NOTES:
Once again into the kennel, doggies! The Brunette always gives great drama and all will surely be at fever pitch once again this Tuesday. Maybe that spinny-towel barkeep will give us a break and take the night off.
Rumpus Notes:
First Visit 11/11/08: EBMB, Scrappy, & Zulu in attendance. (This was quickly followed by a visit the next night by the Farmers.)
Last visit 10/20/09:
Chairman / Scrappy 15 SA / EBMB 10 (Brunette) End of Farmer’s dominating run. At least for the night.
Zulu 15 Foz 5 (Blond) Zulu, the master of the blond?
SA 15 EBMB13 (Blond) SA continues singles dominance.
Chairman / Scrappy 17 Foz / Zulu 10 (Brunette) Team Eugene comes back from 10-3 deficit with 14 unanswered points.
SA / Foz 14 Chairman/ Scrappy 0 (Brunette) The birth of the Tower of Power. Shutout!!!!
Zulu 15 EBMB7 (Blond) Zulu, a true gentleman, prefers blonds.
10/20/09 Hangers: 6 total (Scrappy(4), SA, EBMB)
The 2009 Chase:
Spaniel Still Alpha Dog – B*****heart heads into this week like he did last week, with a target on his rumpus. SA worked hard to manage a 4-3 mark last week at the Vendetta, a mark which only minimally effected his lead. Thr Brunette is arguably his worst table, however. B*****heart has gone 11-13 career on the Brunette, with a 3-2 singles record. Stats like these may mean little. Let us not forget that SA is still on a remarkable run of success. However much the others would like his less than stellar history on the table to repeat itself, the sled is still being driven by the Spaniel.
Scrappy-Doo! – Oh how he loves the Brunette. His 34-17 career record on the table attests to that love. He also has registered 12 hangers (one kielbasa among them) in the 38 games he has played on the table. His 4-2 mark at Vendetta last week has created cautious optimism in the Scrappy camp. He will have to recreate the dominating Rumpus runs of the past, with special focus on head to heads versus the leader, in order to break out of the pack and challenge the lead dog.
Lass-lee Come Home – The Foz has taken it upon himself to make the chase interesting. Since being called out of semi-retirement by the pundits, his play has been very strong. However, much like the Spaniel, Fosbury has not played especially well on the Brunette. His 5-6 mark on the table leaves something to be desired. Still, he has to be considered the sneaker wave of the bunch. He could quietly slip away with the title while everyone was not looking. Or not. Because he has not logged very many games, a run of losses this week could see him plummeting in the table. I still can’t believe this is his rookie campaign.
Martin-Tin-Tin – Ladies and Gentlemen, here is the dog to bet on. Regardless of the recent dip in success, the EBMB is positioned well for a good run. Add in the fact that he has a 26-23 record on the Brunette and you are looking at a likely chase-changing evening for the Snipper. It must not be forgotten that on the debut Rumpus visit, our man Martin beat Scrappy in four straight on this table by an aggregate score of 61-24. He also posted the one and only double-hanger while playing the Brunette. The recent mini-slump may have dropped him down a bit, but a trip to the Rumpus could be just the thing to lift his wood. Beware the crotch grab!
Scott-ish Terrier, Laborder Collie, & the Pomerani-owen (a.k.a the rest of the pack) – These dogs have done much more than expected lately. Beyond just providing a proper challenge for the leaders, it is evident that they are all using the tail of 2009 to prepare for the 2010 season. The Chairman is certainly one to watch on Tuesday, as he is 2-1 in his short time on the Brunette. Zulu has been playing rather well lately and has shown periods of success at the Rumpus in the past. Although Kong has not managed to climb out of the middle of the table, his steady, strategic play bodes well for the remaining chase and onward into next year.