Friday, April 24, 2009

Week 2

Week 2 is upon us and we got some exciting match-ups. Lets see who can shake things up.

Diamond Division

PFN (0-1) vs TC (0-1) - PFN showed up with a good team last week but not good enough as they lost a tough one to DS. So PFN will be looking for a quick bounce back against TC. Kerry and Sean will rally the troops week as no league can afford to start the season 0-2. Look for Ogges and company to lay a whipping on and undermanned TC league. But on TC's defense they did pick up Pommy, which certainly surprised BnR last week. Could Pommy bring some friends to TC and turn them into a contender instead of the pretender? Maybe in future weeks but not here. Prediction PFN 4-1

DS (1-0) vs BnR (1-0) - Ashton showed UIC last week that DS is ready to play with the big boys with the addition of Koty and a 3-2 win over my division favorite PFN. Ashton has also said he has some more rabbits up his sleeve, will he bring them out this week against BnR? Dina is riding higher then usual this week after her troops rallied from 3-0 down to beat TPL in MLP and tied them for first place. KC played the game of his life against Pommy in the decider and he will have to bring that game with him this week as well. BnR is not playing TC this week so they all better be ready. This will be a hard fought match that could go either way but Koty wins a game 5 against KC or David.
Predation DS 3-2

LPL (1-0) vs SP (0-1) - LPL didn't have to show much of what they have this season because FR decided to bring 2 players so the defending Diamond Champs had an extra week to enjoy their championship. LPL will show with their usual team of solid players and Tino knows where to play them after being with them for so long. Can LPL continue their winning ways? SP was a disappointment last week in a loss to PK where Pete didn't have his greatest team show up. SP will need to bring Ste, Kets and the rest of the crew if he wants to avoid going 0-2 on the season. Pete has had decent success against LPL in the past and his team shows and plays for him.
Predation SP 3-2

FR (0-1) vs PK (1-0) - FR showed with a whole 2 people last week. WTG FR you almost had a team, but keep trying and maybe you will get that 3rd. I heard their capt had college shit going on and he was ready to bring a team this week. I'm not holding my breathe because I would be dead. PK on the other had surprised me with their limited league activity and a 3-2 win over SP. Again I'm not sure how strong PK is and who will show up but PK will get this win.
Predation PK 4-1

Emerald Division

CM (1-0) vs 8BC (1-0) - CM defeated a no show EC last week so not to much to go on here. Alex is the work horse for this team and Annie has some inter league experience but I am not sure about the rest of the team. 8BC beat up on UO last week 5-0. Again I'm not sure how deep 8BC is because they seemed to win quite easily. This will end up being a close match but Lisa will have Alex close the deal on the 5th game.
Prediction CM 3-2

EPL (1-0) vs KBP (1-0) - EPL's roster looks like a who's who of Diamond Division caliber players with Ant, Charlie and others. They won a tough match against X8B a few days after the rest of the matches. I think the only team that can beat EPL is themselves. KBP won against a Jordyless MP team, which looks to be falling fast. Drew will need to bring all his boy's and their A games to stand a chance.
Prediction EPL 4-1

X8B (0-1) vs RM (0-1) - Im not wasting my time here. X8B will steamroll RM, if they even show up. The firepower that X8B has is just way to much for RM to handle. Hopefully they use this as a learning experience.
Prediction X8b 5-0

MP (0-1) vs EPC (1-0) - Quote from Jason "MP will not lose to EPC." I see bulletin board material here. Mp has the chance to be a good team. They made playoffs in PLC but they are fading fast in MLP. Can Jason and company keep it together? EPC picked up Crozzy which shocked some people but their team isn't much deeper then that. In a match of what seems to be 2 mid standing leagues I see MP holding on.
Prediction MP 3-2

EC (0-1) vs UO (0-1) - I don't EC showing up so congrats UO on your first UIC win.
Prediction UO 5-0

Good luck to all teams in week 2.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Week 1 Recap

Well we saw a few surprises in the first week of UIC 10. First Diamond Division Notes:

First DS beat PFN 3-2 in 4 games. Roy was a busy little beaver in the off season picking up Koty who won the clincher for DS. According to DS capt Ash, we haven't seen anything yet so stay tuned to see what other tricks DS have up their sleeves.

