The Strategist continues to show an uncanny knack for knowing when not to ride (in other words, pick) her Home Team. The Strategist lets the field know she will not gently relinquish her trophy as she nets the only Trifecta and takes over first place (1 Trifecta and 5 Correct Picks) in week 2 of the Marathon of the Ass!
Little Tuna, with only one Correct Pick in week 2, falls into second place by a head (1 Trifecta and 4 Correct Picks).
Jimmy V holds third place by a head with 4 Correct Picks.
Craft Brew, Atwork, Sponge Mom, and Roxy Trot vie for fourth place, each with 3 Correct Picks.
Big Tuna, B-Reezy, and The Bookie trail the middle of the field in a tie for eighth position (2 Correct Picks).
Wise Orangutan is sniffing glue for the future of his Home Team as he falls into last place with 1 Correct Pick!
Down the backstretch, only one Analyst outpaced the frontrunner, but closed the distance by just one length. The rest of the Analysts continue to jockey for positions on tiebreakers.
Little Tuna (4 points) holds a formidable lead heading into the far turn. If she extends her lead by one length over any Analysts in the back of the field, she will eliminate Analysts from the PC-Fecta Derby in the third Leg. (Note: the maximum in a single week 4 Trifecta points so Analysts have to been within 4 of the leader on Leg 4 to catch her).
Second place prize money, however, remains a highly contested race.
The Strategist holds a one-length lead (1 point) over the rest of the field for second place. The Bookie has a head-to-head tiebreaker over The Strategist if they end in a tie for second place.
The third place picture is quite muddled in the backstretch. Roxy Trot and Atwork each hold crucial Head-to-Head tiebreakers over another Analyst in the field, but the remaining 9 Analysts are tied with 0 points. The accountants will use the second and third tiebreakers first to sort this mess out.
B-Reezy moves into third place with 1 Home Team Pick and +8 point game differential per game.
Sponge Mom bears down on fourth place with 1 Home Team pick and +3 points per game, BUT by virtue of the head-to-head game Atwork noses out Sponge Mom for fourth place and she falls back to fifth place. The Bookie trails closely, technically in a tie with Atwork for fifth place (both 1 Home Team pick and +0.5 point differential per game). In other words, the Analysts in the fourth through sixth positions has become unclear at this time.
Jimmy V falters in Jacksonville and slips down into seventh place (1 Correct Home Team and -2.0 point differential) as he heads into the far turn. Big Tuna follows by a head (1 Correct Home Team and -2.5 point differential) in eighth.
With no Correct Home Team Picks, Roxy Trot (0 point differential) and Craft Brew (-2.5) hold ninth and tenth respectively. Roxy Trot holds a head-to-head tiebreaker over The Bookie so technically she is in strong position for fifth place at the same time!
Bringing up the rear, disrespectfully, Wise Orangutan trails all Analysts with no Correct Home Team Picks and a -10.5 point differential per game.
Breaking promptly at the bell, Little Tuna gets a jump on the rest of the field with the first trifecta of the year!
With two Correct Picks each, The Strategist, Craft Brew, B-Reezy, Atwork, Jimmy V, and Roxy Trot clear the gates in a heated contest for second.
Sponge Mom and Big Tuna dwelt on events in Cleveland and New Orleans, before clearing the starting gates with 1 Correct Pick.
As in prior seasons, The Bookie and Wise Orangutan simply Refuse. Refuse. Refuse. (REFUSE- When a horse will not break from the gate.) No Correct Picks for the geniuses who once thought picking three winners each week would be too easy of a game!
Little Tuna (4 points) sprints out of the gates and takes a commanding lead around the clubhouse turn! With the only Trifecta in Leg 1, she automatically receives all three bonus points for best offensive and defensive performance.
Most Analysts were weakened by the results in Cleveland and New Orleans. Nonetheless, Tiebreakers separate the leaders from the nags (who wrote the Rules of the WFTL!).
