The 2005 Football Pool
as told by the Commish
Week 14
Week 14 was a queer week in the Football Pool as silent but deadly Two Beer Queer, Marichelle Tanag outlasted Mrs. Rog on Monday Night and took the week with a solid 10-4-2 week. After peaking in Week 13, we hit a downturn in week 14. We picked @ only 41% this week and, other than Marichelle, few teams were able to significantly capitalize on a rare down weak for our fearless leader, Jason "The Greek" Weinstein. Congrats to Marichelle for being one of these few.
9 wins (in a week with two ties, this ain't half bad..)
Mrs. Rog, Lynn Rog - Late charge by last year's salutatarian. Lynn is one of the hottest players in the league now-a-days - and she has been picking pretty well too.
Eliwearsaskirt, Keith Miller - This Eli has been off the mark this year as often as the real Eli, but for one week, Keith rises near the top
Nana's Boys, Nana - Nana has been hot lately and is in striking distance of the #2 spot, I'm not sure if anyone can be considered a real threat to overtake first place.
Real and Spectacular, Yars3 - After spending the first half of the season emulating his beloved Jets, Mr. Chabarek has given up on the Reggie Bush sweepstakes and has been surprisingly adequate in the second half of the season.
Two Beer Queer, Marichelle Tanag 10-4-2 Moose Haas/Dry Humper/Double or Nothing/Palumbo 0-14-2
Week 15
Week 15 was a big week for the Engel Family. Inspired by the beautiful, Emily Engel, Grandpa Gary Engel, of I Love the Bean won Week 15 thanks to an early Hanukkah miracle - a last minute fumble return by Adalius Thomas (not a Jew).
The Big Guy continues his charge up the ladder, and if the football season ended today, he would share the third place prize - another $50 added to the Engel fortune. Hail to the Bean!
Two others worth noting with 11 wins
Mrs. Rog, Lynn Rog - Becoming a staple on the Big Board, Lynn is clawing and scratching her way into contention for some $$$
Damn Yankees, Rob Candela - Rob has been quiet for the majority of this year, but after the last four solid to great weeks, Rob is nearing the .500 mark. On a personal note he leads his brother-in-law, the hated Ralph Fuoco - by one game.
I Love the Bean, Gary Engel 11-5 Brett Kaplan/Latino/Palumbo/Moose 0-16
State of the Pool
Two poor weeks in a row have knocked the pool back to reality. We now stand at a 48% clip for the season, with only 19 teams above the Ramiro Mendoza line.
Overall Leaders
Hottest team in the league over the last four weeks? Who said Moose Haas? The answer is Jason Weinstein. Jay had a minor setback in week 14, but still managed a 6-8-2 record and then bounced back with a vengeance in Week 15. Jay has opened up a seven game lead on his nearest competitors. Read on for his inner most thoughts...
2nd place: Michael Casserly - Though more focused on his "alive" status in his suicide pool, Casserly has picked at a solid 54% this year and trails Weinstein by 7 games.
3rd place tie between two queers and a guy named C. Montgomery. - Two Beer Queer remained hot in week 15 and sits 8 games off the pace. Self-admitted Queer #2 is my Dad, I Love the Bean who may just win this thing if he does not go on vacation again. Rounding out the 3rd place crew is Advantage Burns, degenerate gambler, Steve Yamarik.
4th place: Karl Knechtel - Krazy with a Karl has slipped in the last two weeks. He is still a serious candidate for some cash, but catching the leader will be tough
Moose Haas will win the basement prize this year. That prize is nothing.
Jason Weinstein speaks out on life, love and his aspirations of being the first Jewish Football Pool champion since Gary Kessler in 1992.
Exclusive Interview with our leader, Jason Weinstein
Commish: Jason, welcome to the show
What Jason said: It is an honor to be featured in your column, it is a favorite of mine
What Jason meant: No one reads this shit, why am I wasting my time here? I have only spent five hours researching my picks thus far this week.
Commish: Jason, what are your thoughts on your total dominance this year in the football pool?
What Jason said: My goal at the beginning of the season was to just beat you and Ralph (Juiced Up).
What Jason meant: In my mind I locked up this pool after going 3-0 in week 1 of the pre-season
Commish: Who do your fear the most in this competition?
What Jason said: There are a lot of tough competitors out there this season. I consider all my opponents my equals and this really is a crap shoot. I can't say that there is a team that I think about during the week.
What Jason meant: For a while there, I couldn't sleep at night without waking up in a cold sweat thinking about Karl Knechtel. What is a Kah-neck-tal exactly and who will he be picking in the Saints-Niners game this weekend? These thoughts were racing through my head on a nightly basis. I stopped driving on the Thruway (Deegan) for a while and stopped hanging out with some of my college buddies to avoid the name association (Two Beer Queer). Finally, I had these recurring nightmares about Newman chasing me down on a football field (I Love the Bean).
Commish: Jason, you struggled for years and years in this football pool. What do you attribute your recent success to?
What Jason said: I just want to praise God for giving me the ability to go out and pick games every week
What Jason meant: The answer is simple: I am smarter and better looking than everyone in this league
Commish: Jason, have you taken performance enhancing drugs?
What Jason said: No
What Jason meant: Yes
Commish: Jason, do you have a gambling problem?
What Jason said: No
What Jason meant: Yes
Commish: Some critics say that you should take a break this week and focus your energy on week 17. Will you be in the lineup this weekend or will your fiance, Sue, be making your picks?
What Jason said: The fans pay a lot of money to watch me perform and it would not be fair to them, or history, for me to sit and not give it 100%
What Jason meant: I don't even let her Sue near the computer when I am making my picks
Commish: Jason, what can the competition expect in these last two weeks?
What Jason said: I'd like to thank those teams that are chasing me for an incredible run so far this year and I look forward to a spirit competition these last two weeks.
What Jason meant: As Mr. T said in Rocky III -- "Pain!"
Good luck in week 16!