The Top Ten: Week 6
Commentary: Three franchises bet their wild cards in Week 5, and two were victorious. Face made a big $1,000 leap, and Slovy Maximus crawled his way out of the cellar in the South. Ron Mexico, however, lost his bet but salvaged his other wager and only lost $600 on the week. Overall, the league is performing well, with the last place franchise at -$500. That means only one thing: there is a rough road ahead for some franchises. What goes up must come down.
(current total; last week’s ranking)
1. Gordon Bombay ($1,300; 1)
Bombay won another $100 and is enjoying a comfortable lead in the West, with the closest opponent $700 back. However, six out of the seven West franchises are at $0 or above, so it’s anyone’s game with a long way to go.
2. Karl Farbman ($900; 2)
Farbman won another $100 and now is $400 up on the rest of the East. He’s $400 back of the overall lead as well, despite a low winning percentage. He’ll have to cash in on a few big weeks to keep his lead.
3. Larisa Oleynik ($600; 3)
After making a big leap in Week 4, Larisa maintained her lead in the North. The Beard of Zeus and Mr. DeBlasis are meekly staying within striking distance, but so far she is wearing the pants in the division.
4. Art Schlichter ($600; 4)
Art was another franchise that made a big push two weeks ago, and he’s still in second behind Gordie in the West,
5. The Phoenix ($500; 5)
The Phoenix is in playoff position and tied for second in the North. There’s a long way to go, but T.P. has really proven himself to be a contender so far in 2011.
6. Kimmy Gibbler ($500; 9)
Gibbler won $100 and pulled even with the Phoenix. An original FMFL franchise, Gibbler seems to have broken her streak of inconsistency and will be a factor this season.
7. Face ($500; NR)
Huge move by Face! His primetime combo ($800 wild card on Green Bay, $200 bet on Detroit) vaulted him up from the basement in the West to contention. He’s now in position for a playoff run and to make a move for the West division crown.
8. The Beard of Zeus ($300; 7)
Another week passes and another missed opportunity by the Beard to take advantage of the rest of the dormant North. He isn’t dominating like he did during the regular season title run of 2010, but as he showed last year, he’s capable of stringing together three or four perfect weeks in a row.
9. Bud Fox ($300; 8 )
Is Bud’s rookie status starting to show? He’s falling down the leaderboard out West and might want to think about dialing up his wild card bet before it’s too late….
10. Will Cover ($300; NR)
Will had a big week – winning $500 and now tied for the lead in the South. The division is there for the taking, with all seven franchises within $700 of the lead. Will looks to keep his momentum going this week.
Others receiving votes: Boss Hardigan; Ron Mexico; Mr. DeBlasis
Dropped out: Ron Mexico; Waldo Geraldo Faldo
The Top Ten: Week 5
Commentary: One week made all the difference. The cream is starting to rise to the top, with all of The Top Ten franchises in positive money this week. Two franchises hit their wild card bets and got back into the mix, and several others won $500. It’s not all rosy, though. The pitiful South Division has no franchise in positive money, and thus doesn’t make an appearance in The Top Ten this week.
(current total; last week’s ranking)
1. Gordon Bombay ($1,200; 1)
Gordon keeps trending upward. He won another $300 and leads the rest of the West by $500, though the competition in the division is fierce.
2. Karl Farbman ($800; 2)
A backdoor Cam Newton TD prevented Farbman from winning $500 on the week. He’ll have to settle for a small victory, and still holds a slim lead in the East.
3. Larisa Oleynik ($700; NR)
What a Sunday for Larisa. With a wild card bet on Detroit, she was down 27-3 at one point, but came all the way back. Larisa is sending flowers and chocolates to Tony Romo’s house as a thank you gift. She’s now the leader in the North.
4. Art Schlichter ($700; NR)
Art also cashed in on his wild card and won $1,000 for the week. He’s still a bit behind Gordon Bombay, but back in the playoff hunt for sure.
5. The Phoenix ($600; 3)
Phoe Phoe is quietly staying relevant, still only $200 back in the division and he (surprise!) made his bets on time once again this week.
6. Ron Mexico ($600; 7)
Ronnie won $500 but didn’t move up in the division due to Art’s big jump. He’s still within shouting distance of Gordon for the West lead.
