Week 17: Finger Bowl 24 preview

HURRICANE QUAGS (13-3) at SERKUS ACT (13-3)
at Baraboo West High School, Baraboo, Wis. (Home of the Circus World Museum)

Playoff records: Quags (5-6); Goff (9-8)

Head to head: Quags 46, Serkus 45 (Week 2); Serkus 29, Quags 22 (Week 11)

The skinny: Like the Ringling Brothers, this might be the final clown show for owner Stan Goff under the Serkus Act banner. Goff announced earlier this month that Serkus might fold its tent and could return next season under a different nickname. For veteran Finks League owners, Goff hasn't always used the Serkus name. Serkus Act has been around for 12 years. For Finks trivia buffs, Goff's last previous nickname before becoming the Serkus Act was The Mighty Rysters  in 2005, in reference to his son, Ryan. This could also be the final game for Serkus using its familiar Killer Clown helmets. In the opinion of Dah Commish, Serkus features the best helmet logo in the league. But sometimes all good things must end. ... This year's Finger Bowl features the first and second place finishers in the Tomlinson Division. ... FB 24 features a pair of veteran Finks League owners between Goff and Quags. The two have combined as owners for 36 Finks seasons, 23 for Goff. Goff, Miazga and Dah Commish are the only remaining owners from the Finks League's second season in 1995. In Goff's first season, he was known as the Cowpokes. It is the first Finger Bowl meeting between Goff and Quags. It is also the first Finger Bowl meeting between 13-win teams. ... Goff has tied Miazga with his sixth Finger Bowl appearance (2000, 2002, 2009-10, 2014, 20017). Goff will be looking for a record-setting fourth FB title after winning in 2009-10 and 2014. The only other Finks owners with three titles are Mike Wilcox and Simo. ... Quags hopes to become the fifth Finks owner to win multiple FB titles. His Hurricanes beat the Sodor Rail-Layers 47-42 to win in 2007. ... Goff has tied Simo with nine playoff wins to lead all Finks owners. ... Quags' previous Finger Bowl appearance was a 31-24 loss to the Eggers in 2015.

Projected starters: Quags -- Rivers, Hunt, Ingram, Gronkowski, Gordon, Gano. Serkus -- Brady, E. Elliott, D. Murray, Baldwin, D. Bryant, Walsh.

The pick: Quags 35, Serkus 32.

Week 16: Quags-Eggers semifinal thriller, Part 1

From Quags: "I have the Hurricanes hanging on to a 40-39 win. I couldn't even watch the 2nd half of the Eagles-Raiders game.

The Hurricanes led 40-21 going into Xmas with Rivers (8), Hunt (9), Ingram (6), Gronkowski (6) and Gano (11) scoring for them. The HNE had points from Hill (5) and Gostkowski (16).

Then came Xmas and the anticipation began. Roethlinsberger (9) and Bell (6) each had piled up points. Big Ben was at 226 yards and Bell at 69 yards in the 4th quarter. Bur Tomlin rested his stars,keeping them from gaining any of the needed yards.

HNE still had Ertz and needed either a TD or 100-yd performance for the win. Ertz put the pressure on with 6 receptions for 71 yards at the half. However, Ertz caught just 2 balls for 10 yards in the 2nd half and failed to score as the HNE comeback fell just a bit short."

From Miazga: "Great Finks win, Dick!

I hemmed and hawed over Fitzgerald vs Ertz for the second receiver spot until about an hour before kickoff Sunday. The difference there was 8 points, but Fitzgerald had done nothing the last two weeks so the call probably was right plus Ertz had 8 TDs going into the game

I was at a Christmas party during the Steelers game and wasn’t watching (my rule is no watching if a Finks game is on the line) but wondered why Bell had stalled during garbage time, his yards bonus would have been huge.

I don’t know how I made the playoffs this year or went 12-3. This was one of my worst drafted teams in some time plus didn’t have Beckham Jr for a majority of the year. Was happy to have the year I did.

If Act won (and with Gurley I’m assuming so) you have the two best Finks teams in the league going next week. 

Quags has done a great  job with roster management. 

Good luck next week."

Week 16: Quags-Eggers semifinal thriller, Part 2

I didn't watch Monday Night's Philadelphia Eagles game against the Oakland Raiders, but I followed the game on the internet. My favorite current sports app is CBS Sports. Here is the boxscore from the game. 

When I went to bed, Quags led 40-36 and Eggers owner Mike Miazga's last active player, TE Ertz PHI, had 73 yards into the fourth quarter. When I woke up, I checked the boxscore to see Ertz finish with 81 yards receiving for three Finks League bonus points. Without an Ertz TD or 100+ receiving, the win would go Quags' way.

In an absolute nail-biter, Quags won 40-39.

