Pro League
Below are graphs showing how many votes each team received for first place. Below the graph is the Consensus Vote – an average of all the responses which ranks teams in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.

Division 1:

Consensus Vote:
1st Place: Orange Iguanas
2nd Place: Broadband Only
3rd Place: Power Outage

Division 2:

Consensus Vote:
1st Place: The Friend Zone
2nd Place: The Galloping Seagulls
3rd Place: Harmful if Swallowed

Division 3:

Consensus Vote:
1st Place: Zero Logic
2nd Place: Ahoooo
3rd Place: Apocalypse Ponies

Division 4:

Consensus Vote:
1st Place: Dat Orange Kush
2nd Place: Told Ya So
3rd Place: Tobogganation

Amateur League Division Winner Predictions

Division 1:

Division 2:

Division 3:

Division 4:

Division 5:

Division 6:

Division 7:

Division 8:

Division 9:

Division 10:

Division 11:

Division 12:

To make your pre-season predictions for Ammy league SL10, click here

Goosechecka’s GBSL10 Predictions:
Division 1:
Winner: <3 Raifanbaugh - With the strength of the host pullers and the way the rest of the team connects to that host, there few pro teams that could beat this 4-square-range line up, much less any less experienced team in the Ammy league.

Runner up: Red Ray. <3 Raifanbaugh aside, Red Ray seems to be in a division of relatively equal skill. Ebony Kitties with Attitude and long-time team The Henry Lovers will definitely prove to be challenging games and who knows what new teams Left Hook Fr0m H311 and What's the # For 911? will bring. However, the guys on Red Ray have the experience and skill to not only meet these challenges, but overcome them.

Division 2:
Winner: Dragon’s Mom – This is definitely a no-contest situation. With runners like TheHolmcross and Anubis, and tanks like H2O Camper, Cofrog and A Baby Tortoise, these geezers still have plenty of fight and talent left in them.

Runner up: Grif Reapers – With their unexpected loss in the first round of playoffs last season, the Reapers are back with a vengeance. LFTO: Delocated will make them work for every goal and multi-season teams such as Game Over and Moist Llamas shouldn’t be underestimated either. Van Burnen Boys, the only untested team, round out the division. The Grif Reapers’ path to the playoffs is far from certain.

Division 3:
Winner: Ever Growing Crisis – The individuals on this team have the most experience in this division by far. With a division full of newcomers, save Green Army Jr., the maturity of Ever Growing Crisis will see them through to the playoffs.

Runner up: Green Army Jr. – A perennial underdog and a personal favorite, Green Army Jr. is in a division where they have a chance to really demonstrate how they’ve grown and improved. They’ll have to bring their A-game to every match because with four first-season teams in the division (Team RnR, Team Voltage, The Waseca Wookies & Thundercats), it’s impossible to predict what these teams will bring to the court.

Division 4:
Winner: Team Haiti – Yes, the team captain may be a washed up, old-timer of a bovine surrounded by teammates who haven’t picked up a hammer in a few seasons, but Team Country still has it. They’ve been shaking off the rust in the off-season and are ready to play not only for themselves, but for their charity.

Runner up: IvI 50 Spartan MLG – This team has steadily been improving their game and their record since their start in Fall ’09. They made playoffs last year, but were knocked out by Pro Laggers in the first round. As a team, they have the most experience together (tied with We Like Mudkipz who really didn’t show up last season) and while they face challenging matches against Team Shuttlecock and What the Grif (not to mention the unknown that is The Grifball Ninjas), these guys have the cohesion and talent to succeed.

Division 5:
Winner: Trippin’ Ballz – A hybrid of Str8 Griffin and Behind Enemy Lines is a dangerous thing. They’ve had continual success and playoff runs as individuals, which is why they get the nod over Hammertime, and they’ve remained active in the past few seasons as well as the off-season, granting them the edge over former Pro/Legacy team That One Team.

Runner up: Hammertime – Scuba Stan has a beast of a host when he pulls and this is their fifth season as a team. They’ve not had the best of luck in the post-season and should That One Team pick up where they left off in Summer League ’09, both Hammertime and Trippin’ Ballz better watch out. The rest of the Division is comprised of first-time teams The Brutes, Six Pedals and Team Omega – PMS Clan’s first foray into the Grifball universe. This division seems to be split between teams with extensive experience and those with little to none and while Hammertime, Trippin’ Ballz and That One Team will be fighting for the Division Title, The Brutes, Six Pedals and Team Omega will most likely just be fighting for a win.

