• CHALLENGE FIELD STARTING TO SAVE FACE AFTER HORRENDOUS START TO MOST OF THIS SEASON: The way this year's Challenge field handicapped the start to this year's Bookie Challenge competition, to mean with some out-of-sorts handicapping for six weekends out of the first seven weekends, this year's field was flirting to become one of the worst-ever fields in the history of the Bookie Challenge, save for its efficacy to connect on 6-point parlay winners on a consistent basis. But to the credit of this year's field, despite meandering through most of this season by frittering away one sorry-ass outing after another, maybe this year's field was judged too prematurely--or too harshly before the handicappers from the field were given some space to gather their thoughts and figure out the Vegas Crocodile's mind games. Miraculously, this year's field is beginning to do just that, or at least over the past-two weekends it has. But before the last-two weekends? To get straight to the point, this year's Challenge field , after reeling off one horse-shit handicapping outing after another, was so inept that comparisons to the worst field ever, that of Challenge year #3, were being made, and rightly so. Putting it in its proper perspective, this year's field was on pace to historically be the most pathetic Challenge field in the history of the competition. They rivaled nearly every disgraceful stat line from the Challenge field's abhorrent year #3. In fact, this year's field was chasing the field from year #3 for starting out a competition with the most consecutive weekends without registering a PERECTA, which the field from year #3 went 14-straight outings before it nailed its first PERFECTA in week #14 of that season. Thankfully, however, Blitzkrieg and jcvike each landed PERFECTAs just two weekends ago, in week #9, and spared this year's field the humiliation of possibly breaking the all-time record. But to really see just how bad this year's field was back in week #7 of this season, especially when juxtaposed to the field of Challenge year #3, all one had to do was compare both fields' winning percentages of best bets. First off, the field from year #3 ended that regular season and postseason combined with the worst winning percentage and the worst best-bet tally in the history of the Bookie Challenge, which was a wretched best-bet record of 351-410-14 that factored out to an historic-low win percentage of .461. It took 18 overall participants that season to handicap that mess. What's more, the field from year #3 also registered the worst consensus record in the history of the competition after it finished that catastrophic year with a 10-17-2 consensus record (the resulting .370 win percentage of its consensus picks was the worst in the history of the BC).

  If anyone might venture to think that's the worst of it from the field of Challenge year #3--well--it's not! That year's field was so hapless at handicapping that it set the all-time record for nailing down the least amount of 6-point parlay hits in the history of the Bookie Challenge, of which was 23 6-point parlay hits for that entire competition. Mercifully, that deplorable all-time low was matched by the Challenge field from year #10. Keeping in mind year #3's appalling season that was produced by that year's incompetent Challenge field, in week #7 of this year's competition, this year's field was at such a bad place that it made the field from year #3 seem as if it consisted of nothing but pro handicappers, the likes of Hank Goldberg and Jimmy "the Greek", and as if they were making weekly NFL picks on behalf of the Gold Sheet. To say the least, week #7 of this year's competition was when this year's Challenge field hit rock bottom. It produced one of the worst tallies of total combined points for a weekend in the history of the competition, just 10 measly points. Its best-bet winning percentage of .432 was worst than the percentage the field from Challenge year #3 ended that season with (.461), and was on track to be the worst-ever winnning percentage by a Challenge field. That unconscionable win-percentage reared its ugly head after this year's field concluded week #7 with a pitiful year-to-date best-bet record of 79-104-7, of which the year-long tally saw this year's field end week #7 with a staggering 25 best bets under .500. Additionally, at the end of week #7, it seemed that this year's field wasn't making it back from that handicapping abyss. In fact, only three handicappers out of 14 overall handicappers after the conclusion of week#7 had best-bet winning percentages above .500--Blitzkrieg (.692), Theopholis (.615), and TCU (.571). Also at that time, even this year's consensus picks were at a historic low, with the YTD consensus record sitting at 3-6-0 for a year-low winning percentage at a dispiriting .333, not to forget that this year's field had yet to nail down a PERFECTA outing. It gets worse. For the outing of week #7, the field only registered an embarrassing 11 parlay wins within its combined parlay combos for the weekend, that's how miserably this year's field crashed and burned in week#7. Then, over the last-two weekends, to include this past weekend, this year's field magically reversed its handicapping fortunes, and out of nowhere, it woke up from its year-long handicapping slumber, not to mention that its improbable turnaround has seemingly happened at the drop of a dime.

