The Midseason Report
Gentlemen – Nine weeks down, and nine to go in the 2022 season. This year has been surprising prosperous, with 22 of the 32 franchises in positive dollars. Only four wild card bets have been used, but all four have been winners. If the season ended today, the final playoff spot would be $900 (compared to $0 last season at this time). There will be a lot of moving and shaking in the second half of the season.
Here’s a breakdown of how the league did as a whole each week:
Week 1: +$3,700
Week 2: -$3,800
Week 3: +$6,800
Week 4: +$3,700
Week 5: -$4,000
Week 6: +$3,000
Week 7: -$600
Week 8: +$2,900
Week 9: +$1,700
That’s a cumulative total of +$13,400.
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
Blossom Russo
Current Total: $400
Winning Percentage: 0.568
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Blossom had an up and down first half, spending some time towards the top of the standings and then dipping back down before recovering to get into a good spot at the midway point. She’s been disappointing in recent years but could make a run in 2022.
Grade: B
Boss Hardigan
Current Total: $2,100
Winning Percentage: 0.722
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: It seems like Hardigan is always in the same spot this time of year. He’s surged lately to take over the lead in the East and the overall lead for the moment. The competition is fierce for the division, but he looks like a playoff team yet again.
Grade: A+
Chalky Studebaker
Current Total: -$200
Winning Percentage: 0.478
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Ho-hum from Chalky. A few good weeks and a few bad weeks, but once again he’ll be tying his postseason fate to a winning wild card bet and a strong December.
Grade: C+
Kenny Powers
Current Total: $2,000
Winning Percentage: 0.591
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 6 – Cincinnati – Won
Recap: Kenny is firing on all cylinders yet he’s not leading the East. This should be a good back and forth the second half of year, but his one disadvantage against Hardigan is that his wild card bet is gone.
Grade: A+
Kiko Garcia
Current Total: -$100
Winning Percentage: 0.476
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: The once great Kiko looked poised for another title run around Week 5, but he had a mediocre October to put him near even money with nine weeks to go.
Grade: C+
Luther Lavay
Current Total: $800
Winning Percentage: 0.500
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 4 – Dallas – Won
Recap: Luther’s wild card win has him in a good spot all things considered. Just sneaking into the playoffs was a winning formula last year, but surely he’d like to make a run at the division to win some money in the regular season too?
Grade: B+
Mr. Marbles
Current Total: -$1,300
Winning Percentage: 0.350
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: A rough first couple of months for Mr. Marbles who sank quickly and has never fully recovered. There’s still a long way to go, but he can’t afford many more down weeks to have a shot this season.
Grade: D-
Thine
Current Total: $1,100
Winning Percentage: 0.589
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Thine’s consistent winning has him in playoff position and dreaming of catching Boss and Kenny in the East. Anything can happen, especially with that wild card bet available.
Grade: A-
North Division
Babe
Current Total: $800
Winning Percentage: 0.583
Fines: $200
Wild Card Bet: Week 4 – Minnesota – Won
Recap: Babe was enjoying the lead for a bit in the first half, but he has stalled as of late. He already won his wild card bet and will rely on his pedigree to be a contender into the winter months.
Grade: B+
Bud Fox
Current Total: $1,700
Winning Percentage: 0.630
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Bud shot up the standings from Week 6 onward and now has a comfortable lead in the North with just nine weeks left. Protecting that lead and taking a run at the overall are within his sights.
Grade: A
Donnie Jeffcoat
Current Total: $700
Winning Percentage: 0.571
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: A solid first half for Jeffcoat, who has shown signs of brilliance. Maybe he can make a run at the North crown?
Grade: B+
Karl Hungus
Current Total: -$700
Winning Percentage: 0.482
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Betting Buffalo nearly every week hasn’t worked out for Hungus this year, but something tells us that his strategy won’t change in the second half. He’ll need a serious rally to make the playoffs.
Grade: D+
Larisa Oleynik
Current Total: $700
Winning Percentage: 0.583
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: The Larisa of old has appeared and is looking for an invite to the postseason dance. Her strong winning percentage and consistency have been a nice surprise this season.
Grade: B+
T-Ferg
Current Total: $1,100
Winning Percentage: 0.615
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: T-Ferg had a couple of bad breaks in the first half or he would have done even better than his record shows. He’s been in contention each of the last few years and should be in the thick of it again down the stretch.
