NOVI, MICHIGAN – 15 weeks into the season and we are still popping cherries. No, it wasn’t related to Nick chasing the sexy Asian neighbor around the block before ultimately catching her. Hugh and Jason were welcomed to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in week 15.

They showed up, looking professional and didn’t show the weathering of 14 heavily boozed Thursdays. It was enough to make me reflect on what life was like in week 1 when my liver and kidneys still functioned properly.

Nonetheless, they were thrown to the fire and they held their own. Jason was yet another lefty with solid fundamentals, in search of more reps to hone is craft. Hugh looked like a seasoned vet at times, but the rust of being away from the game for a year showed at times.

We’re happy to have you, fellas. Welcome to the league and take the classiness down a few notches for us, will ya?

The newcomers were part of the Game of the Night, which also featured another high-rising rookie in Jack. In game 4 Hugh and Jack squared off against Jason and Adam. Jack-Daddy set the tone from the tip, putting a 10-point round on Jason. Keep in mind this is Jason and Hugh’s first game. Jack welcomed Jason to the league by immediately taking his will, as if he were a freshman coed. Would we expect anything less from Jack? Exactly.

Jack’s huge opening round propelled his squad to a 12-0 early lead, but Adam kept his composure and slowly led Jason on a comeback. In round 3 Adam gained a +7 advantage over Hugh, and Jason drew even with Jack for a few rounds. All the sudden it was tied at 14, with Adam and Jason going on a sick 14-2 run.

Then Hugh came alive. He jarred 2 cornholes and gained a 6-1 advantage over Adam to up the lead to 19-14.

Adam and Jason responded the next round, each outscoring their opponent by 2 points to close the gap to 19-18. But when Jack-Daddy is on, he’s on. Jack is always worried about the size of his KPM and in the final round he proved it’s really big by outscoring Jason 4-0 to clinch the game, 21-18.

Jack earns the week 15 MSM, his first of the season, because of his opening round 10, which completely dictated the tone of the game. Even though it was a game of runs, Jason couldn’t recover the focus needed to battle Jack for several rounds.

Adam was close to earning the MSM because of his 10-point round against JG in game 7. But because his team still lost the game, Jack gets the nod.

Congratulations to Jack-Daddy for his first MSM of the season.

I know all of you are anxiously awaiting this week’s “CoachFeed” session. You’ll be disappointed to know Coach Mike didn’t play in week 15, marking the second week he failed to inform us of the latest celebrity dirt.

News and Notes:

• Guess who’s back, back again…JG. He became only the third different player to hit the 13+ KPM mark when he went 70% from the field, scored 4.1 gross points per round and kicked in 0.64 cornholes per round. He finished 2-1 for the night, and retained his #1 spot in the power rankings.
• Paul had a very nice night, going 3-3 with a KPM of 8.8. He had one of his more accurate nights, going 45% from the field. His cornholes per round (0.45) were also good enough for a 10+ KPM (see the scale in the attached file, bottom of the “Standings” tab). He rebounded from losing his first two games to go 3-1, including ANOTHER win over his arch nemesis, JV, and two wins when partnering with KP.
• Adam was solid in every category on his way to a 9.3 KPM, which was third highest for the night. Adam also recorded a ridiculous 7 foot snags, bringing his season total to 34. For those counting, he’s now 1 back of JV for the overall foot snag lead and Adam has done his work in 1/3 fewer games than JV. Adam may be #12 in the power rankings, but this pizza pie tosser (hey, it’s better than a salad tosser) has serious game.
• Jack earned the MSM of the week and had a respectable KPM of 7.5. His accuracy was his downfall, at only 42%. If he can bring that to the upper 40s, his KPM goes closer to 9. Basically, Jack needs to find a bit more consistency, which will come when he is able to play more often. Sadly, Jack is done for the 2017 season and the first half of the 2018 season since he’s moving to Poland for work. Don’t worry, Jack. A 7.5 KPM in Poland is plenty big…
• JV struggled this week. His 3-3 record kept him in the top 3 of the power rankings and his accuracy, while low for his standards (46%), was still adequate. JV’s problem was his cornhole rate…0.28 cornholes per round was the second-lowest of the night. Overall, this might have been JV’s worst night of the season, which is saying something considering he’s shit his pants and thrown a beer can at KP’s head this year. The good news is he added 3 foot snags to his season-leading total (35).
• KP rebounded from last week’s 2-8 debacle to go 5-0 with an 11.5 KPM. That was enough to vault him over JV to #2 in the power rankings. The 11.5 KPM is impressive, especially considering his accuracy was about 10% lower than normal.

