Special thanks to Skoal for doing the preview
Bombers Vs. TechEast
This game features two teams, which seem to be firing on all cylinders. Bombers comes off of a big win over Roto NL, while TechEast comes off of an impressive showing against Lynx. These two teams look to establish an early tempo with pitching, and solid defensive play.
Baptiste will set the tone for TechEast early and often with his bat, but don't expect gatyopin2 and ABSmoke to let him do all the talking. Sandman7 will look to stop the potent Bombers bats, but question marks about relief abound. If he needs some, Vejar and kiku can step up, but will they perform? Baptiste knows that this team can score in a hurry, so look for him to set a great example, and show people why he's a great manager. I'm betting he comes out on fire (not literally, that would hurt), and goes all Robert Redford on some baseballs this week.
Bombers looks to be lead by Roguee and Cunning, as well as a tremendous pitching rotation, starting with Ipwn and finishing with ChungFX or ThePope. If ThePope sees action in relief, you better believe pointy, fancy hats will be worn by all, and enjoyed by none. There's a lot of talk about Roguee trying to take league by storm, and thrust him or herself into the MVP lead, and look for him or her to try and show the bat skills to make that happen.
Players to watch: Bombers: Roguee // TechEast: Baptiste
Prediction: Bombers 11 TechEast 8
Roto NL vs Lynx
The two teams meeting in this game, are two teams trying desperately to right their ship, in hopes that a big win will be a harbinger of things to come. Roto NL comes off of a less than stellar showing against Bombers, while Lynx comes off of a tough loss to TechEast.
For Roto NL, the question that needs to be answered is: who is going to pitch well enough to keep them in a game? nubXPRESS and Pesto have both tried, but in the end, the opposition came out on top. You know they're going to hit, with HaZeD, Day, LORDV8R and company, but if you can't pitch, what is the use? Don't forget about EasyOut, who is my man to watch for NL. He's just seething at the mouth (possibly rabid) to breakout, and is fixin' to do so this week.
The Lynx have shown great team spirit and a desire to win, it just hasn't translated into wins. Look for EWade and company to come out firing on all cylinders and try to swipe one here. LSU21 is a solid bat, in a line up that contains many solid bats. Wendigo, Hugebat and Tubby86 are also looking to rough up what ever Roto NL throws at them. Tubby86 figures to see a large chunk of (if not all of) the work on the mound, but in a pinch, you could see XxBRAVOxX out there. I heard Wendigo is excited to go out there and show the boys how she rolls, so keep an eye out for her.
Players to watch: Roto NL: EasyOut // Lynx: Wendigo
Prediction: Roto NL 13 Lynx 11
BigHeros vs FlightAL
BigHeros comes into this week after suffering a real kick in the collective grapes at the hand of D Rays last week. FlightAL comes into this game on the opposite end of the spectrum, as they were kicking (and possibly stomping) all the grapes last week in a rout of Ambition.
The biggest thing for the BigHeros to do in this game, is find some camaraderie and balance. They seem to either score runs, and don't pitch well, or do a decent enough job pitching, but don't score enough to get the job done. Her0 will be looked upon to do a lot of the work, as will Nhr. Those two guys cannot possibly carry an offense by themselves, so look for timely contributions from goTWINS and possibly BigJoll (the artist formerly known as Molholt). Pitching wise, they've got SupaNova and The24Kid, who will look to contain some hot bats on the other side of the field, and are players to watch for.
FlightAL comes into this game on an absolute offensive tear. Kentucky, DrDeath, Majewicz and ZachAtack look to knock the cover off of the ball everytime they step in, and usually succeed. They've got a "throw who ever feels like it out there" attitude about pitching, but when you're stomping face and chewing gum, it really doesn't matter who's pitching for you. If you're looking for a stud muffin to watch out for on FlightAL, you'd have to go with D3thklok. There's no substitute for talent (or beer), he's aiming to go out there, and show everyone how he does it.
Players to watch: BigHeros: SupaNova/The24Kid // FlightAL: D3thklok
Prediction: FlightAL 17 BigHeros 5
D Rays vs Ambition
An interesting dynamic is at play in the D Rays and Ambition game. These are two teams who are new to the Elite league, and are trying to make a mark. The D Rays plowed through BigHeros last week, while Ambition got waxed by FlightAL.
D Rays is one of those enigma type teams, who have chemistry, but on paper don't look like a team who could contend. That just goes to show you what pitching and chemistry can do, because they put it to BigHeros in a big way last week. Y4ankrule threw a gem, and they got timely hits from KeenanG and company to secure their first win. Look for Tyrrel and HAVERFORD to do some damage, and try to keep the D Rays shuffling on, and winning games.
Ambition comes into this game desperately needing a win, to build chemistry and give them something to build off of. h0w has to get the most out of every player, including himself, in order to win games, and shock some people. This is one team I don't know a whole lot about, only that they're hungry to win, and showcase themselves in this League. Mattman13 should have a breakout game, and plays with a chip on his shoulder after a rough split with Empire.
Players to watch: D Rays: Tyrrel // Ambition: Mattman13
Prediction: D Rays 12 Ambition 10
Rage vs DwH
This game features two teams coming off of tough losses last week. Rage watched FlightNL take them downtown, while DwH had a stomach punch game at the hands of a walkoff (more like kick in the groin off) loss against Carnage.
