Week 17: Yeah, Finger Bowl 30 preview

 Dublin Brawlers (10-6) at Chicago Heights Mafia (11-5)

At Bloom Township High School

Playoff records: Herigodt 9-4; Goff 12-11

Head to head: Brawlers 44, Mafia 21, Week 1; Brawlers 64, Mafia 43, Week 11

The skinny:  This year's FB 30 features a matchup between Landry Division champ (Mafia) and runner-up (Brawlers).  ... The only previous meeting between Herigodt and Goff in a Finger Bowl came in No. 17 in 2010, won by Goff's Serkus Act 40-17. ... Can Mafia prevent a Brawlers sweep of the season series. Mafia may start as many as three DAL players owns the No. 2 offense in Finks League. ... Goff hopes to extend his record to five Finks League titles. Simo and M. Wilcox are next with three Finks titles each. Goff's last Finger Bowl championship was 2017. Goff now tops Miazga with his eighth FB appearance. ... Mafia isn't the only team reliant on single team players, the Brawlers are likely to start two players from Herigodt's favorite team, the Bucs. No Finger Bowl MVP has ever come from DAL or TB. The Brawlers own two FB titles (2008, 2020) and a third title would move them into Simo-M. Wilcox territory. 

Projected starters: Brawlers -- Purdy, McCaffrey, R. White, Evans, Metcalf, Sanders. Mafia -- Prescott, Montgomery, Edwards, Lamb, AJ Brown, Aubrey.

The pick: Brawlers 55, Mafia 50

Brawlers, Mafia advance to FB 30

Sanders kicks Brawlers into Finger Bowl

LOCKPORT, Ill. -- K Sanders MIA made five field goals, three from 50-plus yards, to score 26 Finks points for the Dublin Brawlers in a 69-36 victory over the Lockport Distillers in Week 16 of the semifinals. 

Sanders earned Player of the Week honors for the Brawlers (10-6), which also earned touchdowns from four other players, including WR Evans TB with two TDs and three yardage points. 

The Distillers (12-4) entered the playoffs with the league's best record and earned 18 points from QB J. Allen BUF. 

BRAWLERS (69)

QB Purdy SF  5

RB McCaffrey SF  11

RB R. White TB   6

WR Evans TB  15

WR Metcalf SEA  6

K Sanders MIA  26

DISTILLERS (36)

QB J. Allen BUF  18

RB Mostert MIA  6

RB Barkley NYG  11

WR Addison MIN zero

WR Rice KC  zero

K Lutz DEN   1

Edwards TD wins for Mafia

CHICAGO HEIGHTS -- RB Edwards BAL scored a touchdown in the final game of Week 16 to break a tie in the other semifinal of Finks League action. Chicago Heights Mafia defeated Boom Town Blue Jays 48-42 to advance to Finger Bowl 30.

Both teams were tied at 42 entering the Christmas Monday Night Football game, but Edwards delivered for Mafia (11-5). QB Prescott DAL and K Aubrey DAL scored 11 points each to lead Mafia.

The Jays (8-8) were led by RB Henry TEN and earned at least one TD from four different starters. 

JAYS (42)

QB Fields CHI  9

RB Taylor IND   6

RB Henry TEN  12

WR Moore CHI zero

WR St. Brown DET  11

K McPherson CIN  4

MAFIA (48)

QB Prescott DAL  11

RB Montgomery DET  6

RB Edwards BAL  6

WR Lamb DAL  11

WR AJ Brown PHI  3

K Aubrey DAL  11

Week 16: Semifinal previews

 Dublin Brawlers (9-6) at Lockport Distillers (12-3)

at Lockport Township High School

Playoff records: Herigodt 8-4; Cassidy 5-6-1

Head to head: Distillers 44, Brawlers 43, Week 4; Distillers 61, Brawlers 52, Week 7

The skinny: Can the Distillers beat the Brawlers for a third time this season? The Brawlers enter the semifinals with six consecutive wins. Their last loss was 44-19 to the Jays in Week 9. ... This matchup is a rematch of Finger Bowl 27 in 2020 when the Brawlers won 58-48. ... The Brawlers are in the Finks League playoffs for the fourth time in the last five years. ... The Distillers won eight of nine to start the season. ... The Distillers finished with the best record in Finks League this season and became the 13th team in league history to win 12 games in a season. No team has ever won 13 games. ... The Distillers hope to become the second team in three years to win a Finger Bowl after claiming the season's best record. Fantasy accomplished the feat in 2021. 