Division 6:
Winner: Pro Laggers – This team made it to the Final Four in last season’s playoffs, losing only to the future Ammy champs. Their roster hasn’t changed much since last season, and with a nearly perfect record, albeit only after one season, Pro Laggers shouldn’t have too much difficulty securing the division title.

Runner up: Trololo – Better known as TFO, Trololo doesn’t have any proven competition other than Pro Laggers. With a solid tanking line anchored by subatomic b man, this team will have to battle it out with Pro Laggers for division supremacy. The other teams in this division, Adissapren, Grif’s Balls, Hope Your Thirsty, and shadows of blood gulch, should have some competitive games amongst each other and possibly earn a wildcard spot (should that be an option).

Division 7:
Winner – This division is completely up for grabs and choosing a winner is sort of like choosing a random number between one and six. However, Suprize Cockbags gets the nod on this one – don’t let the uniform names and reported lack of experience fool you.

Runner up: Again, it’s a total toss up. You’ve got a clash of old school players like Joe Pro and OldFrigginGuy on Five Dollar Footlongs, experienced individuals forming a formidable team in Grammaton Clerics, a long-standing and experienced team in Outcast Revelation, and the extremely dedicated New York Pineapples. Just for fun though, runner-up status goes to Outcast Revelation.

Division 8:
Winner: The Soviet Machine – This always eclectic and sometimes controversial team is in a division comprised mostly of untested teams. They were the runner-ups for the Ammy Championship last season, and having kept mostly the same roster, are looking to finish what they started last season.

Runner up: x13 – While most of the names on this team are unrecognizable, one in particular definitely stands out. If this is a sleeper team trying to fly under the radar, you better crouch a little more because I can see you.

Division 9:
Winner: Try Hard Pants – This division is comprised completely of brand new teams, and with the exception of Try Hard Pants, these new teams seem to be made up entirely of new players.

Runner up: Grifball Failures – The use of reverse psychology to lure your opponents into a false sense of security is very clever. Other than that, there’s no real basis on which to compare these teams. It’s a totally open division and anyone can take the title.

Division 10:
Winner: Collateral Damage – Definitely not an easy decision in a division that has Cheap Ass Gamer, one of the best teams from the old days, and Deadly if Eaten and We Instigate Nothing, two teams with rapidly developing skill and a drive to prove themselves. Collateral Damage had best watch out, especially if CAG has been able to clear out some of the cobwebs that have developed over their year absence.

Runner up: Cheap Ass Gamers – You might not be able to teach an old dog new tricks, but this dog’s old tricks work just fine. A lot has changed since CAG retired nearly a year ago – teams are better, smarter, more skilled – but then again, most teams in this division have never played against a team with CAG’s experience or style. Deadly if Eaten and We Instigate Nothing are from being written off, but they will have to step up their game if they want a chance at making playoffs. Steel Wolves, one of the oldest Ammy/Rookie teams and newcomers Cow Boy Cats are going to have a rough season.

Division 11:
Winner: Hot Bikini Guyz – Not only do they have the best name of all time, these guys actually have talent to go along with their good looks. They were definitely a surprise in WL10, their rookie season, and have continued to improve.

Runner up: Super Jerks – A solid team of young players that will definitely be griefing the Bikini Guyz. They’ve been practicing throughout the off-season, and despite Its Ninja Bob’s seemingly omnipresent state of confusion, this team is tactical, smart, and ready to prove themselves in their first season. The Aces, The League of Extraordinary Grifballers, The Numerical Order of Pie, and SANDBOX MILITIA are all new teams in a division without an overbearing favorite and certainly have the chance at the post-season.

——————————-Update ———————————–
Due to a twelfth division being added to the amateur league, some changes need to be made to the predictions. x13 from Division 8 and The New York Pineapples from Division 7 have both been moved into Division 12 as well as Green Army, moved down from the Pro League.

Division 8:
Runner up: With x13 out of the picture, Bad Kidz Anonymous move up into the runner-up position.

Division 12:
Winner: Green Army – Just booted out of Pro by the addition of a 12th division in ammy, these guys will definitely be the dominate force in this division.

