CLAWSON, MICHIGAN – You’d expect warmer temperatures and an ideal environment for cornhole on Thursday before Memorial Day. But this week felt like the British Open of LEG given the cold and blustery conditions.

Dibble had the grill roaring, it was Bob’s birthday, and the competition among the top three players was enough to heat things up this week.

Last week’s recap was mostly dedicated to the rise of Bushie, Turley and Bob. Clearly the big dogs (Nick, Dibble and Galz) don’t take kindly to ripping the headlines away from them. Their response in week 3 was absurd – all three combined for a 13 – 3 record (Galz locked in at 5 – 1, while Nick and Dibble each went 4 – 1), with two of the three total losses coming at the hands of playing one another. The trio also posted the top three KPMs of the week, Nick – 20.4, Dibble – 18.2 and Galz – 16.5.

Dibble and Galz were stroking it early, partnering in Game 1 against JV and Coach Mike. They made quick work of their opponents, trouncing them 21 – 1 in just three innings. Thankfully JV snagged a second inning point on a final bag airmail against Galz (he won the round 7 – 6) or else the night would have kicked off with a bun run.

Dibble’s second game of the night was another blowout win in only three innings, 21 – 3, and he posted a new single-game KPM record of 32.2. His three innings went like this: 10 –> 9 –> 10, and he totaled nine cornholes. Bushie’s single-game KPM record, set in week 2, didn’t stand a chance.

Two games later Galz stepped to the boards for his second game of the night, on a mission to keep pace with his powerhouse counterpart. He partnered with Erik and destroyed Bushie and Turley, 21 – 4, again in just three innings! Galz’s three innings went like this: 7 –> 9 –> 7, and he totaled seven cornholes while posting a 25.4 KPM. Not quite the 32.2 KPM from Dibble, but still a phenomenal game from Galz.

Nick showed up a bit late, catching the end of Galz’s second game domination. He was oblivious to Dibble’s 32.2 and to the Game 1 thrashing Galz and Dibble gave Coach and JV. One thing was clear, though, Nick was prepared to throw heat and stiff-arm the chase Dibble and Galz were on to unseat him as the #1 player in the Power Rankings.

His evening opener in Game 6 wasn’t the quick three innings of work Dibble and Galz had, but scorched the nets just the same. He and Jack teamed to outlast JV and Erik, 21 – 17, and in eight innings Nick scored 56 gross points, 16 cornholes and three 10-point rounds, equating to a 23.0 KPM, 2.0 cornholes per round, 7 gross points per round, and 75% accuracy.

The Big 3 got their groove back in a major way this week.

GAME OF THE NIGHT

By the time Game 13 rolled around the sun had set, the wind gusted harder and the air was more frigid. Yet this match featuring Bushie and Erik against Dibble and JV somehow managed to produce GoT quality.

Bushie, going head-to-head against Dibble, and Erik jumped out to an early 6 – 1 lead, and upped it to 9 – 3 two innings later. JV halted the run in the fifth inning with an 8 – 3 advantage over Erik, cutting the deficit to 9 – 8.

Bushie immediately tacked on two more points in the bottom of the fifth inning to make it 11 – 8, getting the best of Dibble, 8 – 6.

The lead grew to 15 – 8 after the top half of the sixth, thanks to Erik’s 4 – 0 shutout of JV.

Dibble and Bushie combined for an ugly bottom of the sixth, totaling three combined points on 3/8 shooting. Dibble walked away with one point to make it 15 – 9, advantage to Bushie and Erik.

Through six innings, Bushie and Erik stayed patient and executed their strategy perfectly. They played aggressively in spots, but often threw blockers and piled up points while creating difficult shots for their opponents.

Erik continued with the strategy leading off the top of the seventh inning. His first bag landed on the board, but was misplaced short and left, not in JV’s line whatsoever. It was the crack in the door JV had been waiting for and immediately pounced with a first bag cornhole. Rattled, Erik tried to compose himself and toss an accurate second bag.

He missed the board this time. JV boarded his second toss for a 4 – 1 advantage, and would add four more points in his next two tossed as Erik limped to the end of the round with just one more scoring bag. JV’s 8 – 2 round tied the game, 15 – 15.