Projeected starters: Brawlers -- L. Jackson, McCaffrey, R. White, Metcalf, Evans, J. Sanders; Distillers -- J. Allen, Barkley, Mostert, Ty. Hill, G. Davis, McManus.

The pick: Distillers 55, Brawlers 45.

Boom Town Blue Jays (8-7) at Chicago Heights Mafia (10-5)

At Bloom Township High School, Chicago Heights

Playoff records: A. Quagliano 5-1; Goff 11-11

Head to head: Mafia 81, Jays 64, Week 10

The skinny: Mafia's 81 points in the regular season matchup against the Jays was the second highest total for a game this season in Finks League. Mafia scored 82 points in Week 8. ... This is a rematch of Finger Bowl 26 in 2019 won by the Jays, 74-19, over Goff's former Serkus Act franchise. That game was the most lopsided Finger Bowl in league history and the final game for Goff under the Serkus brand. ... Under the Mafia moniker, this is Goff's second playoff appearance. Mafia reached the playoffs in their first season in 2020 after relocating to Chicago Heights and finished fourth. ... The Jays are the only returning playoff team from last year's semifinalists. The Jays were the runner-up in 2022 after a one-point loss to daddy's Hurricanes in Finger Bowl 29. That was owner Anthony Quagliano's first career playoff loss. ... Cowboys fan Goff has been starting as many as three Dallas players during much of the second half of the Finks season.

Projected starters: Jays -- Fields, Henry, Conner, St. Brown, Moore, Dicker; Mafia -- Prescott, Montgomery, Edwards, Lamb, AJ Brown, Aubrey. 

The pick: Mafia 45, Jays 40.

Dah Commish's daughter

Quags asked about my daughter Anna playing for Hinsdale South's varsity girls basketball team. My sophomore guard has been getting some starts since some teammates were out over Thanksgiving weekend and my lock-down defender has been having much more fun than last year. I love the Globetrotter-inspired warmup pants for the Hornets (7-3). Quags suggested I send a picture to Finks Nation. 

With the cooperation of promoter Jim O'Boye, I was able to get Anna's team into the Kipp Hoopsfest at 4:15 p.m. Jan. 15 at Benet. Hinsdale South is playing Libertyville. 

Yeah, Jake Elliott

So cool to see Lyons grad Jake Elliott become our Player of the Week for No. 1. 

I've written previously in this space how I used to cover Elliott as a four-time state tennis qualifier at Lyons and his improbable kicking career for his junior and senior seasons. 

He won a Homecoming exhibition kicking contest and turned that into a Super Bowl championship. At state tennis, he was a singles state qualifier in 2012 and 2013 and doubles in 2011 and 2010.

I also covered QB Garoppolo LV when he was at Rolling Meadows. Here's hoping I'll be able to write about him soon. 

NFL Redzone

 Was someone supposed to report that the Redzone channel is on NFL Network and no longer just for satellite customers?

Auction 2023: Notebook

 

In nearly 30 years, the Finks League has used plenty of legendary NFL names for its division assignments. It seems hard to believe in all this time that the league has never used divisional names to honor Bud Grant and Tom Landry.

Probably because neither coach would be willing to comment, if they were still alive.

Our annual auction went late into Sept. 4 morning. For the first time in recent memory, there were no ties determined by blind draw. 