BEVERLY HILLS, MICHIGAN – Shit got REAL in week 14. It was a smaller group of players compared to normal standards when Bushie hosts, but it featured some of the big swinging dicks of the league.

Four players registered KPM of 10 or higher, including Nick who topped the 13 mark for the second time this season and tied the second-highest KPM all year at 13.4 (JV also registered a 13.4 in week 12).

Even more impressive was the fact that we had 4 different instances of players recording a 12 point round (all 4 bags in the hole). Throughout the Preseason Kick-Off Tournament and 13 weeks of regular season play, nobody had recorded a 12 point round. In fact, through 2 seasons of LEG, the only 12 point round on record was Barker in the 2016 Championship Tournament. So 4 different instances in one week is unheard of. Clearly guys are upping their play in the home stretch in the Road to the Cup.

The Game of the Night was in Game 3 and featured super-rookie and Coach Mike descendant (English majors, yes a nephew is still a descendant), Marco and JG against Nick and KP. It was a match-up of the 4 players with KPM >10.

Early on it was all Nick and KP, powered by arguably the best player in the league, Nick. He abused Marco in the early rounds, taking a +9 advantage en route to his squad racing to a 13-4 lead.

But Marco has too much pride to let things go down like that. He showed the fight one would expect from one of Coach Mike’s guys, and dumped a 10-1 round on Nick’s face in round 5. JG continued the momentum by outscoring KP by 2 in the same stanza, flipping the game to a 15-13 advantage.

KP and Nick couldn’t recover. KP sucked (more on that later) and Nick ran out of stamina fighting 1 vs. 2. Marco closed Nick out 7-3 in the final frame for a 21-16 win, which included a 17-3 run to get the “W”.

NOVI, MICHIGAN – The bar was set extremely high in week 12 when 6 guys recorded a KPM of 10 or higher. Naturally, week 13 couldn’t live up to those standards, however the overall level of play across all players might have been the most balanced of the season.

The KPM across all 8 players ranged from 8.1 – 9.7, which is very impressive. The records reflected this balance, with almost all players hovering near the .500 mark.

The Game of the Night was a match-up between Adam and Coach Mike vs. JG and Bushie. This one was a long, 13 round slug fest between two hot teams. Through 6 rounds each team exchanged blows with Adam and Coach Mike leading 11-9. They extended their lead with a 6-0 run over the next two rounds, each player chipping in a +3 advantage against their opponent.

JG and Bushie composed themselves and battled right back, going on a 9-0 run (JG was +5 against Adam and Bushie +4 against Coach Mike) in the next two rounds to take an 18-17 lead. The run was capped by JG winning round 10 against Adam, 6-2, including 100% accuracy (a cornhole and 3 on the board). It was like Rocky against Ivan Drago, nobody could gain a clear advantage but both sides were giving everything they had.

With the game tied at 20, Bushie and Coach Mike squared off. The mental fatigue was taking it’s toll, as both players missed their first two throws. Coach Mike then found a cornhole with his third throw, putting tons of pressure on Bushie, who missed his third consecutive throw. Coach Mike could close the game with his last toss by landing one on the board, but he missed and kept the door open for Bushie. Needing a cornhole to extend the game, Bushie focused and tossed his final bag. It hit the board and fell to the ground. A rough final round for both competitors, but good enough from Coach Mike to escape with a win.

