CLAWSON, MICHIGAN – Action returned to Dibble’s house for week 10, which is always filled with phenomenal food, a great atmosphere, and a helluva time. This week, though, Mother Nature decided to add a wrinkle by dropping a monsoon on us.

We successfully completed two games before a long rain delay pushed us into the garage for cover. Once in the garage, drinks flowed, shots were ripped and non-stop laughter ensued.

After an hour, the sky cleared and JV and KP used leaf blowers to dry the court so cornhole could continue.

The hour of excessive drinking in the garage was immediately evident. It was as if the guys couldn’t play a competitive game to save their lives (though individual level of play remained high). Of the 12 total games played, 10 were decided by 10 points or more, and three of the blowouts were bun runs, including back-to-back in games 6 and 7.

• Game 6 – Not the Real Dan and Bushie teamed up against JV and Not the Real Scott. Bushie tallied one point in the top of the first inning against JV, while Not the Real Dan added five more points in the bottom of the first. In the second inning, those two combined for nine more points to make the score 15 – 0. Bushie ended all hope when he hit a two bag drag on his final throw to score a 9 – 2 advantage in the top of the third inning, winning the game 21 – 0. It was a sick shot to secure the victory, one worthy of a Mushroom Stamp Moment.
• Game 7 – Nick and Brent formed a super team against Not the Real Dan and Bushie. This one had the look of a bun run on paper, and that’s exactly how it unfolded. Brent hit Not the Real Dan with a 9 – 1 round to start the game. Nick piled on with a 7 – 3 advantage over Bushie, followed by three more points from Brent to make it 15 – 0. Nick finished the job in the bottom of the second inning with a 4-bagger and 12 – 6 win over Bushie, capping the game at 21 – 0.
• Game 11 – JV was mad as hell about his earlier bun run and wanted to take it out on someone. His newest enemy is Nick – he ALWAYS wants a piece of him. So, he summoned Nick to the court and requested KP and Not the Real Dan to join. Nick was feeling froggy after being called out, so he leaped and snagged Not the Real Dan as his partner, clearly wanting to stick it to JV by winning as an underdog. That plan didn’t work out so well. Nick joined the bun run crew and Not the Real Dan earned his second bun run of the night. JV outscored Nick head-to-head 18 – 8, while KP bested Not the Real Dan 19 – 8, and the bun run was complete in just three innings.

Not the Real Dan (twice), Not the Real Scott, JV, Bushie and Nick all lined up together and did naked suicides in Dibble’s driveway. If you’ve never played basketball, a suicide is where you sprint the length of the court and back, touching various lines along the way. The five-man bun run was a LEG original, and let’s just say it won’t be forgotten any time soon.

As the boys were finishing their naked sprints, Mother Nature thought it would be even funnier by unloading rain to moisten their naked bodies. I’m glad she laughed, because everyone else in attendance looked for the puke bucket.

Not the Real Dan, aided by a BAC north of 0.20, flashed back to his days as a Marine and got dressed in the rain, deciding only to put shorts back on. LEG doesn’t have a no shirt, no shoes, no service policy, so the games continued in down-pouring rain. Eventually Brent took his shirt off, KP took his shoes and shorts off (he’s fat, so he kept his shirt on), and a few other brave souls stepped out to soak themselves for a few more games (click here for video of the rain action: https://youtube.com/shorts/lxnTtUcGMfo?feature=share)

Only at Dibble’s house!

GAME OF THE NIGHT

Because there were so many blowouts, the Game of the Night wasn’t difficult to choose this week. In game 8 Dibble and Erik took on Brent and JV. At first, this appeared to be on the verge of a third straight bun run (as mentioned earlier, games 6 and 7 were bun runs) with Dibble and Erik building a 13 – 2 lead thanks to hot starts from both players.

In the fifth inning Brent gave his team some traction with a 4-bagger, snagging three points over Dibble. JV tacked on three more points in the bottom of the inning, cutting their deficit to 13 – 8.

