse opened up a 3 point lead in Division
Three, while Bristol Rovers, Flatlanders, NEWCASTLE UNITED and Team
USA are all strong contenders for the second promotion place. Ricko's Team of
Legends, despite his oustanding 38th highest Week 10 score in the world, is
still deadlocked with Ocsaigin atop the Division
Four standings, while Crystal Palace and The JTs continue to lurk
menancingly just 3 points back.
Lastly, I want
to congratulate my girlfriend on an extremely impressive debut this week, as her
team Maggie's Posse (yahoo id=buffmaggie) earned 118.01 points. In the future,
look for a biography section of the website, where I'll say a bit about myself
and her, and include a picture of the two of us [she's been nagging me
{she claims for good reason as I allegedly spend all my time on Fantasy
soccer} for weeks to include something about her on this site ;)
].
Well, that's
all for now folks. Hope you enjoy and good luck!
Week Six (Yahoo Week
Eight)
The top story in The J-League this week must surely be the outstanding
performance of Japhy's Boys2, the second team of the Group Founder, which earned
the World's Best score for Week 8. In the end the margin was quite close, as
Paul Scholes' late double brought AC Milan within 1.32 pts. The mammoth 181.88
tally--which is also the highest individual week score to date this year,
discouting Week Two which featured a double slate of matches--launched Japhy's
Boys2 to 29th in the overall standings as well. Furthermore, the big week
propelled JB2 to joint first place in The J-League, shared, of course, with
Japhy's Boys (but leading on superior goal difference).
Nonetheless, the J-League remains hotly contested, as the teams in 6th and 7th
place (O-Dogg and Fulham Strikers) are just 3 points off the pace. Thus, the
race for the first J-League crown remains wide open and may well be decided in
part by the crucial Week 8 showdown between Japhy's Boys and Jahpy's
Boys2.
Service as
usual resumed in Division One, as FC Arges recovered from its first loss of the
year by winning 4 to 2 over Geisha FC, while opening up a 3 pt lead after
Systemix Logic lost its match against Pogue Mahone. Despite drawing 3-3 with
Rayners Rovers in Division Two, city slickers maintains a 2 pt lead at the top,
although big wins by Roots United FC and Tristan Rangers helped them gain ground
on the early leader.
In Division
Three, meanwhile, Bristol Rovers battled past Croydon Albion U17s 5-3 and,
thanks to Clipse's 3-3 draw with JACKSBACK, grabbed a share of first place.
After opening up a 3 pt lead last week in Division Four on its rival
Ricko's Team of Legends, Ocsaigin stumbled to an incredibly narrow 4-3
defeat at the hands of AC Sam, losing 79.96 to 80.90!!! Furthermore, Ocsaigin's
loss now means there are no longer any undefeated teams among all the divisions
of the J-League Competition--and the loss also enabled Ricko to climb back into
a tie for first following its 4-2 dismantling of Delaware Kings.
Turning from
League play to Cups, the First Leg of The J-League Cup Final finished with the
teams in a dead heat, with FC Arges on 90.27 pts and BABYREDS on 90.94 pts. In
the Third-Place Playoff, Japhy's Boys jumped out to a slim 15 point lead on
BABYBLUES, 83.16 to 68.16.
Last, but
certainly not least, the other big news of the week is the beginning of the
J-League's brand spanking new Cup competition--The J-League Five-a-Side Cup. The
first week saw four 4-2 results, as The Tenners upset The FCs 4-2, Japhy & Da Boys edged
past Fulham Strikers & Da Assassins in a spirited match, as Japhy's team
notched the highest Team score while Fulham Strikers' earned the 3rd highest.
The Dons upended Nova 53x 4-2, while Team Four slipped past The Axis in
another 4-2 margin. Even Japhy's Boys2's World Best Week 8 score could
not overcome a spirited team 4 effort. Japhy's Boys2 won its matchup and its
181.88 points put the Total Points in The Axis column, but Team Four's other
members all recorded victories and they walked away with the win. Lastly, AC
Reds stomped Team Five 5-1.
Well, that's
all for this week! Hope you all enjoy and see you after a two-week
break!
Week Five (Yahoo Week
Seven)
Tuesday, October 1st,
2002
The big news for
the weeks is that the match-up for the Final of the J-League Cup is set, as
BABYREDS snuck past your host by just 3.06 pts, 139.94 to 136.88. Overall group
leader FC Arges eased into the final despite losing 69.34 to 49.62 this week to
BABYBLUES, winning on aggregate 149.33 to 113.10 and ending the possibility of
an all-BABY final.
