Day 8 Action!

Hola, amigos!

Game 1:

Sturgeonface vs. Wax Off

Mob mentality is an interesting thing. How it came to be that Wax Off became the villain is up for debate, but what you can't really argue is that everyone wants them to lose. Every point they get is greeted with silence. Every point they lose is cause for a parade, complete with elephants, a 100-piece marching band, jugglers, floats, and scantily clad cheerleaders.

Scantily clad cheerleaders....mmmm...

Ok, hey. Back to the games. Right.

Umm...

My train of thought has gone completely off the rails here, but the game was exciting, Sturgeonface gave it their all, and Wax Off lives to be taunted another day. And Jim Brown is insane.

Wax Off: 21, Sturgeonface: 16

Game 2:

Chuck Duke Presents: Hairbags vs. Q-Balls

This might have been the most anticipated matchup to date. Q and Joel, Jcho and Morgan. All heavy hitters, all wily pongers, all smoove, suave, and suffocated. Or something.

I throw this question out to the masses: what got into Morgan that he felt that every shot had to be a full-body slam? It was astounding! As superfan Brian Smith pointed out, it was as if he started winding up at Tenth Street, came down the block, and by the time he reached the table, he was running at full tilt. Jesu Christo!

Anyway, this one seemed to be getting over pronto as Hairbags charged out to a quick 7-1 lead, making Q-Balls look useless in the process. Jcho dominated serve completely and Morgan only got to hit one ball out of the first eight. Whoa.

I don't know what happened next, but the tables were turned 180 degrees. Q-Balls stayed cool and came back quickly and took the lead, to the point where Hairbags was now in danger of elimination. There wasn't a single rally that continued past three hits. Every point was nearly instantaneous and the scores soared at record pace. It was a race to the finish, neck and neck for the last three or four points! 18-18. 19-19. 20-19...

Chuck Duke Presents: Hairbags: 21, Q-Balls: 19

Let's give Joel Friesch a round of applause as he leaves our tournament for the last time. He's a hard competitor and has played in every tournament since their inception. He takes one championship with him, his name immortalized on the trophy. Best of luck in your travels, Joel.

Game 3:

Muffintops vs. SILF

Raise your hands: how many of you picked SILF to be in the final Winner's Bracket pair? Alright, those with your hands up are lying. You picked Q-Balls, you picked Muffintops, you picked Hot Buzz, and you picked Hairbags, but you did not pick SILF, even with the newly refurbished JParm 5000 firmly in place. Now, out of the none of you that had them in the final pair, how many of you had them winning the Winner's Bracket? Now you've got it right. The answer is none.

SILF is clearly the surprise of the tournament. Even under the bright lights of Centre Court, they stayed very cool. Muffintops, on the other hand, were very tight today. Wtf? Perhaps it was too much braggadocio on their part in the build up to the game and the possible weight of expectations, but they were gripping the paddles very tightly on that side of the table. SILF built an early lead and held onto it throughout the game. Around 17-12 or so, you could see the blank looks in Muffintops eyes. Even they knew that they'd let this one slip away.

SILF: 21, Muffintops: 15

Congratulations to SILF as the champions of the Winner's Bracket. They now await an opponent from the Loser's Bracket to face in the Championship Pair.