Wild Card Weekend Lines
Wild Card Weekend Lines
SATURDAY
Atlanta (-2.5)
Arizona
Indianapolis (-1.5)
San Diego
SUNDAY
Baltimore (-3)
Miami
Philadelphia (-3)
Minnesota
Playoff Vegas Odds
FUNNY MONEY PLAYOFF VEGAS ODDS
The People’s Champ
In the playoffs, experience matters. The People’s Champ has a successful resume and the killer instinct it takes to repeat as champion. And, just as the case was last year, he got into the postseason via a wild card berth.
Odds: 3 to 1
Kimmy Gibbler
In the final few weeks of the regular season, Gibbler showed two things: great strategic betting and how to pick winners. In Week 16, he bet a four-teamer after establishing a big lead in his division; he won all four games.
Odds: 7 to 2
Gordon Bombay
There’s no hotter team in the Funny Money right now than Gordon Bombay. He made up a huge deficit in the final week to take the overall prize and looks to be primed for a playoff run. However, last season he stumbled in crunch time. Could this year be a different story?
Odds: 6 to 1
Karl Farbman
A self-proclaimed crowd favorite, Farbman knows the importance of the first two weeks of the playoffs and will probably come out with guns blazing. At times during the season, his vast intelligence played tricks on him, and he ended up over-thinking his picks. But the playoffs is the time to go with your gut.
Odds: 13 to 2
Mr. Marbles
Mr. Marbles flew under the radar for most of the season, trailing Gordon Bombay in the division, yet posting a respectable total and winning percentage. He now needs to focus on making two or three winning picks in Week 1 of the playoffs.
Odds: 11 to 1
The 21th Precinct
The only rookie in the playoffs, the 21th Precinct needs to recapture the momentum he gained around the midseason point. Anything can happen in these few short weeks, but the Precinct is up against seasoned veterans that might have his number.
Odds: 15 to 1
Blossom Russo
Blossom lost his way the final weeks of the season, giving up an seemingly insurmountable lead to Gordon Bombay. He’ll need to right the ship quickly to have any chance in the playoffs. He’ll need a miracle to come out on top.
Odds: 17 to 1
Additional note: Karl Farbman, in keeping with his regular season practice, will be sending his picks to two members of the Funny Money to assure honesty and integrity. However, since one of the recipients from the regular season (Kimmy Gibbler) is in the playoff field, he will be sending his picks to Bummy and Rick Moranis for the duration of the playoffs.
Standings
Gordon Bombay$0
Blossom Russo$0
Kimmy Gibbler$0
Mr. Marbles$0
Karl Farbman$0
The 21th Precinct$0
The People’s Champ$0
The Postseason Report
THE POSTSEASON REPORT
EAST DIVISION
Blossom Russo
Blossom led his division for the majority of the season, pulling away weeks ago and making the last leg of the year an easy road to the East crown. However, he led the overall title by $700 with one week to play and let his guard down. Poor strategy down the stretch (and a late picks fine two weeks ago) cost him the big prize. He’ll still be heading to the playoffs, but it could have been a lot more profitable.
Total: $3,300 Winning %: 0.637 Total Fines: $100
Grade: B-
Bummy
In the second half of the year Bummy did an excellent job of hanging around while the rest of the league went into the tank. That being said, he never could put together a $500 week down the stretch. His opportunity for the playoffs might not have panned out, but overall he had a good rookie season.
Total: $300 Winning %: 0.489 Total Fines: $100
Grade: B
Babe
Faltering down the stretch, Babe’s final total doesn’t do justice to the fact that he was on the cusp of the playoffs just five short weeks ago. He lost his wild card bet in Week 8, and never fully recovered. He looks to be a factor for next season.
Total: -$1,400 Winning %: 0.463 Total Fines: $200
Grade: C
The Beard of Zeus
The Beard got off to a rough start, but then surged in the second half of the year. A few bounces didn’t go his way and prevented him for gaining any real momentum down the stretch. Lack of interest kept him from betting in the final week of the season, which dropped him to over two-thousand bucks in the hole.
