WEEK 5 THOUGHTS, PICKS AND STUFF

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Category: The Godfather's Picks

Created: Friday, 12 September 2025 14:25

Published: Friday, 12 September 2025 14:25

Written by Jeff Krol

Hits: 1268

Ladies and Gentlemen of the TSL Universe, the TSL Fall 2025 season is at its official halfway point. There’s nothing worse than the feeling that comes with realizing your season is already on the downswing, until you realize we’re that much closer to what truly matters: Immortality. Only 6 of the TSL’s 49 teams will achieve that goal, but as always, the Race for Social Co-Ed Immortality brings us unlikely contenders, teams that we THOUGHT would contend for the title only for them to fall on their face, the sneaky teams we’re forgetting about, and of course the non-surprising contenders that we expect to be involved when things are all said and done. 

 

With MOST of the teams playing at least 3 games of their season (except for the good folks on Mike’s Detailing, who only have played 2 so far), we’re getting a pretty good idea of which teams truly stand out as the leaders for their respective championships. Which can only mean one thing: It’s time to update the TSL Vegas Championship odds for this season. Let’s get to it. 

D1

 

CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS 

 

Legends 3-1

Sticky Bandits 7-2

Eyes Downtown 6-1

What a Dump 10-1

Unit Ha Ha 15-1

Frodo Swaggins 19-1

Mavericks 20-1

Freeballers 31-1

The Legends are the Legends, and the TSL Power Rankings Committee (who actually did some work for once on their article) just named them the Top Team of All-Time. They’ll be hard to beat, of course. Right now Sticky seems to be on a collision course with them for the title, but you can’t count out Eyes Downtown either. There are no byes in D1, although a game against the Freeballers seems to be about as close to one as you can get.

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

Frodo Swaggins 37, Freeballers 29
Sticky Bandits 46, Freeballers 20
Legends 21, Frodo Swaggins 0
Legends 43, Unit Ha Ha 16

 

Frodo was able to get by the Freeballers, who would go to 0-2 on the day as they would later on lose to the Sticky Bandits as well. Frodo wouldn’t even bother playing the Legends and just forfeit to them. The Legends would go on to smack around Unit Ha Ha as well. 

 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

STICKY BANDITS VS WHAT A DUMP (+11) – Sticky Nation is hot right now, and they get a game against a scrappy What a Dump team that will try to keep it close. WAD could very well pull off the upset here, which is something they’re going to have to do if they want to be taken more seriously as contenders. Maybe some day. But not today. STICKY BANDITS BY 8

EYES DOWNTOWN VS UNIT HA HA (+7) – ED is clicking, and you know that Bobby isn’t going to love the oddsmakers saying he’s a clear “Number 3” so far this season (or of all time, for that matter)  but Unit Ha Ha’s defense could keep this within a score. They have to ‘get it together’ at some point, right? EYES DOWNTOWN BY 13

MAVERICKS VS FREEBALLERS (+5) -  – The Mavs aren’t having the season they would LIKE, but they’re still having a good season nonetheless. Most teams take a season or two to acclimate to D1, although the Freeballers have been trying to do it for like 7 seasons now or something. The Freeballers, in their defense, have had to rotate QBs more than most teams in the league over the years. The only QB they had the most success with, however, is the one standing on across from them this week.  MAVERICKS BY 12

FRODO SWAGGINS VS UNIT HA HA (+1) – Frodo hasn’t had a good season by any stretch of the imagination. They were expected to take a big step forward this season and sort of just haven’t. At least not yet, there’s still time, and there’s no time like the present. A win over HAHA will snap Frodo back into reality, and getting them in the second game of a double header is pretty nice. FRODO SWAGGINS BY 2

 

D2

 

CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS

 

The Malones 2-1

Jabronies 3-1

Can’t Touch This 8-1

Passing While Intoxicated 11-1

Scared Hitless 11-1

Grey Hair – Don’t Care 23-1

The Malones and the Jabronies have the inside track on the byes this season, as Can’t Touch This’ “not great” season has taken them out of the running to a degree. PWI could turn things up a notch and make a run, but so could Scared Hitless, and they have a soft schedule coming up. 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

The Malones 39, Grey Hair – Don’t Care 29
Jabronies 44, Can’t Touch This 38
Can’t Touch This 34, Passing While Intoxicated 22

 

The Malones keep on Malones-ing, dispatching GHDC, but more importantly it seems that the Jabronies have asserted their dominance as the #2 team in the division, taking down CTT. Can’t Touch This would finally wake up a bit this season, beating up on PWI. 

 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

PASSING WHILE INTOXICATED VS GREY HAIR – DON’T CARE (+7) - PWI, still looking to figure things out this season as the once great franchise has taken on the up and down identity of LGR, has the better offense and defense here today. Does that guarantee a victory? No. GHDC could easily pull off the ‘upset’, but not sure they will. PWI needs this more. PASSING WHILE INTOXICATED BY 3

THE MALONES VS SCARED HITLESS (+14) - The Malones are more than likely going to win this game, but if Scared Hitless is for real, this is the week they prove it. It doesn’t hurt that they have Jordan ‘the bane of The Malones’ existence’ Lawson at QB. Scared Hitless performs well here, but The Malones take it. THE MALONES BY 8

D3

 

CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS

 

Wanderers 3-1

Bullet Club 5-1

D-Generation X Y and Z 6-1

Buffalo Vice 8-1

Interdimensional Lightning Falcons 8-1

Cunning Stunts 10-1

Practice Squad 22-1

GirthQuakes 48-1

 

The Wanderers sit atop of the standings, as they tend to do for these types of articles. The Wanderers issues never come up in the regular season, it's the playoffs that tend to do them in. Long time nemesis Bullet Club sits just behind them, having rebounded from a Week 1 loss to rattle off 3 nice wins in a row. DXYZ lost to the Wanderers a week ago, but they’ve been back to the form we expect them to be in. Buffalo Vice, ILF, and the Stunts are all right there with the rest of the division though. Practice Squad is trending downwards, but I’m confident they’ll figure things out. The GirthQuakes are here too, although a drop back to D4 looks like the move for this squad. 

 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

Wanderers 46, D-Generation X Y and Z 24
Bullet Club 46, Cunning Stunts 43
Wanderers 32, Practice Squad 30
Interdimensional Lightning Falcons 34, Buffalo Vice 30

 

The Wanderers have started getting their games in, and it’s surprising to see them blow out DXYZ a bit, before beating Practice Squad in a “normal” Wanderers fashion. Bullet Club beat the Stunts in a shootout, and ILF stepped up to take out Buffalo Vice as they continue to improve in D3. 

 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

BUFFALO VICE VS CUNNING STUNTS (+1) - A long time rivalry continues, as these two teams always put on a show. Both of them can score (take the over), so it may come down to who blinks first. I have a feeling it’ll be Vice. CUNNING STUNTS BY 6

WANDERERS VS GIRTHQUAKES (+20) - The Wanderers get their game against GQ in the perfect spot - first game of a double header. They shouldn’t have to expend too much energy to pull this one off. WANDERERS BY 17

WANDERERS VS CUNNING STUNTS (+8) - A game that many thought SHOULD be a D3 championship preview, but the Stunts have struggled more than they’re used to since moving up. The Stunts may struggle to stop the various tall guys on team Tie Dye to pull this off. WANDERERS BY 3

BULLET CLUB VS D-GENERATION X Y AND Z (+1) - Two teams that have a nice history of close games take the fields for their annual battle. Things seem to be clicking for both sides, I think we’ll see this one come down to the wire. BULLET CLUB BY 2

INTERDIMENSIONAL LIGHTNING FALCONS VS PRACTICE SQUAD (+9) - ILF is favored in a game against B and Practice Squad? They sure are, and it's a testament to ILF and how they’ve adapted since the jump up to D3. They fit right in. It’s also about how the Squad is having a down year, and they’ll be the first to admit it. You can’t keep a good B down. PRACTICE SQUAD BY 4

D4

 

CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS

PowerPuff Girls 3-1

Two Tuddies 3-1

Puckett All-Stars 4-1

Ready to Retire 8-1

Come from Behind 12-1

Mike’s Detailing 20-1

Cobblestone 29-1

 

To nobody’s surprise, this is a three horse race. The Power Puff Girls have slid into their new role in D4 as the buzzsaw gender team (see: Stunts, Cunning and Angels, Matty’s) quite nicely. The Two Tuddies aren’t getting enough credit for doing essentially the same, but that’s the difference between a gender team doing it, and the team that cut league darling Tino doing it. Puckett is just out there balling out, however, and they can’t be overlooked. RTR is a step behind the top 3, and the other 3 teams need a little work, although Mike’s Detailing could make a run to the top if they play like they had last season.

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

PowerPuff Girls 26, Come from Behind 6
Puckett All-Stars 34, Cobblestone 12
Two Tuddies 26, Ready to Retire 23

 

The PPG continued to roll, knocking off Come From Behind. Puckett kept Cobblestone at bay with an easy victory, and the Tud Buds stay undefeated, holding off RTR in a close one. 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

COME FROM BEHIND VS MIKE’S DETAILING (+4) - Come From Behind has at least been playing games, while MD has only played two games so far, which makes it hard to get a handle on them. With word of Paul LoVullo not being there for games circulating, MD can easily pull this off. MIKE’S DETAILING BY 7

POWERPUFF GIRLS VS TWO TUDDIES (+1) - Well Tuddies, this is what you wanted. I’m sure Kory Reid is sending passionate pump up speeches in the group chat about how you can beat the PPGs. You have the talent, the QB, and the shirtless guy. It’s very doable. Yet, you won’t do it. Not yet anyway. POWERPUFF GIRLS BY 8

PUCKETT ALL-STARS VS READY TO RETIRE (+8) - RTR is going to be that team that slides into the playoffs after a ‘meh’ season and upsets someone in the playoffs, I just know it. Around here, we call that the “Puckett”. They’ll be ready for them. PUCKETT ALL-STARS BY 13

MIKE’S DETAILING VS COBBLESTONE (+2) - Mike’s Detailing might have a doubleheader, but getting a wounded CFB followed by Cobblestone (with no forfeits and a full roster each week!) is exactly what the doctor ordered. If MD is going to do anything this season, they need these two wins. MIKE’S DETAILING BY 11

TWO TUDDIES VS PUCKETT ALL-STARS (+1) - The Tuddies’ ‘Hell Week’ continues as they get the hardest doubleheader they could get. This could be the game of the day, honestly. PUCKETT ALL-STARS BY 2.

