Will Pimps Cry?

Here we go!  The true home-stretch is upon us and ANYTHING can happen?  Will Gator hold?  Will his NFL Night Vapor Lock be his undoing in Week 13?  Can CDes/Bink overcome their ill-timed penalty?  Will The King's NFL Day Vapor Lock catapult him to his first title?  Will Silky Johnson once again lay in the cut until the final week before snatching victory from the jaws of defeat?  Will The Whole F'n Show pull that off instead?  Will The TOMizzle use his two remaining Vapor Locks to shock the world and win a championship in his first season?  Will Dirty D go undefeated to finish tied for the worst single season record of all time?  Will AAN somehow manage to do worse than Dirty D and still that honor away from him?

All of that and we haven't even talked about the Closest to Zero money!

As for Saturday, Big Ten rivalry action gets things started off at noon.  The Ohio State University will, of course, do battle with Big Blue on ABC.  Both Gator and OG Big Nugg are rolling with the underdog Buckeyes +1.5.  Uncle PJ, Hitman, and Dirty D will all be tuned into the Big Ten Network to watch the Hurrying Hoosiers -6.5 do battle with the wholly-incompetent Purdue Boilermakers.  The TOMizzle loves the Cocks...to keep it within 17.5 over on ESPN.  In fact, he loves the Cocks so much, he "Vapor Locked" them (look it up on urbandictionary).  At 12:20, CDes/Bink like the Orangemen at +3 to cover in a little Catholic-on-Catholic crime game to be found on ESPN3.

At 2:00, Silky Johnson's Ragin' Cajuns will be doing battle against Appalachian State on ESPN3.  ULL is receiving 23 in a game, quite frankly, I can't believe is even being televised over the internet.  At 3:00, the elder statesmen of Ladder 1 both have action going.  Captain has taken USC -3 over UCLA on ESPN2.  AAN is rolling with the Tide -13.  The King says, "Not so fast, my friend!" taking Auburn.  That game is on CBS.

We finish up with two night caps.  First, The Whole F'n Show looks to get back into the money with the Temple Owls -12.  That game is at 7:00 on ESPNU.  Then at 8:00, the Golf Coach will be watching the bedlam and pulling for Oklahoma State +4.

Notes for Sunday:  Everyone has taken a 1:00 game, except for Gator, The King, The Whole F'n Show, and Hitman.  The Hitman has an 11 unit Vapor Lock on Arizona which could put him dangerously close to 0.  Every one has taken the Patriots except for Dirty D (Cleveland) and the Golf Coach (Denver).

Gator Don't Play Dat

Coming into Week Eleven, CDes/Bink seemed to be in the driver's seat.  Not only were they up 12 units, they were far and away the most successful handicappers in our league's history.  None of that mattered though as they, like The Whole F'n Show the week before, took it on the chin, going 0-3.  This means that for the fifth time in five weeks, we will have a new leader atop the standings.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give to you America's Pimp, Gator!!!   

Coming off of a perfect 3-0, 10 unit week, Gator will be faced with the decision of when to use his final Vapor Lock.  If he hits it, it is probably "Game Over".  If not, there are any number of men ready to scoop up his hoes..I mean, vie for the title.  The good news for the rest of the league is no one has hit an NFL Night Vapor Lock yet this season. (Fun fact, Gator now has both the best record for this season and all-time overall.) 

Gator wasn't the only one to escape the jaws of defeat last week.  Silky Johnson, The TOMizzle, and Hitman all managed to go 2-0-1.  AAN was not as fortunate.  He had originally thrown down his remaining Vapor Lock on the Bengals.  He then changed his mind to the Patriots, before ultimately changing his unit allocations and settling on the Cardinals.  He now sits in 8th place at -14 units.  Had he left his picks as he originally sent them, he would have been in 4th with 3 units, 2 units out of second. 

Remember, any Vapor Locks unplayed after this week will automatically be played in Week 13.  Also, next week's college games will include games played on both Friday and Saturday.

New Week, New Leader

As we move into the final month of the season, we continue to have a tight race for the money.  CDes/Bink staked their claim to the top of the heap with an 11 unit College Vapor Lock.  They are sitting at 15 units.  After that, it is anyone’s game to win.  Despite going 0-3 last week, The Whole F’n Show managed to hang on to second (3 units).  The King crawled back into the money at 2 units.  While Gator was knocked off of the podium, he is only two units out of second.  Aside from all of this, the battle for the Closest to Zero money basically involves everyone but Dirty D.

