The Top Ten: Week 17
The Top Ten: Week 17
Commentary: In what has been a great season of betting, Week 17 is setting up as an “anything can happen” type of Sunday. The overall title battle is close, as are the divisional races in the North, South, and West. And the wild card race is very tight. T-Ferg and Yaz seem to control their own destinies because they still have their wild card bets. And, not making the Top Ten, Mr. Marbles and the Beard of Zeus have come on strong in the past few weeks and could come out of nowhere to steal a playoff spot.
(current total; last week’s ranking)
1. Rick Moranis ($2,600; 1)
Rick has what looks to be an insurmountable lead in the West. But not so fast. T-Ferg still has his wild card and could catch him for the division. Add to that fact that Rick still has his wild card bet and could use it to clinch the overall championship, and the different scenarios in Week 17 are countless
2. Waldo Geraldo Faldo ($2,400; 2)
Waldo has put himself in a great spot for the final week. He has a $500 lead in the division. If he comes out on the positive side of this week, he can’t be beat. Then again, does he want to bet aggressively and try for the overall crown?
3. Babe ($2,000; 7)
A huge week for Babe! Won $500 and put himself back into the lead in the North. He has a $400 lead, so his strategy could mirror Waldo Geraldo Faldo.
4. Mr. DeBlasis ($1,900; 5)
Plain and simple: Mr. DeBlasis needs to win $500 and have Waldo lose at least $100 to win his division. On the flip side, if he loses $500, he’s in danger of not making the playoffs.
5. Larisa Oleynik ($1,900; 3)
Larisa slipped in Week 16, losing $500. She already has her division clinched, and it will be tough for her to win the overall title. A good season for the rookie, and she’ll look for continued success in the playoffs.
6. Bummy ($1,600; 9)
Bummy won his wild card bet and got into the playoff mix. He’s $400 out of the division, so he has a chance there. But he also is only a few hundred from not making the playoffs at all. This is the place in the Top Ten where things start to get dicey.
7. Art Schlichter ($1,500; 4)
Art dropped $100 last week and lost his lead in the division. And now, with a bad final week he could possibly be on the outside looking in….
8. Don Mattingly ($1,400; 6)
….same goes for Don Mattingly. Both Art and Don don’t have their wild card bets, so they are at a disadvantage coming down the stretch.
9. T-Ferg ($1,300; 8 )
As of now, T-Ferg is the last guy in the playoff party. He still has his wild card bet and could make a run at the division. If he wins that bet, he would almost guarantee himself a spot in the playoffs. If he leaves it on the shelf, and even if he wins $500, there’s a chance he could be out of the postseason (see: Yaz).
10. Yaz ($1,200; NR)
Yaz is the last guy out, but won $500 in Week 16. He also still has his wild card bet. If he wins it, he could make a serious jump. One of the guys in The Top Ten isn’t going to make the playoffs. And it could be more than one. Others are right on their heels.
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Mr. Marbles; The Beard of Zeus
DROPPED OUT: Bayonnaise
The Top Ten: Week 16
The Top Ten: Week 16
Commentary: In yet another week in which a boatload of underdogs covered, a few franchises put together big weeks and made huge moves. Don Mattingly won his wild card on Indianapolis and is now in the playoff mix. Waldo Geraldo Faldo won $500 and rose to the top of his division. Rick Moranis weeded through a bunch of bad games to add another $300 to his total. With two weeks to go, the overall championship race is heating up along with the wild card race. And three of the four divisions are still up in the air. There were also three pushes this week, the first ties of the year. There are still seven teams with the wild card bets remaining, many of them in the mix for the postseason.
(current total; last week’s ranking)
1. Rick Moranis ($2,700; 1)
Rick has a sizable lead in the West and his wild card bet in his back pocket. But, there are a few contenders breathing down his neck for the overall lead.
2. Waldo Geraldo Faldo ($2,500; 4)
The last two weeks have been huge for Waldo. After dispatching of Yaz a few weeks ago, he entered last week tied with Mr. DeBlasis. Waldo won $500 while DeBlasis lost $200, giving WGF a $700 lead with two weeks left.