POWERPUFF GIRLS VS READY TO RETIRE (+9) - RTR gets the PPGs as both teams finish their parts of the doubleheaders going on in D4. POWERPUFF GIRLS BY 12

 

D5

CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS

Bridget & Quit It 3-1

Balls Deep 3-1

Not So Sticky 6-1

Blitzkrieg 9-1

Stir the Sauce 12-1

Sausage McMuffins 18-1

Mo’ Chicken 25-1

Pit Harade 31-1

 

BQUIT and Balls Deep have been the class of D5 this season so far, but Not So Sticky is always there, lurking. Blitzkrieg has a realistic shot of taking the championship as well, but after that the teams behind them are struggling pretty hard. It’s a tale of the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ here. 

 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

Blitzkrieg 34, Stir the Sauce 20
Stir the Sauce 24, Mo’ Chicken 23
Balls Deep 36, Pit Harade 10
Not So Sticky 33, Sausage McMuffins 16

Blitzkrieg knocks off STS, who would end up 1-1 on the day after sneaking by MO. Balls Deep had no issues with Pit Harade, while Not So Sticky handled the McMuffins easily too. 

 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

BRIDGET & QUIT IT VS BLITZKRIEG (+9) - BQUIT gets a hell of a test this week after their bye week. BK has been playing really well, and they’ll be up for this one. But for right now, there’s no reason to think the Bridget Express won’t keep rolling just yet. BRIDGET & QUIT IT BY 3

BLITZKRIEG VS MO’ CHICKEN (+14) - Mo Chicken has a lot of growing to do, and they’re more than likely not going to do it here. BLITZKRIEG BY 18

SAUSAGE MCMUFFINS VS PIT HARADE (+5) - The McMuffins are having a terrible season for their standards, and a game against Pit Harade should help right the ship. PH has been trying to gel with the new players on the team and while the defense has been good, the offense needs some help. SAUSAGE MCMUFFINS BY 7

BRIDGET & QUIT IT VS BALLS DEEP (+1) - The battle for control of the division is on! BQUIT and Balls Deep should be a fantastic, high scoring affair that will give one of the divisions’ favorites a leg up on the road to immortality. BALLS DEEP BY 7

NOT SO STICKY VS STIR THE SAUCE (+3) - NSS is just doing their usual thing, playing good football and minimizing mistakes where they can. STS is a little all over the place, so you’re never quite sure what you’re going to get each week. Give me the stability. NOT SO STICKY BY 7

 

D6

 

CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS

The Chargers 4-1

Flying Balls 4-1

Blue Ballers 6-1

Intentional Clowning 11-1

TMA 12-1

Irish Giants 12-1

Select 17-1

Sticky Laces 20-1

Four Tuddies 28-1

Raw Milkers 34-1

Three Tuddies 45-1

Puck Bunnies 62-1

The two newbies to the division, The Chargers and Flying Balls, are walking away with the division for sure. The Blue Ballers, however, are right there as well, but then there’s a bit of a gap between them and the next cluster of teams. The battle for that 4th bye is going to be pretty interesting. After that, the bottom of the division has some work to do. But they know that. 

 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

Intentional Clowning 34, Puck Bunnies 0
Irish Giants 24, Three Tuddies 14
The Chargers 49, Three Tuddies 6
Blue Ballers 39, Irish Giants 37
Flying Balls 37, Select 20
TMA 42, Sticky Laces 27
Flying Balls 52, Raw Milkers 18

 

So many games! IC took care of the Puck Bunnies, who need a bit of help figuring everything out. The Irish Giants took care of the Three Tuddies, who also played The Chargers, who also took care of them. The Giants would lose a nailbiter to the Blue Ballers. The Flying Balls didn’t score 40+ points which feels weird in a win over Select.They fixed that by putting up 52 on the Milkers. TMA had no trouble with Sticky Laces.

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

FOUR TUDDIES VS PUCK BUNNIES (+5) - One of these teams gets to win a game, which means they’re going to tie, right? This may be a little more high scoring than you’d think, but right now it’s hard to pick the Bunnies. FOUR TUDDIES BY 4

FLYING BALLS VS TMA (+7) - TMA spent all offseason lamenting how they missed a D6 title opportunity and focused on getting it this season. And then the Flying Balls showed up. This represents a really good test for the FBs, and if they’re for real, we’ll see just how good they are here. FLYING BALLS BY 14

TMA VS SELECT (+2) - TMA gets a hell of a doubleheader as they take on a Select team that’s been playing pretty well. Select has an outside shot at the 4th bye, but they need to win this game to do it. However, I can’t see TMA losing twice in a day. TMA BY 8

STICKY LACES VS THREE TUDDIES (+6) - The 3Ts finally get a game that doesn’t feel like they’re going to instantly be in trouble. Kyle vs Kory is a QB matchup for the ages, and it’ll come down to who makes less mistakes. STICKY LACES BY 8

INTENTIONAL CLOWNING VS IRISH GIANTS (+1) - Another game that really matters for the 4th bye, as both teams are in the thick of the playoff battle. The Giants have been playing really well this season, and they’ve been steady while the Clowns have been all over the place at times. IRISH GIANTS BY 3

THE CHARGERS VS BLUE BALLERS (+4) - This game should be electric, as both teams can score, and the Blue Ballers sounded like they have a little bit of a chip on their shoulders in this one from their TSL Podcast debut. Expect a thrilling game from this one. THE CHARGERS BY 2

IRISH GIANTS VS STICKY LACES (+5) - A game between two teams that just feel like they’re on different levels right now. IRISH GIANTS BY 7

 

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR SATURDAY

 

 

• Who survives the D4 Doubleheader Round up? The fans? PPG, Tuddies, Puckett, and RTR all have doubleheaders against each other. All of these games should be good ones, but at the end of the day I think we’ll see PPG and Puckett at the top of the standings. Sorry Tud Buds. 

 

 

 

• Who has the hardest schedule remaining? The average win percentage for the opponents Stir The Sauce has left? .917% Balls Deep is second with .713%. That’s insane. 

 

 

 

• Who has the easiest schedule remaining then? Two teams have an average opponent win percentage of .250% the rest of the way: ILF and Can’t Touch This. 

 

 

 

• What teams have been the luckiest and unluckiest so far? The Cunning Stunts have been the unluckiest for sure. There’s a world that they’re 4-0. As for luckiest? Could it be the Two Tuddies? They have two of their wins by a combined 10 points. We’ll know more after this week. 

 

 

 

• Who looks like they could “get hot” in the second half of the season? Scared Hitless and Practice Squad are both better than their record suggests, look for them to turn it up, and soon. 

 

 

TEN FINAL THOUGHTS FOR SATURDAY

 

 

• Games Of The Day: 

• 10:00 - Buffalo Vice vs Cunning Stunts

• 11:00 - D-Generation X, Y, and Z vs Bullet Club

• 12:00 - Balls Deep vs Bridget & Quit It

• 1:00 - ILF vs Practice Squad

• 2:00 - The Chargers vs Blue Ballers

• 3:00 - Two Tuddies vs Puckett All-Stars

 

 

 

• Your Buffalo weather report looks to be 76 degrees and pretty nice this week. Wear sunscreen. 

 

 

 

• Seriously, go to the Power Rankings article and give it a read. It’s a pretty great one. And then proceed to debate it furiously. 

 

 

 

• By all accounts the Garrett Beesing Memorial Cornhole Tournament was a pretty big success. I hear there’s a Dart Tournament coming soon as well. 

 

 

 

• It’s never too late to start reminding people that the TSL Banquet is only about 3 months away or so. Spread the word! 

 

 

 

• It’s been great to hear or read about newer TSLers stepping up and helping out the league where they can. That’s what this league is all about! 

 

 

 

• Intentional Clowning, TMA, and the Irish Giants (and Select too!) are going to have a hell of a battle for the 4th bye in D6. D6 is awesome. 

 

 

 

• Three teams trending upwards: Sticky Bandits, ILF, and Blue Ballers.

 

 

 

• Three teams trending down that need a win: Cobblestone, Stir The Sauce, Practice Squad.

 

 

 

• After one half of the season, the most interesting thing is that there isn’t one team completely crushing a division and all of them feel wide open to some degree. We’ve hit a nice bit of parity, which is going to lead us into a killer second half of the season. 

 

 

Week 5 of the TSL is here, and the Race for Social Co-Ed Immortality is heating up! What side of history will you be on? 

 

-GF OUT

 

WEEK 3 THOUGHTS, PICKS AND STUFF

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Category: The Godfather's Picks

Created: Friday, 29 August 2025 12:37

Published: Friday, 29 August 2025 12:37

Written by Jeff Krol

Hits: 1255

Ladies and Gentlemen of the TSL Universe, the TSL Fall 2025 season is already past the quarter pole of the season as the Race for Social Co-Ed Touch Football Immortality’s eight week Qualifying Round Where Everyone Qualifies continues. For those not in on the joke, since all of you are going to make the playoffs, the “regular season” pretty much exists solely for you to determine your seeding heading into the playoffs, with a side of “trying to earn a bye week” mixed in. 

 

And while some people say they’d MUCH rather “play an extra game than get a bye week”, let me caution the newbies really quickly: The TSL playoffs has proven to be nothing but a graveyard of better seeded teams getting upset for a variety of reasons. Avoiding a chance to be one of those teams is completely the way to go. You have six more weeks of hot TSL action to get it together and earn one of those bye weeks, provided you’re allowed one. For the first time in forever, there won’t be a bye in D1. D2 will give away two of them, as usual. D3, ever the TSL’s Thunderdome, will not have its seemingly customary four team first round. D4 gives you a bye for the top seed, D5 gives you nothing, and D6 is an animal all to itself, where the contenders for immortality will want to be in the Top 4 come October. 

