Pride takes over FunkyPool:
Bill Ellis still King of the Hill
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Just minutes after the Weekly Recap swore and determined never to use the word "pride" in a public publication ever again, the people of the FunkyPool declared themselves proud: Full Charger boats from BAMF, Wego, and Godsey (and Patrick went to the game); Kathy with a full boat on her Broncos; Wyatt with a full boat on her Broncos; Zack with 8 points on his Jets at New England; Scott Wyatt with actual points on his Giants; Adam with a solo attempt on his Browns; KenDoggie and Franzen went 15 and 16 with their Raiders; even JLee put a 15 on his Niners.  Most delightfully surprising, new father Money Retsek sailed a full BearBoat into San Diego, showing newfound machismo or the beginnings of a classic "new baby" fall from sanity.  We'll soon see which.
 
But it was Bill Ellis, with his 11 on his Packers that took top prize.  In a really hard-fought game between two underrated playoff hopefuls, the Packers kicked a late field goal, and Bill began the season just as he finished it: as the alpha male of this pride.  Bill won Week 17, then swept through the playoffs, won the Slate, and is now still on top: already 33 points up on the playoff line and a shocking 58 points ahead of 4-time champion Eric Emerton.  He is also 50 points up on 2-time champion Money Retsek.  Last season, in contrast, Zack Schwartz took a mere 13-point lead on the playoff line, and just a 30-point lead over 24th place.
 
 
Stats and Observations:
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- This is Bill's 4th weekly win; his 2nd in two weeks, and 3rd over the past 2 years.
 
-  Eric Franzen finished in last place for either the 20th or the 21st time in his career, extending his all-time lead over the rest of the pool in just 7 seasons of work. 
 
 
If Only...
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You would've won the week if the following teams had won:
 
JLee: Eagles over Green Bay. 
 
Kevin: Bears beating the Chargers.
 
Kathy: She wins by 11 with a Giants win.  Wins by 10 with a Baltimore win. 
 
 
COW/POW
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Bill Ellis rightfully won the POW award for his prideful Packer pick, and Godsey randomly won the COW award for his random Falcon pick.  Godsey keeps seeing that dirty bird when nobody knows why he hangs out with that slut.  It's Godsey's 11th COW and it's Mr. Ellis's 2nd POW.
 
 
In other news:
 
POW! Jason Sullivan suddenly retires from FMNFLP
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Former Slate-winner Jason Sullivan surprised many FMNFLP pundits last week when he retired from the league without comment.  The undisputed champion of POWs (he has 17, almost double the number of POWs held by anybody else on earth), he won the championship in 2003.  He is 5th all-time in money finishes, 5th all-time in weekly wins, and 3rd all-time in wins per season.  He will be missed.
 
COW! Mike Godsey suddenly retires from CCALB
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In an effort to relive his glory days on the Foothill High JV baseball team, Godsey joined an adult baseball league this summer.  The games were legit -- they were played at Sinsheimer Stadium, required two umpires, and so on, and while Godsey's ERA was around 8.50, he did hit a respectable .167 and played a decent centerfield.  Unfortunately, however, after he pulled his hamstring, sprained a finger, and separated *both* shoulders over a 3-game span, Godsey announced his retirement (again), this time in order to "focus on football pools."
 
A Chiefs Fan!  Nice!
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To the great delight of this Larry Johnson-hating publication, we now have a Chief-cheering newbie in the pool.  Ron Salvatori, who, based on his photo, appears to be a 7-year-old catcher from Sacramento, is better known for his golfing skills than his football knowledge, but based on his "anal-lytical" skills (we don't want to know) and his ability to coach Sabbe on a "sprint triathalon" (we REALLY don't want to know), Salvatori is a 60-1 shot to win the Slate -- which means he's more likely to win the Slate than Godsey (who has already won a Slate), but not as likely as Chris Sabbe, who was stoked to finally finish in 11th place last year, beating Godsey (by 2 points) for the first time in four years. 
         We're curious to see what Ron's first words will be, and we're even more curious to see what he does when his Chiefs play the Bears, who were just brutalized in San Diego.  We're guessing that Money has his 16-pick already in the harbor.
        For more updated bios, odds, and good laughs, check out the "FunkyDomers" page on the website.  Sabbe has worked hard.
 
 
Tomorrow:
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Bill's Packers at Mr. Emerton's Giants.  Nice!
New Guy's Chiefs at Money's Bears.  Nice!
Raider Nation at Kathy's Broncos.  Nice!
Kevin's Vikings at Godsey's Lions.  Full Boat, Fool!
Jenaroo's Rams at JLee's Niners. (shown locally)