Grade: A-
The Beard of Zeus
Current Total: -$100
Winning Percentage: 0.524
Fines: $200
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Take away the fines and The Beard would be on the right side of even money at the midpoint of the season. He’s just one big week away from being right in the mix for the postseason.
Grade: C+
Waldo Geraldo Faldo
Current Total: $300
Winning Percentage: 0.560
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: A model of consistency, WGF hasn’t dipped below $0 all season but hasn’t been above $700 either. He’ll try to keep up with the masses to sneak into the playoffs.
Grade: B-
South Division
Bayonnaise
Current Total: $1,300
Winning Percentage: 0.688
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: One of the surprises of 2022, the ‘Naise sits atop of the South after nine weeks after steadily climbing the standings in October. It’s a tight division race, but given the competition, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was in this same spot at season’s end.
Grade: A-
Biff Tannen
Current Total: -$1,000
Winning Percentage: 0.462
Fines: $600
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: A tough first half for Biff was punctuated by missing bets in Week 8, sending him to the cellar of the South. There’s still time, but the margin for error is small going forward.
Grade: D+
Chris B. Corey
Current Total: -$900
Winning Percentage: 0.421
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: CBC has spent most of the season in the bottom ranks of both the division and the FMFL as a whole, which is surprising given his performance in recent years. Week 10 wild card bet perhaps?
Grade: D+
Karl Farbman
Current Total: -$500
Winning Percentage: 0.444
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Farbman went on a three-week winless streak that put him as low as -$1,500 a few weeks ago. With the strong showing by the rest of the division, his chances of making a run are slim to none.
Grade: C-
Rick Moranis
Current Total: $300
Winning Percentage: 0.568
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Rick’s picks broke bad the last couple of weeks, but he’s on the positive side of $0 and has the South leaders within his sights.
Grade: B-
Shecky
Current Total: $800
Winning Percentage: 0.591
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Shecky hasn’t completely quit betting the Browns, but he has shown more restraint this season and the proof is in the pudding. He’s been hovering around the division lead since Week 6 and should be a contender, granted he gets his bets in on time each week.
Grade: B+
The Big Hurt
Current Total: $900
Winning Percentage: 0.576
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: TBH has thrown his hat into the South division race as well, backed by a solid winning percentage in the first half. However, he’s been known in the past to fade around turkey day….
Grade: B+
The People’s Champ
Current Total: $1,100
Winning Percentage: 0.593
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: The Champ has been excellent thus far and has moved in and out of the division lead the last fortnight. He’s a two-time FMFL winner, so he knows what it takes to get it done.
Grade: A-
West Division
Don Mattingly
Current Total: $600
Winning Percentage: 0.574
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Donnie Baseball has been on the cusp of taking over the West this year, but each time it looks like he will take control, it slips out of his grasp. He’s either unlucky or making the same mistake over and over, you decide.
Grade: B
Judge Smails
Current Total: $100
Winning Percentage: 0.524
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Smails got up as high as $800 before coming back down to Earth towards the end of the first half. He’ll need a little momentum to get back into the playoff race.
Grade: C+
Neon Boudeaux
Current Total: -$100
Winning Percentage: 0.438
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Week 5 – Buffalo – Won
Recap: Several miscues have Neon in negative money after nine weeks, with his winning percentage uncharacteristically low. He’s already won his wild card bet, so he’ll need to hope for the rest of the pack to falter down the stretch.
Grade: C
OJ
Current Total: $500
Winning Percentage: 0.516
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: OJ is by no means out of it in the West division race, but this may be a case of who acts first with a wild card bet and sets the pace making others chase.
Grade: B
Patrick Bateman
Current Total: $100
Winning Percentage: 0.519
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Bateman usually turns it on around this time of year, and he’s avoided anything too damaging to his total in the first half. He’s expected to make a little noise over the next few weeks.
Grade: C+
The Notorious ABT
Current Total: $900
Winning Percentage: 0.567
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: The ABT had the lead in the West for a couple weeks and is just $200 off the lead halfway through, carrying an impressive winning percentage given the number of games he has bet.
Grade: B+
Tony Montana
Current Total: $1,100
Winning Percentage: 0.611
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: The lone FMFL rookie this season got off to a hot start, then took his lumps, and now has surged back in front in the West. Does he have the stamina to hang with the big boys another nine weeks?
Grade: A-
Yaz
Current Total: -$1,500
Winning Percentage: 0.333
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Still Available
Recap: Eek.
Grade: F