 

Now that you have an idea of why these games are important (for some of you anyway), keep in mind that even if you’ve gotten off to a rough, 0-2 start (Here’s looking at you Mavericks, Grey Hair Don’t Care, GirthQuakes, Practice Squad, Mike’s Detailing, Pit Harade, and the Puck Bunnies), or an 0-2-1 start (Mo’ Chicken), or an 0-3 start (Cobblestone), or an 0-4 start (Raw Milkers!) you still have hope. Okay, Cobblestone and the Raw Milkers probably don’t have any hope at a bye week for the playoffs at this point, but you get my point. The season is still young. It’s basically a 21 year old that just started drinking; there’s going to be some mistakes made. But it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. So have some faith. 

 

As for the teams that are 2-0 and having a good start to the season, of course there’s no rule that says you’re going to eventually crumble at the finish line. You could be starting the foundation of your championship early, each win so far representing the true building block of hope that it represents. So far, the 2-0 teams have been a nice mix of “Not So Surprising” - (Legends, Sticky Bandits, The Malones, PowerPuff Girls) to “Okay, I’m Mildly Surprised” (Two Tuddies, Buffalo Vice) to “Oh Wow, I’m Pretty Surprised!” (Bridget & Quit It, Balls Deep, The Chargers, Select).

 

The best thing about all of the teams I just listed is that it’s a pretty good mix of long time TSL franchises (Buffalo Vice, Sticky Bandits), teams that took their lumps early on but have put in the time and effort to improve every season to become a top team (The Malones, Two Tuddies, Balls Deep, and yes, even the PowerPuff Girls, who despite arguably being the TSL’s pound for pound champion, took a little time to figure it out and get here), teams that have only been good because they stole all of the league’s top players and ruined the competition around them but tried to justify it because they trot out the league’s best 5 foot 3 supermodel turned QB but grew into quite the little family over the years and have weirdly become a feel good story that’s just waiting for a face turn but there hasn’t been a big enough heel team to get on their level just yet and it might be too late because they’ll just retire as a team before that happens (Legends), and some Brand New teams too! (Bridget & Quit It, The Chargers, and Select - the first two are in their first session, and Select is in their second.)

 

Of course, schedules may get harder, opponents who seem weak right now will get stronger (looking at you, Practice Squad. What the hell are you doing at 0-2 B? I’m assuming Kenny “The Good” Lantz hasn’t played a game yet), and more teams will get on the same page with each other. Usually, right around Week 3 is when you’re just starting to show improvements….or that you’re probably who you are. But this session, Week 3 is the “chaos” week where crazy things are more likely to happen, as it’s Labor Day weekend (the Spring Session gives us Memorial Day weekend for this, I’ve always enjoyed the symmetry). 

 

With Labor Day sort of the unofficially official “End of Summer”, we get lots of teams requesting bye weeks (for instance, we only have 37 of the league’s 49 franchises playing this weekend, with seven teams playing doubleheaders), and even the teams that DO play tend to be missing a few players because they have to go to out of town, or they’re camping, or they’re at a family shindig, etc. The TSL team group texts have had lots of excuses this week of why people are missing games. Because of this, the potential for games to give us crazy results increases tenfold, at least. So, while you shouldn’t read too deeply into this week’s results when it comes to winning Immortality, you should pay attention to the games anyway, because they can all be really, really fun. 

 

 D1

 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

Sticky Bandits 37, Eyes Downtown 29

Unit Ha Ha 26, Mavericks 21

Frodo Swaggins 22, What A Dump 22

Legends 35, What A Dump 14

 

D1 is on its way to giving us three tiers within itself. There’s the Championship tier with the Legends, Sticky and Eyes Downtown, the middle teams with Frodo, WAD, and MAYBE Unit Ha Ha, and then the lower tier that trots out the Mavericks and Freeballers. Sticky stayed undefeated with a big win over Eyes Downtown last week. Unit Ha Ha got their first win of the season in a tight game against the Mavericks, who are still navigating D1 as a team and should only get better as the year goes on. Frodo Swaggins and What A Dump ran it back from a week prior which gave us a one point win for WAD, and this time the teams tied! Heck of a rivalry brewing there perhaps? WAD would then go on to get stomped by the Legends. 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

EYES DOWNTOWN VS MAVERICKS (+8) - While the Mavs are still looking for their first D1 win, they already showed big time improvement from last week, even in a close loss. Eyes Downtown had a close loss of their own to Sticky, which gives us two teams with good QBs that both really want to win and get the losses out of their mind. This may come down to who blinks first. EYES DOWNTOWN BY 8

 

FRODO SWAGGINS VS MAVERICKS (+2) - Frodo is looking for their first win this season after a 1 point loss and a tie against WAD. While they would’ve been favored in this one anyway given the marked improvement Frodo has shown the last few seasons, I think the pressure is more on Frodo to get this done. I wonder how the Mavs would fare in this game if they didn’t have to play Frodo after playing a game against ED already? FRODO SWAGGINS BY 3

D2

 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

The Malones 31, Can’t Touch This 24

Jabronies 44, Passing While Intoxicated* 26

Passing While Intoxicated* 49, Scared Hitless 18

Scared Hitless 37, Grey Hair Don’t Care 32

 

The Malones outlast Can’t Touch This in yet another banger by these two teams (That we get to see again this week!), meanwhile the Jabronies make easy work of PWI* in their D2 debut, but PWI* ended up getting things together not too much longer after, dunking on Scared Hitless 49-18. But then it was Scared Hitless’ turn to turn it around, as they squeaked out a much needed win against Grey Hair Don’t Care. 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

CAN’T TOUCH THIS VS SCARED HITLESS (+10) - Scared Hitless is going through some stuff right now internally with getting acclimated to a new QB and some new players as well. While they have a VERY talented team as usual, it’s just about putting it together for them. Right now, that is leading to a “not too great” defense, and when you’re playing one of the most complete teams in the TSL in CTT, that’s not a recipe for success. CAN’T TOUCH THIS BY 13

 

JABRONIES VS GREY HAIR DON’T CARE (+7) - Don’t look now, but we might have front row seats to the Joe Miano D2 QB MVP tour as the Jabronies seem poised to take the next step as they chase the D2 title. They seemed to have grown from last season, and right now they feel like they can just put up points on anyone. Grey Hair is 0-2, sure, but they’re a good team that isn’t getting blown out. If the Jabronies are “feeling themselves” a little too much, they could get here, but I think they’ll be okay. JABRONIES BY 2

 

THE MALONES VS CAN’T TOUCH THIS (EVEN) - Back to back weeks of this? The TSL scheduling gods have decided to smile upon us. Another good game last week that came down to the wire from what I was told, and there’s zero reason to think this one will be any different. Well, there will be ONE difference: CAN’T TOUCH THIS BY 3

D3

 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

Bullet Club 34, GirthQuakes 27

Wanderers 47, Interdimensional Lightning Falcons 44

Buffalo Vice 46, Practice Squad 15

Cunning Stunts 52, D-Generation X, Y, and Z 47

To nobody’s surprise, D3 is a battleground no matter what the game. Bullet Club gets into the win column with a close win over the GQs, while the Wanderers played their first game of the season, and gave ILF the “Wanderers” treatment with a one score victory in their first “Welcome to D3” moment. Buffalo Vice embarrassed Practice Squad with a 31 point win, while the Stunts took the Katie Keller Bowl over DXYZ in a high scoring affair. 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

BUFFALO VICE VS D-GENERATION X, Y, AND Z (+3) - Buffalo Vice is putting up some big time numbers so far this season, enough to at least make the Rules Committee consider drug testing them. They might be off to the best start of the TSL season. However, DXYZ and Team Keller are a play or two away from this being a battle of two undefeated teams playing for the division lead. DXYZ is playing too well to be 1-2. But this is going to be very close. D-GENERATION X, Y, AND Z BY 1

 

BULLET CLUB VS INTERDIMENSIONAL LIGHTNING FALCONS (EVEN) - If ILF has done anything in D3 so far this season, it’s that they’ve shown they belong. Both teams have wins over the GQs, but while ILF hung with the Wanderers, Bullet Club got soundly beaten by Vice, and now they get to continue their struggles against Buddy Lee, just on a different team. INTERDIMENSIONAL LIGHTNING FALCONS BY 8

 

PRACTICE SQUAD VS GIRTHQUAKES (EVEN) - Something isn’t right with Practice Squad, and now they’re not even favored against the GirthQuakes? The GQs have played two tough teams, and we’ve been thinking they’re going to start winning a bit more sooner than later. Why not against a Practice Squad team that looks all sorts of out of sorts? It is a chaos week after all, isn’t it? GIRTHQUAKES BY 2

 

CUNNING STUNTS VS INTERDIMENSIONAL LIGHTNING FALCONS (+3) - The Stunts showed up and showed out last week in their season debut, putting up 52 points against DXYZ. ILF has the ability to score just as many points as the Stunts, so it will come down to getting a stop for them. The thing is, ILF used to be a really defensive team, it's in their DNA. Someone will make that play and we’ll have a surprising 3-1 team after this weekend. INTERDIMENSIONAL LIGHTNING FALCONS BY 2

 

CUNNING STUNTS VS GIRTHQUAKES (+10) - Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. The GQs had the shock of the season in the spring when they upset the Stunts in their game. The only problem for the GQs is that the Stunts remember that, and they’re not going to let that happen again. A focused Stunts team that’s even more invested in a game than usual? Sorry GQs. CUNNING STUNTS BY 18

D4

 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

PowerPuff Girls 29, Ready To Retire 20

PowerPuff Girls 35, Cobblestone 22

Two Tuddies 30, Mike’s Detailing 22

Come From Behind 34, Cobblestone 18

 

The PPGs made their D4 debut and they didn’t disappoint. After shaking the rust off in a closer than they would’ve liked to win over RTR, the Girls proceeded to put up 35 points on Cobblestone to go to 2-0. Not to be outdone, the Tud Buds joined their D5 move up partners at 2-0 with a win over a very good Mike’s Detailing team. Come From Behind joined in the fun, racking up their first win of the year over Cobblestone, who might be 0-3, but the key thing here is that they haven’t forfeited yet! 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

