MUD Crowns a Champion at Inwood

November 20 | Inwood

For six teams this weekend, victory seemed possible. All six pool play games were hard fought, and after three legitimate upsets, the championship was inviting another one.

Six Offenders opened the day against Two Sexy. Having lost to the Sexy last weekend, Six seemed a bit nervous from the pull. The game went slowly and eventually Six won, 11 to 9. Both teams finished breathing hard.

Across the divide, Hi-Fi lined-up against a Tres Leches to whom winning was an almost completely foreign concept. Imagine Hi-Fi's surprise when they faced a 10-10 universe-point showdown. Leches had been here before. And they shocked both pools when they caught the winning score. Even SuperGreen broke a sweat, and not because they were warming up.

And so the top seeds arrived for their first games. On one side, 2nd-seed Double Date prepared to trounce the win-or-go-home Two Sexy. On the other, SuperGreen, in full force, matched eyes with Tres Leches. Two Sexy struck first and often and it was only after a minor Double-D comeback that it seemed Double even had a chance. Desperate for the win, Two Sexy scored on universe point to stun the Date 12 to 11. Upset number two (Sexy).

However, in the parallel game, SuperGreen wasn't about to allow Tres Leches anymore fun. They drew out the game with zones and swing, etc. When Green won 10 to 6, los Leches had had enough.

The door was open for Six Offenders after Double's shocking loss. The message to Six was clear: upset the 2 seed and play for the title. Six treated the message like a court order. Double got rocked this time, 12 to 8, and by their playing, it seemed that the Date hadn't quite gotten over the break-up from their first game. In the other final pool-play game, Hi-Fi seemed a bit less crestfallen in their bid against SuperGreen. But the Green rolled on, winning 12 to 10 and advancing.

Apparently, Six Offenders only had enough offense in them for two solid games. When it came to the finals, SuperGreen showed they were the league's best and handedly handled all Six Offenders 13 to 6. A final finals upset was not to be, and Fred Merkel, with the help of his co-captain Danielle, lead his team (for a second straight Fall) to a championship title. Congrats Fred and Danielle and SuperGreen. And congrats MUD. No seriously, you know how many forfeits we had this fall? Zero.

Post Week Nine, The Stage is Set for Finals

November 16 | MUD Headquarters

The seedings are in. After some surprising but eventually insignificant wins and losses this weekend, the standings stand where they've stood since week four. Though handed an odd 7-10 defeat by Hi-Fi, SuperGreen nonetheless locked up first place by destroying Double Date, 13 to 4. Earlier, however, the Date stood up Two Sexy, 13 to 9, and with that win, secured the second place spot going into the tournament. Rounding out the top three was Six Offenders. Going 1-1 this weekend for the sixth time this season, the Offenders beat Tres Leches 13 to 7, but then got busted against Two Sexy, losing 6 to 12. Hi-Fi, Two Sexy and Tres Leches finish off the standings, in that order. So what can we expect on this tournament Saturday that begins at 10am? With teams split into pools and the pool winners playing for the championship, where should we place our bets?

1st Seed. The frontrunner is clearly SuperGreen, they put together four undefeated weeks, never dropped two games in a row and were the only team to surrender fewer than 100 points (93) in 14 games. Only two teams have beaten them and their average margin of victory is almost six points. Hi-Fi might give them some trouble in the 1-4-6 pool, but Green should expect a ticket to the finals.

2nd Seed. Double Date heads the 2-3-5 pool and might be nervous over there. Three of the five universe-point games Double has endured this season were against their pool opponents, 3-seed Offenders and/or 5-seed Sexy. Though recently Double has dispatched these teams with ease, even if they do win, the last thing Double wants is two tough games before the finals. As the only team to have beaten SuperGreen twice, Double is the dark horse favorite. Ample subs and efficiency are the key for the Date. Both of which they lacked in this past weekend's aforementioned 13 to 4 trouncing.

3rd Seed. Six Offenders have their work cut out for them. With season-ending injuries to his first two draft picks, Six's captain Mateo needs huge games out of the rest of his roster. Only once this season were they able to pull off a 2-0 Saturday, but they have not yet played their pool opponents Double and Sexy on the same day. Six has been streaky in every game this season. They must make sure they end their games with hot streaks. Do this, and they'll go far.

4th Seed. Hi-Fi went 2-0 this weekend and currently boasts a +3 winning streak. This team has been lethal when they get good numbers. And they have confidence after convincing defeats of SuperGreen and Tres Leches this past Saturday, and they play both those teams again, in the same order, during pool play. Additionally, Hi-Fi captains Jeff and Perry are fresh off a championship in the summer. MUD has never had back-to-back championship captains. J and P are poised.

5th Seed. Two Sexy just got their captain back and he was tearing it up last weekend. If Kuo can manufacture a couple upsets in pool play, Two Sexy has a real shot. Any offense going up against them needs to score quick and make sharp cuts to get open. These guys stay close on D.