3. Larisa Oleynik ($2,400; 2)
Larisa has clinched the East division and now only has one more possible goal: the overall title. Congrats to Larisa, who entered the season as a wide-eyed rookie and will now see how she can perform in the postseason.
4. Art Schlichter ($1,600; 6)
All season long, Art has managed to stay within earshot of the leaders in the North. Finally, he has taken over the lead. Although he is only up by a modest $100, he now controls his own postseason destiny.
5. Mr. DeBlasis ($1,800; 3)
Yes, Mr. DeBlasis, who some have called, “the most complimented team in Funny Money,” lost his share of the South division lead. But, on the plus side, he still is in good position to make the playoffs, division title or not.
6. Don Mattingly ($1,500; NR)
Out of nowhere, Donnie baseball jolted himself into the wild card race. After a back and forth game on Thursday Night Football, Don would be in the postseason if things ended today. And now he is only $1,200 back of Rick Moranis, so anything is possible.
7. Babe ($1,500; 5)
Babe has been sinking like a stone lately and has lost what looked to be a comfortable lead in the North. He still has a great chance at the division crown, but another poor week and he could be on the outside looking in come January.
8. T-Ferg (1,400; 8 )
T-Ferg won $200 in Week 15 and still has his wild card bet left. He might not need it to make the playoffs, but he could make a run at Rick Moranis and clinch his spot in the postseason with a wild card win this weekend.
9. Bummy ($1,000; 10)
Bummy is hanging on by a thread to the final playoff spot. He also has his wild card bet left and is only $600 out of his division lead. With a correct big bet, he’d be in the catbird seat with one week to go.
10. Bayonnaise ($700; 9)
After dropping $500 last week, Bayonnaise will need a big finish to make the playoffs. He also needs to worry about Yaz, who is tied with him but still has his wild card bet.
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Yaz; The Beard of Zeus; Mr. Marbles
DROPPED OUT: Yaz
The Top Ten: Week 15
The Top Ten: Week 15
Commentary: In this last few weeks, there has been little movement at the very top of the heap. However, the divisional race in the South has been hotly contested. Arizona losing on Monday night prevented many franchises from having $500 weeks, and kept the wild card race close. The Beard of Zeus hit on his wild card bet and is in the mix, and Slovy Maximus lost his and looks to be out of contention. Three weeks to go, and nine teams still have their wild card bets available.
(current total: last week’s ranking)
1. Rick Moranis ($2,400; 1)
Moranis lost $100 and failed to pull away from the other teams on his heels for the overall title. His division lead is now $1,200 with three weeks left, but two of those teams behind him still have their wild card bet.
2. Larisa Oleynik ($2,300; 2)
Larisa lost $100 as well and couldn’t make up any ground on Rick. With a huge lead in the North, she has all but locked up a division crown in her first year.
3. Mr. DeBlasis ($2,000; 6)
Wow. Some call DeBlasis, “the most inspirational team in the Funny Money.” After a mediocre year, the month of December has been good to him. With few huge weeks, he has vaulted himself up to the top of the South, with a slightly higher winning percentage than Waldo. What was unthinkable three weeks ago, DeBlasis has a shot at the overall title.
4. Waldo Geraldo Faldo ($2,000; 3)
Waldo had a good week, getting $300 under his belt. He is tied for the lead and needs to avoid a $500 pitfall in these last three weeks to be a shoe-in for the playoffs.
5. Babe ($2,000; 5)
Babe, who was won of only a handful of franchises who didn’t bet Green Bay or Arizona this week, split his games and still sits atop the North. This is a make-or-break week for the top five contenders. They are all pretty close in the standings, and one game here or there could translate into cold hard cash in the end.
6. Art Schlichter ($1,500; 7)
Art is back in the running with a $500 week. He has already used his wild card bet, but right now he is in position to make the playoffs as long as he can keep an even keel down the stretch.
7. Yaz ($1,200; 4)
Yaz sunk down from first to third in the South with a -$500 Week 14. What was a two-horse race in the South between Yaz and Waldo still is; Yaz just isn’t one of the horses anymore. He still has a good chance to make the playoffs – and has his wild card bet.
8. T-Ferg ($1,200; 10)
T-Ferg won $300 and is in playoff position as of now. He also still has his wild card bet. He’ll need to use it if he’s going to make a run at the division. Or he can play it conservative and simply try to get into the postseason.