PUCKETT ALL-STARS VS COME FROM BEHIND (+5) - Puckett looked really good two weeks ago after having a week off last week. Meanwhile CFB reversed their fortunes with a nice win over Cobblestone, but this will be a bit more of a test for them. This should be a good back and forth game that comes down to the wire. PUCKETT ALL-STARS BY 2

 

READY TO RETIRE VS COBBLESTONE (+7) - Okay, the excitement around Cobblestone running it back with the old crew feels like it’s tapered off and it shouldn’t. Of course it was going to take a little bit of time for everyone to get back on Darryl’s level, so maybe relax with the hate out there. However, it might be a little longer for that first win as they get RTR, which is a really good team that’s firing on all cylinders. Well, maybe just “most” cylinders. READY TO RETIRE BY 6

D5

 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

Stir The Sauce 15, Pit Harade 6

Balls Deep 48, Sausage McMuffins 20

Mo’ Chicken 13, Sausage McMuffins 13

Bridget & Quit It 40, Mo’ Chicken 0

 

Stir The Sauce got by Pit Harade in a defensive battle, while Balls Deep continued rocking in D5 with an easy win over the McMuffins. Things got worse for the McMuffins after they could only get 13 points in a tie with Mo’ Chicken. MO would go on to get crushed by Bridget and company. 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

SAUSAGE MCMUFFINS VS STIR THE SAUCE (+7) - The McMuffins might be in trouble. A season after being one of the top teams, they just seem off to me, and tying Mo’ Chicken (sorry MO) just seems rough. Maybe it was an off week though. Stir The Sauce isn’t lighting up the scoreboard, so SMM should be able to get back on track. But if they don’t? Uh-oh. SAUSAGE MCMUFFINS BY 17

 

BLITZKRIEG VS PIT HARADE (+12) - Fall Blitzkrieg was back in full effect in Week 1, putting up 37 points, but losing? That 45 points allowed doesn’t seem right, and the currently anemic Pit Harade offense should be the cure for ails them. PH is on their 3,251st QB since their inception it seems, as Brian O from Vaspian has taken over that duty. Their defense has been very good, and even scoring an average amount of points on offense would have them looking at a 2-0 record. These teams have met many times over the years, and BK always seems to have their number anyway from what I remember. BLITZKRIEG BY 18

 

BLITZKRIEG VS NOT SO STICKY (EVEN) - BK isn’t going to be playing 3 games in one day at least, but they get a doubleheader here. Getting Not So Sticky on the backend of a doubleheader is a double edged sword. On the one hand, NSS doesn’t usually play a fast paced game with tons of scoring, they’re a little bit more methodical, which means they’re not taking advantage of a more tired BK team, but on the other side of things, they have high football IQ, and that is always harder to deal with. NOT SO STICKY BY 2

 

NOT SO STICKY VS BRIDGET & QUIT IT (EVEN) - Bridget should already be on the QB Power Rankings. I get that she’s playing in D5 and the TSLQBPRC favors higher division QBs, but to come into the TSL as a brand new QB and just light up the competition (averaging 36 points a game) and not get acknowledged is just silly. What are they even doing over there? On the other hand, BQI has had a pretty easy schedule so far, only playing STS and MO. If Bridget and her cannon arm can beat the D5 All-Star team that is NSS, who will pose perhaps her greatest challenge defensively, that should solidify her (and the team, I guess) as bonafide studs in D5. 

 

D6

 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

The Chargers 42, Intentional Clowning 22

Select 44, Puck Bunnies 16

Four Tuddies 26, Raw Milkers 25

Blue Ballers 46, Raw Milkers 31

The Chargers looked a bit unstoppable against Intentional Clowning, as they took over first place in D6. Not to be outdone, Select is right on their heels after an easy 44-16 win over the Puck Bunnies. The Four Tuds got their first win, taking a one point win over the Raw Milkers, who would then drop to 0-4 on the season with a loss to the Blue Ballers, who got back on track after a Week 1 loss. 

 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

RAW MILKERS VS PUCK BUNNIES (+6) - Two crowd favorites with a combined record of 0-6 face off in what will give at least one of them their first win, which means they’re tying. Jokes aside, The PBs have struggled on both sides of the ball, which is to be expected given that they’re a brand new team with a lot of learning to do. The Milkers aren’t playing up to the standards they set for themselves a season ago, but this might be the game that helps them get over the hump. RAW MILKERS BY 12

 

FLYING BALLS VS THREE TUDDIES (+7) - Who the hell are the Flying Balls? No, seriously, if you’re reading this email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., let’s chat. The league’s most mysterious team showed up Week 1, put up 54 points, and vanished. After a week off, they’re getting the 3Ts, who are currently the worst of the various Tuddies. This version struggles a bit on offense, which the Balls do not. FLYING BALLS BY 14

 

TMA VS BLUE BALLERS (+3) - Two of last season’s top D6 teams return to the fields for some good ol’ fashioned football. These teams can both score points, so it’ll be on whichever defense makes a play or two, and TMA has more than enough players with a knack for that. TMA BY 6

 

SELECT VS IRISH GIANTS (+3) - The Irish Giants have finally decided to play some football after taking the first two weeks of the season off to probably do some fun stuff. Their first test is a pretty dialed in Select team that’s been looking like a championship contender this season. The Giants had a very good last few weeks in the Spring, which kind of reminded everyone in the league what they can actually do on a football field. But getting a hot opponent after a lot of time off isn’t the best start for them. SELECT BY 8

 

THE CHARGERS VS FOUR TUDDIES (+7) - The Chargers continue to take D6 by storm, putting up yet another big offensive game, and they’re looking like legit contenders for the title. Four Tuddies did get their first win in franchise history last week, but they’re going from playing the bottom of the standings to the tippy top of them in a week’s span. They’re not ready for that. THE CHARGERS BY 17

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR SATURDAY

 

 

• WILL ANY OF THE REMAINING UNDEFEATED TEAMS STAY UNDEFEATED DURING THE SEASON? While I’d like to say no, because it's very hard to be “on” every single week and not have that week where half of your team can’t make it, or the weather is terrible, etc., there’s a very good chance that the winners of the PowerPuff Girls vs Two Tuddies and Legends vs Sticky Bandits games can pull it off. The Chargers have a really good chance to do so as well if they keep it up, as they managed to avoid TMA, Select, AND Sticky Laces on their schedule, making it arguably the ‘easiest’ in the division. 

 

 

 

• DO ANY TEAMS LOOK LIKE THIS YEAR’S WINNER OF THE “SHOW ME YOUR TDS AWARD FOR BEING IN THE WAY WRONG DIVISION? Nobody looks like that on the level that the award’s namesake did by this time last session. If you’re making me pick one, perhaps it’s the Freeballers in D1? They were QUITE good last season despite not winning any games in the regular season, but it took getting a really good QB to get them there, and I’m not sure they’ve properly replaced them. But I could be wrong there and it’s a recency bias thing. Maybe Cobblestone but I believe. The GirthQuakes probably would be better off getting some seasoning down in D4 maybe too. But the fact that this was pretty hard to answer tells you that the league has it right this time around. 

 

 

 

• IS THERE ANYONE THAT REALLY NEEDS A WIN ALREADY IN WEEK 3? I alluded to it earlier, but Sausage McMuffins really do. They haven’t played the toughest schedule at all, and last season they’d be 3-0, but to be 1-1-1 and give the showing they gave last week? If they lose this week, they’re really in trouble. 

 

 

 

• WHO’S THE CURRENT “MOST SHOCKING RECORD” AWARD WINNER THIS EARLY IN THE SEASON? This is easy. Practice Squad, and they know it. It’s one thing to be 0-2. Honestly, the Squad being 0-2 isn’t that unusual as they’re the poster child for “Go winless in the regular season, win the championship anyway”, but these two losses feel different for some reason. If they lose this week……

 

 

 

• WHY ARE PEOPLE BRINGING OUTSIDE ALCOHOL TO THE FIELDS? Despite what many may think, it isn’t “just to be jerks”. For whatever reason, the bar does love to upcharge the league and overprice drinks over the last few seasons. I’m not sure if that is on purpose to help “tone down” the drunken debauchery that the TSL has always given at the Rose Garden on Saturdays, or if it's just the price of business, but it feels more like the former. League vets will remember the “DINNER CLUB” days where the bar made the call to boot the players outside as opposed to spending lots of money at the bar because we can get a touch rowdy. Anyway, while it's extremely frowned upon to bring your outside alcohol to the fields (seriously, don’t do it.), it's more in protest by those who believe that the bar should want to take care of the league’s players, given our history and how much you spend there as a whole. 

 

TEN FINAL THOUGHTS BEFORE SATURDAY

 

 

• Here’s that football weather you were looking for: Buffalo is going to be 68 degrees with a little bit of wind. Perhaps your heatwave game days are over? 

 

 

 

• GAMES OF THE DAY: 

• 10:00 - D-Generation X, Y, and Z vs Buffalo Vice

• 11:00 - ILF vs Bullet Club

• 12:00 - The Malones vs Can’t Touch This

• 1:00 - Not So Sticky vs Bridget & Quit It

• 2:00 - Four Tuddies vs The Chargers

 

 

 

• It’s really cool to see a bunch of the TSL’s new teams performing so well. Same goes for most of the current division champs that moved up. 

 

 

 

• Again, do NOT bring outside alcohol to the fields. Just don’t do it. 

 

 

 

• I was informed that league icon Trish Esposito has moved away to a new state to start a new chapter in her life. The TSL wishes her well on her new adventure! 

 

 

 

• Remember that the TSL podcast is posted on Spotify, and if you don’t have Spotify you can listen at the bottom of the website. No word on if they’ll eventually add other mediums to listen yet. 

 

 

 

• If you want to be a guest on the podcast, you can always reach out to Jeff Krol, Joe K, Dorene, Tino, etc. If you don’t know who those people are, you can ask pretty much anyone at the fields or the bar to point one of them out to you. 

 

 

 

• If you want to stick around the fields and referee a game or two, the league is always looking for the next big thing in refereeing! Ask your ref of your game who you should talk to so they can point you towards Garrett. 

 

 

 

• To a few individuals in the league, the powers that be know what you’re doing, and they’re watching you. Cut it out. 

