Season 14 High Rollers Report
Season 14 High Rollers Report
[Editor’s Note: Each season I handpick one of the veterans to write the High Rollers Report. The report is a breakdown of the individual match-ups on Super Saturday and its sole purpose is to provide a little entertainment the day before. If he/she takes shots or jabs at you it means they like you. It’s all in good fun. As always, the guest writer has been granted anonymity. So without further ado, I bring to you the Season 14 High Rollers Report.]
Greetings, high rollers!
If the team matches from Thursday night are any indication of what the rest of the playoffs will be like then we’re in for one helluva day on Super Saturday XIV!
Congrats to #1 FKA Daddy, #2 Ain’t Easy Being Skeezy, #5 No Mike in the Plumber’s Shed (NMITPS), and #6 Magically Skeelicious on advancing to the final four. As the other ghost writer noted, parity reigned supreme in skeeBOSTON in its fourteenth skeeson. The biggest upset of the night came from #13 Skee 3PO topping #4 Han Rolo, though 3PO would eventually succumb to the dark side of the force that is NMITPS. Those are great matchups for Saturday (FKA vs. NMITPS, Skeezy vs. Skeelicious) and every team is capable of winning the chalice. If I had a chance to make picks, I’d roll with NMITPS vs. Skeezy in the finals with Skeezy tasting victory for the first time (it pains me that Duke picked them from the start). [Editor’s Note: Yeah buddy!]
Let’s get to the High Rollers Tourney (HRT) brackets!
The Kansas Bracket (Pat is top seed overall…but will he live up to expectations?)
Who should win: John “Polischoke” Polischuck. Oh wait, he didn’t even make the HRT. Bwahahahahahahaha!! [Editor’s Note: Coming out swinging. If this is any indication of what’s to come, this could be the best write-up yet. Boom!]
Seriously, it’s #1 Pat Bassett [Editor’s Note: Alan]. His run in the HRT the past four skeesons is the stuff of legends. His back-to-back titles the last two skeesons are unprecedented, and he was literally two balls away (and a few zeros….hi Pat!) from four in a row! Simply amazing. [Editor’s Note: More bombs, love it.]
Who will win: Looking at the rest of the brackets, I would call this one the “Bracket of Death.” If Pat gets back to the final four he will have run the gauntlet through, among others, #8 Stephanie Burgess, #9 Devin McDonald, #16 Mike Pagnotta, #17 Scott Sinclair (former HRT champ), and #24 Sam Reidy. I think Devin is under-seeded at #9 and like his chances in this bracket.
Best matchup: #32 Janelle “Trading Card” Suckley vs. #33 Tom Siemaszko. Winner of this one earns the opportunity to take down Pat after the Wild Card match.
Biggest potential upset: Honestly, I think it’s highly probable that Pat runs the table again so anyone that can take him down would have the upset of the HRT. [Editor’s Note: I’m taking the Wild Card roller over Pat. Upset of the century. You heard it first here kids!]
Don’t sleep on: #17 Scott Sinclair and #25 Courtney Martin. Scott had a down skeeson and is definitely under-seeded…Pat can’t like seeing him in a potential Sweet 16 matchup. Courtney can hit 40 Streaks and hundos with the best of ‘em which is always a valuable asset in the HRT format.
The Syracuse Bracket (Steve is a two-time HRT champ that always seems underrated and can get hot at the right time)
Who should win: In a wide open bracket, I don’t see a clear favorite. Two-time HRT champ Steve “Pinball” Robinson struggled Thursday night [Editor’s Note: you mean went home early?]. Jenn Foxon was on fire, but typically struggles in the HRT. If I’m sticking to the seeds then Pinball should win, but this one could go in a number of directions.
Who will win: Jenn “The Shed” Foxon +1. Yes, her track record in the HRT is one of disappointment, but she’ll be sober this time (I hope) [Editor’s Note: She’s always sober] and would love nothing more than to knock of Pinball to make the final four. [Editor’s Note: Like the match-up and story line. Get your popcorn ready!]