  To that regard, what a difference two weeks can make. Over its last-two outings, this year's field has started to ameliorate its handicapping season--and in a startling way. During that aforementioned two-week span the field has racked up a combined best-bet record of 38-15-2, which is good for a phenomenal .717 winning percentage. And just like that, the field has all of the sudden reduced that previously disgraceful handicapping run in which it had the field at 25 best bets under .500 to today's number of best bets under .500, of which the field is presently just TWO games under .500, if one can believe it. In addition, this past weekend, the field was able to improve its year-to-date best-bet tally to a much more aesthetically pleasing 130-132-11 record, of which the record is good for a .496 win-percentage on the season. Also, that present .496 win-percentage has taken the field out of hot water, meaning the field is no longer on pace to break the all-time record for ending a competition with the worst-ever losing percentage of its combined best bets, which the field from Challenge year #3 presently owns the all-time record (.461 BB win% for Challenge year #3). Above all, and what is more significant, is how the Challenge field was able to give its previously ugly best-bet record on the season a major face lift over the last-two weeks. In large part it was because, for the first time this year, the field was able to produce back-to-back weekends with winning best-bet performances. The last time a field was able to win consecutive weekends with winning best-bet records occurred in last year's competition, when that year's field produced a stretch of five-straight weeks in a row with winning best-bet tallies (wk #11 thru wk #14 that included last yr's dual Turkey Shoot outings). Surprisingly, there were some odd twists to this past weekend, and they turned out to be just another set of major coincidences in a Challenge competition that has been steeped with such occurrences, the field not only matched its second-highest output of total points for a weekend in this year's competition (36 pts) but also matched its highest total of parlay wins within its combined parlay combinations for a weekend (27 parlay wins). The 36 total points and the 27 parlay wins within its combined parlay combos that the field produced this past weekend exactly matched those totals from week #1 of this season. But the coincidences don't stop there! By a freaky happenstance, some more stat lines from this past weekend that exactly matched those of week #1 included three 6-point parlay hits and two goose eggs.

  All things considered, after the field produced its second successful outing in a row this past weekend, it was good to see this year's field exude a fighting spirit after struggling with its overall handicapping for the better part of this season. The recent handicapping up swing the field has been able to string together as of late speaks volumes about this year's Challenge field, and how recently it has shown flashes of potential to become one of the better fields in recent memory. Hell, the field's handicapping has lately started to significantly improve, and in quick fashion, that even its consensus picks for the season has recovered from its rough start and ended this past weekend with a more respectable YTD record of 6-7-0. It may be just another baby step for this year's field, but it's still another sign that this year's Challenge field is finally taking its handicapping game to a much better place.

If anyone within the Challenge field isn't seeing the handicapping season that 7mick7 is in the midst of establishing, then that handicapper, or handicappers, must be either blind as a bat or has a severe case of myopic vision. 7mick7 is in this segment of the weekly review because he is presently the HOTTEST HANDICAPPER in the league, scorching hot for that matter. To be clear, over the last-five weekends, Mick Balls has strung together the best 5-week handicapping run of this year's competition, save for the goose egg he laid in one of those five weeks. However, to fully appreciate the proof in the pudding over 7mick7's last-five weekends, one would have dissect every weekend of those last-five weekends, so here they are: In week #6, Mick Balls connected on a 6-point parlay hit for a 7-point outing; in week #7, the Mick laid a goose egg; in week #8, the Irish Huster nailed another 6-point parlay hit for another 7-point outing; in week #9, 7mick7 won both of his best bets for a 2-point outing; and in week #10, or this past weekend, Mick Balls knocked down his third 6-point parlay hit of the season for yet another 7-point outing. So give the man his kudos because that's some grade-A, balls-to-the-wall, full-throttle handicapping. To be certain, a five-week stretch in which a handicapper unleashes three 7-point outings is going to do wonders for that Bookie Challenge handicapper, and in the case of 7mick7, he compiled a league-leading point-total of 27 overall points, surpassed DIRTYBIRDS for a 5-point divisional lead of the Red Zone division, and became the present front-runner to possibly capture this year's regular-season championship. The third 6-point parlay hit that the Mick registered this past week, marked only the third time in his Challenge career that he recorded more than two 6-point parlay winners in a regular season. In last year's competition he also knocked down three 6-point parlay hits, and in Challenge year #7 he registered a career-high of four 6-point parlay hits for that year's regular season. For the record, however, 7mick7 has never finished a Bookie Challenge season with the most 6-point parlay hits on the season. But in one season, Challenge year #7, and in what turned out to be a strange season when it came to that year's handicappers knocking down 6-point parlay hits, 7mick7 finished that season tied for the most 6-point parlay winners in that year's competition. However, he only registered two 6-point parlay hits that season, not exactly an amazing amount, but so did seven other participants produce a league-high of two 6-point parlay hits for that year's regular season. So even though the Mick has never finished a Challenge competition with the most 6-point parlay hits, he now has a golden opportunity to do as much this season. Right now he leads the league with three 6-point parlay hits, so maybe he can nail a few more and conclude this season with the most 6-point parlay hits.