 

 

 

• I’m always torn on if the league should have a league wide bye week for Memorial Day/Labor Day weekends due to the high requests of teams being off and players missing. But then again, it always tends to make for a fun week of games. Enjoy yourselves this weekend! 

 

 

-GF OUT

WEEK 4 THOUGHTS, PICKS AND STUFF

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Category: The Godfather's Picks

Created: Friday, 05 September 2025 19:08

Published: Friday, 05 September 2025 19:08

Written by Jeff Krol

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“They are who we thought they were!” - Dennis Green (no relation to Rameer)

Ladies and Gentlemen of the TSL Universe, welcome to the next level of the TSL Regular Season. What does that mean exactly? Well, we’re entering Week 4. By the time the final whistle blows this week, most of the TSL’s franchises will have played half of their games (with the exceptions of weirdos like the Freeballers or the Wanderers, who will only be at 2 games played, or the Raw Milkers who will be at 6!). At this point, the rust from the long (and hot) summer layoff should be shaken off. New players who may have needed a few reps to learn and get on the same page as their teams should be figuring it out, and if they’re not doing so just yet? They’ll probably be seeing the free agent list come spring. 

 

At this point, you’re becoming exactly who you are this season. For some of you, you’re feeling inconsistent or a little off. It’s not a great feeling for anyone, but if you’re a brand new team completely, or a team that has a LOT of new faces from different faces, there’s still hope for you as you settle in throughout the season. But if you’re largely the same roster and things are misfiring? Time is running out. Sure, you can lose every game you play from now until Playoff Saturday and still kill it in the playoffs. But not many teams really can pull off the “B”, going 0-8 and winning the title. Losing can make anyone squirm. Players can start the side texts about “Oh man, Kyle just simply can’t cover anyone, he shouldn’t play defense anymore!”, or “I don’t get how Susie can’t count to six one thousand”, or “Darryl can’t play QB anymore!”. At the end of the day, this league is about winning. It’s about results. Anyone who tells you “It’s for fun!” are descendants from the gatherers during dinosaur times. They don’t have hunter blood in them. Their ancestors didn’t fight raptors by smashing in their skulls with a rock or two. But on every team, there are people with hunter blood flowing in their veins, and they’re there to win. And when they’re losing? They might fake being nice to not look like a jerk, but internally they’re LIVID that “we just lost another game we should’ve won”. And those are the people who are more than likely going to lose their cool if the losses pile up. And that negative energy will affect the entire team heading into the playoffs, and the team more than likely isn’t going to pull off the “shocking” championship win. 

 

This week is the time for everyone to really dial it in before the season slips away. Before the side chats get louder and more active. And for the lower division teams, before the higher division teams start swooping in and stealing your talent faster than you can say “Shari”, or more recently, “Jill”. Just remember kids, the side texts aren’t always between players on the same team. Keep an eye out. 

D1

 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

Eyes Downtown 36, Mavericks 32

Mavericks 47, Frodo Swaggins 35

Well, the Mavericks might have been 1-1 on the day last week, but they’re still winning big in the sense that they’re establishing themselves in D1 pretty nicely. A 4 point loss to Eyes Downtown AND a two score win against Frodo? They’re looking better than the 1-3 record suggests. 

 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

FRODO SWAGGINS VS FREEBALLERS (+8) - Okay Frodo, time to get it together. A season removed from being D1 darlings, you were supposed to take the next step, but an 0-2-1 record isn’t exactly that. The Freeballers have only played once this season, so they may still have rust or a lack of familiarity with whoever their QB is. FRODO SWAGGINS BY 14

 

STICKY BANDITS VS FREEBALLERS (+13) - Sticky Bandits look to be having one of those seasons where they’re “on”, which is better for D1 overall. But it’s not better for the Freeballers, who look to avoid the all too familiar 0-3 record, but fail at that. STICKY BANDITS BY 17

 

LEGENDS VS UNIT HA HA (+10) - The kings (and queens) of D1 return to the fields to take on HAHA yet again after winning by nearly 40 points already. The schedule makers did the new team ZERO favors by giving them the Legends twice in their first three games, but at least they can get these ones out of the way early. LEGENDS BY 27

D2

 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

Scared Hitless 25, Can’t Touch This 19

Jabronies 41, Grey Hair Don’t Care 28

The Malones 44, Can’t Touch This 34

 

Well then. The Malones once again beat Can’t Touch This, cementing this status as the top contender in D2. But also, Scared Hitless beat CTT as well, and the Jabronies handled GHDC pretty easily as both teams are showing that the gap between them and the top is essentially zero. D2 is looking a lot more interesting. 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

THE MALONES VS GREY HAIR DON’T CARE (+13) - The Malones are back baby! After a season or two where they seemed “Less Maloney” than ever (in other words, they actually lost games), this season’s team has really put it together so far, vanquishing their rivals twice now and becoming the D2 title clubhouse leader. There’s no worries about them looking past an opponent, even with GHDC at 0-3, that just means they smell blood and will try to put up 50 points. THE MALONES BY 20

 

JABRONIES VS CAN’T TOUCH THIS (+3) - It’s not often that I’ve had to put CTT as an underdog, but that’s how Vegas sees things this week. The line between “Look out for these guys” and “something is wrong internally” is razor thin, and CTT is finding themselves on the wrong side of things unfortunately. The Jabronies, however, are cruising pretty well. Joe Miano continues to be an underrated QB, and he’s been dialed in. These Jabronies are different. This is a huge game for both teams. CTT needs the win to get off the loser wagon, but a win here for the Jabronies will officially announce their arrival.  JABRONIES BY 1

 

CAN’T TOUCH THIS VS PASSING WHILE INTOXICATED (EVEN) - I didn’t think I’d see this game as even, but the CTT 1-3 record has Vegas all over the place. PWI is only 1-1 and really, we don’t even know who they really are yet as they’ve only been at the fields one of the three weeks so far. I can’t imagine CTT at 1-5. CAN’T TOUCH THIS BY 7

 

D3

 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

D-Generation X, Y, and Z 42, Buffalo Vice 20

Bullet Club 24, ILF 19

Practice Squad 37, GirthQuakes 22

ILF 33, Cunning Stunts 27

Cunning Stunts 53, GirthQuakes 24

 

D3 is just over here D3-ing. The division boasts 5 teams in the Top 13 of the Topper Rankings System, as all of them sport 2-1 records, with the exception of ILF who are 2-2. The next two teams after that are the 1-0 Wanderers, and 1-2 Practice Squad. What a crazy division. DXYZ did their part, taking down the once undefeated Buffalo Vice. Bullet Club handled ILF, who went 1-1 on the day after weaseling out a win over the Stunts. The Stunts took out their aggressions on the GQs an hour later, and the GQs went 0-2 last week, also giving Practice Squad their first win of the year. I’m not going to try to make sense of it all. It’s just fun to watch the chaos unfold. 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

WANDERERS VS D-GENERATION X, Y, AND Z (EVEN) - And just like that, we get a crazy fun marquee matchup. The Wanderers have only played one game so far this season (a 47-44 win over ILF), and because of the “out of sight, out of mind” reasoning, people have forgotten who they ARE. The best way to remind everyone would be with a big win this week, but they’re up against a DXYZ team that just remembered who THEY are after a lost season last year. This has all of the makings of a great game. WANDERERS BY 2

 

BULLET CLUB VS CUNNING STUNTS (EVEN) - These two teams meet after a classic game in last year’s playoffs. The Stunts seem to be cruising a lot more this season, looking more comfortable in D3 with each passing week. Bullet Club, meanwhile, has looked good the last two weeks, getting big leads early, and cruising to the end of the game, but that can only last so long before it bites them. However, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and after last week’s ‘nonsense’, I expect them to come out flying. CUNNING STUNTS BY 13

 

INTERDIMENSIONAL LIGHTNING FALCONS VS BUFFALO VICE (EVEN) - ILF is currently 2-2 in their first go of D3, and in their own minds they could ‘easily’ be 4-0 (They probably should be 1-3.). Buffalo Vice was a nice story to start the year on top of the division, however a loss last week knocked them from their perch. However, that was played without their QB, which of course makes a huge difference. I flipped a coin, it told me to go with ILF. I didn’t like it. BUFFALO VICE BY 6

 

D4

 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

Puckett All-Stars 22, Come From Behind 20

Ready To Retire 36, Cobblestone 26

 

Puckett continues their hot start to the season with a hard fought win over Come From Behind, while Ready To Retire keeps chugging along with a win over Cobblestone. 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

POWERPUFF GIRLS VS COME FROM BEHIND (+10) - The PPGs are back again, this time to wreak havoc on Come From Behind. While CFB will be no pushover for the Girls, word is that Paul LoVullo may not be throwing? Is that real? If it is, CFB will have to rely on their usual tough defense to hold the ladies in check, which is something nobody really has ever done. So good luck! POWERPUFF GIRLS BY 18

 

PUCKETT ALL-STARS VS COBBLESTONE (+12) - Cobblestone is a work in progress as Darryl Carr QB Superstar is doing everything in his power to get his old players up to speed and on his level. Just because he brought back some old faces doesn’t mean they know what to do anymore. What worked back in 2015 doesn’t work now, as Darryl has evolved light years beyond what he used to be. Puckett, however, is locked in. They’ve been playing really good football to start the season, and I expect that to continue this week. PUCKETT ALL-STARS BY 10

 

TWO TUDDIES VS READY TO RETIRE (+3) - The Tud Buds are back and ready to do some damage on the fields yet again. They’ve looked good in D4, and the vibes are immaculate right now. They get their toughest test of the season versus Ready To Retire, an under the radar D4 title contender, simply because of the top end talent the division has. A win against the Tuddies would put Eickhoff’s squad right on that radar though. I can’t believe we live in a world where a win against the Two Tuddies puts you on the map. Maybe this IS a simulation. READY TO RETIRE BY 1