Second PK beat SP 4-1. Seeing the very limited activity of PK I thought for sure Pete was gonna walk away with an easy win and seeing the team he brought I think he thought the same. No Ste, Pas or Kets will equal a SP loss everytime.

Next BnR showed a good performance against TC who picked up Pommy but his stick alone wasn't enough in a 4-1 win for BnR. This BnR team could be quite dangerous as the season goes on.

Finally FR, as I predicted, showed up with 2 players and lost to defending UIC Diamond Champion LPL 4-1. Hopefully Pete and Ash can get more players to play in their league and show up next week. We now have to wait another week to see if LPL has a championship hangover.

Next we shift gears to the Emerald Division.

In a interesting turn of events there was actually some sportsmanship shown in Yahoo Pool, yes I almost feel out of my computer chair too. James, capt of X8B was unaware that UIC started this week and didn't have a team and Dan from EPL asked for the match to be rescheduled instead of the 5-0 ff win. TY Dan for showing some CLASS

Next, CM brought 5 and EC brought 0, are we surprised. Not at all. EC starts their trend they have done in several other inter leagues in week 1 and if it happens again I'm sure we have the first league removed from UIC 10.

MP lost a tough match to KP/BP. I still think there is something more to this and it will be something to watch as the season goes on. MP is a good league and will bounce back next week.

8BC came out with a vengeance this week and smoked UO 5-0. 8BC could put themselves in the running for the dark horse in the Emerald Division. UO was their first week in UIC and I expect them to bounce back and get much stronger as the season goes on. Both these leagues will make some more noise by season's end.

Finally a big congrats goes out to my new found friend Jack. Not only did his league finally get excepted into an interleague but they showed up, played a full match, didn't have a single disqualification and most importantly WON even if it was against a struggling RM team. We all know Jack is afraid of some competition, as per his comments in the shout box so to see them still in UIC after 1 week amazes me. I wonder how he will feel after he gets finished with a match like EPL or X8B. So Jack you win my "Your The Man" award for week 1. Keep trying tiger.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Week 1

Well no shit, 2 more teams were added and the Emerald Division has 10 teams. Like I said earlier anything can happen in UIC. With that being said lets get on to week 1 previews.

Diamond Division

FR vs LPL - Well FR finally had some very limited action in their league so maybe someone will show up to play. LPL will be there with a full team as usual and they will be ready to shoot. If FR brings a few players it could be interesting but LPL holds on to win and starts its run to defend their UIC Crown. 4-1

PK vs SP - Just looked at PK league page and nothing happening in well over a week but they might try a last minute surge to get a team. I think Pete has a nice 5-0 win over a no show PK team.

DS vs PFN - Winners of the Emerald Division last season vs runner up in the Diamond Division. DS has had recent success going 2-0 in the now dead MIP and beat an undefeated team in HT in WPC semis so if Chuck and company show up they can compete but will need its top 5 players in top form. Sean will have a solid team with good inter league experience and he knows with Yahoo Pool anything can happen so he will not take this lightly. A tough match here but PFN hold on for a 3-2 win.

BNR vs TC - Everyone wants to know this question. Will BnR bring their 2nd place MLP team or their 5th place PLC team who struggled. Dina comes off a big 6-0 win in IPA today and her team looks like they are clicking on all cylinders. TC I think has a chance to turn some heads this season and pull a few upsets but first week jitters and BnR's current playing steak will prevent that upset from happening this week. BnR in a close one 3-2.