Bushie lifted Erik from the mat in the bottom of the seventh by draining two cornholes and besting Dibble, 8 – 6, snatching the lead, 17 – 15. Erik threw a perfect 4/4 in the top of the eighth inning, tacking on one more point to help his team inch closer to a victory, 18 – 15.

Similar to the bottom of the sixth inning, the bottom of the eighth was ugly. Once again, Bushie and Dibble combined for 3/8 shooting, this time Dibble walked away with three points, tying the game 18 – 18, thanks to a cornhole.

Where have we heard this before? JV, arguably the best closer LEG has, with bags in hand during a game-clinching moment. He has the Mariano Rivera effect, where even the best opponents can’t fight off the self-doubt that creeps in when facing him.

JV’s first two bags found the board while Erik did a sensational job of piling up bags in front of the hole to block any JV heroics. With the inning tied 2 – 2 after two throws, JV dialed up the aggression and launched an airmail attempt on his third toss. It was on target but short, stacking on the pile with four other bags.

Erik was content to join the pile, and did so safely with his third toss – 3 – 3 after three bags.

JV gathered himself for an extra few seconds, envisioning his shot like Tiger Woods in his prime. Once again he tossed an airmail attempt that rainbowed toward the hole, on target but unsure if it had enough to clear the pile of six bags. As the bag approached the hole, it clipped one of JV’s bags on the pile and dragged it into the hole for a double-cornhole airmail!

Holy shit, JV’s flare for the dramatic comes through again, turning a 3 – 3 inning into an 8 – 3 advantage, forcing Erik to sink a cornhole to extend the game.

Understandably lacking composure, Erik tried to focus for his final shot – an airmail, which he does not attempt often. He stepped, threw and immediately knew it had no chance. A low pull that barely clipped the board settled on the concrete.

21 – 18 was the final, as JV closed with one of the best 8-point rounds you’ll ever see.

Erik played exceptionally, scoring 28/36 bags (78%). The problem was he failed to record a cornhole in the game, so all 28 scoring bags were good for just one point. Meanwhile, JV used seven cornholes to score 35 points, none bigger than the ones recorded on his final toss of the game.

At the other end of the board Bushie outplayed Dibble, 38 – 36 and both players made nine cornholes.

CHOKE ARTISTS

As the night closed and playing group dwindled, Galz and Dibble were sauced up with liquid confidence. Game 14 finished and there was a slight lull in the action, “Alright! Dibble and me versus Nick and KP!” Galz yelled.

Any time Galz is focused on playing instead of talking or eating (yes, even in the middle of his own inning!), you have to capitalize on the moment. So, it was on. Galz and Dibble vs. KP and Nick in Game 15.

The start of the contest couldn’t have been worse for Galz and Dibble, quickly finding themselves in an 11 – 0 hole due to eight points from KP (he won rounds of 7 – 4 and 8 – 3 over Galz) and three more points from Nick (he won rounds of 6 – 4 and 6 – 5 over Dibble). Halfway to a bun run!

Galz’s confidence is unshakable. He relishes moments like this because it’s the ultimate challenge. Dibble collected two points in the third inning while Galz added three more. The bun run was off the table, 11 – 5.

The fourth inning became the turning point of the match. Nick struggled to find the board and Dibble took advantage with a 5 – 1 inning win to climb back into the game, now facing an 11 – 9 deficit.

The struggle transferred to KP’s end of the board in the bottom of the fourth inning where he managed only two bags on the board, and Galz pounced all over that opportunity by sinking three cornholes. He crushed KP, 9 – 2, giving his team a 16 – 11 lead.

Moments later, Dibble dropped three cornholes for nine points with Nick managing only four points. Nick’s final bag needed to be in the hole to extend the game, but it came up empty. Dibble closed the match for his squad, a 21 – 11 victory.

Down 11 – 0 and on the verge of a bun run to a 21 – 0 scoring streak to win the game, 21 – 11. What a turn of events! Credit to Galz and Dibble for the comeback. Meanwhile, Nick and KP were fuming over their choke. Neither guy played after that, both sitting on the sidelines trying to figure out how they played so shitty.