D5

 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

Stir The Sauce 25, Sausage McMuffins 8

Blitzkrieg 37, Pit Harade 14

Not So Sticky 30, Blitzkrieg 24

Balls Deep 44, Mo’ Chicken 6

Bridget & Quit It 32, Not So Sticky 18

The ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ in D5 are starting to develop before our very eyes. Balls Deep and Bridget & Quit are a step above the rest as they move to 3-0, with Stir The Sauce, Not So Sticky, and Blitzkrieg slightly behind. Meanwhile, the McMuffins look to be in the middle of a rough season, hanging down at the bottom of the standings with Mo’ Chicken and Pit Harade. 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

BLITZKRIEG VS STIR THE SAUCE (+6) - Stir The Sauce is more than likely the team that I feel “least good” about putting in the “mushy middle” of the D5 contenders, but they’re 2-1 right now and this game could go a long way towards showing what they’ve got. Blitzkrieg is very, very good, especially in the fall. Fall QB (who doesn’t wear a red hoodie, don’t get excited) tends to do better Spring QB AND Allie is still dominating the other D5 females. This should be a good one. BLITZKRIEG BY 8

 

STIR THE SAUCE VS MO’ CHICKEN (+13) - No matter what happens to STS in Game 1, they’ll get a MO team that should help lift their spirits no matter what. MO plays a very weird strategy of allowing a lot of points and not scoring a lot, which has found them at 0-3-1. They’re still figuring things out, and injuries/roster changes didn’t help them this season. STIR THE SAUCE BY 20

 

BALLS DEEP VS PIT HARADE (+13) - Like most teams that have moved up from D6, Balls Deep seems to be trending in a different way than Pit Harade. Balls Deep is an immediate title contender, as they just keep putting up points on everyone they play. Their momentum from the D6 title hasn’t slowed at all. Meanwhile, Pit Harade continues to cycle through QBs but they’ve got a really solid core compared to years past. However these two teams are on opposite ends of the spectrum right now. BALLS DEEP BY 17

 

NOT SO STICKY VS SAUSAGE MCMUFFINS (+7) - The McMuffins seem to be a bit off this season, and getting NSS isn’t going to help them much. Something isn’t right, and the SMM defense has been quite porous. NSS is going to exploit those holes for sure. NOT SO STICKY BY 8

D6

 

LAST WEEK’S SCORES

 

Raw Milkers 53, Puck Bunnies 44

Flying Balls 56, Three Tuddies 8

Blue Ballers 50, TMA 8

Irish Giants 16, Select 12

The Chargers 47, Four Tuddies 0

 

The Raw Milkers FINALLY get a win, barely surviving the Puck Bunnies who, despite their lack of winning, improve each week. The Flying Balls and The Chargers are the success stories of the TSL season. Both look amazing, and both of them handled their version of the Tuddies pretty easily. The Blue Ballers put up a ton of points again, dispatching of TMA. And the Irish Giants took down Select in a close game. 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

INTENTIONAL CLOWNING VS PUCK BUNNIES (+12) - The Puck Bunnies look like they’re going to need more reps this year, and that’s okay. I won’t go so far as to say the season looks lost already, because the PBs have more than enough talent already on the roster that if a couple of things click, they could make a run. IC started off with 2 wins, but find themselves near the top of the standings, but they feel like they’re a step behind some of the others. A big win here could change some minds about them. INTENTIONAL CLOWNING BY 11

 

IRISH GIANTS VS THREE TUDDIES (+8) - The Irish Giants finally played a game this season, handing Select their first loss of the year. Now they’re taking on a Three Tuddies team who have had some trouble getting the offense going. While the Giants don’t typically put up TONS of points, they sure do okay preventing them. IRISH GIANTS BY 7

 

FLYING BALLS VS SELECT (+13) - Select is a good team, and they’re going to feel partially disrespected by this line. But the Flying Balls appear to just be that GOOD. I talked to both Ben and Dan from the squad (shoutout emails!) and I guess they know people on IC that got them into the league and they’re all friends. Apparently all of the great talent went to the Flying Balls though. FLYING BALLS BY 17

 

THE CHARGERS VS THREE TUDDIES (+13) - What a day for QB Kory Reid here on the 3Tuds. Irish Giants are tough enough and now they get The Chargers in a doubleheader? The Schedule Makers did the 3Tuds no favors here. The Chargers have a lot of talented players, led by WR Miles who I’ve heard is pretty talented. I’d love to know more about these guys. So far the only thing I do know is that they’ll be 4-0. THE CHARGERS BY 16

 

BLUE BALLERS VS IRISH GIANTS (+7) - Another great game for the fans to sit by and watch. The Blue Ballers have a high flying offense, although their defense leaves something to be desired. But the best defense is a great offense. The Irish Giants are just about the polar opposite. Great D, not as great O. I think the Blue Ballers are too good to slow down enough for the Giants to keep pace with though. BLUE BALLERS BY 9

 

TMA vs STICKY LACES (+7) - TMA, fresh of a loss last week, looks to rebound against Sticky Laces who ALSO find themselves at 1-1 on the season so far. Both teams are very capable of taking this one, but if TMA has the whole crew there, I have to give them the edge. TMA BY 2

 

FLYING BALLS VS RAW MILKERS (+14) - The Milkers got their win out of the way last week, but with how many points they seem to be giving up, there's a chance that the Flying Balls could hit 70 if they wanted to. FLYING BALLS BY 22

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR SATURDAY

 

 

• What game are you most excited for this week? Personally, I think the best game this week is going to be the Wanderers vs DXYZ matchup in D3. Two fantastic teams going head to head in our most even division top to bottom is always the way to go. 

 

 

 

• Who has surprised you the most this season so far? I think seeing how good the Flying Balls and The Chargers are in D6. They went from unknowns to quite knowns. The league can always use fresh talent! 

 

 

 

• Does the cooler weather make a big difference? In a word, YES. Anyone can play when it's sunny and warm, but the second the weather gets that chill in the air with a cold breeze? Even the best TSLers can’t “get up” for the game. While it’s obvious how wind and rain affect games, temperature matters too. 

 

 

 

• Why does it show the Spring Sublist on the website? Why not the Fall one? Because Jeff Krol is a busy man and it must’ve slipped his mind [Editors Note: FUCK.  Alright, I'll fix that soon, but the Captains all have the Fall Sublist!]

 

 

 

• Who are three teams that need a win this week? I think the favorites for this are currently the Sausage McMuffins, Can’t Touch This, and Frodo Swaggins. 

 

 

TEN FINAL THOUGHTS FOR SATURDAY

 

Garrett’s cornhole tournament is happening at the bar after the games, it's a blind draw and should be lots of fun. Anyone can join! 

 

Games of the Day: 

1. 10:00 - Wanderers vs D-Generation X, Y, and Z
2. 11:00 - Bullet Club vs Cunning Stunts
3. 12:00 - Can’t Touch This vs Jabronies
4. 1:00 - Select vs Flying Balls
5. 2:00 - Sticky Laces vs TMA

 

I like getting new voices on the podcast each week. From my perspective it’s nice putting voices and personalities to the names I keep hearing about each week. 

 

This might be one of the most “even” years we’ve had so far in TSL history. Every division feels like they have at least 2-4 legit contenders for the title. 

 

It’s going to be 68 degrees and windy with a chance of rain this week. Good luck everyone. 

 

Why has B’s Brother NOT started writing a weekly article for the league?

 

Why hasn’t anyone in the league stepped up to write one of their own anyway? We have a Monday opening. 

 

We can always use more referees and if you have visions of playing for a second team in your future, remember you need to ref at least 4 games to do so! Give Garrett or Jeff a message if you want to help! 

 

As always, the league does its best to keep things on track, so do everyone a favor and try to be there 5-10 minutes early for your games so we don’t have to wait for you to sprint from the parking lot as the game is starting! 

 

It’s been a good year so far for people having a good time and for sportsmanship, I haven’t been told of anything negative happening in terms of fighting, yelling, etc outside of the usual stuff. Keep that up! 

 

-GF OUT

WEEK 2 THOUGHTS, PICKS AND STUFF

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Category: The Godfather's Picks

Created: Friday, 22 August 2025 12:33

Published: Friday, 22 August 2025 12:33

Written by Jeff Krol

Hits: 1423

Ladies and Gentlemen of the TSL Universe, we’re off and running towards immortality! The TSL Fall 2025 season officially began last weekend on fields that can only be described as the way Topper likes it: dry and hard. We’ve already seen quite a few surprises, but I want to be very clear: the results of Week 1 RARELY follow suit by the time Championship Saturday rolls around. 

 

While the elements last week certainly played a small part (The “Scorched Earth” weather was quite the contrast from our average Spring 2025 Saturday), let me remind all of you (or allow me to give the newbies some knowledge) that we have very good teams that still had to shake the rust off, or were missing some players (because it’s early August and people still have summer vacations and/or weddings to attend), or they were assimilating brand new players to an existing squad, or they were brand new to begin with! 

 

It all adds up to the same result it does every season: You are NOT as good or as bad as you looked last week. So whether you were singing in the shower and feeling yourself Sunday morning or telling yourself “Man, this is how Show Me Your TDs must’ve felt.”, chances are you need to dial it in a little bit. Don’t get me wrong. SOME of the results from Week 1 will hold serve throughout the season and stay accurate. The question, as always, are which ones? Let’s dive in to the current trends: 

 

GOOD NOT BAD

 

 

• Sticky Bandits shake off a rough Spring, win 52-8

• Malones and CTT start on their probably championship collision course, win easily

• ILF on top of D3, D-Generation X, Y, and Z already off to a better start than last season

• Two Tuddies make roster moves, find themselves planted at the top of D4 already

• Puckett adds the “All-Stars” back to name, dunks on Mike’s Detailing

• Bridget already a Top 10 QB in the league, despite what half assed Power Rankings article says.

• Balls Deep wins first D5 game

• TMA whoops that ass, picks up where they left off

• Intentional Clowning doesn’t change name, but changes on field results going 2-0

• Flying Balls put up 54 points in debut, make Blue Ballers yesterday’s news

• The Chargers put up 49 points in impressive debut

 

 

NOT GOOD NOT BAD

 

 

• Sticky Laces remember how to win football games, promptly lose an hour later

• Jabronies get smacked, then put Scared Hitless in their place yet again

• Puck Bunnies lose by 7, get a pass because they’re already league darlings

 

 

BAD NOT GOOD

 

 

• Mavericks, Freeballers, Unit Ha Ha help D1 have eight teams, proceed to go 0-3, losing by an average score of 51-12

• Bullet Club and Practice Squad get hyped as preseason championship contenders, get smoked by opponents. 