9. Bayonnaise ($1,200; 9)
Running right along with T-Ferg, the Naise won $300 but is still $1,200 out of the lead in the West. He’s on the cusp of the playoffs.
10. Bummy ($900; 8 )
Bummy dropped $100 and is out of striking distance in the North, for now. His wild card bet is still available.
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Don Mattingly; Karl Farbman; The Beard of Zeus
DROPPED OUT: None
The Top Ten: Week 14
The Top Ten: Week 14
Commentary: Welp, that was rough. Week 13 crushed virtually the entire league. Here are some quick stats: 13 of the 28 franchises lost $500 or more; 3 of the 28 had a positive outcome for the week; currently, 18 of the 28 are below even money. The big killer in Week 13 was New England, who lost outright to Miami. Three franchises lost their wild card bets and many others bet $300 on the Pats. New Orleans and San Diego were other heavy favorites who failed to cover, sinking many. Long story short: if you won or lost $100 this past week, you won. You survived the week of death. Those who didn’t move much up or down can consider themselves lucky. Four weeks to go.
(current total; last week’s ranking)
1. Rick Moranis ($2,500; 1)
Rick lost $300 on the week but widened his lead in the West. With four weeks left, he is up by $1,600. On top of that he still has his wild card bet available. But, the real race might be for overall regular season champ.
2. Larisa Oleynik ($2,400; 2)
Larisa split her bets in Week 13 but also saw her lead in the East grow. She is now up $2,900 and only it would take a monumental collapse for her to lose the division. She is now only $100 behind Rick for the overall lead.
3. Waldo Geraldo Faldo ($1,700; 4)
In what is turning out to be the best race in the 2009 FMFL, Waldo is tied with Yaz in the South but is a few percentage points behind. Without his recent fines, Yaz would be leading by a few hundo. And now there is a third contender in the mix.
4. Yaz ($1,700; 5)
Yaz split his games in Week 13, but his big accomplishment was betting on time. The one advantage he has over the other two horses in the South is that he still has his wild card bet in his back pocket.
5. Babe ($1,900; 3)
Babe dropped $500 on the week, but it didn’t hurt him too badly in the divisional race. He now has a little bit of a deficit to make up in the overall race and doesn’t have the North locked up as of yet.
6. Mr. DeBlasis ($1,500; NR)
A huge week for DeBlasis! Some call him “the most modest man in the Funny Money,” but he can brag after hitting his Jacksonville wild card bet and jumping up close to the leaders in the South. He’ll need to ride this momentum into the last quarter of the season.
7. Art Schlichter ($1,000; 6)
Art plummeted down $500 the standings and now is in a tie for second in the North. That’s the bad news. The good news is that he didn’t lose any more ground on the division leader and he would be in the playoffs if the season ended today.
8. Bummy ($1,000; 9)
Staying the course, Bummy lost $100 and moved into the playoff picture by surviving the week. He still has his wild card bet, but so do a few others that are in the thick of the playoff hunt.
9. Bayonnaise ($900; 7)
With a chance to make up ground on Moranis, Bayonnaise lost $500….
10. T-Ferg ($900; 9)
…..and so did T-Ferg.
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Don Mattingly; Slovy Maximus
DROPPED OUT: Don Mattingly
The Top Ten: Week 13
The Top Ten: Week 13
Commentary: After a ho-hum helping of Thanksgiving Day games, Sunday’s action brought out some big wins across the board. Babe hit his wild card on the Colts, and won $900 for the week ($100 late fine). He is in third, with the leaders still chugging along. 15 wild card bets remain, and only five weeks left in the season. There was a change of leadership in the South, and the pack tightened up in the West.
(current total; last week’s ranking)
1. Rick Moranis ($2,800; 1)
Moranis notched another $300 and just needs to avoid a big loss in the next few weeks in order to lock up his division.
2. Larisa Oleynik ($2,500; 2)
A perfect week for Larisa, and with the rest of the North lagging, she has a $2,500 lead with five weeks left. The division title looks to be hers, and now just the overall title remains out there.
