Bentleague X: The Sequel Draft Recap

 Guest Blogger - Super Ray Brouillette

 

What a night!  Definitely what we love to see on opening night and throughout the league, lots of close matches showing the awesome competition of Bentleague despite draft grade indications, personal opinions, and general fuck-ups.  That’s why we play the game.  The NFL ain’t got nothing on Bentleague!  Anybody can beat anybody on any given night.  I am honored and humbled to stand in as your week 1 blogger as Uncle Tony had once-in-a-lifetime family events to attend to. (otherwise, we may have had two blowout wins).  Congratulations T!

 

Lumber Jocks vs Shake & Bake

 

Love to start out with the big boy, #1 pick, Bo and “mean guy” Jennings taking on Buddy and the Doc.  Close match as the rust wears off.  Wish more of it would have worn off in the day-before practice match.  Doc had a little trouble gettin’ that first shot (and the second one) in the box.  No doubt will come around soon and be a force to contend with.  Kudos to Bo for pulling out the win. Not sure when he was last on the court. Jennings must have played really well.  The jury’s still out on the #1 pick, until a more convincing win or bouncing a kick serve over the fence.

 

Fair/Feringa vs Travis/Hefty – One of the many third set tiebreakers of the night.  Good match.  Looked like Pajama Top may not quite have been in last-season form when he kicked my butt more than once.  Perhaps some rust sits there as well.  Feringa’s greatest feat, and perhaps the greatest feat of any Bentleague:  Getting Fair to play higher percentage shots (i.e. low and down the middle) instead of the 87-degree cross-courter.  Although it may be affecting Fair’s other shots.  I felt the wind on court 9 from a few whiffs.  Either way, Shake & Bake pulls out the win.  Fair could be the greatest “short-guy” player at PAC if only he owned up to being a short guy.

 

Rehash/Ray vs Kobrock/Brad – OK…ok, I owe everyone an apology here.  What’s the last thing we wanted on opening night?  A Brad win.  My sincerest apologies.  What an up and down match, and that includes the bad bounces off the line on the clay.  The bad bounces were benefitting both teams back and forth, as the score went too, but Lumber Jocks definitely came out ahead in the bad bounces.  Shake & Bake had their chances though coming back from 5-8 down in the 3^rd set tiebreaker to tie it at 8-8 but couldn’t pull through in the end.  Not enough shanks from Kobrock and a lapse in mental fortitude on the Shake & Bake side.  Won’t happen again!  No doubt Shake & Bake lost when they missed easy shots and once again, Brad’s partner carries him to victory.

 

Gordo/Burdette vs Ferrer/Schneider – Almost identical match as line 3 as far as I can tell but with Shake & Bake coming out on top.  Charlie Hustle and his partner down 5-9 in the tiebreaker, come back to tie it 9-9 but end up falling 11-9.  Man, that’s frustrating!  I know!.  4.5-Gordo came through and sustained to pull out the win with partner Big Eddie Burdette to pull out the win and cover the under-achieving Shake & Bake line 3 result.  Good win guys!

 

Squirrel/Cap’n Doug vs Crazy Eyes/The Other Otillio – The only blowout of the match, as Squirrel shows his went-way-to-low-in-the-draft status alongside his captain.  Convincing victory to round out the 8-8 point tie.  What?!!! A tie?  We still have a system where we’re kissing our sister?! Well maybe it’s the least worse of scenarios…and given the close matches, an 8-8 tie seems fitting.  So why do I have such a shitty taste in my mouth?  Oh yeah, I lost to Brad.  My sincerest apologies to everyone again.

 

 

One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer vs Harper Valley PTA

 

Kenny/Dave vs Jon/ Russell – Sorry Jon, but I had OBOSOB coming out on top in this one.  Thought the veteran craftiness and strategery would prevail.  May be showing me one thing I suspected the last couple of years…Jon’s playing the old-man card proclaiming poor eyesight, and, “these young guys hit the ball so hard.”  I am anxious to see where the record flushes out end of this season. My guess is the Hollander is just fine and even has a little chip on the shoulder after sliding to pick #3.  I do expect the OBOSOB #1 team to rebound in a big way.

 

Sleeveless Ed/Honeysuckle vs Saba/Sleeveless Add – Well when I first walked up to this court, I was a little disturbed as the sleeveless competition went well beyond just cutting sleeves.  These shirts were cut down to the love handles. (Even those guys have love handles, right?)  Glad Tony wasn’t there competing or we may have had PAC management enforcing attire codes beyond just masks.  First thing I thought about when walking up to the court was GroupMe pics of shirts cut low to show side-boob!  Any case, another 3^rd set tiebreaker and a great match!  Perhaps my saving grace match, because the only thing worse to losing to Brad on opening night was having your opponent overrule his partner in your favor, and then agreeing to replay the point!  Holy Crap!  I hope Cap’n Paul is handing out an ass whoopin on that one!  C’mon OBOSOB!  Captain can’t be too happy about that one, especially after the loss.  This is Bentleague!

 

Billy/The Cuban vs Tricky Nicky/Shane – And yet another close match.  I didn’t see this one and didn’t appreciate these guys walking across our court 3 times trying to pick which court had the nicest clay.  Seems like a loss for Harper Valley PTA in my book despite the win if a round 3/6 team (and both hot players of late) have to squeak it out in a 3^rd set tiebreaker to a round 8/9 team.  Of course, I did lose to Brad. Congrats to Billy and former Champion Captain “The Cuban” for the strong showing.

 

Bentley/Toad the Wet Sprocket vs Goof/The Best Lefty at PAC? – The second of two blowouts of the night.  Watched two points, one was a really good 3.0 women’s baseline point between the Commish and Goof, who seemed to be taking it easy on each other like old-age friends who hadn’t seen each other in years.  Mitch, who was drafted at least 2 rounds to late, had to be bored. The other point was not much better as the Commish had a sitter at the net but didn’t quite show his form of the last few months to win the point.  Sorry Commish.  I lost to Brad by the way.

 

Rabon/Toups vs Cap’n Tyler/Doc Eckholdt – Leave it to Toups to save a little face for team OBOSOB.  Great job Toups.  I think I heard Chris complain a little that he had to cover most of the court.  Maybe I’m mistaken though, I was still rehashin’ my earlier loss!!  (Literally!)

 

Remember, if your opponent overrules themselves in your favor, you don’t have to replay the point.