Total: -$2,200 Winning %: 0.368 Total Fines: $800
Grade: C-
The Phoenix
When The Phoenix actually placed bets, he did pretty well. But missing out on a few weeks of wagers and constantly betting late put him in a huge hole that he could never get out of. In the last week of the season, he passed Rick Moranis and gained the glorious title of last place in the Funny Money Football League.
Total: -$3,200 Winning %: 0.519 Total Fines: $2,900
Grade: F
NORTH DIVISION
Gordon Bombay
Made good, consistent picks all season long. Bombay might as well bet real money, considering his record from last season and this season combined. He varied his betting style from week to week, and did a masterful job in Week 17 of correctly betting his wild card in order to protect himself from being passed in the division while going for the overall title. He made up a $700 deficit in the final week, which has Bombay rolling into the playoffs.
Total: $3,500 Winning %: 0.627 Total Fines: $200
Grade: A
Mr. Marbles
In one of the other divisions, Mr. Marbles would have been a leader or close to the lead all season long. But as the luck of the draw would have it, he trailed Bombay for most of the season and took a shot at the division crown in the final week, betting obscure games, knowing his postseason spot was secure. Marbles accrued no fine money, and beefed up his winning percentage in the second half of the year.
Total: $1,800 Winning %: 0.557 Total Fines: $0
Grade: A-
Chris B. Corey
Chris was the first franchise this season to bet his wild card, tanking $800 on Cincinnati in Week 2. This put him behind early, but to his credit, he hung around all season, falling behind, but not to far, then turning it on with four weeks to go. In the last two weeks, he won $500 each week, and ended up just $100 out of the playoffs. A job well done.
Total: $1,000 Winning %: 0.590 Total Fines: $0
Grade: B+
Teddy KGB
From the beginning of the year, Teddy KGB had a strategy: bet two games each week. No more. No less. He caught fire around the midseason point, leading the wild card race, and even challenging for the division. But in the last five weeks of the season, of the ten games he bet, nine were wrong. Hopefully this will be a lesson for him in future seasons. Aggressiveness is good, but switching up betting styles can prevent a funk like the one he suffered.
Total: $100 Winning %: 0.471 Total Fines: $100
Grade: C+
Thunder Lips
Likewise, Thunder Lips had a strategy. He bet a ton of games in the first part of the season, and his winning percentage was through the roof. With four weeks to go, he seemed primed for the playoffs. But, down the stretch, he couldn’t put together a good week, and he didn’t even bet in Weeks 15 and 17. Also, he left his wild card bet on the shelf. Thunder Lips, the league thanks you for your donation.
Total: -$300 Winning %: 0.640 Total Fines: $2,000
Grade: D+
SOUTH DIVISION
Kimmy Gibbler
The second half Funny Money blues had no effect on Gibbler, who managed to eke out positive weeks time and time again. As the season wore on, it seemed the more games he bet, the better he did. With a solid winning percentage and two years of FMFL experience, Gibbler roars into the playoffs.
Total: $2,000 Winning %: 0.623 Total Fines: $200
Grade: A
The People’s Champ
Always one who enjoys last-minute heroics, The People’s Champ waited until Week 17 to bet his wild card. New England came through for him, and he jumped over a few unsuspecting franchises to grab a postseason berth. If not for a few poor weeks in November and December, the Champ would’ve been a threat to Gibbler for the division title.
Total: $1,200 Winning %: 0.583 Total Fines: $300
Grade: B+
Mr. DeBlasis
With two weeks to go, Mr. DeBlasis knew he needed to be nearly perfect to make the playoffs. He was perfect one of the weeks, but lost $500 the other week. He was another franchise who could’ve done a better job of surviving the slim weeks in November, but to his credit, DeBlasis finished strong and gave himself a chance at the playoffs if teams above him faltered.
