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The bottom half of the red side are matched up tonight. Expect all kinds of hijinks, chicanery and rapscallionsim, as well as a veritable myriad of assorted ragamuffinry.
THIS IS WHY WE GET PAID THE BIG $$$, DAMMIT!!! IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT, GET OUT THE MAMMAJAMMIN' KITCHEN!!!!

That is all.

This season has to be one of the most complex seasons and interesting seasons i have been a part of in my team in D3. First off with the way the records were shaking out prior to interleague play the Blue side actually held their own (or my team did) in games against the much more formidable Red side! but to the real story lines...

First off on the Blue side you have 2 teams tied for the demotion spot (and i cant tell if they are both battling to get out of that spot or into it.) Then you pair that with 2 teams tied for 5th & 6th place. Where we all know thats soooo important because that 5th spot saves you the headache and trouble of having to go into a relegation series which is always troubling, but in this case it would be a relegation series against a team who has the likelihood of being either at or even above .500...

Then lets look at the red side.. you have 4 teams that are literally tied or 1 game away from being a 5 seed or hosting 1 playoff game. Then we all know making up 2 games in a competitive side like red is is going to extremely difficult. So i personally think 8-8 is not going to get a 5 seed or make the playoffs in the long run. And with the state of the blue maybe the 6th & 7th on the red side aren't worried about relegation games.

It is more than possible that the 7th seed in the red has a better record than the last playoff team in the blue side.

It is crazy, and as I've said before, I've played Hattrick, a soccer game very similar to BB. You don't have playoffs, but to get promoted you actually have to do more than win your league, and it has the same concept as Enthusiasm. So I've had experience with this rock-paper-scissors business of debating Normal, CT and TIE (HT calls them "Match of the Season" and "Play it Cool").
In my position, 6th hosting 7th, the easy answer would have been to CT. Doing otherwise and losing would have invited all sorts of derision. At one point a few days ago I'd filled out my orders that way, but changed my mind, conventional wisdom be damned, and decided to go normal. Today I thought about it some more, and not only decided to stay normal, but gamed it out from SVJ's side and realised his best move was to TIE.
As it turned out, that's exactly what he did. If he loses, some might think it was foolish, but if you look at our schedules, and the playoff situation you've described, I think you'll see he made the right move. If anything, the most apt criticism might be of me, for not playing TIE.
Thank goodness I've been in this situation before, because there are some really bright people up here, and if you come up unprepared, you're liable to get your ass handed to you.

PS Can I give a shout-out to this guy? (17869771) Kiko played 21 minutes this morning in a Turkish league game, then hopped in an experimental hypersonic aircraft -- which he designed, built, and piloted himself -- and arrived just before tipoff so he could make his debut tonight. I just want him to know that the entire Sparta family appreciates his dedication.

I knew I shouldn't have made jokes about the injured list. Hell of a time to pick up my first of the season: in the first minute of a crucial game, to my starting center. I didn't look at the PBP, but I'm guessing he stubbed his pinkie on the opening tip.
So poor Kiko had to jump right in and played 69 minutes in less than 12 hours. He wasn't great, but give the guy a break.
It weren't pretty, but we won. And I since my new ticket prices kicked in, I can get out and buy another bargain-basement nursing home refugee to fill in at center! Preferably some guy who's playing a double overtime game in rural Mongolia, then I'll sign him 30 minutes before tipoff. Watch the hilarity ensue as he tries to make it here in time. Make it into a reality show.

imo really savvy move playing normal in that game. svj played their hand correctly, just didn't work out for them. only criticism would be the failure to use gdp, because you have to assume normal or better against the 6 seed. a perfect gdp makes that a different ball game.

I noticed hardly anyone uses gameday prep up here, and everyone changes tactics enough that it would only make sense in the direst of circumstance -- and then the slim hope of getting a win might be outweighed by the potential loss of point difference. Last season I knew I was the favorite going in, that underdogs would try and take a flyer, and before the season completed my ongoing project of making my team almost perfectly balanced. So I was able to switch tactics with virtually no penalty, just to make GDP unviable and gimmick defenses.
Against Baker Street I didn't use GDP, but I figured I was an underdog and pulled out that crazy 1-3-1. It worked, but if I'd lost by 5, I'd have kicked myself for over-coaching.

Oh Wizards come out and PLAY!!!!!!!

Never been a fan of GDP since its inception.

You're in luck. You're the first to try out my new lineup, with a new addition. Lots of pieces changed. It's going to be fun crushing you. No one point wins this time around. Too bad your best player is sitting on the bench.