This week’s Mushroom Stamp Moment goes to Paul, who posted a 10 in Game 6. It wasn’t just a 10, though. He was playing his arch nemesis, JV, head-to-head and JV had nailed two cornholes already. Paul had a cornhole and one on the board, but still trailed 6-4 after two throws. Paul launched his third throw and the bag hung on the hole like a bad dingle berry. JV missed his third throw, and Paul dunked his final throw in the hole, taking the dingle berry down with it…two cornholes on one toss. JV was rattled and promptly missed his final throw, losing the round 10-6 to Paul.

Congratulations to Paul on his first MSM of the season.

Game 6 had more fireworks, when in round 8 JV again held an advantage over Paul, 6-1, before Paul ripped JV’s heart out again by draining cornholes on his last two throws to win the round, 7-6.

Also in Game 6, Jack, frustrated by his partner’s play (JV), foot snagged an errant JV toss and screamed, “Drink it bitch” to his fragile partner. Needless to say, Paul and Adam cruised to a 21-13 win over Jack and JV.

News and Notes:

• Yet again, Coach Mike demonstrated how well-rounded his is. We were getting down to some Usher bangerz when Coach polled the audience – “Did you guys know Usher has herpes?” Hilarity ensued. Of all people you’d expect to be current on pop culture and the state of Usher’s dick diseases, would anyone have expected Coach? Not me, that’s for sure.
• Coach Mike locked down the top KPM this week, at 9.7. His accuracy was the best of his season (63%) and he had a very good 3.2 gross points per round. Coach’s cornholes per round were down compared to his normal standard (0.34), which drove his KPM below 10. Maybe he should’ve pictured the hole as Usher’s dirty dick…
• Paul had a very good night, finally getting back on a consistent winning track. Paul was great in the early season, but has been hovering around .500 most weeks since. He turned in the best record of the night, 4-1, and also had a KPM of 8.5 while showing off perhaps his most accurate night of the year (46%).
• Jack had his best night of the season, earning a 9.4 KPM, which was good for second-highest on the night. His accuracy was excellent (53%) and gross points per round were also good (3.0). Jack added 2 foot snags on his way to a 2-3 record. He’s #8 in this weeks’ Power Rankings.
• Adam followed up a great week in week 12 with another solid performance. His accuracy was up to 50%, but his lower cornholes per round drove his gross points per round down a tick, as well as his KPM. He finished at 8.6, which is pretty good, and was 5-6 on the night. Once again, Adam was the weekly leader in foot snags with 6. That is now 13 foot snags in the last two weeks. He’s on JV’s tail for the overall season lead, down just 5 foot snags (32-27). It should be a great race to the finish for top foot snagger of the year.
• JG was red-hot, going 65% from the field. He struggled to find cornholes consistently, just like everyone else. His 0.28 cornholes per round was 7th out of 8 competitors, which was the big factor in his 9.4 KPM. Again, an impressive KPM, but when JG goes 65% you’d expect a KPM north of 10. Stunningly, despite a tie for second-highest KPM, JG finished 2-4 on the night. He dropped another spot in the Power Rankings to #3. After holding the top spot for 11 straight weeks, he has now dropped a spot in each of the last two weeks.
• JV was the guy who jumped JG in the power rankings, now sitting at #2. JV had one of his tougher nights of the season, registering a KPM of 8.1, the lowest of all 8 competitors. He had decent accuracy at 50%, but the rest of his numbers were way down. He did claw his way to a 4-3 record on the night though.
• Bushie posted a .500 record (5-5) and had one of his more accurate nights (54%). But like everyone else, he struggled to make cornholes, finishing last of all competitors in cornholes per round (0.27). His KPM was still good at 8.2, but it’s clear Bushie prefers to play in the Friendly Confines of Beverly Hills.
• KP fought his throw all night long, mentally and physically. For most of the night the league’s most accurate player was anything but that. He did rebound to finish at 60%, but was in the low-50s through the early games. He finished 4-6 on the night with a KPM of 9.4. Despite the poor record, he remained in the #1 spot of the Power Rankings due to JG’s stumble.

We only have 4 weeks left in the Road to the Cup. These are precious opportunities to hone your game and improve your position in the Power Rankings before the year-end tournament on September 16.