Total: $400 Winning %: 0.535 Total Fines: $200
Grade: B
Bayonnaise
At times, Bayonnaise looked like one of the toughest franchises in the leagues. At other times, he looked like one of the weakest. In Week 17, he didn’t place any bets, which knocked him out of having any chance of making the playoffs. Fines didn’t hurt him as much as last season, but the breaks never seemed to go his way.
Total: -$500 Winning %: 0.459 Total Fines: $800
Grade: C
Rick Moranis
What can I say about Rick Moranis. He was one of only four franchises that lost his wild card. For the second year in a row, he did not have one single week when his season total was on the positive side of zero. Yet, he played out the string, and in Week 17, managed to win $100, which brought him out of the cellar. He finished second to last for the season. Get ’em next year.
Total: -$3,100 Winning %: 0.409 Total Fines: $1,000
Grade: D
WEST DIVISION
Karl Farbman
Much like The People’s Champ, Farbman waited until Week 17 to place his wild card bet. At that point, he had fallen behind for the West Division crown. But a shrewd final week put him back in first place. In the previous three weeks, he had a chance to pull away from the rest of the division, but never did. The result was dramatic Week 17.
Total: $1,500 Winning %: 0.524 Total Fines: $0
Grade: A-
The 21th Precinct
In Week 16, the Precinct bet against the Browns (a no-brainer) and took the division lead back from Karl Farbman. Although he lost the lead in the final week, the Precinct managed to get into the playoffs by the slimmest of margins. He is also the only first-year team to make the postseason in 2008. Kudos.
Total: $1,100 Winning %: 0.541 Total Fines: $0
Grade: A-
Brian Piccolo
So close, yet so far, Piccolo won $500 in Week 16, but it was too little too late. In a division that seemed to be up for grabs most of the season, he never could get a grasp on first place. He missed the playoffs by $400, which is only one or two games that he needed to go the other way.
Total: $700 Winning %: 0.512 Total Fines: $0
Grade: B+
Waldo Geraldo Faldo
Add Waldo to the list of teams that faltered in the last two months of the season. He had two brutal weeks that put him out of the running for the division. Yet, he conducted himself with great manners throughout the 2008 campaign. He will be a dangerous franchise in 2009.
Total: -$500 Winning %: 0.488 Total Fines: $200
Grade: C+
Boss Hardigan
Despite losing his wild card bet in Week 9, Boss Hardigan made a serious run at the playoffs that sputtered out in Week 14. He learned a lot in his rookie year in the FMFL, and that experience will pay off in the future.
Total: -$800 Winning %: 0.477 Total Fines: $100
Grade: C-
A SPECIAL NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:
Thank you to all the franchises who participated this year. As I stated last week, all franchises will receive the playoff emails. If you are not in the postseason, I encourage you to read the rules and become familiar with the format, as it may help you out in future years. Once the Super Bowl is over, I will be sending out a feedback email in which I would like you to voice any complaints/suggestions/compliments you have about the league. I will also inquire as to whether or not you will considered returning to the league next year. Tomorrow, there will be an email sent out with the Playoff Rules and the annual “Funny Money Vegas Odds” for the playoffs. This will be followed Wednesday with the regular email with the week’s official lines.
