The Football Club

Week 1 MVP Award Winner –
Captain Jack Sparrow (26 Points)

2011 Club Champion Captain Jack Sparrow scored 26 Points to start the season in 1st Place and claim the Week 1 MVP Award.  Captain Jack stayed far away from Triple Jeopardy (which proved to be the downfall of 6 club members this week) but would have gotten it correct as he had Miami.  He ended up claming all 3 Regular Games and 2 of the 3 Point Spread Games.  Captain Jack’s most brilliant pick combination this week was taking Cleveland and Las Vegas (two underdogs), which got him 4 Points as this week’s only Double Stakes winner.  Finally, he was 1 of only 8 club members to take the NY Jets on Monday night and score the 6 Point prize.  Captain Jack is no doubt firing the Black Pearl’s cannons in celebration of securing a guaranteed Peak Position of #1 for the whole season.  But rather than walking the plank in the coming weeks, he is no doubt hoping to catch the wind in his sails and continue moving forward at the top of the standings.  His last extremely successful season was in 2018 when his finished in 3rd Place behind then Club Champion Double-Double and Runner-Up Stinkerbell.  So he is due for a huge year.  The Week 1 MVP Award Runner-Up was a tie between married couple (and my parents) Roadrunner & Shaylene.  They both ended up scoring 25 Points and were also the only two club members to correctly pick the Triple Crown of Atlanta, New Orleans & LA Rams to claim the 7 Point prize.  Roadrunner is serving notice that his 3rd Place finish and 5 Weeks at #1 last season were no fluke.  He is ready to keep his foot on the pedal and burn rubber all season long.  Keeping the Top Five in the family somehow (and no – the club is not rigged), we have myself (Fearless Tuna) and Young Tuna tied in 4th Place with 20 Points.  We will see how long the four members of the Tuna family can manage to stay in the Top Five, but it would be nice to have at least one representative stay there all season if possible.  Last season, as you’ll recall, Rad Dad won the 2022 Club Championship and My Wife Loves Jimmy G was the Runner-Up.  So how did both fare in Week 1?  Rad Dad debuted in 13th Place with 13 Points and My Wife Loves Jimmy G debuted in 7th Place (tied with Viking Blood) with 18 Points.  So they both have a little rust to shake off after the long off-season.  Speaking of Viking Blood, her husband The Sad Salmon was the only club member to switch away from The Autopicker on Thursday night and correctly pick Detroit for the 2 Points.  However, then he decided not to do the club this season.  That’s totally understandable but he will be missed.  At least he gave us one final display of his brilliant picking skills before leaving and heading to Hard Rock Stadium.  Also not participating this season is Nighthawk, who is busy taking care of baby Clay who recently turned 1 month old.  Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Nighthawk on the new baby boy!  On another note, sometime this week or next week, I plan to start up Head to Head Weekly and Pro Bowl Team Weekly for this season.  So look for that to begin shortly.  And that’s all we have for this week.

Here is a copy of the Week 1 Current Standings for those who are having trouble viewing it on their screens (usually due to viewing site on cell phone or tablet). Remember that there is much more detailed information that can be read on the actual Current Standings Page (but using a computer is necessary due to the tables).

Here are the club’s picks for Week 1. Captain Jack Sparrow wins the MVP Award with 26 Points and Roadrunner & Shaylene tie for the MVP Award Runner-Up with 25 Points.

Welcome to The Football Club 2023: 22nd Year Champions Edition.  The club’s doors are now open and we are happy to welcome back our past champions, veteran players, and any new rookies who end up joining.  This season is being called the Champions Edition because in the Main Page Column, we will take a moment each week to reflect and talk about one of our past Club Champions.  Throughout 21 seasons of play, we have now had 16 different Club Champions.  So starting next week, I’m hoping to begin sharing a few sentences about each of our past winners.  (We will likely group the first three club champions into the first post, and then do one per week starting from there.)  This year, I did not end up sending out a Roll Call e-mail due to a busy schedule, so I can’t tell you how many players will be participating.  I guess we will find out at the end of Week 1.  But whether it is 10 players or it is 20+ players, I’m sure that all who participate will have a great time.  As a recap, last season our Top Five finishers were: #1 Club Champion Rad Dad (394 Points), #2 Runner-Up My Wife Loves Jimmy G (386 Points), #3 Roadrunner (385 Points), #4 Double-Double (383 Points), and #5 The Sad Salmon (379 Points).  And on a final (and most important) note, let’s all keep our dear club member Slick Chick in our prayers.  She has been dealing with a difficult health situation.  I’m not sure if she is able to read this, but I hope she knows that she has our full love and support during this challenging time.  At the Regional Convention which I attended, we got to enjoy hearing Slick Chick do an interview on stage sharing some of her past life experiences.  It really was a fantastic part that all who heard appreciated.  After, as myself and Young Tuna were talking with Slick Chick during the lunch break, two other sisters patiently waited about ten minutes before finally interrupting.  They just wanted to let Slick Chick know how much they appreciated her part and the fine example that she has set through the years.  And I think that pretty much says it all.  See you on the field everyone.

Playoff Picks Champion –
Hoosier Daddy (99.5 Points, 1 Week at #1)

In the most dramatic and thrilling finish to a Playoff Picks contest ever, Hoosier Daddy edged Rad Dad by a mere 1/2 Point to become the 2022-3 Playoff Picks Champion.  Going into the final week of the playoffs, it did not look like either club member had the possibility of winning.  However, the single most important pick to get right during the Playoff Picks is picking the winner of the Super Bowl.  The game itself is worth 15 Points.  Going into the Super Bowl, the Top Three in the standings were (1) The Rickster, (2) Bob Swerski, and (3) Drummer Boy.  Had either The Rickster or Bob Swerski picked the Super Bowl winner correctly, they would have clinched the Playoff Picks title.  However, all three missed that game, while everyone else behind them correctly picked Kansas City.  And that opened the door for the comeback for the ages which transpired.  Hoosier Daddy scored 41 Points to win the Super Bowl MVP Award.  And Rad Dad scored 39 Points to win the Super Bowl MVP Award Runner-Up.  That brought Hoosier Daddy to a Playoff Picks total of 99.5 Points and Rad Dad to 99 Points.  So which pick was decisive in handing the victory to Hoosier Daddy?  In looking down the picks sheet, there is one glaring pick which stands out.  And it is… picking the winner of the coin toss for 1 Bonus Point.  For the coin toss, Rad Dad picked Philadelphia and Hoosier Daddy picked Kansas City.  Just before kickoff, Kansas City called tails.  And because tails never fails, Kansas City got it right, won the toss, and chose to defer.  Thus, you could say that Hoosier Daddy won the Playoff Picks Championship thanks to the coin toss.  But in reality, he won primarily because he picked a Hall of Fame new record 36 Stat Questions correct.  Congratulations to both Hoosier Daddy & Rad Dad on doing so well during the Playoff Picks competition.  Also let’s give some credit to Slick Chick, who had an exceptional playoffs, finishing in 3rd Place only 3 Points away from winning.  Finally, a special shout-out to Young Tuna, who was the club member who came the closest to picking the final score of the Super Bowl correct.  Young Tuna’s prediction was Kansas City 34 and Philadelphia 31.  As an ending note, I was considering next season consolidating the Playoff Picks into just doing the Super Bowl only.  The Super Bowl picks sheet seems to be the most enjoyable, and the rest of the Playoff Picks drag a bit with all the Stat Questions each week.  Talk to you next season, everyone.