7. The Beard of Zeus ($400; 4)
Beardsy scratched out $100, but lost his lead to Larisa. These two might battle for the rest of the year at the top of the division.
8. Bud Fox ($400; 6)
Bud is hanging around, and was oh so close to winning $500 last week. He looks to be in the toughest division in the league this year (so far), so he’ll need a big week this week to make sure he doesn’t fall behind.
9. Kimmy Gibbler ($400; 8 )
The rest of the league did so well that Kimmy won $500 last week and actually went DOWN in The Top Ten. But she’s right behind Karl and The Phoenix in the East.
10. Waldo Geraldo Faldo ($100; NR)
Waldo made a little noise by winning $500 as well. Some may remember back in the day when W.G.F. was a force to be reckoned with in the Funny Money. Could this be a blast from the past?
Others receiving votes: The Notorious A.B.T.; Mr. DeBlasis; Rick Moranis
Dropped out: Mr. DeBlasis; The People’s Champ; Yaz
The Top Ten: Week 4
Commentary: It was another rough week in the Funny Money, as 11 underdogs covered, which spelled bad news for franchises that loaded up on the favorites. After three weeks, only 7 of 28 franchises are in the positive money. A few of the sinking ships (Babe, Bayonnaise, Slovy Maximus) might be thinking about taking a chance with the wild card bet in the coming weeks. Though their deficits are not insurmountable, they are falling farther out of the playoff chase each week.
(current total; last week’s ranking)
1. Gordon Bombay ($900; 1)
Bombay just kept rolling, winning $500 and increasing his lead in the West. The closet competitors are now $800 back after only three weeks of wagering.
2. Karl Farbman ($700; 6)
Karl won $500 and stayed ahead in the East. However, there is another franchise nipping at his heels…
3. The Phoenix ($500; 9)
….The Phoenix bounced back from losing -$500 in Week 2 to win $500 in Week 3. He’s right back in the mix in the East and challenging for the overall lead.
4. The Beard of Zeus ($300; 5)
The Beard of Zeus scratched out a $100 week, which vaulted him into first place in the North, as the rest of the division failed to strike it rich.
5. Mr. DeBlasis ($100; 3)
DeBlasis is hanging around right behind The Beard. He split his bets and stays relevant for another week.
6. Bud Fox ($100; 2)
Bud lost three games out of four and fell back in the West. He’ll need to right the ship in Week 4 if he wants to keep pace with Gordon Bombay.
7. Ron Mexico ($100; 8 )
Mexico is still hanging in positive money, but much like the rest of the FMFL, he’s falling more and more behind Bombay with each passing week.
8. Kimmy Gibbler (-$100; 10)
After jumping up in the standings after a perfect Week 2, Gibbler lost $100 in Week 3. It won’t kill her, but she could use another solid week to get back in the divisional race.
9. The People’s Champ (-$100; NR)
Full proof of how badly Funny Money franchises are doing: The People’s Champ makes an appearance in The Top Ten.
10. Yaz (-$200; 4)
Yaz dropped $500 this week and lost his lead in the North. The bright side is that he’s only $500 out in the division.
Others receiving votes: The Notorious A.B.T.; T-Ferg; Kiko Garcia
Dropped out: Boss Hardigan
The Top Ten: Week 3
Commentary: A brutal week for the league, as Baltimore and Green Bay, the most popular bets by far, both went down. The third most popular wager, Dallas, finished as a heartbreaking push as a Cowboy was tripped up on the one yard line in OT, so Dallas kicked a field goal instead. There isn’t one franchise that is breaking away just yet, and for the most part if you are $0 or higher, you are in good shape. That being said, no one is out of it just yet. Not all divisions are created equal, as the cream is already rising to the top in the North, and the entire division is sinking in the South.
(current total; last week’s ranking)
1. Gordon Bombay ($400; 6)
One win, one loss, one push. Usually when a franchise goes even for the week, it doesn’t vault him to the top of the rankings, but this week was quite unique. There’s no separation in the division, but Bombay looks on track early in the year.
2. Bud Fox ($400; 5)
Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, Bud continues his strong start. He needs to keep pace with Gordon as the season wears on.
3. Mr. DeBlasis ($200; 2)
Some call him “the enigma of Funny Money.” Others just call him Mister Dee. Either way, he’s in the mix in the highly competitive North.