AUNT MILLIE MIKE RETURNS

It’s been almost one year since Coach Mike’s last bun run. In fact, week 2 of the 2020 season produced two Coach Mike bun runs, earning him the nickname “Aunt Millie Mike.” Coach has been turning the corner since then, even handing Dibble his first career bun run in week 11 of the 2020 season.

This week Coach invited Matt, a friend/neighbor, to join the cornhole party. After narrowly avoiding a bun run in Game 1 as JV’s partner (lost 21 – 1), Aunt Millie Mike wasn’t as lucky in Game 14 when he partnered with Matt. Turley outscored Matt, 11 – 3, and held him cornhole-less, while Aunt Millie struggled to keep pace with Nick, losing 29 – 13.

Add it all up and you get a 21 – 0 victory for Turley and Nick. Even on a frigid night, Aunt Millie honored the bun run and dragged Matt to hell with him. It was Aunt Millie’s seventh bun run of his career and Matt’s first (obviously).

See the footage here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNGX5cqREFw

In the final game of the night (Game 16), Aunt Millie dodged another bun run bullet. Bob and Bushie throttled he and JV, 21 – 1. Just like in Game 1, it was JV snatching the lone point for he and Aunt Millie to escape the bun run.

MUSHROOM STAMP MOMENT

In the late stages of Game 11, JV and Turley found themselves in an 18 – 18 tie with Galz and Bushie. In the seventh inning JV was in process of closing yet another match. He had thrown two bags and owned a 4 – 2 advantage over Galz – but more importantly, JV’s bag on the board was near the hole and had successfully blocked Galz’s first two tosses.

Galz’s third toss was a fastball that powered two of his bags into the hole, swinging the score in his favor, 7-4!

JV attempted a push shot and could manage only to board his third bag. Galz landed his final bag on the board for an 8 – 5 advantage, requiring JV to score his final toss.

Still confident in the push shot, JV attempted again knowing he could win the inning 10 – 8 if successful. He tossed with a little more juice on the bag, but it caromed off the board.

Galz’s double-cornhole on his third bag allowed him to take control of the inning and ultimately close the game against LEG’s best closer. That, ladies and gentlemen, earns Galz this week’s Mushroom Stamp Moment!

NEWS AND NOTES

• We celebrated Bob’s birthday this week, and he celebrated by almost putting a 12-point round on Paul in Game 4. His final bag missed the hole and he settled for a 9-point round instead. Bob did earn his first two wins of the season, going 2 – 3 with a 13.0 KPM, 0.91 cornholes per round, 4.1 gross points per round and 58% accuracy. Happy Birthday, Bob!
• Jack continues to play the best cornhole of his career, ending his night with an 11.4 KPM on 51% shooting. He posted a 19.6 KPM in his first game, before getting into a rhythm! Where Jack has really grown is his cornhole rate, finishing tonight with 0.8 cornholes per round. His season average is 0.73 cornholes per round, up significantly from his 2020 average (0.54 per round) and career average (0.35 per round). He’s also shining in clutch moments – tonight he tossed an incredible roll bag that dodged JV’s blocker and fell into the hole. Granted, as Jack was celebrating what he thought was an inning win, JV says, “You know better than to celebrate before Daddy is done!” and proceeded to throw an airmail to wash the round. Nonetheless, Jack is yet another example the growing talent in this league.
• Speaking of JV, he rebounded very nicely from his rough week 2. His 13.6 KPM, 0.93 cornholes per round and 62% shooting are great. But the dominant closer with the killer mentality came back this week, which is more important than anything else for JV.
• Turley finally fell from the ranks of the unbeaten. His 2 – 3 record is quite the change of pace compared to the 8 – 0 record he brought into the night. Despite the loss, he still recorded a 15.3 KPM and 73% shooting…and is still 10 – 3 on the season.
• Erik made his first regular season appearance this week, finishing with a 2 – 2 record and 11.7 KPM on 74% shooting. Not bad for taking almost a month away from the game.