Although success
has eluded me in the Cup, this week my team Japhy's Boys jumped to the top of
the table in the J-League following a 3-1 victory over table-propping Boot Room
Boys. My place atop the standings will be tested next week, however, as I and
BABY will meet twice. Japhy's Boys squares off against 2nd placed BABYREDS,
while 5th placed Japhy's Boys2 faces 3rd placed
BABYBLUES.
FC
Arges' undefeated march through Division One has come to an end this week
after falling 3-2 to Blunder Heaven, although he retains his place atop the
table due to his head-to-head record against Systemix (2) Logic as both are
sitting on 12 points.
city slickers has
opened up a slight lead in the Division Two table, although there's a pack of
four teams lurking close behind him, all of whom have good chances of promotion.
In Division Three, Clipse moved out ahead of the pack with a 4-3 defeat of
United FC, while Bristol Rovers' lucky streak continues with a 2-1 victory
over Team United to stay in 2nd place. Despite having scored just 10
goals--while the teams in 3rd, 4th and 5th places have notched 14, 15 and 14
goals, respectively--Bristol Rovers is in good position to make the jump up to
Division Two.
Down in Division
Four, Ocsaigin opened up a small lead on Ricko's Team of Legends, and the duo
look good bets for the promotion places to Division Three. Putra FC's
unfortunate run continues, as it lost 3-1 to Ocsagin to remain pointless at the
bottom. AC Sam, meanwhile, has some awful luck in that it sits second from
bottom despite having tallied 15 goals to make it Division Four's second highest
scoring side, and is even 30th overall in the group. Perhaps this week, however,
its luck has turned after logging the group's high score and earning a
hard-fought 5-4 victory over madmen.
That's all for
now--hope you all enjoy and good luck!
Week Four (Yahoo Week
Six)
The congestion
atop the J-League continues, although BABYREDS has opened a slight lead
following its tight 4-3 win over previously undefeated Japhy's Boys2. At the
bottom of the league, Wendigo's Lips and Knickers must have been inspired by my
relegation predictions, earning its first victory of the year, 2-1 over Boot
Room Boys.
FC Arges, who
shot up the overall rankings this week to #30 thanks to major contributions from
Milan Baros and Lee Hendrie, continues its domination of Division One, although
Hammersmith Odeons and Systemix Logic are still well within striking distance
and look likely promotion candidates.
Division Two's
table saw something of a shake-up this week, as city slickers knocked former
leader Roots United FC off the top spot with an emphatic 4-1 win. Chelsea FC and
Rollo Tomasi both leapfrogged Roots, although all four teams remain good bets
for promotion.
Despite both
suffering their first defeat thus far, joint Division Three leaders Clipse and
Croydon Albion U17s managed to retain their perch atop the table. Bristol Rovers
and Kalamata both notched victories to move within striking distance of the
top.
Division Four
also saw a top of the table clash, as Ocsaigin unseated former pacesetter
Ricko's Team of Legends 3-2 to claim first place. Putra Football Club see
themselves rooted to the bottom of the table on zero points with a negative six
goal differential, but at least they needn't worry about being
relegated!
In the
Semi-Finals of the J-League Cup, your humble host stumbled to a lackluster
start, trailing BABYREDS by 21.54 points, while FC Arges looks to have booked a
place in the final after opening up a likely insurmountable 55.95 point lead on
BABYBLUES.
Good luck
everyone and hope you're having fun!
Week Three (Yahoo Week
Five)
It's looking crowded atop the
J-League, as there are five teams all on 6 points, and altho it may be premature
to speculate about relegation candidates, it looks like Wendigo's Lips and
Knickers'll be spending next season in Division One after going pointless after
1/3 of the season.
In Division One, FC Arges continues
to dominate and appears set to taste top-flight action in The J League next
season. Roots United FC has a slight edge in Division Two, while Clipse and
Croydon Albion U17s share top spot in Division Three. Last (but not least)
Ricko's Team of Legends is living up to its name down in Division Four.
And in the J-League Cup, your humble
host remains in contention, as do both BABY teams, and completing the field is
Division One leader FC Arges.
Good luck to all and
enjoy!
J-League
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