Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Week 3 Power Rankings

After 3 week of bowling, here are the power rankings entering the 4th week:

1. Strike Kings (9 wins, 33 points) - Easy call at #1 right now. While some people are calling the previous article on the Strike Kings premature, they've been taking care of business from the get go. They handled Force in 3 close games in week 1, and took out the Ballers easily in week 2. In week 3, they got a scare from Asian Sensation in game 1, but after snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, easily defeated them the next two games. They have 2 of the top 3 bowlers in the league in Jason and Don, who have impressed all season. But the supporting cast like Ammad (10th in the league overall) are starting to improve as well, making this team that much harder to beat. Their depth after the top 2 will be questioned, but if they continue to get solid contributions from at least one other bowler, they will be favorites to win it all.

2. Pin Smackers (aka Eagles) (6 wins, 20 points) - A toss up between the #2 and #3 teams currently, but the Pin Smackers get the edge due to their head to head matchups and better attendance. They have the league's best bowler in Abhi, who's put up ridiculously good numbers, including a 279 game that will likely not be matched by anyone. He also takes the pressure off the rest of his teammates since you know he'll likely beat the opponent's anchor by a decent margin. But Abhi will be the first to tell you it's all about the team; and while Adam and company haven't put up eye popping numbers, they've put up solid games and someone always seems to have a great game to go along with Abhi. Besides the Strike Kings, they're the only team that can say they won at least 1 game each week to this point. A matchup with Strike Kings is needed to see how they'll fare when the opponent has someone that can take on Abhi.

3. Pin Pals (6 wins, 22 points) - Yes, they have more points than the Pin Smackers, but it's been all or nothing for this team so far, and the schedule has favored them thus far as well. There is no question this team has talent. Ayaz and Asif have not disappointed so far as they're currently the #4 and #5 bowlers in the league. Riz is also the #6 bowler in the league, so they have depth. But they've also had attendance issues. Riz has only bowled 4 games, Ayaz, Chris, and Dave have all missed a week. Missing Chris, Dave, and Riz hurt as they got swept by the Eagles. The only time they've had their full roster so far is against the Ballers. If they continue to have attendance issues, they won't be able to crack the top 2, but at full strength, this team can has the ability to beat anyone.

4. Asian Sensation (4 wins, 16 points) - When Asian Sensation is going well, you will definitely know it. One of the more animated teams in the league, Asian Sensation has found early success with two wins against the Eagles and Force. They also took the Strike Kings to the limit in game 1 of their series, as they had a near 70 pin lead in the 9th frame. However, they blew that lead as they couldn't close it out. Then in games 2 and 3 they got blown out. Could this be a sign of things to come? Or was it just an aberration? In Asian Sensation's defense, they were missing power bowler Adam against the Strike Kings, who's been their 2nd best bowler so far this season. But Asian Sensation's main problem has been consistency. Jin has bowled games in the 180's this season, but he also has games in the 110's. Khaled has broken the 200 game barrier, but hasn't always had the help he's needed. Going forward, this team needs someone to step up and consistently finish every game for this team, otherwise the pressure of close games could continually stop them from being top notch.

5. Force (2 wins, 8 points) - Force has been the most inconsistent team thus far. Alan and Bobby have missed one week, and Shumail and Raheel have only come one week. Prince, Bobby, and Alan have all bowled great games, but they haven't been able to do it in the same game to this point. While the 3 of them rank 7, 8, and 9 in average in the league respectively, they need to be more consistent in order to put wins on the board. Force might have the deepest full roster in the league, with players like Roswell and James doing a respectable job, but attendance issues could easily derail them from doing anything substantial. Force has played teams tough; they gave the Strike Kings 3 tough games in week 1, played Asian Sensation close in week 2, and was very close to sweeping the Pin Smackers in week 3. They've had a tough schedule so far, but they have been unable to close out games and capitalize on their opponents lower games. Alan and Prince showed signs of breaking out against the Eagles, and if they continue to put up the 160+ games they did last week, Force could easily make a move upward in the standings. But if the team continues their inconsistencies in attendance and play, they won't be going very far this season.

6. Ballers (0 wins, 0 points) - In fairness to the Ballers, they've had one less week than the other teams to figure out their roster and to start improving as a team. Even when they've shown, they had attendance issues their 1st week (against the Strike Kings no less). They have the talent, as Nadeem has already put up a 190 game, and the others have been around the 140 mark. They've also bowled over a 700 series as a team. But they're going to have to figure everything out quickly if they want to make a run at the playoffs. Nadeem is going to have to be a consistent anchor for this team and he's going to have to get support from his entire roster. This team still remains a mystery as they been seen the least, so they have a chance to be taken lightly and surprise their next few opponents.

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