Final Regular Season Standings
Division Champions
EAST – Blossom Russo
NORTH – Gordon Bombay
SOUTH – Kimmy Gibbler
WEST – Karl Farbman
Wild Card Berths
Mr. Marbles
The People’s Champ
The 21th Precinct
Final Regular Season Standings
East
Blossom Russo$3,300
Bummy$300
Babe-$1,400
The Beard of Zeus-$2,200
The Phoenix-$3,200
North
Gordon Bombay$3,500
Mr. Marbles$1,800
Chris B. Corey$1,000
Teddy KGB$100
Thunder Lips-$300
South
Kimmy Gibbler$2,000
The People’s Champ$1,200
Mr. DeBlasis-$400
Bayonnaise-$500
Rick Moranis-$3,100
West
Karl Farbman$1,500
The 21th Precinct$1,100
Brian Piccolo$700
Waldo Geraldo Faldo-$500
Boss Hardigan-$800
Overall Leaderboard
1. Gordon Bombay$3,500
2. Blossom Russo$3,300
3. Kimmy Gibbler$2,000
4. Mr. Marbles$1,800
5. Karl Farbman$1,500
Wild Card Standings
1. Mr. Marbles$1,800
2. The People’s Champ$1,200
3. The 21th Precinct$1,100
—
4. Chris B. Corey$1,000
5. Brian Piccolo$700
6. Mr. DeBlasis-$400
Here are the regular season payouts (reminder: All payouts are made after the Super Bowl):
Gordon Bombay: $345
Blossom Russo: $172.50
Kimmy Gibbler: $172.50
Karl Farbman: $172.50
Week 17 Lines
Week 17 Lines
SUNDAY
Oakland
Tampa Bay (-13)
Detroit
Green Bay (-10)
Dallas
Philadelphia (-1.5)
NY Giants
Minnesota (-6.5)
Chicago
Houston (-3)
Carolina (-3)
New Orleans
St. Louis
Atlanta (-14.5)
Kansas City
Cincinnati (-3)
Jacksonville
Baltimore (-12.5)
Tennessee (-3)
Indianapolis
Cleveland
Pittsburgh (-10.5)
Miami
NY Jets (-2.5)
Buffalo
New England (-6.5)
Seattle
Arizona (-6)
Washington
San Fran (-3)
Denver
San Diego (-8)
Week 17 Power Rankings
Funny Money Power Rankings – Week 17
The penultimate week of the second season of Funny Money Football played out like a chess match, with most franchises maneuvering themselves for what should be a crazy final week. Last week’s playoff teams Bummy and the People’s Champ bet conservatively and saw other franchises move past them. Five wild card bets remain, and a few of them are sure to be put in play in the last week.
Here are your updated power rankings:
Biggest rise: The 21th Precinct: was 10, now 5; Brian Piccolo: was 12, now 7; Chris B. Corey: was 13, now 8
Biggest drop: Mr. DeBlasis: was 8, now 13
(Last week’s rank; Current total)
1. Blossom Russo (1; $3,400)
Won $500 on the week and looks to have a stranglehold on the overall championship.
2. Gordon Bombay (3; $2,700)
Holding on for the North title, but nothing’s over yet. Still has a shot at the big money, too, the regular season crown.
3. Mr. Marbles (2; $2,300)
Locked up a playoff spot, but can focus his Week 17 efforts on winning the division.
4. Kimmy Gibbler (4; $1,900)
Wow. Four teamer. Four big wins. Though he hasn’t run away with the South title yet, it will be tough for him to blow the lead he established last week.
5. The 21th Precinct (10; $800)
Won his wild card bet, which vaulted him to the top of the wild, wild West division.
6. Karl Farbman (5; $700)
Still in playoff position, and still has his wild card bet. The possible scenarios are making Farbman’s head hurt.
7. Brian Piccolo (12; $600)
A HUGE week for Piccolo. Won $500 and, out of nowhere, is a playoff team if the season ended today. He needs another big week to make it to the postseason.
8. Chris B. Corey (13; $500)
Speaking of big weeks, Chris B. Corey, back from the dead, is on the doorstep of the playoffs. The Giants going for a TD instead of a FG in overtime gave him a $500 week.
9. The People’s Champ (6; $400)
Five teamer. Lost $100. Lost playoff status. But still has wild card bet. Look out in Week 17.
10. Bummy (7; $400)
Five teamer as well. Lost $100 as well. Lost playoff status as well.
11. Thunder Lips (9; $300)
A dangerous franchise with one week to go, Thunder Lips still has his wild card bet and might need it to jump over a few teams to get into the playoffs.