BEVERLY HILLS, MICHIGAN – As is common on a drunken Thursday night at Bushie’s house, two more people lost their virginity…cornhole virginity, that is. Scotty and Brad joined the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in week 12, and Coach Mike wasted no time breaking them in with coaching, tough love and a little ass chewing.

Welcome fellas. We are happy to have you, and hope you continue showing up.

Game 15, featuring Mario and Nick vs. JV and JG, was the Game of the Night. Mario and Nick raced out to a 12-2 lead after 4 rounds when Mario outscored JG 5-0, and Nick outscored JV 7-2 during that stretch.

JV and JG are too good of players to go down without a fight, and the spectators knew a run was coming from this talented tandem. JG turned it on and JV kept Nick at bay, resulting in an 18-2 run over the next 4 rounds. In the blink of an eye, they had erased a 10 point deficit and turned it into a 20-14 lead.

The spotlight and pressure was now squarely on Nick’s shoulders as he faced off with JV, on the brink of a loss. Nick opened strong with back-to-back cornholes to shift some pressure back to JV. JV found the board with only one bag through 3 throws. His last toss was critical, and he missed the board again, leaving the door open for Nick to capitalize. When Nick sees an open, vulnerable hole, he stuffs it, and this time was no different. On his last toss Nick drained his third cornhole of the round, dropping a 9 on that ass to gain a +8 advantage and a stunning 21-20 victory.

Nick’s 9-1 advantage to close out the game also earns him his first Mushroom Stamp Moment (“MSM”) of the season.

News & Notes:

• Week 12 KPMs were off the charts! 6 players registered a KPM of 10 or higher in week 12. For context, prior to this week, there were only 9 other times this season when a player had a KPM of 10 or higher. Also, 3 players had a KPM of 13 or greater this week, which marks the first time all season anyone had a KPM over 13.
• We had five 10-point rounds in week 12, including JG doing it twice. Prior to this week, there were only 8 other times this season when a player had a 10-point round. We are still waiting for someone to record the elusive 12-point round.
• JV is still the league leader in the pants shitting department at 1 time. Gonna be tough to dethrone him.
• As mentioned, Brad and Scotty made their debuts this week. Scotty had a solid night, going 6-4 overall with a 6.1 KPM, 35% accuracy and 1.9 gross points per round. His numbers don’t blow you away, but just like his older brother, you can see the high ceiling of potential. His mechanics are good, but he needs more reps to find the consistency.
• Brad finished with a 2-5 record, 4.7 KPM, 23% accuracy and 1.4 gross points per round. He also earned bragging rights by recording two wins against his buddies, Scotty and Adam. Similar to Scotty, Brad has very good mechanics and a pretty left-handed toss. Keep showing up fellas, and the results will improve.
• Nick was a beast this week, posting the highest KPM of the season at 13.5. He was 62%, 4.1 gross points per round, and 0.78 cornholes per round on his way to a 5-2 record. He also added 2 foot snags, a 10-point round, and the MSM of the week. Nick jumped two spots in the power rankings, going from #7 to #5.
• JV was right on Nick’s heels for top KPM of the week, finishing at 13.4. His accuracy was a respectable 57%, but he dominated with 0.83 cornholes per round and 4.0 gross points per round. JV’s record didn’t reflect his stellar night, going only 3-3. But he played extremely well, and his losses were to top competition…the Game of the Night, as well as a loss against KP and Bushie, and Nick and JG. JV added 4 more foot snags this week to his league-leading season total of 30 foot snags.
• KP tallied the third-best KPM of the night at 13.3. He was the most accurate player of the night at 64%, scored 4.0 gross points per round and averaged 0.73 cornholes per round, helping him to a 6-2 record and overtaking JG for #1 spot in the power rankings. This marks the first time all year someone besides JG has held the #1 spot.
• JG had a night that would normally be worthy of the top player – 11.6 KPM, 55% accuracy, 0.65 cornholes per round and 3.5 gross points per round. He still had a great night, but those numbers produced only a 3-4 record given how well others were playing. JG still comes in at #2 in the season power rankings, so don’t feel too sorry for him.
• Coach Mike had a nice night, going 6-3 overall. His accuracy was way down compared to his normal standards, but the cornhole machine used his back-handed taint tickler to record 0.64 cornholes per round (50 total cornholes on the night, which was the most of all players) and 3.1 gross points per round, good enough for a 10.4 KPM. Despite the 6-3 record, Coach Mike fell one spot in the power rankings from #5 to #6.
• Bushie was the last of 6 players with KPM higher than 10, coming in with 10.0 on the nose. Bushie had an impressive 0.57 cornholes per round and 3.0 gross points per round. He also won his last 3 games of the night to close strong, finishing at 4-6 overall. Bushie’s highlight of the night may have been in Game 6 when he partnered with KP to beat Nick and JV, 21-13. Bushie outplayed Nick head-to-head in that game, outscoring him 12-10 including a 7-0 mark in the final round to win the game.
• Adam had perhaps his best night of the season going 50% from the field, 0.50 cornholes per round and 3.0 gross points per round. That was good for a 9.7 KPM. He finished 3-6, including 2 losses to Brad, but his individual performance continues to grow each week. Adam also snagged a week-high 7 foot snags and continues to cut into JV’s season-leading total. He sits in second place right now at 21 total foot snags.
• Mario had a nice night, going 2-2 overall with an impressive win in the Game of the Night. He was close to finishing 3-1 overall, but took a tough loss to Bushie and Coach Mike in Game 14 when he partnered with KP. He and KP squandered a 15-5 lead and lost 21-18 when they couldn’t close. Mario’s partner let him down…KP choked in the final round against Bushie, scoring only 3 points compared to Bushie’s 7, which clinched the game. Mario finished with a 6.2 KPM before departing to go stuff more holes.
• Joe finished with a 4.6 KPM and 1-4 record, but that 1 win was a big one. He partnered with Coach Mike in Game 3 and overcame a 15-7 deficit against Brad and KP, going on a 14-0 run in just 1.5 rounds to win the game, 21-15. Joe was an integral part of that run by producing 6 of the 14 points, outscoring KP 8-2 in his only turn during that stretch.