6th Seed. Tres Leches have two wins on the season. These were exciting and unexpected. Chris Clark's team has talent and players that don't often show up. If these guys and gals arrive in full force on Saturday, there might be some more surprises in store.

W8: Tres Shocks Double, Green Stays Super, and Sexy Streaks the Wrong Way

09 November | MUD Newsdesk

1pm. Tres Leches and SuperGreen opened the day in predictable fashion. Leches were late, John Kim rallied his Green team (of which he is not the captain) to ample numbers, and Super won handedly, 13 to 4. Across the sideline, Hi-Fi battled the third place Six Offenders. The Stereo seemed to recall its week one prowess against the Offenders and took half, 7 to 6. Game to nine was announced, and though Six had stayed close all game, they found their stride when the soft cap went on. Three exciting defenses later and Six Offenders had the win, 9 to 7.

2:15pm. Hi-Fi and Six split fields and each said hello to Two Sexy and Double Date, respectively. Two Sexy wasn't quite ready for hello after a long night of being so damn sexy. Hi-Fi turned up the volume and defeated the Sexy beast 10 to 8. Double Date seemed more than ready for Six and threw zones and wind and scores against the Offenders. Lazy strategy and a superior opponent showed Six's offense as completely non-threatening. The Date whooped 'em, 13 to 1. With the win, Double hit the season best streak of +6.

3:30pm. Super returned from stretching their legs and found Two Sexy breathing hard, waiting for them. Though the whole world knew Green had this in the bag, Sexy put up a decent fight. Green won 13 to 10 and extended their winning streak to five, one short of Double's. The result also enabled Sexy to achieve five-in-a-row. Wrong way Sexy!

3:30pm cont. The Double Date vs. Tres Leches matchup saw one of the league's heaviest heavyweights against some air on a feather. Double's win should have been easy as cake. But instead, Tres Leches took them all the way to 10-10 universe point. And then Tres Leches won! Chew on that for a week, Touchstone.

No Week 7 Games on Happy Halloween

30 October | MUD Headquarters

Week 6: Super and Double Stay on Top

25 October | MUD Newsdesk

Though Super and Double did fabulous work this weekend (both going 2-0) we here at the MUD headquarters will try to make this week's the latest not sound too much like a testament to fast-food upgrade terms.

Double Date opened its Saturday with a tough game against Six Offenders. The standings-conscious Offenders, who have been desperate for another 2-0 Saturday, came out strong. After taking half, Six's offense sputtered, and Double brought it to universe point. After a tenacious dump D, the Date's Wan Min Kee got himself a bookend, and Double won the game, 10 to 9.

On the other field, Hi-Fi finally ended its four-game losing streak with a 9-7 defeat of Two Sexy. Perhaps it was the jittery anticipation of their now regular bottomless mimosas during the bye (from which David Louie never returned), but something was clicking for the Stereos. Two Sexy's injured/drunk captain Eric Kuo came over from working at the Columbia football game, but just couldn't find the right words of encouragement.

Two Sexy's next game was against Double Date. Here, Sexy also put up a good fight. Again Double escaped on universe point (10 to 9) and, by no means convincingly, went 2-0 on the day, extending their winning streak to 5.

The other second round was between freshly arrived SuperGreen and freshly reeling off their recent win Tres Leches. Today however, the milk cakes looked a bit more like milquetoast against Big Green. After being stomped 11 to 2, Leches interim captain G. Pappas cursed Chris Clark and his baggaged cronies. At one point the entire Columbia Stadium went silent because her shrieks of anger echoed so loudly across the Spuyten Duyvil inlet.

At least the echoes got the attention of Hi-Fi who promptly returned from their drunken Indian Road revelry. As they faced SuperGreen, their earlier rhythm seemed disappeared or perhaps drowned. But at least they had a grand time losing 10 to 6 to Super.

Finally, with depleted numbers and captain-approved pickups on both sides. Tres Leches took the field against Six Offenders. Six captain Mateo warned that Tres was a team with a knack for coming back and keeping it close and his own team tended to let teams back in. However, after taking half 7 to 1, Six only let Tres come back to within two at 11 to 9 and then 12 to 10 before putting the game away.

No games next weekend (Halloween). Get ready for the final push of the season. November November!

Tres Leches Come Alive in Week Five

16 October | Inwood

Sure, Double Date went double W and all three heavyweights had games to universe, but Tres Leches finally proved they could pull it together and surprised the league with a big win on Sunday. We sure didn't see it coming. Leches first game was a lackluster affair. Despite league-wide complaints and emails insisting games start on time, the A train refused to accommodate and delivered several Leches players (including their captain Clark) 25 minutes late. Two Sexy was warmed-up and ready and used the wind to give Tres an all too familiar trouncing, 8 to 3.