Runner up: x13 – Same reasons as stated previously. (See Division 8 prediction).

Earlier this week, Sir Jimmy resigned from this post as the Commissioner of the U.K. League. While some claim he resigned due to excessive drama, there may be an alternative explanation.

On October 10th, Caleb, the U.S. League Commissioner, contacted a member of the U.K. League to assist him in communicating with Sir Jimmy. It is unclear why Caleb could not contact Sir Jimmy directly. A conversation between the contact, Sir Jimmy (and possibly Caleb) ensued, and shortly thereafter Sir Jimmy resigned as U.K. Commissioner.

On October 14th, Caleb proposed to the U.K. community that the U.S. and U.K. Leagues merge (see below for the proposed merge plan).

“The idea is that the UK League merge with the US League. We would keep you guys in seperate divisions and playoffs (for connection reasons) but would keep you on the same schedule so that it would be organized. You guys would also be allowed to use our dispute system, highlights and anything else the US League has to offer. We would also have one guy/girl help me run the UK League (like I have LB for Pro and Menz for Ammy). I feel this could help strengthen the league for you guys. The one tough thing will be that based on size, captains would be responsible for scheduling their games (2 games a week over 5 weeks and a make up week for those that couldn’t get played).

It also won’t be to the point where I make every decision for you guys, but more that you guys will have an Admin who will still do a lot, but I will take care of things such as setting up League schedules. Everyone also in the UK League could run for elected positions we have so you could have even more of a say in the ongoings of things.

I would have you guys submit nominations for the Admin position for about a week, then have a voting period for about 2 weeks for your admin. Votes would be sent to my message box with info showing you are an active UK (or have been in the past) player. This way there would be no way for people to try and influence the votes (like you could do with a poll). They would then take office in Decemeber when the next league will start. (In the off time for you guys, feel free to play in our events and bum rushes. We have atleast 1 per week)

I would have the UK Division put into the Amateur League (it would not be fair to place some teams in Pro and some in Ammy due to size), but I could set up a fun 3 team event (Winners of Ammy League UK Div, Ammy League US Div and Pro League). This way you can earn some braggin writes vs the US League (granted no matter what people will always complain about connection).

Basically, 6 teams would make a Division (play each team twice for 5 games) and then have playoffs (number of teams in playoffs is based on division size). The more divisions, the larger the playoffs.”

To think that this sequence of events is merely coincidence would be naive. The question, then, is did Sir Jimmy’s retirement spur the merging idea or did the proposition of the merge prompt Sir Jimmy to retire, perhaps even against his will.

It was stated in the contact’s journal that he spoke to Sir Jimmy “trying to stop him trying to take on Caleb” and that “Sir Jimmy just didn’t want to accept it, and left”. This certainly supports the idea that Sir Jimmy’s departure was not entirely of his own design.

But speculation is irrelevant without motive. This next paragraph is by no means factual, merely a hypothesis. It is common knowledge that Caleb has been working to expand the league and bring more attention to Grifball. By bringing the U.K. League in line with the U.S. League, it makes the league appear more extensive, more expansive, and more impressive to outside eyes. It is likely that this is the motivation for the merge. Whether the merge was an opportunity which naturally presented itself or a situation forced into being remains uncertain.

The U.K. League has had issues with administration in the past, so this may be an attempt to stabilize the league. However, evidence supports the previous hypothesis and although it may have been a contributing factor, it is unlikely that league stabilization was the driving force behind merge proposition.

As for the merge itself, it should be emphasized that U.S. and U.K. players will not play each other. The proposed plan allows for the U.K. League to have their own scheduling, playoffs, league admin and head of rules. All details have not been worked out, and in fact whether the merge will occur is undecided, but should it go through, U.S. League play will not be affected.

Epic Games in the Pro League
This past week there were several big games played in the Pro league, two of which involved my team, Bleep Bloop. On Monday Bleep Bloop faced off against Crayola Magic in a nearly 41 minute battle. Though the score ended up in an 8-1 victory for Bleep Bloop, it doesn’t properly reflect how hard fought the game was.

Two days after after that game, Shut Your Lips and Learn, one of this summer’s pre-season favorites to win the championship found themselves the victims of a huge upset win by a revamped Put it on the Pad squad. There’s no doubt they are a much stronger team this season. The final score of the game was 6-3.