• Cobblestone fields full roster from 2011, gets beaten like Spring 2025

• Blue Ballers get beaten by this year’s version of the Blue Ballers

• Three Tuddies proven to be not as good at football as Two Tuddies.

• Four Tuddies proven to be not as good at football as Three Tuddies, league wonders if this was the right team to “franchise” out.

• Raw Milkers en route to proving last season was a fluke, start off 0-2 as the first ever “12th Place Team” in TSL history

• Breakfast Club missed by all, Mimosa sales down 450% at the bar

 

But of course, these are just the opening week trends and come October, most of these won’t end up as your team’s narrative. Will your team be the one that keeps the train chugging along? Will your team be the one that changes the “not so great” trend it started off with? Only time will tell. 

 

D1

 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

Sticky Bandits 52, Mavericks 8

Legends 52, Unit Ha Ha 14

Eyes Downtown 49, Freeballers 14

What A Dump 28, Frodo Swaggins 27

 

Not exactly encouraging results for the new teams in the division, as the favorites all win big to get things rolling. In other news, What A Dump and Frodo played one of the best games of Week 1, with WAD earning a 1 point win. 

 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

EYES DOWNTOWN VS STICKY BANDITS (+7) - Sticky Nation had just about everything go right for them last weekend, while Eyes Downtown just played a normal ED game. The Bandits can very easily prove that they’re back with a victory here, but until they do that, ED will still feel like they’re on a slightly higher level. EYES DOWNTOWN BY 6

 

MAVERICKS VS UNIT HA HA (+2) - The Mavs find themselves as favorites in a game a week after getting a “warm welcome” to D1, mainly because HAHA got the same treatment. I don’t know much about the Big Units just yet, other than they have former kind of good D1 QB Matt Glowacki and they trot out one of the top females in the league in Amber. The Mavs have played together longer and that should give them the edge after they shake last week off. MAVERICKS BY 8

 

WHAT A DUMP VS FRODO SWAGGINS (EVEN) - There’s nothing quite like a rematch the week after a hard fought game, and that’s what we have here as WAD and Frodo run it back. It’s hard to beat a team multiple times in a season, so Frodo gets their win back I think. FRODO SWAGGINS BY 3

 

LEGENDS vs WHAT A DUMP (+8) - WAD still hasn’t done anything in the league that suggests they should be candidates to dethrone the Legends, right? I’m not saying it isn’t possible for them to pull this off, but they’re still fine tuning things while the Legends routinely win these games on autopilot. LEGENDS BY 14

D2

 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

Can’t Touch This 40, Grey Hair - Don’t Care 29

The Malones 38, Jabronies 12

Jabronies 38, Scared Hitless 23

New season, same results for D2. CTT and The Malones win rather easily while the Jabronies continue to own Scared Hitless. Grey Hair did put up a fight against CTT, that shouldn’t go unnoticed. GHDC thrives in this underdog role, so be ready for them to pull an upset or two this year. 

 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

CAN’T TOUCH THIS VS THE MALONES (EVEN) - Ladies and Gents, here is your main event of the afternoon! These two teams have already given us some good moments and intense games, and I can’t imagine that this will be any different. Both teams are hungry for the D2 title, and the path to Immortality is through each other. CTT has bested The Malones more recently, but I think maybe this time The Malones get one back. THE MALONES BY 2

 

PASSING WHILE INTOXICATED* VS JABRONIES (EVEN) - This isn’t your father’s PWI. The lovable roster that worked their way up the divisions over the last few years finds themselves missing a lot of the familiar faces that got them to D2 in the first place, as the pressures to produce in the higher divisions caused PWI to add a bunch of players from LGR as there was a roster merge in the offseason. They kept the PWI name because “Let’s Pass Out While Getting Reccked While Intoxicated” was too long of a team name, thank goodness. It’ll be interesting to see how this version of PWI stacks up, but I think it’ll take them a week or two to get acclimated to each other. Meanwhile, the Jabronies already have two games under their belts, giving them the advantage. JABRONIES BY 10

 

PASSING WHILE INTOXICATED* VS SCARED HITLESS (+3)  If the Jabronies are even, Scared Hitless has to be slightly the underdog, as the Jabronies own them. Whatever kinks LPOWGRWI had to work out in the last game are more than likely worked out, and they’ll be arguably better in this game despite the doubleheader. PASSING WHILE INTOXICATED* BY 8

 

GREY HAIR DON’T CARE VS SCARED HITLESS (EVEN) - I do think we’re in for a treat with this game though. Two evenly matched teams that kind of know each other pretty well? That’s usually a recipe for fun. I was strongly considering GHDC for this one, but there’s simply no way that SH goes 0-3 to start the year, right? RIGHT? SCARED HITLESS BY 9

D3

 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

Buffalo Vice 34, Bullet Club 14

Interdimensional Lightning Falcons 36, GirthQuakes 13

D-Generation X, Y, and Z 33, Practice Squad 16

 

A very un-D3 like slate of D3 games last week, as none of the games were particularly close at all. Buffalo Vice had a field day against Bullet Club, walking to an easy victory, ILF took the perfect “first D3 opponent” behind the woodshed, and Team Keller had little to no trouble with the Squad. Of all of the things that won’t “Stay the same” during the season, D3 having all non-close games is at the top of the list. 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

BULLET CLUB VS GIRTHQUAKES (+8) - Bullet Club found themselves on the receiving end of a defensive clinic last week, throwing four interceptions and forcing none of their own against Buffalo Vice, uncharacteristic of the team that made their run to the finals last Spring. The Girthquakes got beat up on by the D4 champs, who trotted out their backup QB as well. The GQs are a good squad, even if the results don’t show it. Playing QB is hard, and for Matt Kieta to attempt to learn the position while playing in D3/D4 is actually impressive. However, he’s still prone to mistakes because of it. I bet the GQs win 3 games this season. This won’t be one of them. BULLET CLUB BY 10

 

WANDERERS VS INTERDIMENSIONAL LIGHTNING FALCONS (+13) - Well ILF, last week was fun. This week is going to be the opposite. Arguably going from their easiest game to the most difficult game on the schedule, ILF gets the Wanderers in their first action of the season. We haven’t seen the Wanderers since their overtime playoff loss to Bullet Club, coming up empty yet again for the championship. They’ve got to have a chip on their shoulder. Despite their 47 minor league championships, they’ve yet to claim Social Co-Ed Immortality, even with being on the cusp of it multiple times. This year might be the year, right? Either way, it sucks to be ILF, because the Wanderers are going to be focused as hell in this one. WANDERERS BY 12

 

BUFFALO VICE VS PRACTICE SQUAD (EVEN) - Despite the results of last week, this is a marquee matchup between two really good, and evenly matched, teams. The Squad had a hiccup a week ago, and when that happens, they tend to come back stronger than ever the next week. Vice played a near perfect game last weekend, so you have to expect some regression to the mean. PRACTICE SQUAD BY 2

 

CUNNING STUNTS VS D-GENERATION X, Y, AND Z (+3) - The Stunts make their return to the TSL after taking Week 1 off, looking to get started on the right foot. The roster is a little different but remains largely the same, which means DXYZ will have their hands full. However, it looks as though whatever ailed the Kellers last season has been fixed, and a win here would solidify last season was a fluke. D-GENERATION X, Y, AND Z BY 3

 

D4

 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

Puckett All-Stars 36, Mike’s Detailing 21

Ready To Retire 36, Come From Behind 20

Two Tuddies 46, Cobblestone 14

Puckett gets off to a good start this season, knocking off Mike’s Detailing rather easily. Ready To Retire looks like there’s still a little magic left in those old knees, putting up 36 points against CFB. Lastly in D4, the Two Tuddies announced their arrival in the division by smacking around Cobblestone, much to everyone’s chagrin. 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

POWERPUFF GIRLS VS READY TO RETIRE (+7) - Mommy’s home. The PPGs are the defending D5 champs, and they’re ready to add “D4 champs” to their resumes as well. They were too good for their division last year, and there’s already some rumblings that that may be the case for D4 as well. Until I see someone stop them, I’ll have to agree. POWERPUFF GIRLS BY 16

 

POWERPUFF GIRLS VS COBBLESTONE (+14) - Cobblestone and Darryl Carr QB Superstar got the band back together, and that’s going to be a lovely story once they get on the same page. Last week wasn’t exactly that, and now they get their toughest game of the season already as they try to get on the same page. In a perfect world where Lenny would script the games, Cobblestone goes down early, only to mount a comeback and win on the last play. Sadly, this world isn’t perfect. POWERPUFF GIRLS BY 12

 

TWO TUDDIES VS MIKE’S DETAILING (+3) - It’s hard not to favor the New Look Tud Buds (okay, they didn’t go full PWI, but they did make a couple of changes) after an impressive D4 debut, coupled with MD’s less than stellar opening game. Even if MD plays better, and they will, I’m not sure there’s a more dialed in team than the Two Tuddies right now. TWO TUDDIES BY 1

 

COME FROM BEHIND VS COBBLESTONE (+6) - Do NOT adjust your TV sets. This is NOT 2017. Two of the TSL’s oldest (literally and figuratively) franchises meet up for a rendezvous to see who won’t start out the season 0-2. This feels like we’re headed for an old school shootout, and I’m excited to see who wins. COME FROM BEHIND BY 2

D5

 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

Balls Deep 45, Blitzkrieg 37

Sausage McMuffins 26, Mo’ Chicken 14

Not So Sticky 21, Pit Harade 10

Bridget & Quit It 32, Stir The Sauce 20

D5 seemed like such an unknown heading into the season, but after one week, it looks like we may have a close knit division on our hands. Granted, you can’t trust Week 1, but there’s reason to believe it as 5 of these teams have played many close games over the years coming up from D6, Stir The Sauce has been around for a while now, Mo Chicken is improving, and Bridget (according to eyewitnesses) can SLING IT. Where oh where is Kelly Kane and GUCCI when you need them? Anyway, Balls Deep took out Fall Blitzkrieg in a hell of a battle, while the McMuffins calmly won over MO. NSS took a victory over a newer look Pit Harade, and Bridget made Wrestler Dan tap out, beating STS. 