Speaking of Mick Ball's parlay hit from this past weekend, the key game that not only capped off his winning parlay combo but also moemonie's parlay combo was the Sunday night game between the Green Slime (aka Jets) and the Raiders. Fortunately for 7mick7, thanks to the combined ineptitude of both offenses, of which they botched several respective opportunities to put more points on the board, the Silver-and-Black squeezed past the Jets to win by a final of 16-12. As a result of the Raiders' low-scoring victory, both moemonie and 7mick7 were each able to connect on big-time parlay hits, with moemonie winning his combo by predicting the Raiders (+1) to cover against the Jets and with 7mick7 winning his trifecta by predicting the game to stay under the total of 39 points. Interestingly, 7mick7's winning parlay combo also consisted of a second over/under selection, of which speaks to a certain Bookie Challenge issue, as in the over/under handicapping sideshow that's presently going on between TCU and Vikings17. With the aforementioned in mind, consider the following: After the first-ten weeks of this year's competition, there's not a shadow of a doubt that Mick Balls ranks third overall behind TCU and Vikings17 when it comes to handicapping the most over/under pointspreads in the competition, so why not get Mick's exact numbers and include him in the "OVER/UNDER BRAWL"? Heck, and who really knows, maybe 7mick7 has better over/under numbers than TCU or Vikings17 or both? So maybe it needs to be made offical, meaning to add 7mick7 to that over/under sideshow, and to put a cherry on top of it all--let's change the "OVER/UNDER BRAWL" to the "OVER/UNDER RUMBLE"!

There's one last thing that needs to be pointed out while 7mick7 is in the process of possibly producing a breakthrough season that might end up in him winning his first-ever Bookie Challenge championship. Right now, by all measures, Mick Balls has handicapped the first-ten weeks of this year's competition with a fluidity of confidence that he's never shown before. But when breaking down the major achievements of his previous nine years of handicapping the Bookie Challenge, there's not a whole lot to talk about, with the exception of the one divisional title he won in Challenge year #7, which was the Whiskey Legs divisional title. And that's about it. To show just far out he's been out of the loop with his handicapping game over the span of those previous nine seasons, it'll take a quick trip to his individual handicapping page. To note, each participant has a handicapping page that contains his handicapping results from his entire Bookie Challenge career. But if one scrolls down a handicapping page until he reaches the last capsule that's located at the bottom of the page, he'll find within that last capsule a detailed list of the handicapper's history of notable achievements and also a detailed list of all the awards the handicapper has been honored with word throughout his Challenge career. There's only one handicapper who, previous to this season, has nothing listed in the "notable achievements" section and the "Awards" section, only the word "none" appears in both sections. That handicapper is catman23, but the next handicapper who hardly has anything listed for both sections is 7mick7, who has "none" being shown in his "Awards" section and only one entry is being shown in his "Notable Achievements" section, with that entry being "Whiskey Legs Divisional Champion (Yr#7)". But the Irish Hustler is now in position to change those two sections of his handicapping page because everything that he has never accomplished in his Bookie Challenge career is in front of him for the taking. He's already won a divisional title, so winning a second one is not something that's on his Bookie Challenge bucket list. What is on his bucket list is winning a first-ever regular-season championship, which would entail winning his first-ever prize from a Latinum jackpot. But most importantly, he could win his first-ever overall Bookie Challenge championship or possibly his first-ever 2nd-place prize of the Latinum jackpot. So yeah, the league's present WHO'S-HOT-HANDICAPPER has plenty to shoot for and is in the best position of his Challenge career to snatch everything he's always wanted in his Bookie Challenge career.