Finally on Friday there were two more monstrous games which were perhaps a couple of the most epic the Pro league has seen in its two seasons of existence. The first game featured +1 Zing besting That’s What She Said in 49 minutes and 39 seconds. It was a game which featured nearly 1,300 combined kills. In the end Zing took the win 5-4.

Zing and TWSS briefly held the record for the longest game in Grifball Pro league history until Bleep Bloop and Separate Intelligence completed their match-up just a few minutes later. It took Bleep Bloop 50 minutes and 13 seconds to finally shut down SI in what was definitely the most epic game I’ve personally ever played in. The final score was 5-4 and it was literally a war.

Big Performances in the Pro League
Considering the epic games played this past week, there certainly had to be some stand out performances in those games and there were. Here’s a run down of just a few of the most notable performances.

• Puptastrophe – 199 kills and a +66 kill to death ratio against Crayola Magic. Averaged 151.5 kills per game in two games this past week.
• I MajorSilva I – 225 kills and a +31 kill to death ratio against That’s What She Said. Averaged 131 kills per game in three games this past week.
• A Baby Tortoise – 225 kills and a +70 kill to death ratio against Separate Intelligence. Averaged 178 kills per game in two games this past week.
• Twizzted Status – Scored 15 goals in three games this past week for a 5 goal per game average.
• Doc Status – Scored 17 goals in four games this past week for a 4.25 goal per game average.

Forfeit Factory?
Sadly despite how well things are going this Summer in the Pro league, it seems we may officially have at least one forfeit factory. I’ve been hearing that the Apocalypse Ponies have called it quits without playing any games thus far. If so that means the remaining three teams in their division will be awarded two forfeit wins, unless a replacement team is found. Considering how far we are into the season though, it’s hard to imagine finding a replacement now.

Another team which has yet to play any games is Fizzlewinkie. From what I’m hearing though, several of their members are currently unavailable and they do plan to play their games. Let’s hope so. Fizzlewinkie has been around a long time. It would be unfortunate for them to end up as forfeit factory.

Grifball Matchmaking Update
When the next grifball double XP rolls around, there will be some changes made to the playlist. This is the information which Nokyard couldn’t tell us about during the last HubCast because at that time he had no confirmation of it. I’m sure it’s what many of us have been expecting however.

From the Bungie Update:

Grifball – Updated to include Mayan Grifball, Grifball Up There, and Aerial Grifball on Sandbox map variants (Optional)

It will still not be a Mythic required playlist but what this means is that if everyone in the game has the Mythic maps, there’s a good chance you’ll see one of Nokyard’s Sandbox grifball maps show up, which means you’ll finally have the option to veto. Now we don’t have to listen to the very old “veto!” joke anymore. Also Mayan Grifball has been added to the Action Sack playlist.

Pro League Top 10
I haven’t received a final word from Zeg regarding what his definitive plans are regarding his weekly top 10, but until I do so I’d just like to remind everyone to please send your votes into him via private message at the end of each week. It really doesn’t take that long. It would be sad for such a great contribution to the grifball community to have to come to end due to lack of participation. It’s things like Zeg’s Top 10 which help this league grow.

As for the Pro league, Strictly Business toppled Separate Intelligence in two games, also eliminating the need for a third. Like the Amateur championship, both games were played on neutral host. The final score for the first game was 5-4 and the second 6-3. This marks the third championship for Shadow S16, II Flowers II and x0 Pie x0. You can check out stats from the games here.

Pro League All Star Voting
With the playoffs coming to an end, the Grifball All-Star game is gearing up. The Professional League ballot is now available here, and you can find the individual statistics for nominated players here. The headers for some of the statistics can be vague, so here’s a quick explanation:

The “T” stands for True. For example T Kills = Kills – Guardian kills (bomb explosion or slop) and T Deaths = Deaths – Scores (the death after scoring will not count against your K/D).

Remember, in order to vote you must have your voting ID number. If you do not have a voting ID number or have forgotten it, contact Mikinater to receive a new one.

The individual stats committee has nearly completed data entry for the Amateur League and the ballot for amateur all-stars will be released soon.

If you plan to be a part of the discussion, please be respectful of both Tex and Moocow. Anyone being excessively irritating or just plain acting like a douche for the sake of doing so will be removed from the discussion.

Video is courtesy of Gamevideos.com.