12. Bayonnaise (11; $100)
Bayonnaise needs to string together a perfect week in order for his season to continue.
13. Mr. DeBlasis (8; -$100)
Eek, Mr. DeBlasis lost $500 and will need some help to get a whiff of the playoffs.
14. Teddy KGB (15; -$300)
Got off the losing schnide by picking one game that was right last week! Still alive for the postseason, but will need to pick opposite of everyone above him.
15. Boss Hardigan (17; -$900)
A good finish would be nice for the Boss, who doesn’t want to be in the cellar of the West.
16. Waldo Geraldo Faldo (14; -$1,000)
The same goes for Waldo, who, save for a few tough breaks, showed a lot in his rookie year.
17. Babe (16; -$1,200)
Babe lost $500. But what would be worse is falling behind the Beard of Zeus to end the season.
18. The Beard of Zeus (18; -$1,600)
Also dropped $500. But making a late charge for some respect in the East.
19. The Phoenix (19; -$2,600)
Actually won $100 but was fined for late picks. So didn’t win anything. The story of the season.
20. Rick Moranis (20; -$3,200)
One week left. One more chance for Moranis to rise from last place….
Week 17 Standings
Week 17 Standings
East
Blossom Russo$3,400
Bummy$400
Babe-$1,200
The Beard of Zeus-$1,600
The Phoenix-$2,600
North
Gordon Bombay$2,700
Mr. Marbles$2,300
Chris B. Corey$500
Thunder Lips$300
Teddy KGB-$300
South
Kimmy Gibbler$1,900
The People’s Champ$400
Bayonnaise$100
Mr. DeBlasis-$100
Rick Moranis-$3,200
West
The 21th Precinct$800
Karl Farbman$700
Brian Piccolo$600
Boss Hardigan-$900
Waldo Geraldo Faldo-$1,000
Overall Leaderboard
1. Blossom Russo$3,400
2. Gordon Bombay$2,700
3. Mr. Marbles$2,300
Wild Card Standings
1. Mr. Marbles$2,400
2. Karl Farbman$700
3. Brian Piccolo$600
—
4. Chris B. Corey$500
5. The People’s Champ$400
6. Bummy$400
7. Thunder Lips$300
8. Bayonnaise$100
9. Mr. DeBlasis-$100
Week 16 Lines
Week 16 Lines
THURSDAY
Indianapolis (-6)
Jacksonville
SATURDAY
Baltimore
Dallas (-4)
SUNDAY
Pittsburgh (-1.5)
Tennessee
Miami (-4)
Kansas City
Arizona
New England (-7.5)
Cincinnati
Cleveland (-3)
Philadelphia (-5)
Washington
San Fran (-5.5)
St. Louis
Atlanta
Minnesota (-3.5)
New Orleans (-7)
Detroit
NY Jets (-5)
Seattle
Houston (-7)
Oakland
Buffalo
Denver (-7)
San Diego
Tampa Bay (-3.5)
Carolina
NY Giants (-3)
MONDAY
Green Bay
Chicago (-4)
Week 16 Power Rankings
Funny Money Power Rankings – Week 16
Another tough week league-wide. Those who lost a little fared well. There were also three push games, which prevented some from losing or winning a ton either way. As it sits now, three of the seven playoffs spots look to be locked up (Blossom Russo, Mr. Marbles, and Gordon Bombay, respectively), while the other four seem to be up for grabs. And three of the four division races are still in doubt. Six wild card bets remain, and oddly enough, all six teams are in the mix for the postseason. Two weeks left.
Here are your updated power rankings:
Biggest rise: Mr. DeBlasis: was 11, now 8; The 21th Precinct: was 13, now 10
Biggest drop: Babe: was 12, now 16
(Last week’s rank; Current total)
1. Blossom Russo (3; $2,900)
Late bets, but still took over the league lead with two weeks to go. Good work, Ralphie. He’s also clinched the East Division and a spot in the playoffs.