Best matchup: A potential second round matchup of #13 Eric Siegel and #20 Lindsay Allen. A classic “getcha popcorn ready” match [Editor’s Note: Ha, stop stealing my lines]! And something tells me Eric will be sleeping on the couch Saturday night if he wins this one (Pinball vs. Coozie in round 2 is a close 2nd here.)
Biggest potential upset: #53 Melissa Taylor vs. #12 Justin Kennedy. Melissa is deadly with the 40/50 Combos and will be a tough first-round tilt for Justin.
Don’t sleep on: #29 Adam Schmitt. Volatility is a weapon in the HRT if used correctly; Pinball could have his hands full in a potential second round match.
The Villanova Bracket (Everett is the highest seed he’s been in many skeesons)
Who should win: #2 Everett “The Baker” Phillips. Ev is having perhaps his best skeeson ever, which is saying something given his history, and has a good setup to make the final four. [Editor’s Note: Best roller in SkeeBOSTON history, but I will have him drunk by this point ;)]
Who will win: #10 Ben Fountain. One of skeeBOSTON’s best rollers without a chalice or HRT, Ben will be looking to etch his name on the HRT trophy.
Best matchup: A potential second round match between #15 Ryan Geraghty and former HRT champ #18 Paul “The Plumber” Ciaramicolli. The winner of this one likely gets Everett in the Sweet 16 to advance to the Elite 8.
Biggest potential upset: #26 Cory Magno over #7 John Dawson in a potential second round matchup. Both guys are looking to bounce back after tough nights on Thursday.
Don’t sleep on: #42 Liz Wong and #58 Heather Ryan. Liz is one of the league’s most improved rollers in the past few skeesons, and Heather has been known to make an HRT run in the past if she can find her forty.
The Oklahoma Bracket (Chris Martin is the Buddy Hield of the HRT…can make big shots with the best of ‘em or go ice cold)
Who should win: #3 Chris “Blake Shelton” Martin. Though much like Shed, Chris had a spotty HRT history prior to making the final four last skeeson.
Who will win: Chris and #6 Nick Weir are on the same side of the bracket again this skeeson – Nick knocked off Chris in the final four to get to the HRT finals in skeeson 13. I expect one of them will come out of the bracket again, and I think Chris exacts his revenge to make the final four.
Best matchup: A potential second round matchup between #11 Roberto “Robo” Arguello and #22 Eric Mendes. Both of these guys have the game to knock off Nick in the Sweet 16.
Biggest potential upset: #46 Robyn Fitzpatrick over #19 Joe Stromer. Joe had a down skeeson by his standards and Robyn loves the HRT.
Don’t sleep on: Former HRT champ #14 Brian Aldridge and #27 Ray Di Ciaccio. Bri-Guy has quietly put together a stellar skeeson on the #1 team and could pull off the league double (Chalice and HRT) which has only been done twice before (Derek “Beers” Morgan in skeeson 3 and Scottie “Too Hottie” Sinclair in skeeson 6). Ray looks under-seeded to me and can hit 40/50s with the best of them.
Final Four
#9 Devin McDonald vs. #5 Jenn Foxon – It will be a good run for Devin to come out of the “Bracket of Death” but Foxon +1 is too good – if she makes it this far, she’s going to the finals. I mean, she has two extra hands helping her out!
#10 Ben Fountain vs. #3 Chris Martin – Ben is seeking his first hardware, but I think Chris is just a little more consistent which will put him over the top in this battle.
HRT Finals
#5 Jenn Foxon vs. #3 Chris Martin – Shed vs. (Blake) Shelton. Two of the top rollers in skeeBOSTON history and neither has an HRT title. Jenn wants an HRT to go with her skeeson 7 chalice, and to replace Paul’s HRT on the mantle at home. Chris is looking to add an HRT to his skeeson 11 chalice. Chris was steady with the 40 Streak trophy this skeeson, but Foxon’s 50 game will be the difference in this one. Foxon +1 goes out on top as the HRT champ!
Happy Super Saturday everyone, skee you on the lanes!! [Editor’s Note: Less than 12 hours…]