Cheers!: Distillers win Finger Bowl 18

Nelson, Brees lead Cassidy to title

LOCKPORT, Ill. -- Week 2 free-agent pickup WR Jordy Nelson GB nabbed MVP honors with 25 Finks points to lead rookie owner Dan Cassidy to the Finger Bowl 18 title in Week 17. Cassidy's Lockport Distillers defeated Mike Miazga's Ham N Eggers 66-61 in a battle between owners in their first Finks League title match.

The Thorpe Division champions went 10-5 in the regular season and won the Finger Bowl behind QB Brees NO's 24 points and help from two other free-agent pickups: RB Lynch SEA (three points) and PK Nugent CIN (14 points).

Nelson becomes the second GB player to earn Finger Bowl MVP, following RB Levens for Traczek's Helena Handbaskets in Finger Bowl 6.

The two Finger Bowl teams tied the league record for the highest scoring title match, equaling the 67-60 championship in 2004 between Steve Cline's Ghost of Sweetness and Jeff Newton's Go For 2.  

Cassidy becomes the league's fourth rookie owner to win a Finger Bowl, following Mike Wilcox in the inaugural 1994 season, Cline in 2004 and the late Jeff Ponczak in 2006. Cassidy wins the Abe Gibron Traveling Trophy ending the two-year reign by Goff's Serkus Act.

The Eggers were led by 16 points each from QB Brady NE and PK Akers SF, who also earned three points for a TD pass. The Distillers led 66-49 heading into the Monday Night Football game. The Eggers' RB Bradshaw NYG scored two TDs, but could not close the deficit with any bonus points.

Cassidy earned $378.75 for the championship win. Miazga takes $126.25 as runner-up.

Dah Commish was the winner of the 2011 Harvey-Ponz Award. 

BOXSCORE

DISTILLERS 66, EGGERS 61

Distillers
QB Brees NO 24
RB Lynch SEA 3
RB C. Johnson TEN zero
WR Welker NE zero
WR Nelson GB 25
PK Nugent CIN 14

Eggers
QB Brady NE 16
RB Bradshaw NYG 12
RB Benson CIN zero
TE Gronkowski NE 17
WR Wallace PIT zero
PK Akers SF 16

 
Fumble pulls away for third


LONDON -- Dah Commish's Love's Labour's Lost Fumble earned a match-high 19 points from RB Rice BAL to take third place in the 2011 Finks League with a 68-53 win over Kris Herigodt's Dublin Brawlers.

BOXSCORE

FUMBLE 68, BRAWLERS 53

Fumble 
QB E. Manning NYG 16
RB Rice BAL 19
RB Helu WAS 6
TE J. Graham NO 9
WR S. Smith CAR 9
PK Crosby GB 9

Brawlers
QB Flacco BAL 3
RB Spiller BUF 6
RB McGahee DEN 5
WR Cruz NYG 13
WR Robinson DAL 12
PK Rackers HOU 14

From Eggers owner Miazga...

A end-of-season concession from longtime Eggers owner Miazga, who was the runner-up in Finger Bowl 18:

"Where as Janikowski did me in in our second regular season meeting (I put in Akers at the last second Thanksgiving day and Janikowski then kicks 6 FG against Bears on Sunday), Nicks did me in here. I am currently staring at a written out lineup card that had Nicks' name on it originally. If I play him over Wallace, I win by one. However, I am not a fan of starting two guys on a team if I don't have to (Gronkowski being a big exception). That would have given me four of six guys on two teams. Nicks had been inconsistent of late and with the emergence of Cruz, I didn't have the greatest feeling. I didn't have a great feeling about Wallace, but figured with Ben in the game early maybe he could snare a 6 and get out of there, plus Cleveland is no good. However, I should have checked the weather in Cleveleand (extremely windy) and paid more attention to the previous meeting between the two (very low scoring Thursday night game). I went back and forth for a good hour Sunday morning on Nicks-Wallace and Gerhart, Benson, Wells (all turned in zeros and one was inactive).

Anyway, great win and another great game between us. You had guys that were red-hot the last half of the season and Brees was instant gold most of the season. Half of your starters were off the waiver wire (Nelson, Lynch and Nugent), and all played key roles for you. Hard to combat two players with 20-plus point totals in one game.

Where as I was the only Finks owner to score more than 60 in a game during the season and lose (to Distillers), I am only the second Finks owner to score more than 50 in the title game and lose (there was a 67-60 result one year). 

Looks like we have the makings of a fantasy rivalry here. That being said, I'll probably go back to my normal ways and go 3-12 next year.

Looking forward to next season."