Rage has a unique blend of players who are tasting their first Elite action, but are starving to win and become seen as the best of the best. GoHome96, RomeyC and rUafraid lead this group of quirky mouthy players, who can swing the bat. Cjwalker also figures to have impact, but with only one pitcher, this team needs to light up the scoreboard to have a chance. rUafraid is a player to watch, with his solid bat and pitching prowess, but don't be surprised if Rage looks like a christmas tree after this one.
For DwH (Donuts with Hats), the pitching has been there, the batting hasn't. They've only scored a total of 9 runs, and that won't get the job done. Looking at their lineup, it's tough to figure out why they haven't scored a lot of runs. Guys like ensferum, Ricky8 and LuckyMe89 have always had hot bats, look for them to get on track this week. Pitching for them has been solid, so look for more of the same from RUGJUICE, PiLi and soulcrshr. I'll pick ensferum as a player to watch here, because frankly he entertains me, and is due for a bananas type breakout game this week, as he shows up why this group puts up donuts, and wears hats.
Players to watch: Rage: rUafraid // DwH: ensferum
Prediction: DwH 12 Rage 11
FlightNL vs Carnage
This game has early playoff implications, and will establish a front runner in the Central/West league. These teams are strong in both pitching and hitting, and will look to out do eachother in my Game of the Week.
FlightNL has put up some runs, and had shutdown pitching in the first two games of this league. They've been effective across the board and look strong coming into this one. Papi, Ebola and dcurt25 lead an offense which hopes to score early, score often, and head home with your girlfriend. SmokeOut and ElDuque are a two headed pitching monster, which looks sexy on the field, and on paper. SmokeOut has allowed one run in 9 innings of work, which is unheard of for the Elite league. He is my player to watch, because chances are, he's going to be smoking batters, and will be the difference maker, unless GATECH is out there stealing Carnage's bukkets.
Carnage is another team with a tremendous lineup, and a two faced pitching attack. Megatron and Sparkie come out every week and shut down the best of the best. Wiggy and BlindMan come in riding high this week, after a great offensive showing for each in the last game. BlindMan hit a walkoff homer against DwH, while Wiggy consistently swings a hot bat. I'm looking for a breakout game from the Sexy Swedes though. GAWD and ToyBoy are poised and ready to take the Elite league by storm, and are the players to watch here. They will be the difference between a win and loss for Carnage, and you better believe they come out with adult beverages in tow, and have already put the kids to bed.
Players to Watch: FlightNL: SmokeOut // Carnage: ToyBoy/GAWD
Prediction: FlightNL 9 Carnage 4
Empire vs RotoWire
This game has a big giant X on the calendar for both teams. There are players on both teams that want to show the other what they're all about, and either jump into the upper echelon of players, or reaffirm greatness in the minds of all who play in the Elite league.
Empire has the offense, defense, and pitching of a well oiled Elite contender. They're active and cohesive, and feature some of the top names of RBO's last few patches and leagues. MelkyNYY brings a club into this game which is tired of hearing what one of the RotoWire pitchers has been talking about, and looks to make things difficult early and often for him. Pete998 looks to suppliment the offense provided by MelkyNYY, as well as Oman. They're going to be lead pitching by KMAN (player to watch), FIRE911 and Death. There are other "factors" at work here also, which kick this rivalry into high gear, including 27 page flamewars, and JPEG trophies. Empire wants to silence RotoWire's bats and mouths, and their pitching gives them an avenue to do so.
RotoWire comes into this game after putting the wood to Insanity. After a hard luck loss on opening night, they came back strong in game two and really showed why time after time, they're one of the elite squads in RBO. Lead by the get on base attitude of the Oregon Connection (CBothe and Haskell), and some timely hitting with runners on by Skoal, which got the job done. The pitching has mostly fell on Skoal's broad, rippling shoulders, but look for Boget to come out fired up, and show why he has been a top pitcher in RBO for some time now. BenyDJet gets my nod as a player to watch however. The man is due for a beastly performance, and it would not surprise me at all to see him bring the noise here. Will there be a lot of rawr, and little bite? Or lots of rawr and lots of bite? We will see on Tuesday.
Players to Watch: Empire: KMAN // RotoWire: BenyDJet
Prediction: RotoWire 10 Empire 9
TechWest vs Insanity
TechWest was looked at a middle of the road type team when this league started, but they look to pile up another win against Insanity this week. Insanity has suffered back to back losses, but looks to rebound, and show they are not doormats.
TechWest has been lead largely by the pitching of WCKDPERK. He has shined in games against RotoWire and Empire. He's on a mission, and looks to continue that here. The batters for TechWest include a trifecta of heft that is DanTheMan, SandMan16 and Own4Life. They're looking to go out there and beat Insanity like they stole something, and put up a ton of runs to help out WCKDPERK. SandMan16 is the player to watch here, he's looking to put some distance between him and Skoal for the MVP of the Central/West league, and add to his league leading 5 homers.
For Insanity, both pitching and hitting have been an issue. They have yet to find someone to supply Killerboy with any relief, should he struggle, and also haven't given him many runs to work with. RickyD and Luna21 will look to change that this week, and as a tandem should be the breakout performers for Insanity. I'm expecting to see Killerboy go out and pitch well this week, making him a player to watch. If he pitches well, and Insanity hits like we all know they can, TechWest could be in some trouble.
Players to Watch: TechWest: SandMan16 // Insanity: RickyD/Luna21
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