Adding some background on the two clubs competing for the top prize in the Hughes League, two teams with fairly similar histories:
The Holes….. they’re 1-3 in Hughes Bowls with the win coming over the Bombers in 2001. They’ve lost the game twice since, first when trying to repeat in ’02 and again in 2005….the eleven wins they posted in 2001 is a record for the franchise and their first double digit win total since they went 10-3-1 in 1984…. this is O’Conner’s fourth time to post the league’s best record and the second time to lead the league in points. Their 1202 total is the highest since 2006 when both the Sticks and Giants surpassed 1200 points. They are one of two clubs in history team to sweep the ‘Triple Crown’ by winning the Hughes Bowl in a season they also had the best season record and highest scoring total….they pulled it off in ’01 and are trying to repeat that rare feat a decade later. The only other team to do it even once was the ’96 Flyers….This is their tenth postseason appearance and they are 9-8 in 17 total games. [Update--The Holes point total for 2011 is the second highest in the new scoring era, the summary of top seasons is available here] The Holes probable lineup:
- Drew Brees
- Shonn Green
- LeSean McCoy
- Jermichael Finley
- Steve Smith
- Victor Cruz or Hakeem Nicks
- Stephen Gostkowski
The Blizzard…this is Paz’ twelfth postseason and his fifth Hughes Bowl, the first since their 1998 championship…. the club has split their four title games… they are now 9-8 in postseason completion… they are attempting to become the first team in history to win a Hughes Bowl after posting a sub .500 record… they are unofficially the only team to ever appear in a title game in that circumstance (I’m not through researching that)…. The Blizzard probable lineup:
- Tom Brady
- Adrian Peterson
- Mike Tolbert or LeGarrett Blount
- Wes Welker and two of the following:
- Jabbar Gaffney, Aaron Hernandez, Mario Manningham, Julio Jones, Jermaine Gresham, DeSean Jackson
- Dan Bailey
Prediction: It’s tempting to jump on the underdog Blizzard because so few teams have won that previously mentioned ‘Triple Crown’. But the Holes were so dominant this year that I can’t fight the tide. I’ve got it 103-80 Holes. We’ll see.
And finally, I’ve fixed the links in the Links section of the home page. I found what I hope is a reliable host for the pages and files. Please let me know if you have any trouble accessing them.