2. Mr. Marbles (2; $2,400)
The only franchise that is surging right now, Mr. Marbles is making a push for both his division and the overall lead.
3. Gordon Bombay (1; $2,800)
Bombay dropped a few hundo this week and saw his command over the league slip away.
4. Kimmy Gibbler (4; $1,400)
By just losing $100, Gibbler increased his divisional lead. The People’s Champ still has his wild card bet, but a good Week 16 by Gibbler can put things almost out of reach in the South.
5. Karl Farbman (5; $800)
Broke even on the week and increased his lead on the rest of the West, but it is not a safe lead by any means.
6. The People’s Champ (7; $500)
Currently holding on to one of the three wild card playoff berths. But, if he wants a chance at the cash, he’ll probably have to use his big bet in the last two weeks.
7. Bummy (8; $500)
A model of consistency, Bummy has planted himself around $600 for what seems like months and would be in the playoffs if the season ended today.
8. Mr. DeBlasis (11; $400)
Late picks cost DeBlasis $100. If not, he’d be in position for the postseason.
9. Thunder Lips (6; $400)
No bets. Weak sauce.
10. The 21th Precinct (13; $200)
Trailing Farbman by $600 in the division, and just $300 behind in the wild card race. However, the Precinct still has his wild card bet.
11. Bayonnaise (10; $200)
Needs a solid week in order to be a factor in Week 17. There are a lot of people between him and the playoffs.
12. Brian Piccolo (9; $100)
Brian is $700 behind in the division, and $400 behind in the wild card race. Now would be a good time for a perfect week.
13. Chris B. Corey (14; $0)
Chris has crept around even money for weeks and is benefitting from the league taking it on the chin the last few weeks. If he can put together two solid groups of bets, he could be in the postseason.
14. Waldo Geraldo Faldo (16; -$500)
Not going to get it done. Waldo lost steam a few weeks back and hasn’t been able to recapture the momentum he once had.
15. Teddy KGB (15; -$400)
Has lost $500 for four straight weeks. Wave goodbye to the playoffs.
16. Babe (12; -$700)
Lost $500. Adios.
17. Boss Hardigan (17; -$1,000)
Three’s company: Boss Hardigan also lost $500. Good show.
18. The Beard of Zeus (18; -$1,100)
If a few bets would’ve gone the other way, the Zeus would be in the thick of it. But that’s a big “if”.
19. The Phoenix (19; -$2,600)
The Phoenix has packed it in for the offseason. Didn’t bet last week, and isn’t expected to bet from here on out.
20. Rick Moranis (20; -$3,300)
To his credit, Moranis keeps making bets. However, they are not good ones.
Week 16 Standings
Week 16 Standings
East
Blossom Russo$2,900
Bummy$500
Babe-$700
The Beard of Zeus-$1,100
The Phoenix-$2,600
North
Gordon Bombay$2,800
Mr. Marbles$2,400
Thunder Lips$400
Chris B. Corey$0
Teddy KGB-$400
South
Kimmy Gibbler$1,400
The People’s Champ$500
Mr. DeBlasis$400
Bayonnaise$200
Rick Moranis-$3,300
West
Karl Farbman$800
The 21th Precinct$200
Brian Piccolo$100
Waldo Geraldo Faldo-$500
Boss Hardigan-$1,000
Overall Leaderboard
1. Blossom Russo$2,900
2. Gordon Bombay$2,800
3. Mr. Marbles$2,400
4. Kimmy Gibbler$1,400
5. Karl Farbman$800
Wild Card Standings
1. Mr. Marbles$2,400
2. The People’s Champ$500
3. Bummy$500
—
4. Thunder Lips$400
5. Mr. DeBlasis$400
6. The 21th Precinct$200
7. Bayonnaise$200
8. Brian Piccolo$100
9. Chris B. Corey$0