3. Babe ($2,400; 4)
A big week for Babe, but he still has a few challengers in the division within range. He’s laid his cards on the table, and now just needs to weave his way through the last few weeks to get into the playoffs.
4. Waldo Geraldo Faldo ($1,800; 6)
A solid surge by Waldo, and just like that he is in first in the South again. Perfect week. This is shaping up to be the best race in the league this year.
5. Yaz ($1,600; 3)
Old man river once again had late bets (second week in a row), and lost $100 on the week. Without those tardy wagers, he’d be tied for the lead in the South. Instead, he’s trailing, but he still has his wild card.
6. Art Schlichter ($1,500; 10)
Art has been solid all year long and now is rising above the rest of the challengers in the North. He has already used his wild card, so he just needs to stay afloat down the stretch.
7. Bayonnaise ($1,400; 8 )
Still rising in the standings, Bayonnaise is now tied for second in the division, but does he have enough time to challenge the great Rick Moranis?
8. Bummy ($1,100; 9)
Time to pull the wild card trigger? Bummy is on the cusp of the playoffs and might need to cash in on that big bet if he still wants to make a run at the division.
9. T-Ferg ($1,400; NR)
The roller coaster ride for T-Ferg continues. He wins $500 for the week and jumps back up to second in the West
10. Don Mattingly ($1,200; 7)
Don has failed to make a move since the midseason point. Now he finds himself in fourth in the division and in danger of being forced out of the playoffs.
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Mr. DeBlasis; Mr. Marbles
DROPPED OUT: Mr. Marbles
The Top Ten: Week 12
The Top Ten: Week 12
Commentary: Gordon Bombay cashed in on his wild card bet, as the Colts won a close game over dem Rayyvens. He’s still way out of the playoff race, but no one is running away with anything at this point. Larisa Oleynik increased her big lead in the North, but there is still a lot to be decided in all of the other divisions. Gordon Bombay and Yaz had late bets this week, as the fine dollars continue to pile up due to the Thursday night football schedule.
(current total; last week’s ranking)
1. Rick Moranis ($2,500; 1)
Moranis got back on track with a $300 week. His division challengers are falling left and right, so it looks at if Rick can focus on the overall regular season champion down the stretch.
2. Larisa Oleynik ($2,000; 3)
Things couldn’t have been better for Larisa in Week 12. She had a perfect week and the rest of the East is slumping, giving her the biggest division lead in the league. Now second overall, Larisa can coast to a title if she avoids huge losses in the coming weeks.
3. Yaz ($1,800; 2)
Old man river fell split his picks last week, but they were late so that he stayed at $1,800 overall. Could this petty fine come back to haunt him in the end? Only time will tell.
4. Babe ($1,500; 4)
For the past few weeks, the “race” in the North has been like watching paint dry. Win or lose $100, don’t make much a move either way. Babe has done it again….
5. Mr. Marbles ($1,300; 5)
….and so has Mr. Marbles. As the weeks pass, both Babe and Mr. Marbles can look back at November as a month of almosts and missed opportunities. Both has had their chances to pull away but neither has.
6. Waldo Geraldo Faldo ($1,300; 10)
A huge week for Waldo. He won $500 and vaulted himself into playoff position. He’s still $500 off the pace in the division, but a solid Week 12 could solidify his spot in the postseason.
7. Don Mattingly ($1,100; 7)
Don dropped $100 and now is in danger of dropping down another place in the West. He’s on the cusp of the playoffs, but still has to prove he can hang with the big boys.
8. Bayonnaise ($1,100; NR)
Another solid week, and suddenly Bayonnaise is in the hunt for the playoffs. He still has some work to do in the West if he wants to make a run at the division, but so far so good.
9. Bummy ($1,200; NR)
Bummy notched a perfect week and is quietly in the mix in the North. He is in playoff position as of now and still has his wild card bet in his pocket.
10. Art Schlichter ($1,000; 8 )
Once again, Art didn’t win a lot or lose a lot. And he’s still only $500 out of the division lead, but he is in fourth place in the North. He’s already spent his wild card bet, so he’ll have to get moving up or hope for those above him to lose their big bets in the weeks to come.