Week 16: Semifinal boxscores

SERKUS 45, GAGA 33

Gaga (33)
QB Manning NYG 5
RB Powell NYJ 11
RB Coleman ATL 6
WR Hopkins HOU 6
WR D. Thomas DEN zero
PK Dawson AZ 5

Serkus (45)
QB Brady NE 9
RB E. Elliott DAL 3
RB Gurley LAR 24
WR D. Bryant DAL zero
WR Baldwin SEA 6
PK Walsh SEA  3

QUAGS 40, EGGERS 39

Quags (40)
QB Rivers LAC 8
RB Hunt KC 9
RB Ingram NO 6
TE Gronkowski NE 6
WR Gordon CLE zero
PK Gano CAR 11

Eggers (39)
QB Roethlisberger PIT 9
RB Bell PIT 6
RB Kamara NO zero
WR Hill KC 5
TE Ertz PHI 3
PK Gostkowski NE 16

Week 16: Semifinal previews

BRADY GAGA (8-7) at SERKUS ACT (12-3)
at Baraboo West High School, Baraboo, Wis. (Home of Circus World Museum)

Playoff records: Gaga owner Sean King (0-0); Serkus owner Stan Goff (8-8)

Head to head: Serkus 47, Gaga 19 (Week 10)

The skinny: King makes his Finks League postseason debut in his third season... Gaga enters the playoffs short-handed with the loss of WR A. Brown PIT, one of the NFL's top receivers, due to an injury... Goff won his fifth division title after winning the Tomlinson Division by a points tiebreaker over Quags... Goff's playoff wins ranks second behind Matt Simo (nine wins). He also has appeared in the second most postseason games behind Mike Miazga (17).

Projected starters: Gaga -- Taylor, Mixon, Powell, Hopkins, D. Thomas, Dawson. Serkus -- Brady, E. Elliott, Gurley, Baldwin, D. Bryant, Zuerlein.

The pick: Serkus 45, Gaga 30.

HURRICANE QUAGS (12-3) at HAM N EGGERS (12-3)
At Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh



Playoff records: Quags (4-6); Eggers owner Mike Miazga (7-9-1)

Head to head: Quags 56, Eggers 44 (Week 3); Eggers 41, Quags 20 (Week 9)

The skinny: With three record-setting 12-win teams in the league this season, this semifinal is a first for a Finks postseason. ... The Eggers went on a record 10-game win streak after losing to Quags in Week 3. The Eggers lost their last two in the regular season. ... The Eggers won the Warner Division by four games. Miazga is making his seventh consecutive playoff appearance.

Projected starters: Quags -- Rivers, Hunt, Ingram, Gronkowski, Gordon, Gano. Eggers -- Roethlisberger, Bell, Kamara, Hill, Ertz, Gostkowski.

The pick: Eggers 50, Quags 45.

Week 15: Playoff races down to final week

The original QB Finks PIT

Coming into the final weekend of the regular season, the only known thing is that the Ham N Eggers have clinched the Warner Division title. Who the Eggers will face in the playoffs and much more will be determined after Monday Night Football.

The Eggers (12-2) have already equaled a Finks League record for wins in a season and could own the record by itself with a victory against Brady Gaga (7-7).

The Tomlinson Division champion will be determined after Week 15. Hurricane Quags and Serkus Act are tied with 11-3 records. The two teams split their season series and Serkus has the advantage over Quags in the tiebreaker (points scored in the season). Entering Week 15, Serkus leads 644-569. Both teams are in the playoffs. The division runner-up will play the Eggers in the semifinals. Quags seeks his first division title since 2008 while Serkus last won a division title in 2014 while going on to win Finger Bowl 21 with a 54-30 victory over the Eggers. 

In Week 15, Quags meets defending Finger Bowl champion Just a Fantasy (7-7) while Serkus plays the Portsmouth Spartans (5-9).

The other key playoff race determines the runner-up in the Warner Division between Fantasy and Gaga. The Warner runner-up will meet the Tomlinson Division champion (Quags or Serkus) in the Week 16 semifinals. In the event of a tied record, Gaga owns the series advantage with two wins over Fantasy, 25-20 in Week 1 and 64-42 in Week 11.

Fantasy must win and needs a Gaga loss to advance,

Week 14: Eggers quietly setting records

While the Eggers have run away to clinch the Warner Division championship, veteran owner Mike Miazga's HNEs won their 10th consecutive game with a 62-49 victory over the Jays in Week 13.

The Eggers have broken one of the Finks League's oldest records when former owner Mike Wilcox won nine consecutive games in 1995 with his Kansas City Kings in our second season. During the streak, the Eggers have been an offensive juggernaut by scoring over 50 points in their last three matches. The Eggers appear to be peaking at just the right time with back-to-back 60-point plus efforts.

HNE could break one more major record in Week 14 with another win. With a 12-1 record, the Eggers have tied six other teams with a 12-win season in Finks regular season play. No team has ever won 13 games in a Finks season. This season's 12 wins is a Ham N Eggers' franchise record for a regular season. Miazga has previously won a career-high 10 games in 1998 and 2015.

The only loss for the Eggers this season was in Week 3, a 56-44 defeat to Quags.

In Week 14, the Eggers face Fantasy (6-7) in a must-win for defending Finger Bowl champ Jeff Newton to keep his playoff hopes alive.