Yo, Poindexter, cue a line from a Bruce Springsteen song..."Glory days, yeah they'll pass you by...Glory days, glory days..." Speaking of glory days, in the picture below, the Biased Nihilist is seen celebrating after winning the overall Bookie Challenge championship in Challenge year #6. It was his second-consecutive Bookie Challenge championship that he won after winning the overall championship in the previous Challenge season (Challenge year #5), of which to this day no participant has ever won back-to-back championships. But before seizing those two back-to-back Bookie Challenge championships in year #5 and year #6, the Biased Nihilist, the self-proclaimed Greatest Handicapper of All-time, in the Bookie Challenge's inaugural season, or the first-ever Bookie Challenge competition, nailed down the first-ever Bookie Challenge championship. Then there was Challenge year #4. Back then, submitting an annual membership fee, or ante, was optional. However, if a handicapper didn't submit an annual ante, that handicapper could not win any prizes from an annual Latinum jackpot. And so it came to pass in Challenge year #4 that Tony Soprano, who did not submit an ante that season, did not pocket the top prize of that year's Latinum jackpot despite winning that year's overall Bookie Challenge championship. The top prize of the jackpot then fell to the handicapper who anted up that season and finished with the highest point total in that season's final point standings. Yep, that handicapper turned out to be the Biased Nihilist, who finished in second place in that year's final playoff point standings. Amazingly, because the Nihilist won the overall Bookie Challenge championships in the following two seasons after Challenge year #4 and also won its respective top prizes of its Latinum jackpots, it meant that he won three consecutive top prizes of the Latinum jackpots: $300 in yr #4, $350 in yr #5, and $425 in yr #6. To put those first-six Bookie Challenge competitions into its proper perspectives, what you would see is a handicapper, the Biased Nihilist, who absolutely dominated the Bookie Challenge, and so thouroughly that you could have easily coined the Nihilist as the "Alexander the Great" of the Bookie Challenge competition. What other great person would foot the bill to attribute a handicapper who won three overall Bookie Challenge championships, with two being won back-to-back, out of the first-six Bookie Challenge competitions, not to forget that handicapper also won the top prizes of the Latinum jackpot three seasons in a row? Let's face it, no present or future Bookie Challenge handicapper will ever run roughshod or reign over his Challenge peers as did the Nihilist over the span of the first-six years of the Bookie Challenge competition?

When looking back at those first-six years, what turned out to be excruciatingly ironic for the Nihilist was that his very own son, jcvike28, after winning the overall Bookie Challenge championship in Challenge year #7 by just two points over dbucc and just three points over the Nihilist, was the very handicapper who snapped the Nihilist's streaks of taking down two-straight BC championships and banking three consecutive top prizes of Latinum jackpots. After the painfull playoff loss to his son in year #7, and over the course of the next ensuing five seasons that have led up to the start of this season, the Nihilist has not felt the intoxicating thrill of winning another Bookie Challenge championship nor has he won so much as a cent from the last-five Latinum Jackpots. Oh, let's not get it wrong, ever since year #7 the Nihilist has won three divisional titles and qualified for the other two postseasons as a divisional wild card, not to mention he set several all-time records that will probably never be broken.

Yo, Poindexter, get prepared to cue one of those lines from Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb.

Then came this season with its unlucky number, Challenge year #13. After the first-ten weeks of this year's competition, the Nihilist looks at that fabricated picture that is contained within this capsule, and all he sees is a fleeting glimpse of championship seasons gone by, championship years that today are nothing but distant memories. The pain this season of the Nihilist putting up his worst-ever numbers is all too real. The pain of possessing a league-low of nine total points accrued, the pain of owning the league's worst best-bet record, the pain of being the only handicapper in this year's competition to not have nailed a 6-point parlay hit, the pain of being in last place of the Corozal division, all those pains feel as tangible to the Nihilist as the pain would be from being hit on his head with a commemorative Paul O'Neil baseball bat. It's so bad right now that even talking smack is coming out sideways. Back in those heyday seasons, no participant talked more smack than the Nihilist, and if he did, he could never back up the braggadocio like the Nihilist did back then. Shoot, back in his early championship years, it was almost a weekly ritual for the Nihilist to post his most iconic line of conceit--"I must be the greatest!" But this season? Well, nobody pays any attention to the Nihilist's bragging rants anymore, and to illustrate how the league views the bragging coming from the Nihilist these days would require one of those Pink Floyd lines to be paraphrased--"Your lips move but we can't hear what you're saying."

Has the Nihilist packed it in? Has he thrown in the towel? No! So long as there are plenty of weeks left to still handicap in this year's regular season, the Biased Nihilist will continue to forge ahead with his best effort. Besides, he just has too much handicapping pride to be stigmatized as a loser, even if it's just for one season. No, he's going to continue to battle, and this weekend is just as good as any to start a comeback, especially with the Turkey Shoot fast approaching.