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: T-Ferg; The Beard of Zeus; Mr. DeBlasis
DROPPED OUT: T-Ferg; Mr. DeBlasis
The Top Ten: Week 11
The Top Ten: Week 11
Commentary: In another week of mostly underdogs covering, very few franchises won more than $100. Yaz had a perfect week to increase his lead in the South, and T-Ferg gained ground on both guys in front of him in the West. Chris B. Corey lost his wild card with a bet on the Cowboys and looks like he will challenge for overall worst total. The first of the Thursday Night Football games also brought a lot of fines league-wide, with Gordon Bombay and The People’s Champ failing to bet at all. Seven weeks to go.
(current total; last week’s ranking)
1. Rick Moranis ($2,200; 1)
For the first time all year, Moranis looks vulnerable. Though he still has a cushion in his division race, he is now coming back down to earth and hasn’t made many shrewd pics in the second half of the year.
2. Yaz ($1,800; 6)
Yaz was one of the few who picked a dog (Tampa Bay) and reaped the benefits. The rest of his division is in the rearview mirror for now, but some critics think that he might have a tough time getting through the last few weeks of the season because of his old age.
3. Larisa Oleynik ($1,500; 2)
A Monday night win kept Larisa afloat instead of losing $500 for the week. Like many other franchises in the league, she hasn’t moved much in either direction over the last four weeks.
4. Babe ($1,600; 4)
Babe also kept his lead as a result of Baltimore’s win on Monday. Right now, it looks as if the North race is down to him and Mr. Marbles, though we’ll have to see where they stand in three or four weeks.
5. Mr. Marbles ($1,400; 5)
Marbles lost $100 and lost a baby step in the division race. A wild card bet could vault him over the top in the new couple of weeks.
6. T-Ferg ($1,200; NR)
A perfect week for T-Ferg and he has risen from mediocrity to being within $1,000 of the division lead (the equivalent of a one-possession game). He’ll need to keep moving up this week if he wants to hang around.
7. Don Mattingly ($1,200; 3)
Beware of the suck bet. Beware of the suck bet. Lost $500 last week. Beware of the suck bet.
8. Art Schlichter ($900; 10)
Art is still lurking behind Babe and Mr. Marbles. Though he has little room for error, every week that he hangs around should make the other two a little more worried.
9. Mr. DeBlasis ($900; NR)
DeBlasis, who some pundits have called, “the most dashing man in the Funny Money,” leaped up to second in the South.
10. Waldo Geraldo Faldo ($800; 7)
A few short weeks ago, it looked as if Waldo was ready to pull away from the rest of his division. Now he is on the outside of the playoffs looking in. Still a long way to go, but he has some work to do.
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Teddy KGB; Bummy; Bayonnaise.
DROPPED OUT: Teddy KGB; Bayonnaise.
The Top Ten: Week 10
The Top Ten: Week 10
Commentary: In an odd week, almost every franchise in the league either lost $100 or won $100. Very few did anything else. Thus, the rankings have not changed much, except for in the East, where Teddy KGB lost all his bets and fell out of the neck and neck race for the division. As the early games begin, the men will soon be separated from the boys.
(current total; last week’s ranking)
1. Rick Moranis ($2,500; 1)
The past two weeks, Rick Moranis and Don Mattingly have had almost the exact same picks. Is there some collusion possible? If there is another week of similarities, the league office will investigate.
2. Larisa Oleynik ($1,600; 2)
Larisa split her bets and won $100 for the week, but Teddy’s loss is her gain. She now has a $700 lead in the East.
3. Don Mattingly ($1,700; 3)
As Mattingly chases Rick for the division, he has a firm grip on a playoff spot. However, the Thursday night games might rattle him, causing Don to bet on the Chiefs for the remainder of the season.
4. Babe ($1,500; 5)
Babe escaped losing $500 on a miraculous cover by Seattle (a late interception return for a TD). Just percentage points ahead of Mr. Marbles, he assumes the lead in the North.
5. Mr. Marbles ($1,500; 4)
Marbles lost sole possession of the division, but still is in the wild card spot money. But one bad week and he could be on the outside looking in for the playoffs.
6. Yaz ($1,300; 8 )
Split his bets and gained a little bit of breathing room for the division. It now looks to be a two horse race in the South….