4. Yaz ($300; NR)
Yaz would be higher, considering he’s leading his division, but his bets were late last week, which set him back on the overall leaderboard. Rumor has it there was a Sanford and Son marathon that demanded all of his attention on Saturday night, thus the late bets.
5. The Beard of Zeus ($200; 1)
The Beard is treading water after a perfect Week 1. He still has the North leaders within his grasp.
6. Karl Farbman ($200; 8 )
Farbman seized the lead in the East, but almost by default. He eked out $100, but edged ahead of the Phoenix for the moment.
7. Boss Hardigan ($200; NR)
The Boss won $100 and has the biggest division lead in the FMFL, as the rest of the sad sacks in the South are clawing to stay within shouting distance of even money.
8. Ron Mexico ($200; 4)
Ron joins Gordon and Bud in the three-man race in the West. Like most of the league, he bet Baltimore, but did salvage a victory by taking the Cardinals.
9. The Phoenix ($0; 3)
$500 in Week 1. -$500 in Week 2. The Phoenix plays by one rule: there are no rules.
10. Kimmy Gibbler ($0; NR)
Gibbler wins the comeback of the week award (unofficial). He lost $500 in Week 1 and got it all back in Week 2. He was the only franchise to win $500 in the entire league. It has him right back in contention.
Others receiving votes: Kiko Garcia; Face; Rick Moranis
Dropped out: Will Cover; Larisa Oleynik; Kiko Garcia
The Top Ten: Week 2
Commentary: Back in the flow of the 2011 season, there are many familiar names in the fall’s first edition of The Top Ten, including 2010 Regular Season Champion The Beard of Zeus, and West Division Champion Ron Mexico. Both were perfect in Week 1, with Mr. DeBlasis and The Phoenix also putting up flawless numbers. Less than half the leagues is in the positive, with many franchises sinking by betting the Browns, Steelers, or Falcons. For the most part, franchises won or lost $100, and this is a marathon, not a sprint.
A special shoutout to Bayonnaise, who kicked off the 2011 campaign by submitting late bets and then losing $500, for a grand total of -$600. He’s now on pace to finish the season at -$10,200.
(current total; last week’s ranking)
1. The Beard of Zeus ($500; –)
Beardy picked up where he left off at the end of the 2010 regular season at the top of the ranks. Though it was surely questionable to skip the divisional draft, now some are thinking he did it to stack the deck against himself, engaging in some sort of odd head game with the rest of the North.
2. Mr. DeBlasis ($500; –)
DeBlasis always seems to be around the top, especially at the beginning of the season. There’s a reason he wasn’t chosen early in the divisional draft.
3. The Phoenix ($500; –)
An investigation has already begun to see who placed the Phoenix’s bets this week and how he/she uncharacteristically actually won $500. More on this story as it develops.
4. Ron Mexico ($500; –)
Ron’s back up on the top of the division in the West, but his roommate is nipping at his heels.
5. Bud Fox ($300; –)
Fresh fish! Fresh fish! Bud ignored the heckles from the other inmates and was only an Arizona Cardinals push from being perfect for the week. My money was that he’d squeal on his first night in the joint.
6. Gordan Bombay ($400; –)
It’s been a few years since Bombay has performed like the Gordon of old. Another year in the division with his bunk buddy Ron Mexico has rekindled his winning ways.
7. Larisa Oleynik ($100; –)
Not making a statement in Week 1, but not falling too far behind. In the weeds waiting to pounce…..At least Larisa is 1-for-1 in emailing picks to the correct address in 2011.
8. Karl Farbman ($100; –)
Farbman trails The Phoenix (not a misprint. The Phoenix is leading his division) and looks to get back on track in Week 2.
9. Will Cover ($100; –)
One of the stories that flew under the radar by the national media covering the FMFL last season was Will’s respectable, albeit disappointing season. He was a few bounces of the ball away from the playoffs and shouldn’t be counted out after getting one season of Funny Money under his belt.
10. Kiko Garcia ($100; –)
Kiko made a strong push at the end of the season and in the playoffs. If he stays within striking distance for the first few weeks of the season and then surges, it could be Kiko’s year.
Others receiving votes: Blossom Russo; Rick Moranis; Yaz; Boss Hardigan
Dropped out: None
