We arrive at the final 22 games of our first season of the Champions league. Much is settled and much isn’t! Which is exactly as it should be.
First, what’s settled:
We sort of know most of the playoff participants at this point. Northwest gave it a good run, but is now 10 games off the pace for the final premier playoff spot.
If the playoffs started today.. it would look something like this:
10 of the 11 playoff participants are mostly “set” barring a massive collapse. So what is the excitement around the final month of the season?
- Space City, with a positive run differential of almost 50 runs, has finally started to win games and closed on upstart Montana within 3 games. Montana’s run differential is negative. So… watch out!
- Hawaii and Hebron are locked in a mortal battle, only 1 game apart. The loser is relegated to the depths of the National League. The winner stays in the Premier with six playoff seeds waiting! It’s not for nothing.
- Top seed! Shoreline has only a 3 game lead over Bellagio for the # 1 seed. Does it matter? DUH. The #1 seed faces a tired National Conference team that had to win two short series… and all have less than a .600 win percentage. the #2 seed faces Ancaster, the fastest team to 99 wins (1 short of a 100) who had blown away the competition, on equal rest.
- Premier seeding. #3-6 is pretty locked in but all four teams are smashed up just a couple of games apart. Who prefers playing who? It’s a scrum that won’t be decided until the first round of the playoffs.
Don’t forget the eventual Champions Cup winner gets to hold the actual CUP for a year, and gets $100! So without a doubt the playoffs will be a fevered battle for the first-ever winner inscribed on the trophy!
Here we go! Final 22 games! Play ball.