Hi-Fi must have taken that train as well. In the second round, they lined up a skeleton yet confident squad against the newly 0-7 Leches. Well, F that. Leches bombarded Hi-Fi with zone looks, quick feet and sharp-shooter throws. Burning a brilliant 7-3 win into MUD's record books, Leches can not only enjoy a week of +1 streak, but also know their newfound confidence rouses uneasiness in their upcoming opponents.

To start the day, SuperGreen faced second place Double Date. The Date surged out to a 7-4 lead. Soon the round horn blew and it was game to 9. Green brought it all the way back to 8 to 8, but the leaderless Double Daters were just toying. They scored the universe point and handed Super its second loss of the season. (Double owns Super's first and only other loss as well.)

While the Date took a bye, Six Offenders took the field, hoping for the same fortune against Green. The game was nearly identical to Super's previous, but this time, after Green came back and brought it to universe, they made a goal-line stand, worked the disc back upwind, scored after setting a pick, got the disc back, scored after travelling, got the disc back and then actually scored. 9 to 8 Green. It seems Six can't beat Green, Green can't beat Double and while Double hasn't beaten Six, they'll get a chance next weekend. A fat chance. Ho!

Other results: In the last round, Six Offenders whipped it out on Two Sexy, winning 10 to 5. And Double Date broke Hi-Fi's heart, 10 to 8, extending Hi-Fi's negative streak to 4.

Sexy Helps Green Pull Away in Week Four

9 October | Inwood

The recently named SuperGreen (FreDanielle's force with which to be reckoned), rolled out two more wins this Saturday and separated from the pack into true first place with the help of Two Sexy. SuperGreen battled the lukewarm Hi-Fi to start the day and won, 13 to 8. In a second round game, Two Sexy snatched victory from Double Date at universe point (10 to 9). Since Double had been tied with big Green, this defeat opened the door to first place. And again it was Two Sexy with assistance, this time lying down and taking a 13-5 thrashing from SuperGreen to close the day.

Double Date didn't fall too far though. They bested Chris Clark's finally named and still terrible Tres Leches, 12 to 10. But gaining on both Double and SuperGreen, is the other success story of the weekend, Six Offenders.

The Offenders slammed Tres Leches 13 to 7 in the one o'clock game. Then at 2:15pm, despite the absence of three of their club players due to the Northeast Regionals tournament, Six Offenders eked out an 11-10 win against their week-two nemesis Hi-Fi. With the win, Offenders move three points off official second place and one win away from first. Both Double Date and Six Offenders are poised to take down SuperGreen, and next weekend they'll both get a shot.

Third Week, Touchstone Streak

2 October | MUD Newsdesk

1PM. Inwood was kickin' for a second week. Showing early-season strength, The Touchstones's Double Date challenged JeffandPerry's Hi-Fi and won, 9 to 8. Kuo and his Two Sexy were there and offered a hopeful challenge to Mateo and his Six Offenders. Two Sexy were pretty confident when they went up 5 to 1 to start the game, but after an obviously well-timed time out, the Offenders scored seven straight and registered their own 9 to 8 win.

2:15PM. Though they had the late start, FreDanielle arrived only to lose to Double Date, 11 to 8. This was a big win for The Dates who went 2-0 on the day. Two Sexy stuck around for one more game and played the struggling Chris Clark team. Mr. Clark put up a good fight but fell short by one. Two Sexy walked off with a win at 11 to 10 to even out their day (1-1) and their record (2-2).

3:30PM. Chris and the Clarks succumbed to the league-worst start of 0-4 after playing Hi-Fi. These two teams battled in the late afternoon and Hi-Fi plugged in a win at 10 to 8. Across the sandy, weed-strewn dirt/glass between the fields, FreDanielle survived the zone and a late comeback from Six Offenders to win 10 to 8. With the win, FreDanielle move atop the standings, kind of. Despite having the same record as Double D (3-1), and having lost to them, FreDanielle have the best point differential. Statistics! Math!

Week Two, like OMG.

25 September | Inwood

So like, omg, MUD has totally started and, like, it's AWsome!!! F&D (you know, Fred and Danielle's team) they like won their first game. They played Kuo's stupid team, and beat them like 10 to 5. Whoa. Chris Clark's team, who like really sucks, lost to the Touchstones's (omg did you know they're like married!!!). The score was 15 to 5.

Chris's team played REALLY bad in their second game too. They played F&D, and got like killed. F&D won, 12 to 5. LOL!!!1 Jeff and Perry (like, I have NO IDEA which one is which! j/k) won their first game against Mateo's team. The game was like really close. At the end, Perry was a total jerk but like his team won 12 to 10, so that's cool. I mean I guess.

JeffandPerry's team lost to Kuo, which was like totally weird. WTF! It was 11 to 8. I bet Perry was peeved! ROTFL! Then Mateo's team beat the Touchstones's. Mateo's team is like real good. They won 11 to 7.

No Games in Week One

18 September | Inwood

Welcome to MUD Competitive Fall. There will be no games on Sept. 18th, week one. Instead, wish Mateo's mother a happy birthday and gear up for week two, our official start.