The highlights:

• High bids: Gaga shocked all bid sheets with a $20 high offer for K Tucker BAL (pictured). That perhaps set an unofficial league record for Finks kickers. Other toppers were Distillers for QB J. Allen BUF ($35), Quags for RB Ekeler LAC ($33.11) and Quags again for WR J. Jefferson MIN ($28.77).
• Family feud: Husband and wife Finks owners Mike Miazga and Kris Herigodt definitely do not share Finks bid sheet information. In the bidding for K McPherson CIN, Miazga's Eggers topped Kris' Brawlers $3.51 to $3.01.
• All in for Bijan: Well, for more than $3 actually. In perhaps the most spirited bidding of the evening, the newly named Tailgaters and Mafia battled for rookie RB Bijan Robinson ATL. The Gaters won $3.12 to $3.01.
• Strawberry Fields Forever: The Jays showed big-time love for young QB Fields CHI. How about a winning bid for $13.72?
• Bargain shopping: The unique fantasy football twist of using a blind auction for Finks League instead of a live or automated snake draft is the ability to find deals among your $100 limit. How about these? The Brawlers produced draft steals with $2.11 for QB Mahomes KC and $1.13 for RB McCaffrey SF. The newly christened Saints Preserve Us! felt pretty good about QB Hurts PHI falling into their roster for $5.27. 

Good luck to all this season. 

What's in a fantasy football name?

 

Plenty.

Everyone tries to come up with the most clever nicknames for their fantasy football teams. Starting this year, my Finks League team will become Saints Preserve Us! starting with our 30th season. Simply, I have run out of nicknames honoring the leather helmet era pro football teams of the past. My first leather helmet nickname tribute was in our first season when my team was the Staten Island Stapletons, also honoring my birthplace.

My recent run of leather helmet names started in 2014 with the Decatur Staleys. 

Saints Preserve Us! (yes, with an exclamation mark) honors my favorite NFL team, whose late GM bears the name of our league. I don't plan on changing this new nickname any time in the future. After 30 years, I am finding out what my fellow Finks owners have known for quite some time. It's too difficult to change your nickname every year. 

As you recall, I changed my previous run of nicknames every year from 1997 to 2013 as puns on Shakespeare plays. My only titles came in 2003 as As You Hike It and in 2012 with Anthony Munoz and Cleopatra. 

Third place: Eggers bulldoze Tractors

The Eggers were declared the winner over the Tractors, 46-31, in the Finks League third-place match despite the postponed Monday Night Football game featuring the Bills. Tractors K Bass BUF will not receive any points from the postponed game.

TRACTORS (31)

QB Purdy SF 11

RB Foreman CAR zero

RB B. Robinson WAS 3

WR Ty. Hill MIA 6

WR Aiyuk SF 11

K Bass BUF  ppd

EGGERS (46)

QB Herbert LAC 9

RB Jacobs LV 6

RB Z. Knight NYJ zero

WR Adams LV 19

WR Smith-Schuster KC zero

K Maher DAL 12 

Canes claim Finger Bowl 29 crown

 

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- In the all-Quagliano family showdown, father Dick nipped son Anthony for a 39-38 victory in Finger Bowl 29 for the 2022 Finks League title at Hard Rock Stadium.

After leading Hurricane Quags in its week 16 semifinal, RB Ekeler LAC scored a team-high 17 points to earn MVP. Ekeler rushed for 122 yards and scored two touchdowns. Canes owner Dick Quagliano earned his second Finger Bowl title since winning in 2007 in Finger Bowl 14 with a 47-42 victory over the Sodor Rail-Layers. 

Anthony's Boom Town Blue Jays were doomed by injured QBs, but nearly pulled off the victory when WR AJ Brown PHI came up short with 97 receiving yards. 

The matchup became the second narrowest margin of victory for a Finger Bowl game following the only tie in championship history when Paul Klatt's Virtual Poets won a tiebreaker over Chris Traczek's Helena Handbaskets in 1998. 

Quags regains possession of the Abe Gibron Trophy, which was recovered in a closet of their Barrington home after it went out of circulation during the pandemic.

JAYS (38)

QB Hurts PHI DNP

RB McCaffrey SF 11

RB Walker SEA 5

WR AJ Brown PHI 9

WR Waddle MIA zero

K Carlson LV 13

QUAGS (39)

QB Fields CHI 8

RB Etienne JAX 11

RB Ekeler LAC 17

WR J. Jefferson MIN zero

TE Kelce KC zero

K Butker KC 3