Proposed changes for 2019

Once we're into the offseason, look for two proposed changes to present Finks League owners: 1) a change in the schedule; 2) another vote on using wild card playoff teams.

In both cases, a majority vote of at least six owners will be needed to pass the proposed change.

Here's a closer look:

1. Eggers owner Mike Miazga actually proposed changing the league schedule to a 14-game regular season after 2017, but I decided to hold off a vote until after 2018 once we completed our 25th season. A 14-game regular season would make the Finks League season last 16 weeks, instead of our present 17 weeks. Adopting this change would mean no Finks games would be played in the NFL's Week 17, typically a "rest" week for playoff teams that have already clinched. This would be easy to do, if passed. I would eliminate the Finks League's Week 9 extra crossover games and flip flop the scheduled games now listed as Week 7 and Week 8. That would place the single crossover week games in the middle of the regular season. I have always liked the idea of playing 15 regular season Finks games, but as Dah Commish I have since changed my mind and have seen more reasons for not playing in the NFL's Week 17.
2. This proposal was voted down two years ago. This would be a Dah Commish-inspired proposal revisited. Instead of guaranteeing playoff berths for division runners-up, I still like the idea of going to wild cards to fill the last two playoff spots after division champions. I just like the idea of getting teams with the best records into the semifinal playoffs. 

Please send any commentary or rebuttals to the group. I hope you had a pleasant New Year and I am already looking forward to Finks action in 2019. 

Jays claim first Finger Bowl title

OMAHA, Neb. -- A monster game from a late-season pickup and a 50-yard plus field goal from veteran PK Vinatieri IND helped lead Boom Town Blue Jays owner Anthony Quagliano to his first Finger Bowl championship in Week 17.

The Jays held off the Lockport Distillers 51-47 to win Finger Bowl 25 at Morrison Stadium.

QB Allen BUF scored 27 Finks points for the Jays (14-3) to capture Finger Bowl MVP honors. Allen became the first BUF player to become a Finger Bowl MVP in the 25-year history of the Jim Finks Memorial Football League. Allen was a free-agent pickup in Week 15 for the Jays.

Allen rushed for two touchdowns, threw three TD passes and earned three bonus points each for rushing and passing.

"I picked him up exactly for this week and he showed out (sic) when I needed it," Quagliano said. "Good to see (RB) Miller come up big when I needed him too."

The Distillers (10-7) had a chance to win but a holding penalty nullified a second possible rushing touchdown for RB Mack IND in the Sunday night game at TEN. The six points would have put the Distillers over the top. Vinatieri also missed an extra point. Entering the Sunday night game, the Jays led 39-36.

The four-point victory for the Jays was the third smallest margin of victory in a Finger Bowl. Finger Bowl 5 was decided by tiebreaker and FB 8 was decided by two points.

The Jays tied a Finks League regular season record for wins in a season and Quagliano, who is in his fourth season, will possess the Abe Gibron Trophy for the upcoming year.

For the victory, Quagliano receives $376.50 and the Distillers' Cassidy earns $125.50 as runner-up.

Finger Bowl 25 boxscore:

Distillers (47)
Manning NYG 14
Carson SEA 11
Mack IND 11
Jeffery PHI 6
Thielen MIN zero
Butker KC 5

Jays (51)
Allen BUF 27
Conner PIT zero
Miller HOU 6
Smith-Schuster PIT  6
Kelce KC  zero
Vinatieri IND 12

Finks League third place goes to Fantasy

The boxscore for the Finks League's third-place match:

Quags (22)
Mahomes KC 11
Edwards BAL 3
Adams PHI zero
J. Brown BAL  zero
Cooper DAL  zero
Fairbairn HOU  8

Fantasy (27)
Wilson SEA  3
Gordon LAC zero
Cohen CHI  6
Baldwin SEA zero
Reynolds LAR 12
Parkey CHI 6

Finger Bowl 25 preview: Distillers vs. Jays

FINGER BOWL 25
Lockport Distillers (10-6) at Boom Town Blue Jays (13-3)
At Morrison Stadium, Omaha, Neb.