With a Correct Home Team Pick and an 8-point Home Team victory, The Strategist clings to second position with Jimmy V close on her heels in 3rd place (1 Correct Home Team Pick and 7-point Home Team victory). Rounding out the middle of the pack with 1 Correct Home Team Pick, B-Reezy (5 point Home Team Victory) and Atwork (1 point Home Team victory) give chase in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
Most Analysts at the back of the pack were pinched out of the gates by tough Home Team losses. The exception, Roxy Trot, holds sixth place uncontested by virtue of her Home Team victory (8 points) over The Bookie. Craft Brew, whose Home Team faced off track conditions in a rainstorm, is in eighth place. The Bookie in ninth place (-6 point loss) squeezes by Big Tuna in tenth (-8 point loss).
Wise Orangutan’s misguided Claim of ridglings (a horse Home Team with one or both undescended testes) continues into the fifth year and drops him into last place of the Derby.
Despite losing his steed, Wise Orangutan holds onto a one length lead (9 points) over Little Tuna (8 points) and her trusty nag.
In third, Atwork picked up the pace to garner 7 points in the Divisional Round. He holds sole position of third place.
B-Reezy, by virtue of the only Trifecta so far in the STB IV, moves into fourth place with 5 points. He leads by tiebreakers over Big Tuna and Kal Krome (also 5 points each).
Big Tuna faltered in the final seconds as his Home Team stunningly whiffed a game-ending tackle against Kal Krome’s Home Team. He (1 Playoff Victory point) falls from second (tie) into sixth behind the resilient Kal Krome (2 Playoff Victory points.
For the fourth year in a row, the Analyst of the Year struggles to cap the season with a Super Trifecta Bowl victory. She joins two-time winner and defending champion, The Bookie, and Craft Brew in last place with 0 points.
Super Trifecta Standings
Standings after Divisional Round of Super Trifecta Bowl IV
Wise Orangutan takes an early one length lead (6 points) over the Tunas (5 points each). All three took the Falcons to win over the Rams for 3 Seeder Redux points. Wise O. and Big Tuna earned 1 Playoff Victory points and Reverse PC-Fecta points: Wise O., defense (2), and Big Tuna, offense (1). Little Tuna picked 1 additional Seeder Redux and 1 Player Hater point with the Titans upset of the Chiefs.
The rest of the field struggled to leave the gates as 3 Home Teams fell in the wildcard round. B-Reezy, The Bookie, and The Strategist may have to ride the Haters to a Championship, while the top-seeded Analysts now have the advantage going into the Divisional Round.
Super Trifecta Standings
Standings after Wildcard Round of Super Trifecta Bowl IV
The Strategist continues her blistering pace, smashing the former record for the most Trifectas in a single season! With 9 Trifectas on the season, she is assured to win the Analyst of the Year at the finish line after putting too much distance between herself and the second place contenders. After three straight trifectas, Will she trot across the line or will she try to tie the record for most consecutive trifectas (4, by Kal Krome)?
Still trailing by two lengths with 7 Trifectas, Big Tuna, B-Reezy, Craft Brew and Wise Orangutan jockey for second place. Big Tuna (another Place!) maintains his edge with 37 Correct Picks. Trailing by a head, B-Reezy and Craft Brew earned their 36th Correct Pick on the season. Wise Orangutan trails the rest with only 31 Correct Picks on the season. All four are vying for a Place on the Winners’ Circle.
Still in contention for a show, Little Tuna and The Bookie look to close out strong after netting their 6th Trifectas. Little Tuna is in sixth with 34 Correct Picks over The Bookie in seventh with 33 Correct Picks. Will they overtake Craft Brew and B-Reezy to etch their names in the Winners’ Circle?
Atwork remains in eighth with 5 Trifectas over Kal Krome with 4 Trifectas.
Trifectas
Standings after Week 16 for Analyst of the Year IV
Correct Picks
Tiebreaker after Week 16 for Analyst of the Year IV
Another blazing week by the Analysts! Every Analyst nets a mutli-point Trifecta, some more than others. A photofinish in the making!
After surging down the backstretch, Little Tuna attacked the far turn and earned a whopping 10-points in Leg 3. She drew even with the Analyst (16 Trifecta points) and leads by a nose with 2 Correct Home Team Picks and 16 Seeder points (third tiebreaker).
