For those of you who don’t work at Bayside, the stretch that we call “party season” just wrapped up for us. Now after all those unfamiliar faces, things turn back toward the BoPo vibe. Teams who haven’t seen Bayside since April start poking around, wondering if there are any lanes available. Well, welcome back everyone. This really is the most wonderful time of the year as all BoPo returns, the new season begins and we all look toward Bowling Ball VII
Back to rankings. I know everyone would know how the final two fell after announcing number three, so I’ve just thrown them all on here.
#3 Off Constantly: Everyone thinks I’m crazy for this one, but I’ve got a hunch. A hunch based on facts. The last time OC had Steve McQueen around for a full season was 2011. I think that turned out pretty well for them. Well McQueen is back so if OC returns to the top, blame Uncle Sam. He is coming off another big Draft League and has nothing but time this season to sharpen up his game. Then there was another revelation from Draft League: Coucou is a really good bowler. She was posting top scores all season. Nuber quietly finished last BoPo averaging 190 with a lot more needed form him than this year. Oz has disappeared for a bit but it doesn’t usually take long til he’s battling for a start in the All-Star game. Honey Bunny saved her best league bowling for the playoffs, offering another tested, clutch roller for the postseason. Finally, Dick returns. He was rumored to be leaving for much of the offseason, but returned and claims there was nothing behind the stories. He has a championship shot with McQueen returning but the roster is a bit more crowded than he preferred. If he buys in this team is dangerous top to bottom, with monster game potential every time. OC is the only two time champion, and the team has a cycle. They win a title. They get cocky and lazy the next year and get beat up. They get better the next year, trying to catch up, then they win again. They are on their 3rd year – they expect a title.
#2 Living On A Spare: Look up, the Twin Towers are coming. They’ve been knocking on the door for a few years and enter this season with a strong shot at the top 1-2 in the league. That said, they’ve been in that position for a few years now but don’t have the best postseason records. They’re going to have big seasons and LOS has the potential to dominate in Thursday A. We’ll see how that serves them for preparation. Looking at the whole team, they return last year’s lineup intact. Mr. Stiffy is the 3 guy and he puts up a lot of big scores. He should grab an all-star spot on Thursday night. Shithawk will be good for a solid average and a couple of smack talk shots at Body English or Hungus. Ali is back in full force this year and keeps the team focused. All Speedboat did was go out and win a Draft League title. Then there’s Coco, who enters the season half-committed again. If she is a regular and a playoff contributor it certainly helps them out. They are a great team, and no doubt they will contend for a lot of regular season records and awards. The bigger questions will wait for April. They have an excellent shot at reaching the podium.
#1 Back In Black: Everyone was shocked when this team didn’t win it all their first season. Last year they did what they were expected to do, and in a big way. They lost only once all year and avenged that loss in the Finals with a 9-1 dismantling of Body English. They have three guys who all have a legitimate shot at the Top Dawg award. Stevie Strikes is a previous Top Dawg and the guy most likely to break the BoPo season average record (Jerk’s 211 last year). Bama has the smoothest stroke in Bayside and it wouldn’t surprise me if he grabs the first BoPo league season 300. Gutterboi is the 2012 Kingshit and seems to save his 200s for the playoffs. Their ladies last year were Gutterboy’s Mom and T-Square. T-Square’s average wasn’t what she’d hoped but she had a huge game in the Finals when it counted. GB’s Mom is another perennial all-star contender. That was enough of a team, but they went out and added another piece, signing Skittles away from Pinny Candy. She’ll give them another weapon, fits the team chemistry well and nobody will put in more time. These guys are absolutely loaded. They have raised the bar for BoPo pretty high, but every time in the past when it seemed one team was just too good and would dominate forever the league has surprised me and stepped up, preventing anyone from repeating. Back In Black starts the season as the heavy favorite to break that trend.