 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

STIR THE SAUCE VS PIT HARADE (+6) - These two teams didn’t have the best of seasons in the spring, nor did they win in Week 1. Both TSL franchises have had some significant roster turnover as of late, and while there are still some familiar TSL celebrities involved (Wrestler Dan, Joe K, The Most Honorable Prophet Dave Walter, etc.) there’s a lot of newer people to the league as well. Both teams are looking to get on track, only one can. STIR THE SAUCE BY 3

 

BALLS DEEP VS SAUSAGE MCMUFFINS (EVEN) - Another rivalry renewed. Balls Deep gets to play Sausage McMuffins after a season off, but this isn’t the same Balls Deep that SMM left behind. They exude confidence, and have had all of their ladies take a massive step forward on both sides of the ball. SMM are no slouches by any means, but the general feeling around the league is that Balls Deep has surpassed them in terms of talent. This should be interesting. BALLS DEEP BY 8

 

SAUSAGE MCMUFFINS VS MO’ CHICKEN (+10) - On the other hand for the McMuffins, they still have a talented team that knows how to play the game, which gives them a distinct advantage over Mo’ Chicken, who is dealing with a little bit of roster turnover alongside learning how to play the TSL game. Once it clicks for them, look out. SAUSAGE MCMUFFINS BY 16

 

BRIDGET & QUIT IT VS MO’ CHICKEN (+8) - QB Bridget wants to be great, by all reports. That’s all I need to know after hearing about her arm cannon as she diced up Stir The Sauce last week. MO will need a serious gameplan if they want to stop BQUIT, and nothing they’ve done YET has suggested that they can do that. Remember, it takes time. BRIDGET & QUIT IT BY 16

 

D6

 

LAST WEEK’S GAMES

 

Flying Balls 54, Blue Ballers 44

Sticky Laces 28, Puck Bunnies 21

Intentional Clowning 34, Three Tuddies 15

Intentional Clowning 30, Sticky Laces 28

The Chargers 49, Raw Milkers 35

TMA 39, Four Tuddies 6

Select 28, Raw Milkers 14

 

Welcome to the league Flying Balls! The FBs put up 54 on the Blue Ballers, who put up 44 of their own, and announced themselves to the rest of the division. This 12 team division is going to be wild. Sticky Laces got off to a much better start this season than last, putting the Puck Bunnies down quietly, before losing a close one to Intentional Clowning. IC went 2-0 on the day after also beating up on the Three Tuddies, not to be confused with the Four Tuddies, who got a mudhole stomped in them by TMA. But wait, there’s more. The Chargers (not exactly the model NFL franchise to base yourself off of, by the way) put up 49 points en route to a Week 1 victory over the Raw Milkers, who let me down twice after losing again later on, this time to Select. All of this fun in D6, and that’s without the Irish Giants, who SHOULD be one of the better teams in the division, yet to play a game. 

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

 

THE CHARGERS VS INTENTIONAL CLOWNING (EVEN) - An early season big time game? Sure is. The Clowns brushed off whatever last season was (it felt uncharacteristic of them) and reestablished themselves as contenders while The Chargers just simply established themselves as contenders as well. At this point though, all teams not named “Tuddies” look to be contenders in D6 it seems. I’d love to know more about both of these teams (email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. please!) so I can give proper shoutouts to them. This one should be fun, let's go with the new guys. THE CHARGERS BY 4

 

SELECT VS PUCK BUNNIES (+8) - The Puck Bunnies had a solid start as our all women’s team may have lost, but they’re winning over the hearts of the league. They’re having fun and they’re only going to get better as the season goes on. Select started out the season on the right side of the scoreboard, beating up on the Raw Milkers. The key to beating a gender team (the PBs still qualify as that even without any jerk boys playing) is to match them with 8 point TDs of your own, but Select has enough TSL Vets on the roster that they’ll know how to not only defend against the PBs but they’ll be able to exploit the PB Defense as there are girls learning how to play positions they’re not used to. SELECT BY 8

 

RAW MILKERS VS FOUR TUDDIES (+7) - Whatever the Raw Milkers did last week, they need to just move on from it. They’ve shown they’re a much better team than that, and now they get a brand new-ish Four Tuddies team that struggled hard a week ago. It could be the perfect fix for what ails them. RAW MILKERS BY 8

 

BLUE BALLERS VS RAW MILKERS (+10) - The Blue Ballers got kind of surprised by the Flying Balls last weekend, but they still put up 44 points, which was more than any other team except The Chargers. I’m not sure if the BBs took the brand new opponent lightly or whatever happened, but I feel like it was a learning experience for them and you’ll see them a bit more dialed in this week. The Milkers should beat the Four Tuds earlier on, but 1-3 after two weeks looks like their reality. BLUE BALLERS BY 18

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR SATURDAY

 

 

• WILL THE NEW LOOK PWI* ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO COMPETE WITH CTT AND THE MALONES? In a word, yes. The players they added from LGR aren’t just geeks off the street, they know how to play the game. Plus have we learned yet to never count out a Buddy Lee quarterbacked team? 

 

 

 

• IS D1 GOING TO STAY TOP HEAVY AND JUST CRUSH THE LOWER TEAMS EVERY WEEK? In a word, no. There’s veteran talent all over the place on the Mavs, HaHa, and even the Freeballers. My concern for the Freeballers is that they don’t have a D1 QB yet again after Jordan had to leave to lead the Mavs. With him under center last season, the Freeballers might’ve lost a lot of games, but they were in most of the games, and of course had a good playoffs with the upset over Frodo. Now they lose that, but that’s also why I think the Mavs will be just fine. The back to back D2 champs didn’t have a great Week 1, but if Jordan played that well last season with the Freeballers, a team he had to get used to, imagine how he should do with the Mavs, a team he knows inside and out. The Mavs overall are arguably more talented top to bottom than the Freeballers as well, so expect them to right the ship a bit. Unit Ha Ha has the talent, just look at the roster. It’s only a matter of time before they figure it all out. 

 

 

 

• WHAT RESULT FROM WEEK 1 DO YOU THINK IS MOST LIKELY TO BE A THEME FOR THE ENTIRE SEASON? D-Generation X, Y, and Z will remain a D3 title contender and stay near the top of the division all year. And for one “bad’ one, I’m SURE the mimosa sales at the bar will increase back up to normal levels, Breakfast Club or not. 

 

 

 

• RIGHT NOW WE HAVE THREE CHAMPIONS SITTING AT THE TOP OF THEIR NEW DIVISIONS IN ILF, TWO TUDDIES, AND BALLS DEEP. HOW WOULD YOU RANK THEM RIGHT NOW FROM MOST TO LEAST LIKELY TO STAY THERE? Good one. I think that Balls Deep has the best chance to stay atop the D5 standings for the entire season. They’re just playing so well. The Two Tuddies aren’t far behind, as they’re so locked in, but they have their bugaboos coming for them in the PowerPuff Girls. ILF comes in last for this exercise, but that’s mostly because they’re in the division that’s the definition of “Any Given Saturday”, and the range of their final record is much greater. You could tell me they went 8-0 and I wouldn’t be completely surprised, and you could tell me they ended up 1-7 and I wouldn’t be surprised either. I think we’ll see them at 3-5 when it’s all said and done, but then they’ll win a playoff game. 

 

 

 

• EVEN THOUGH IT’S EARLY, DOES ANYONE ‘NEED’ A WIN THIS WEEK? If you ignore the fact that all of the teams make the playoffs, so nobody ever “needs” a win technically, just for vibes for the rest of the season, I’d say the Raw Milkers need a win more than anyone this week. If they lose both games this week, and start out 0-4 (which they might have done last season?), that’s just a rough record to try to overcome in the 12 team division, and they more than likely won’t earn one of the four byes in D6. 

 

TEN FINAL THOUGHTS FOR SATURDAY

 

 

• I’m in town for a wedding this weekend, and I expected the worst in terms of heat after the reports I got from my spies last week. But the weather has been very cool the last couple of days, especially in the morning, and it feels a lot like, well, football weather. This Saturday looks to be a solid 80 degrees, which is usually perfect weather. 

 

 

 

• And yes, there’s a chance I’ll be making my appearance at the fields, especially if I can get Topper to come. No, you won’t know who I am, but it’s always fun to watch people guess and to overhear the conversations about it at the bar/on the fields. 

 

 

 

• Games of the Day: 

• 10:00 - Sticky Bandits vs Eyes Downtown

• 11:00 - The Malones vs Can’t Touch This

• 12:00 - Jabronies vs PWI*

• 1:00 - Frodo Swaggins vs What A Dump, Part 2

• 2:00 - Come From Behind vs Cobblestone (The Corona Bowl)

 

 

 

• It’s kind of neat that despite having multiple divisions of different sizes, every single division has exactly 4 games this week. 

 

 

 

• I was glad to see the TSL podcast was back for another season, if you want to listen it’s on Spotify or on the website at the bottom. I didn’t get to hear all of it, but there’s always some good banter about the league on there. 

 

 

 

• Please continue to respect the refs, and clean up your garbage on the fields. It’s just the right thing to do. 

 

 

 

• I’m still pretty excited about the TSL’s newest teams: Flying Balls, Bridget & Quit It, and The Chargers all won their games last week, and they did so convincingly. I HOPE this narrative is one that sticks around all season. 

 

 

 

• I heard that a couple of teams bailed on the TSL during the week before Week 1. There’s some crappy things to do to people in this league but to make others think they have a team to play on and then pull the rug out from under them at the last minute like that is some next level lame. Be better. 

 

 

 

• Can someone ask B’s Brother for his predictions on who will win the championships this season and email them to me? Thank you. 

 

 

 

• I keep hearing there’s a good chunk of people in the league that don’t know about the Facebook, or the website, or the podcast, or the articles, etc. These things tend to make our league stand out from the lesser leagues, so be a good leaguemate and let everyone know! 

 

 

-GF OUT