The Strategist gave it all she had around the far turn, but came up just short of the lead at the top of the home stretch. She too has 16 Trifecta points and 2 Correct Home Team Picks, but trails with 13 Seeder points.
Wise O. kept up his pace to remain in contention for third place, but The Bookie raced past B-Reezy and Craft Brew to take a share of third. Wise O. has the edge for the moment with 11 Trifecta points, 2 Correct Home Team Picks, and 11 Seeder points over The Bookie’s 11 Trifecta points, 2 Correct Home Team Picks, and 9 Seeder points.
Despite a strong showing around the far turn, Craft Brew slides into fifth place with 10 Trifecta points, 2 Correct Home Team Picks, and 10 Seeder points. He leads Atwork in sixth by one length: 9 Trifecta points, 2 Correct Home Team Picks, and 11 Seeder points.
In seventh, Big Tuna and B-Reezy are in a dead heat as both Analysts have 8 Trifecta points, 2 Correct Home Team Picks, and 8 Seeder points.
In ninth with 5 Trifecta points, 1 Correct Home Team Pick, and 6 Seeder points, Kal Krome trails on the back of his aging and increasingly unpredictable Seahawks!
Standings after Leg 3 of The Seeders Cup IV
Tiebreakers
Craft Brew holds a head-to-head tiebreaker over Wise Orangutan. Atwork holds a head-to-head tiebreaker over The Bookie. Little Tuna holds a head-to-head tiebreaker over Craft Brew. The Bookie holds a tiebreaker over Kal Krome.
Every Analysts but Kal Krome has picked up a second Correct Home Team Pick.
The co-leaders, Little Tuna and The Strategist currently have the edge in Seeder points if the Cup comes down to a third tiebreaker.
The Strategist sets the record for the most Trifectas in a single season! Will she let up down the home stretch or charge on for the win???
With a two length lead, The Strategist looks to coast to the finish line after notching an 8th Trifecta and 35th Correct Pick on the season.
Only three other Analysts remain in contention–and only if The Strategist fails to earn another Trifecta.
Trailing two lengths behind, Big Tuna runs second with 6 Trifectas and 34 Correct Picks. He leads by one head over B-Reezy and Craft Brew in third place with 6 Trifectas and 33 Correct Picks.
All three can tie The Strategist with 8 Trifectas and force an overtime or win outright should she find herself winded in the closing stretch!
Kal Krome, Atwork, Little Tuna, The Bookie, and Wise Orangutan have been eliminated from the Marathon of the Ass.
Trifectas
Standings after Week 15 for Analyst of the Year IV
Correct Picks
Tiebreaker after Week 15 for Analyst of the Year IV
The Strategist holds her lead down the back stretch of The Seeders Cup with 4-point trifecta in Leg 2. She clings to a 1 length lead at 7 points total.
Surging from the back of the field, Little Tuna nets 6 points down the back stretch to take second place after (yet another controversial) photo finish.
Vying for third place, B-Reezy, Wise O., and Craft Brew pick up 4 Trifecta points. Craft Brew owns the first tiebreaker over Wise O., but runs neck-and-neck with B-Reezy with 1 Correct Home Team Pick and 5 Seeder Points each.
The Bookie and Atwork contest sixth place with 3 Trifecta points each, but Atwork holds the first tiebreaker (head-to-head competition).
Big Tuna secures eighth with 1 Trifecta point, followed by Kal Krome.
Standings after Leg 2 of The Seeders Cup IV
Tiebreakers
Craft Brew holds a head-to-head tiebreaker over Wise Orangutan. Atwork holds a head-to-head tiebreaker over The Bookie. Little Tuna holds a head-to-head tiebreaker over Craft Brew. The Bookie holds a tiebreaker over Kal Krome.
None of the Analysts pick up a second Correct Home Team selection in Leg 2. The race remains wide open!
Little Tuna and Atwork currently have the edge if the Seeders Cup comes down to the third tiebreaker.