Emerald Division

EPL vs X8B - This is the match of the week by far in either division. EPL and X8B are far and away the top 2 teams in this division and this match should live up to the billing. Everyone that has been around inter league pool knows both leagues have good players and both leagues can be deep but lets hope their top players shoot for their respective leagues and not in other leagues they have shot in the past. A tight 5 game match here but the red hot X8B holds on for a 3-2 win.

8BC and UO - Interesting match up here now that I know more about UO. 2 teams I said would be toward the bottom half of the division meet up here. UO has a decent amount of PDZ players so they have some experience but I think they need a little bit more time to grow into an inter league team. 8BC wins 3-2.

MP vs KBP - This could be a very interesting match up. MP has more up and downs when it comes to inter league pool then a roller coaster has and I guess BP couldn't field a full team of 5 (bullshit). If your league doesn't have 5 players who can come every week then you don't have a league but I digress. Both leagues have some good players who have been around a while. My rumors tell me that Jason might be taking over as Capt for MP and well that even brings more drama into the match that seems to have enough of it already. So what the hell the 2 team league will win 3-2 over MP.

CM vs EC - EC has been showing up for IPA with more people so maybe EC has a chance. CM is in, but for how long is any one's guess. Another match that could be interesting but not because of good pool playing but if full teams show up. CM wins 3-2 somehow.

RM vs EPC - Well the 2 noobies square off in UIC and welcome both leagues to UIC 10. Ummmmmmmmm really don't know alot about either league but well every match needs to have a winner. So lets say EPC 3-2. I was gonna say 2.5 to 2.5 but there are no ties in UIC.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Emerald Division

Well back for the Emerald Division Preview of Season 10 which kicks off tomorrow at 6PM.

8 Ball Crushers - Another league that is fairly new to inter league's but bring with them some experience. lvl_i_k_e_y and mvpcubs both have been around and are solid players but the key will be their capt's who I assume are somewhat new to the inter league game. They have won an MLP match against PZ so they can string together some winning matches but can they find a 3rd player to step up week after week to help mikey and mvpcubs? Prediction 6th

Cuemasters - Here is a league that was in the running in WPC for playoff spot and bailed. So one has to ask how long will CM stay in UIC? Lisa has been around awhile and has some decent players to compete in the bottom division of UIC. Look for Alex, Annie and David to be key players for a CM playoff run. But I think they will be just short of the top 4. Prediction 5th

Elite Pool Legends - A league that is looking to return after a brief vacation. EPL was loaded with talented players the last time they played in UIC but that was 2 or 3 season's ago so the big question is who will play for them? I assume they will have a solid group of players and will have no problems pushing some of the smaller leagues in the Emerald Division around. Prediction 2nd

Extreme Cues - EC has alot of player who play league games but a small amount show up for inter league's as they normally can't field a full team. Sleepyman and c.marcoo are two of their better known players but I am still uncertain of they will stay or leave like they have done in the past. Prediction 8th

Extreme 8 Ball - 9-1 in a very tough MLP division makes them my hands down favorite to win this division. I lost my marblez and Magican will be 2 of their key players but some players also look as if they shoot in EPL so a new question arises who will players like t.wista and others play for. Still a lock for 1st. Prediction 1st

Kinky Pool/ Brit Pool - Ummmmm not sure how we ended up with 2 leagues coming into 1 but its UIC and well hell, anything can happen. They have some decent players who have joined with Jeremy, D0rv, Tim, Life.Steala and Drew. If they can find a way to make both leagues happy they could be a contender. Prediction 4th

Magic Pool - Magic Pool has been gaining momentum the past few weeks with an outstanding performance in PLC. Mike will need to bring his A team if he wants to compete. Mancunian will be a big key for an MP run and they just got Jason Lippi, who I must admit has been playing well of late, yes hell did just freeze over. Prediction 3rd

Ultimate Outlaws - I am going to admit I really don't know much about UO but I see they are joining WPC as well as UIC so they have the want and will to compete in inter leagues. I wish them the best of luck and hope they enjoy their time here. Might be a learning experience for them. Prediction 7th - Prove me Wrong

So in closing Emerald Division:
X8B
EPL
MP
KP/BP
CM
8BC
UO
EC

Look for a short post about week 1 matches tomorrow.