7. Waldo Geraldo Faldo ($900; 7)
….and Waldo is losing ground. He could use a perfect week to vault himself back into first. Remember, Waldo has used his wild card bet. Yaz has not.
8. Teddy KGB ($900; 6)
Losing $500 hurts, but it could’ve been worse considering that very little money was won by the rest of the league. Here comes Teddy’s second annual late season slide…
9. Bayonnaise ($900; NR)
Bayonnaise went west and found riches. A perfect week has him back in the playoff race and back in the Top Ten.
10. Art Schlichter ($800; 9)
Lurking in the shadows, Art is currently out of the playoffs, but still has his foot in the door of the division and wild card races. He needs a big week to solidify his spot amongst the big boys.
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Bummy; Mr. DeBlasis; T-Ferg.
DROPPED OUT: T-Ferg.
The Top Ten: Week 9
The Top Ten: Week 9
(this week’s edition of the Top Ten is sans team notes due to the upcoming MIDSEASON REPORT)
Commentary: Indianapolis and New Orleans failing to cover sunk many teams across the league, but those who sidestepped those teams did pretty well. Art Schlichter lost his wild card bet but still is within arms reach in the North. The races are heating up in the East and South. And in the West, Rick Moranis still has a comfortable cushion.
(current total; last week’s ranking)
1. Rick Moranis ($2,400; 1)
2. Larisa Oleynik ($1,500; 4)
3. Don Mattingly ($1,600; 5)
4. Mr. Marbles ($1,600; 7)
5. Babe ($1,400; 2)
6. Teddy KGB ($1,400; 8 )
7. Waldo Geraldo Faldo ($1,000; 9)
8. Yaz ($1,200; NR)
9. Art Schlichter ($700; 3)
10. T-Ferg ($600; 6)
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Bummy; Slovy Maximus; Mr. DeBlasis.
DROPPED OUT: Bayonnaise
The Top Ten: Week 8
The Top Ten: Week 8
Commentary: The favorites keep on rolling, and the Funny Money franchises have reaped the benefits. In what was reported as the worst financial loss for Vegas in history, four Funny Money teams wagered their wild cards and all four won. The biggest nailbiter of the week was Waldo Geraldo Faldo’s New Orleans wager. The Saints were down by 27 with the spread in the first half, came back, almost gave up a late TD, but then eked out a cover. The rich got richer, with a crowded overall leaderboard. After next week, we reach the halfway point of the season.
(current total; last week’s ranking)
1. Rick Moranis ($2,500; 1)
Rick cashed in on the Chargers and won $300 on the week, but now there is a whole pack of franchises nipping at his heels.
2. Babe ($1,900; 2)
A perfect week for Babe. It is important to note that only one of the seven teams (Blossom Russo) has used their wild card bet. Babe holds the lead in the division for now.
3. Art Schlichter ($1,700; 3)
A flawless week for Art as well has him right behind Babe.
4. Larisa Oleynik ($1,800; 5)
Entering Week 7 tied for the division, Larisa whipped out the wild card and won $1,000 for the week. Now Larisa is right back where she was a few weeks ago. We’ll see if she can hold the lead this time.
5. Don Mattingly ($1,700; 4)
Don won another $500 but needs to remain consistent week-to-week if he is going to give Rick a run for his money.
6. T-Ferg ($1,100; 6)
At this point it sounds like a broken record, but Ferg also had a perfect week and kept Rick and Don in his sights in the West.
7. Mr. Marbles ($1,100; 8 )
Mr. Marbles? He’s harmless! He won $500 but is still $800 off the division lead.
8. Teddy KGB ($1,300; 10)
The good news is that Teddy won $500. The bad news is that his division leader won $1,000.
9. Waldo Geraldo Faldo ($1,100; NR)
Waldo rises out of the South with a $1,000 week. His lead is slim, but he made a bold bet and it paid off.
10. Bayonnaise ($800; NR)
With the west coast beaches in his future, Bayonnaise hit a $1,000 week, too. He must be reminded that bets must be placed by midnight eastern time, which will undoubtedly result in at least $800 in fines from here on out.
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Slovy Maximus; Yaz; Blossom Russo.
DROPPED OUT: Kenny Powers; Slovy Maximus.
