The Midseason Report
Gentlemen – With nine weeks down and eight more to go, this odd COVID-riddled 2020 season has proven to be fruitful for the FMFL. Most franchises are doing well, with the bulk of the league still with a good chance to make a playoff run. Only 12 of the 32 franchises have used their wild card bets, which means there should be a lot of movement in the second half. There are a few standouts, and also a few disappoints, noted below.
Here’s a breakdown of how the league did as a whole each week:
Week 1: +$4,700
Week 2: +$1,200
Week 3: -$700
Week 4: +$1,300
Week 5: +$4,900
Week 6: +$200
Week 7: -$1,800
Week 8: -$2,800
Week 9: -$4,800
That’s a cumulative total of +$2,200.
Disclaimer: The following is a completely biased report of the first nine weeks of the FMFL. The views, opinions, and observations that follow are those of the Executive Director and are completely subjective.
East Division
Boss Hardigan
Current Total: $2,800
Winning Percentage: 0.750
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 7 – Tampa Bay – Won
Recap: The Boss has lived up to his name in the first half of the season. He has a big lead on the rest of the FMFL and is in a position to challenge the league records for best regular season finish and best winning percentage. He’s firing on all cylinders.
Grade: A+
Chris B. Corey
Current Total: $500
Winning Percentage: 0.591
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: CBC started off the year strong and has slumped in the last few weeks. He’s still in position to make a move for the playoffs, especially since he has his wild card bet in the back pocket of his Louis Vuitton slacks.
Grade: B
Judge Smails
Current Total: $0
Winning Percentage: 0.429
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 9 – Baltimore – Won
Recap: The Judge has found his footing as of late and used his big bet to get back to even money with eight weeks to go. Considering his winning percentage thus far, that’s a win.
Grade: B-
Mr. Marbles
Current Total: -$100
Winning Percentage: 0.444
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Mr. Marbles has been a little up and down, but hasn’t had crazy swings one way or the other. Though the division title is probably out of the question, he could make a playoff push.
Grade: C+
OJ
Current Total: -$100
Winning Percentage: 0.486
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: The Juice has clawed back towards even money and has set himself up for a run in the last two months of the season, but the postseason field is likely to be crowded.
Grade: C+
Patrick Bateman
Current Total: $1,500
Winning Percentage: 0.645
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: In any other season, Bateman would be enjoying a comfortable lead. This year, he’s trailing Boss Hardigan by $1,300 and it looks like he’s the only East franchise that can challenge him in November and December. Regardless, Bateman is sitting in a good spot.
Grade: A
T-Ferg
Current Total: -$1,200
Winning Percentage: 0.400
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 9 – Seattle – Lost
Recap: A mediocre start to the season didn’t sink T-Ferg, but his wild card loss and -$1,000 Week 9 did. There’s still time, but he’ll need to turn it around in a hurry.
Grade: D-
The Big Hurt
Current Total: $300
Winning Percentage: 0.556
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: A strong winning percentage and a steady hand at the wheel in the first half has The Big Hurt ready to pounce over these next few weeks. Most seasons TBH has faded in late autumn, but some years he has surprised down the stretch….
Grade: B
North Division
Babe
Current Total: $0
Winning Percentage: 0.556
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 4 – Arizona – Lost
Recap: Despite losing his wild card bet in Week 4, Babe had gotten back on the right track before a -$500 Week 9 performance.
Grade: C+
Bud Fox
Current Total: $900
Winning Percentage: 0.524
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Bud Fox is in the lead in the North, but he has seen a sizable advantage whittled down to next to nothing with eight weeks left. There are lots of wild card bets still out there in the division. Will he play possum or strike first?
Grade: B+
Don Mattingly
Current Total: $800
Winning Percentage: 0.527
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: The Donald has hung around, winning little bits here and there all season. He suddenly finds himself just $100 back of the North lead. Could this be the year he captures his first ever division title?
Grade: B+
Donnie Jeffcoat
Current Total: -$300
Winning Percentage: 0.500
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Donnie hasn’t risen above +$500 or below -$500 this season, and his even performance is reflected in his winning percentage. The North Division is still within reach if he can get hot.
Grade: C+
Gordon Bombay
Current Total: $300
Winning Percentage: 0.500
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: The savvy veteran is a franchise to watch in the second half. He sits just $600 off the lead in the North and he has been here before.
Grade: B
Kenny Powers
Current Total: -$2,400
Winning Percentage: 0.300
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 9 – Pittsburgh – Lost
Recap: Kenny slid down the standings over the last few weeks. His -$1,000 hit in Week 9 might have stuck a proverbial fork in his 2020 season.
