
And then there were four. Congratulations to the Lame Excuses, Indiana Purdy Mouth, PNW Evergreens, and the Dark Corner ThrillBillies on advancing to the Gulfman League Playoffs. Each of you earned your spot and in my opinion are all worthy of being crowned champions. As for the rest of us?

And just in case anyone is butt-hurt about not receiving an invite to the party due to those pesky league rules, I’ll be happy to refer you to the near unanimous vote a few years ago that shot down a proposal for total points — not W-L record — to determine the last two playoff spots.

Moving on, let’s handicap these postseason participants, shall we?
1) Lame Excuses – The Carolina Division champs were living on easy street for most of the season, but a late-season slide from Jonathan Taylor and concussions for both CeeDee Lamb and Tee Higgins have dealt a blow to their title chances. Can the flimsy pretexts rebound under the bright lights or will they squander a great regular season and be labeled as chokers and frauds?
2) Purdy Mouth – After finishing as bridesmaids the last two seasons, the Mouth are primed to slip into a wedding dress and wreck the alter, thanks in large part to the Seattle Trident: D/ST, footie, JSN. Can the Hoos down in Hoosierville wash off the stink of failure to finally reach the tippity top or will they crash into a snowbank and be cannibalized by the survivors?
3) PNW Evergreens – Started the season 0-4 but ended up outscoring the rest of the league by 100 points. That’s the kind of resilience and perseverance that defines winners. Led by CMC, Dak, and Davante, this team of olds is ready to take the youngins over their knee and deliver a spanking to remember. Can the crafty conifers continue their limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing wheelin’ and dealin’ ways or will they end up staring down a thirsty blade at the sawmill?
4) Dark Corner ThrillBillies – The Billies looked unbeatable halfway through the season, but with the Bucs in decline and Bijan being stuck in the burning Hell that is the Falcons, they find themselves limping into the playoffs despite a crucial Week 14 victory over the Lame ones. The good news is Puka draws the Lions depleted secondary this week and Dalton Kincaid is healthy again. Can the mountain moonshiners continue to evade defeat or will outsiders overrun their territory?
Good luck, gentlemen. May the best fake team win.

Before I skedaddle off to Vegas for my annual pre-Christmas dive into degeneracy, I’d like to pour one out for Daniel Jones. Despite my penchant for pointing and laughing at his quarterbacking buffoonery, I wasn’t laughing at what happened to him on Sunday. It sucks to see his (and the Colts) season go up in flames due to a torn Achilles.
In a league filled with guys who half-ass their way through games, it’s nice to see one that clearly gives a shit. Alas, the Daniel Jones redemption arc wasn’t meant to be. Maybe he’ll get another chance, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. The Football Gods are cruel and unforgiving monsters that take pleasure in chewing up and spitting out mere mortals.

Anyway, I’ll be back in a couple of weeks to glaze the Gulfman League Champion. Until then, enjoy the silly season and don’t forget to tip your local Santa.















































































