Playoff records: Distillers' Cassidy (4-4-1); Jays' Anthony Quagliano (1-0)

Head to head: Jays 23, Distillers 22, Week 13

The skinny: The 2018 division champions meet in our annual Finks League final. A. Quags' Jays is making his first appearance in the Finger Bowl in his fourth season as an owner... The Distillers return to the Finger Bowl for the first time since winning FB 18 in its inaugural season in 2011. The Distillers beat the Ham N Eggers 66-61 to tie the highest scoring Finger Bowl ever played (FB 11 in 2004)...
 With the New Orleans Saints clinching the NFC South and No. 1-seed in the NFC, it will be interesting to see if the Saints will rest Distillers starters QB Brees NO and WR Thomas NO.... Considering how they finished last season, it would have been hard to predict that Cassidy and A. Quags would meet in this year's Finger Bowl. The Distillers went 5-10 in 2017 while the Jays were 4-11.

Projected starters: Distillers -- Brees, Mack, Carson, Thomas, Thielen, Butker. Jays -- Watson, Kamara, Gurley, Ebron, Smith-Schuster, Vinatieri.

The pick: Jays 42, Distillers 30.

Semifinal boxscore: Distillers 62, Quags 45

LOCKPORT, Ill. -- RB Carson SEA scored two touchdowns and PK Butker KC added 15 points to lead the Lockport Distillers to a 62-45 victory in the Finks League's Week 16 semifinals. The Distillers received points from each starter to pull off the upset over Quags, which set a new league record for consecutive wins this season.

The win sets up a showdown between division champions in Finger Bowl 25 featuring Lewis Division winner Distillers (10-6) at Urlacher champion Boom Town Blue Jays (13-3). The win by Distillers owner Dan Cassidy also spoiled a possible Finger Bowl matchup between father and son Quaglianos.

Quags (45)
Mahomes KC 16
Lindsay DEN zero
Edwards BAL 3
A. Brown PIT 19
Cooper DAL zero
Fairbairn HOU 7

Distillers (62)
Brees NO 10
Mack IND 6
Carson SEA 17
Thomas NO 11
Thielen MIN 3
Butker KC 15

Week 15: Puttin' a fork in it

Every season ends with four happy owners going to the playoffs, and the another six owners feeling lost all over again.

Dah Commish is one of them, despite having an 8-7 season. I could never get my WRs right. Two of my four coming out of the auction sucked -- D. Thomas DEN and Stills MIA -- and were eventually waived. My other two, Allen LAC and Cooks LAR, had miserably slow starts. Allen was great in the second half, but had five scoreless games in the first half of the season. Yikes.

I did one positive thing this season, but for another team. When Quags was left without a healthy PK entering Week 9, I pulled off a trade with him by acquiring WR Gordon NE for PK Fairbairn HOU. Fairbairn became the NFL's top scorer this season. He has 142 points going into Week 17.

Here's a scattershot look at comments from other owners across the league, who did not make the playoffs.

Miazga:  HNE owner Mike Miazga is summarily firing the entire roster with disgrace after one of the most horrific and underachieving seasons in franchise history. This team of zero-point-performing lightweights has sullied the image of the organization, even beloved Eggers kicker Stephen Gostkowski whose act for kicking (and sometimes missing) mainly extra points has worn out its welcome here.

 Wanberg:  Well, if you will excuse me, it's not been a great season. I need to go fire the coaching staff, scouting staff, training staff, media relations staff, accounting department and our director of concessions. : )

Semifinal boxscore: Jays 49, Fantasy 39

OMAHA, Neb. -- QB Watson HOU scored two touchdowns and passed for two touchdowns to score a match-high 25 points as the Boom Town Blue Jays defeated Just a Fantasy 49-39 in the Finks League Week 16 semifinal at Morrison Stadium.

Fantasy (39)
Wilson SEA 14
Gordon LAC 6
Cohen CHI zero
Adams GB 6
Baldwin SEA 11
Parkey CHI 2

Jays (49)
Watson HOU 25
Kamara NO 15
Gurley LAR DNP
Ebron IND zero
Smith-Schuster PIT 5
Vinatieri IND 4