Stock Up

CDes/Bink - As stated earlier, they have taken a commanding lead over the pack.  Most years, 15 units would mean you are stuck in no man’s land, but this year it means you are basically a lock to win.  Whodathunkit?

Golf Coach - BAM! My man finally turned it around this week with a perfect 15 unit run.  With one Vapor Lock remaining, who knows where he could finish?

Stock Up?

Dirty D - The good news is that Dirty D finally got a W.  The bad news is he is now the sole holder of the longest losing streak of all-time.  The mark is now set at 12.  If you were wondering, the odds of losing twelve games in a row is 1:4096.

Stock Down

Silky Johnson and Captain - Between the two of them, they have gone 2-11-1 over the last 7 games.  Is Captain looking to match his total collapse of last year?  Has the computer analysis magic run out on our former champion.  It’s hard to watch.

4th in 4 - Heavy is the head that wears the crown.  So heavy in fact that we have had a new leader each week for the past four weeks.  With CDes/Bink holding a 12 point lead, it will take a minor miracle to make that 5 in 5, but strange things seem to be the norm this season.

0’fer - No one has hit a NFL Night Game Vapor Lock yet this season.  There are six chances yet.

If you are curious, the code on the sheet for Vapor Locks is: X=Win; 0=Loss; T=Tie; 1=Not Played.

The Whole F'n Show

As we head into the final month of the 2015 Major League Lock Club season, we need to face some hard truths.  On the whole, we are not very good.  Only our top three members would be in the black at this point.  While we are doing better than 2014 in calling college games, we are down over 20% in both of the NFL categories.  Now, three of our four new members aren't exactly setting the world on fire.  Still, at this point last season, we had several members well over 25 units.  This year, 9 puts you in the money.  The good news is almost everyone still has a chance to bring home the title. 

Points of interest: 

Congratulations to rookie, The Whole F'n Show, for soaring to the head of the pack.  Three weeks of going 2 and 1 with a Vapor Lock sprinkled in there will do that. 

The Ladder 1 Backstep squad of Hitman and Gator have both been moving up the rankings.  Hitman has gained 16 units and moved up from 13th to 7th in the last month.  He still has two Vapor Locks to play as well.  After putting his birthday bash behind him, Gator now finds himself in the money.  This was after being in 9th heading into Week Six.  He also has a Vapor Lock left. 

On the negative side of things, Captain missed his first career Vapor Lock.  It was a major hit, but he still managed to hold on to second.  Dirty D successfully earned his way on to the Wall of Shame with his 10th consecutive loss.  This sets a new mark for a single season.  Well done!  While there will be no 3-0 Turkey (XXX) Vapor Lock winners this year, the door is still open for our first 0-3 performance.  Hitman, The TOMizzle, and Golf Coach all still have a chance to be the first. 

Four weeks left.  Use your Vapor Locks wisely.

DREW BREES!!!

As of 9:30 Saturday night, the standings are more or less set heading into a monster Sunday NFL Day game schedule.  Captain has dropped the full 11 unit Vapor Lock on his boy DREW BREES.  A win, and he will officially have pulled away from the pack.  And why wouldn't we expect a win?  Captain is the only active member in league history to have never lost a Vapor Lock.  He will still have his NFL Night Game Vapor Lock to play sometime in the next month which could prove to be the deciding factor in him winning the title. 

The race for the other money spots is a good one.  Rookie The Whole F'n Show surged into second today with his Redskins of Miami (OH) taking down the boys from Ypsilanti.  The King is still holding on to that final money spot regardless of whether Sparty covers.  A win, and he is a point back of TWFS.  A loss, and he is a point ahead of defending champion Silky Johnson and the people's champions CDes/Bink. 

The quest for the Closest to Zero money basically involves everyone aside from Captain.  Even at -27 and with no Vapor Locks left, BoN (seriously considering a switch to OG Big Nugg) can still get back there with 14 games left to play.   

Speaking of Vapor Locks, here is what my records show for Vapor Locks remaining:

Captain:  NFL Night Game 

The King:  NFL Day Game 

Silky Johnson:  None 

The Whole F'n Show:  None 

CDes/Bink:  College 

Gator:  NFL Night Game 

AAN:  College and NFL Night Game 

Uncle PJ:  NFL Night Game 

Hitman:  NFL Day and Night Games 

Dirty D:  None 

TOMizzle:  College and NFL Night Game 

Golf Coach:  College and NFL Night Game 

OG Big Nugg:  None 

That's a ton of points hanging out there.  Just a reminder, all unplayed Vapor Locks will automatically be played Week Thirteen.