Week Six

Half way through the season, the competition has been fierce and there has been a few surprises thus far.

Before the season started, my predicted standings were:

Atlantic Conference:
1st - Freedom (3rd)
2nd - Dead Strokes (1st)
3rd - Sexy Poolerz (2nd)
4th - Straight Shots (4th)

Pacific Conference:
1st - For The Win (1st)
2nd - Break and Run (3rd)
3rd - New Era (4th)
4th - Pool Hall Pros (2nd)

The two big surprises half way are Freedom in the Atlantic, and Pool Hall Pros in the Pacific, and wouldn't you know it, they play this week!

Monday @ 7pm - Straight Shots [2-3] vs For The Win [4-1]
Three weeks ago, Straight Shots were on top of the world, rather just PRO, but still! Since starting off 2-0, Straight Shots have really cooled off and haven't been firing on many cylinders at all. JJ and Jay were the talk of PRO after their hot start, but have since stuttered along. Jay has gone 0-0 in the losing streak and JJ 2-3 I believe. They were the only two reasons Straight Shots got off to a hot start, and since others on the team haven't been able to pick up the slack, it's no wonder Straight Shots are falling. What Straight Shots needs to do is simple, get their better players easy wins early on if they look to move forward. Anyone who has seen Pita on a roll knows what I'm talking about, he just needs to get on that roll. Joe can surprise anyone at any time, he just needs to gain consistency for Straight Shots if they look to bounce back and hold tight in the playoff race. For Danielle & co., it's pretty simple. Show up. Their loss last week really means nothing apart from not achieving a flawless season. They still should have no issue moving forward with players like Ant, Daz, Jeremy and Stephen. Danielle may want to look at adding some late season depth as she moves forward. Even with a loss, Straight Shots can still be able to rebound with a strong performance and feel good about their chances moving forward.

Prediction - 5-2 For The Win

Tuesday @ 7pm - Sexy Poolerz [3-2] vs Break and Run [2-3]
After poor starts by both their standards, both Sexy Poolerz and Break and Run have bounced back with 2-1 records in their past 3, giving us an exciting match between two hot sides. With the loss of Scotty, someone in Sexy Poolerz needed to step up and thus far it has been the kid brainiac in Brent. 5-2 in 4 matches puts him in a position to get double digit wins by the end of the season, something we could all predict and it's good to see he has stepped up for his team. While his support hasn't been the greatest, they've been able to get it done when it's counted. If Lewis is able to play more consistently and Roy is able to get back to his old form, this team could very well repeat last seasons efforts. Despite Jordy being Jordy, Break and Run hasn't been able to support him like seasons past. Players like Croz and Ross, the usually suspects to help him out just haven't been able to get it going. While the addition of Gus certainly helps their chances in making the playoffs, Ross will need to start bringing a solid game plan to the match if he looks to push past .500 and get into the playoffs. Not sure why, but I have a feeling both these sides will be 3-3 by the weekend.

Prediction - 5-3 Break and Run

Tuesday @ 7pm - Dead Strokes [4-1] vs New Era [1-4]
Dead Strokes have been superb thus far in the season, stacking their team to the brim with talent to compete with the likes of For The Win, Freedom and Sexy Poolerz, and with two of those teams in their conference, it's a good thing. Ashton has finally been able to show consistently proving his worth as an MVP candidate, and now with the likes of Luis, Luis, Jose, Nick, Rees and even Roy, Dead Strokes is not only scary, but deep. New Era, if they show they'll give them a game, they could probably win too, but it's been an unfortunate experiment for Jon to say the least.

Prediction - 5-0 Dead Strokes

Thursday @ 7pm - Freedom [2-3] vs Pool Hall Pros [2-3]
Two teams predicted to have polar opposite seasons find themselves in relative territory. With 2-3 records, Pool Hall Pros shouldn't feel too bad for themselves as they sit second, something not many thought of. On the other side, Freedom with 3 losses in the same season? It wasn't since the days of Season 9 and 10 where Pete had no one on his team did they have so many losses. Freedom has turned it on as of late though, with back to back big wins and making sure they are still the only undefeated team in PRO. Pete was able to lead by example last week with a 3-0 showing, and while he may not need to be as good this week, underestimating Pool Hall Pros would be a big mistake. Despite their record that many think is too good for them, it really isn't. Trio, whether you like it or not is actually a good player, not great, but a lot better than his 1-4 record may suggest. Candi, Sergio, Tommy and Rocky are all capable of taking over matches, and Sean will need them to be at their best in the second half of the season as they look to fend off Break and Run and try and snag a #1 spot away from For The Win. Pete will no doubt look to add to his record and bring a squad good enough to make SP worry over that second playoff spot.

Prediction - 5-2 Freedom