Grade: F
Larisa Oleynik
Current Total: $100
Winning Percentage: 0.474
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Larisa is also right in the thick of it and could go one way or the other this season, and it could come down to the use of her wild card bet.
Grade: B-
Shecky
Current Total: -$1,200
Winning Percentage: 0.381
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 7 – Cleveland – Lost
Recap: Shecky’s season swiftly swung the wrong way on a missed extra point that doomed his wild card bet. He still has a glimmer of hope, but without his big bet, it will be tough.
Grade: D-
South Division
Chalky Studebaker
Current Total: $100
Winning Percentage: 0.444
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Chalky was plugging along and betting lots of games in the first half until his 0-for-5 Week 9 performance. Still, he’s within striking distance in the South and has his wild card bet available.
Grade: B-
Karl Farbman
Current Total: -$900
Winning Percentage: 0.389
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Farbman got off to a rough start and hasn’t fully recovered, spending most of the season way below $0. He’ll need to get some serious momentum in the second half or just hope for the rest of the South to burn.
Grade: D
Karl Hungus
Current Total: $600
Winning Percentage: 0.442
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 1 – Buffalo – Won
Recap: Hungus started the year on top of the world and then has slowly been brought back down to the rest of the division. He lost his division lead last week, but is just $100 back with eight weeks to go.
Grade: B+
Neon Boudeaux
Current Total: $300
Winning Percentage: 0.513
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Week 3 – Tampa Bay – Won
Recap: Neon has wagered on a lot of games, but faltered in Week 8 when he lost a two-teamer. He’s in the mix for the division lead and the playoffs, but his wild card bet is gone so he’ll be rooting against the rest of the league.
Grade: B
Rick Moranis
Current Total: $700
Winning Percentage: 0.500
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Even though he just lost $500, Rick leads the South and has his wild card bet, putting him in prime position for the second half of the season. His even winning percentage is nothing to write home about, but it’s gotten the job done so far.
Grade: B+
The Notorious ABT
Current Total: -$600
Winning Percentage: 0.389
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: The ABT has struggled most of the year, but is starting to show signs of life as we round the turn. A winning wild card bet will be key to his postseason hopes.
Grade: D+
Thine
Current Total: $400
Winning Percentage: 0.455
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 5 – LA Rams – Won
Recap: Thine was another South franchise that surged in the first two months only to come back to the rest of the league. In a group of conservative betting franchises in the South, Thine’s potential for bold betting could separate him from the pack in the last eight weeks.
Grade: B
Waldo Geraldo Faldo
Current Total: $600
Winning Percentage: 0.500
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 9 – Baltimore – Won
Recap: Waldo’s ho-hum start is now forgotten, as he won $600 in Week 9 while the rest of the division crumbled. He’s right on the heels of division leader Rick with two months left.
Grade: B+
West Division
Bayonnaise
Current Total: -$600
Winning Percentage: 0.435
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: In his return to the FMFL, the ‘Naise hasn’t been able to capitalize on a decent beginning to the year and is searching for a turnaround in the second half.
Grade: D+
Blossom Russo
Current Total: -$300
Winning Percentage: 0.412
Fines: $600
Wild Card Bet: Week 7 – Kansas City – Won
Recap: Blossom’s season prospects would be a lot better if she didn’t forget to bet one week. Instead, she’s on the outside looking in for the postseason, but there’s plenty of time left.
Grade: C-
Kiko Garcia
Current Total: -$500
Winning Percentage: 0.476
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: An uncharacteristic rocky start to the year for Kiko has the two-time champ searching for answers that will turn the 2020 campaign around.
Grade: C-
Kimmy Gibbler
Current Total: $400
Winning Percentage: 0.536
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Kimmy is within striking distance of the West lead and just as recent as last week was right on the heels of The People’s Champ. Her wild card bet is still out there, too….
Grade: B+
Luther Lavay
Current Total: -$800
Winning Percentage: 0.556
Fines: $700
Wild Card Bet: Week 4 – San Francisco – Lost
Recap: No bets one week and a losing wild card bet might have doomed Luther this year, but there’s still enough weeks remaining for him to get back into the postseason mix.
Grade: D
The Beard of Zeus
Current Total: -$300
Winning Percentage: 0.476
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: The Beard has slid down the standings in the last month, but given how he performed in the regular season last year, I wouldn’t count him out.
Grade: C-
The People’s Champ
Current Total: $1,300
Winning Percentage: 0.619
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: A great start to the season the TPC, who leads the West and can still use his wild card bet if needed. In a division filled with former FMFL champs, can he fend them off?
Grade: A-
Yaz
Current Total: $700
Winning Percentage: 0.556
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Yaz won $500 in Week 9 and finished off a solid first half of the year. He has The People’s Champ in his sights but also is in solid position for the playoffs.
Grade: B+