NOVI, MICHIGAN – Rain threatened to cancel week 11, but a few committed soldiers rolled the dice anyway. Nick, Adam, Bushie and KP got through one game before a 30 minute rain delay. Paul, Adam, Bushie and KP then resumed play after the rain delay and finished 5 additional games.

Game of the Night was in Game 3, featuring Adam and Paul vs. Bushie and KP. Adam was on fire throughout the entire game, and neither team held more than a 3 point advantage throughout the entire game.

In the second to last round, the game was tied 19-19 when Paul buried a cornhole that looked like the game winner. Bushie had one last throw, needing a cornhole to negate Paul’s 3-pointer and extend the game.

Bushie, focused and full of Coors Light, toed the line and calmly delivered a perfect, end-over-end bag. His fourth throw found nothing but the bottom of the hole, erasing Paul’s cornhole and keeping the game tied at 19.

In the next round KP was able to outlast Adam by 2 points and secure a narrow win for Bushie and KP, 21-19.

The clutch throw by Bushie to cancel Paul’s game-winner and extend the match earns him this week’s Mushroom Stamp Moment. Congratulations to Bushie for earning his first MSM of the season!

News & Notes:

• No advanced stats were tracked this week due to threat of rain and the damage it would cause to the computer.
• In Game 6, Paul and Adam were victim to a bun run given by Bushie and KP. This is now the second time this season where Paul and Adam have partnered and received a 21-0 beat down. Paul also leads the league with most bun runs received this season (3).
• The regular season has featured 5 bun runs thus far, and KP has played a role in all of them. He has given 4 bun runs, and been victim to the bun run 1 time.
• It was a challenging night with wet boards and bags, which sometimes played slippery and other times were very sticky. KP held the top record on the night at 6-0, which is probably due to his experience going from slippery to sticky in a moments notice. Other records are as follows:

-Paul 2-3

-Bushie 2-4

-Adam 2-4

-Nick 0-1