Season 10 Preview

Like some good whiskeys in life, the longer they go untouched the better they get and UIC is proving that as they enter their 10th season of competition. This season looks to be another season full of excitement with great competition and every one's hope, no leagues dropping out. Let's take a look at this season's Diamond Division.

Break and Run - Here is a story of 2 different leagues. Their MLP team has been playing great and currently are in second place while their PLC team has done nothing but struggle. So every one's big question here which BNR team will show up. I think it will be a good one. They have Josh (runmatic) who has won 2 MLP BLT's, Luis (deep_cerebro) who hasn't played in BNR for awhile but can very easly get eligable, KC (kccwc1) and David (redhot_2oo3) who have been fixtures in BNR for years and their capt Dina (brownie_2oo1) who has been the heart and soul of this league for years. BNR is my dark horse pick for this season. Prediction 3rd

DeadStrokes - Winners of the Emerald Division last season from the 4th spot and went undefeated in the playoffs without losing a single game. DS also had a strong run in the WPC playoffs beating previously unbeaten High Times in conference semi's. DS's veteran capt Roy (judge.0000) has handed the reins over to Alex (n0_ski11z) and Ash (Cuebank). They will rely heavily on Chuck (drunken_bastard) a veteran DS shooter. But this isn't the much weaker Emerald Division so look for DS to struggle against some of the bigger leagues. Prediction 5th

Freedom - What to say here, damned if I know but they are playing season 10. FR looks like it hasn't been very active at all and I would assume with it's current track record FR will be the first league booted out of UIC season 10. If they do show they have some talented players in Ash (exquisite.ashie) and Pete (eskimo.ownage). Prediction 7th

Latino Pool Legends - LPL and playoffs always seem to be said in the same sentence. LPL always seems to being a quality team to every match and they always seem to find ways to win. Tino (I_AM_mr_NO) their long time capt is back again with the usual supporting cast. Look for PLAYER_DUDE, ll_k0r_b3n_ll and xlx_chex_xlx to be big time players for LPL this season. Prediction 2nd

Pool Fiction - When you look at winning leagues over the past few years in Yahoo Pool you look no further then PFN. Almost always you see them in the top spot or 2 and the reason is the selflessness of their long time capt Kerry (kerryanne19611). Kerry always brings a quality team to play and she has a boat load of them to choose from as usual. I would list them all but well they always see their names here and PFN could make 2 different teams and probably beat everyone in UIC. I expect them to win this in a landslide despite their recent troubles in MLP.
Prediction 1st

Pool Kings - Another league that I say what the hell were the UIC admins thinking. Like FR they are very inactive but have a couple of players who can play. Watch for adambuddy and lvlr.l2rutal_King to be their top players, if they can field a team to show up. Prediction 7th

Sexy Poolerz - SP is another league that everyone is familiar with but the success they have had hasn't been the same since they changed from their native UP. I know Pete isn't happy with just playoffs and they look to recapture some glory with a UIC Championship. Again Pete has his usual cast of players in Ste, Kets, and Aaron but they don't always come to play when they have matches they know they should win. Can SP finally break through? Prediction 4th

True Champs - A league that just wants to play pool and they are starting to play it better as the time goes on. Although they are a newer to the inter league's they are coming with full teams who want to shoot and great sportsmanship which on Yahoo Pool doesn't happen all that often. But TC will have a very tough road in front of them in this tough division. Mike (tc.mike_2009) will need to guild his young team and mold them for the future. Prediction 6th

So again the Diamond Division will go as follows:
PFN
LPL
BNR
SP
DS
TC
FR and PK - Both will not last long enough to make a difference.