Brent earned three more points in the sixth inning, while Erik scored one to give his squad a 14 – 11 lead. Dibble dropped a 10-point round on Brent in the seventh inning, but that was good for only one point because Brent hung tough with a 9-point round. 15 – 11 in favor of Dibble and Erik.

In the bottom of the seventh, JV got red hot and sank three cornholes on his way to a 10 – 4 advantage, giving his team a 17 – 15 lead. An early blowout suddenly looked like a choke/comeback.

Dibble scored his second straight 10-point round in the eighth inning (10 – 7 over Brent) to take the lead back, 18 – 17. In the bottom of the eighth JV was poised to close the game out after Erik’s first bag landed on the board but out of play, serving as a bumper. JV promptly drained a cornhole with his first bag. Erik responded, using his bumper to perfection for a cornhole. JV’s second bag scored, but was out of play as another bumper on the left side of the board. They were even, 4 – 4 after two bags each.

Erik split the bumpers for a third bag cornhole. JV looked unusually tense when releasing his third bag, which landed short and left for one point.

Erik stayed down the middle on his final bag for a cornhole, taking a 10 – 5 lead in the round. JV’s final bag had to be in the hole to extend the game. It was clear he didn’t trust a slide shot with stickier than normal board conditions, so he reverted back to his usual short airmail throw – high, landing a few inches before the hole and creeping in. He threw it well, likely expecting the humid boards to hold the bag’s path. Instead, his bag hydroplaned upon hitting the board and flew off the back of the board.

Game over. A 21 – 17 win for Erik and Dibble.

Despite the slow start for Brent and JV, they recovered nicely to push Dibble and Erik to the limit. This was a phenomenal game to watch, with all players balling out.

• Dibble ended the game with 62 gross points and 18 cornholes, averaging 7.75 points per round
• Erik ended the game with 47 gross points and 11 cornholes, averaging 5.9 points per round
• Brent ended the game with 58 gross points and 16 cornholes, averaging 7.25 points per round
• JV ended the game with 45 gross points and 11 cornholes, averaging 5.6 points per round

Erik’s 10-point round to clinch the game earns this week’s Mushroom Stamp Moment, particularly because he was down 3 – 1 after one bag against the best closer in the league. Rebounding with three straight cornholes to score a 10-point round and hold-off JV is big time. Congratulations to Erik for this week’s MSM!

NEWS AND NOTES

• Erik had a great week with an 18.2 KPM and 2 – 0 record while averaging 5.7 ppr, 75% accuracy and 1.36 cornholes per round
• Dibble overcame the normal “host curse,” playing very well. His 20.1 KPM was his highest since week 4, helping him to a 4 – 2 record. Dibble averaged 6.3 ppr, 76% accuracy and 1.60 cornholes per round
• Brent wins weirdest stat of the week. His 21.5 KPM is fantastic, yet it didn’t produce victories. He finished with a 2 – 3 record despite posting excellent numbers – 6.7 ppr, 83% accuracy and 1.70 cornholes per round
• JV continues to look more and more like his old self while battling through new mechanics, this week with a 15.1 KPM, 4.8 ppr, 67% accuracy and 1.06 cornholes per round
• Bushie finished 4 – 3 with a 16.3 KPM, 5.1 ppr, 66% accuracy and 1.23 cornholes per round
• I’m pretty sure Justin Timberlake wrote, “Mirrors” for KP and Nick – “It’s like you’re my mirror! My mirror staring back at me!” Both players threw a 21.3 KPM and averaged 6.6 ppr. Nick was slightly more accurate (77% vs. 76%) while KP sank a fraction more cornholes per round (1.76 vs. 1.75). For the entire season, the story is the same: KPM – Nick 19.3 vs. KP 19.0; points per round – Nick 6.0 vs. KP 5.9; accuracy – Nick 78% vs. KP 75%; cornholes per round – Nick 1.46 vs. KP 1.46; and head-to-head points for the entire season – Nick 270 vs. KP 264