December 23, 2002

While the overall champion of LEAF Ball 2002 has long been a foregone conclusion, Week 17 offered one of the biggest shocks of the season, making for some exciting fantasy viewing to close out the year.

Barring a collapse of epic proportions, It's All Ball Bearings entered the final two weeks with a comfortable lead, and despite a weak showing in Week 16, rebounded in Week 17 to earn a 101 points, good enough for second place overall. It was the 11th time this season that Rick scored 100 or more points in a week, which is probably a league record. Rick's outstanding season earned him 35 percent of the pot, or $242.20. Priest Holmes' injury in week 15 prevented him from taking the MVP award this year, though he only missed an additional 5 percent of the pot by 6 points, and may have cost him a shot to play in the LEAF Bowl as well.

If there was a Rookie of the Year award, Nick Bradley's Mystery Machine would have won it hands down... and not just because he's the only rookie owner this season. Nick's debut season was an impressive one, which included a second place finish overall, and runner-up honors in LEAF Bowl IV. Add to that an MVP honor for Rich Gannon, and Nick also earned a total of 35 percent of the total pot, so Nick takes home $242.20 this year.

In what may go down as one of the great leaps of all time in LEAF Ball, Grandpa's Meat jumped from fifth place into the money in Week 17. While fourth place was certainly attainable as he entered the week 10 points behind Eric for the position, even Steve could not believe it when he saw his final score of 147 points. Coupled with a down week by Todd, Steve jumped into third place overall, earning 10 percent of the pot, or $69.20.

Todd, of course, is the least thrilled of all fantasy owners this year, as he watched his championship aspirations crumble. He entertained optimistic hope that he might climb past Nick in the final week to earn the second place money, never thinking seriously that he had a tenuous grasp on third place. Chico's Bailbonds takes home $34.60, but leaves as probably one of the most disappointed team owners this season.

The Spring Avenue Rough Housers can sympathize with the Miami Dolphins this season, as he, too, tasted some of the glory, only to have it violently yanked away at the last moment. Despite his late season charge that put him in the money, Eric K. ends this season empty handed.

The Conestoga Ragin' Rednecks also had a shot at climbing into the fourth position, but a dismal Week 17, coupled with Steve's ridiculous week rendered that impossible. Still, despite his sixth place finish overall, Keith leaves as one of the happier league owners, as he once again takes home a chunk of the booty. His impressive head-to-head run, in which he did not lose a game until Week 11, led him to a LEAF Bowl IV victory. That earned him 15 percent of the pot, or $103.80.

The Fightin Goobers were unable to overcome an abysmal start of the season, though Tom hung in their and managed to secure seventh place for the year. Daunte Culpeppers late season surge also made him a contender for MVP honors. One or two more weeks would have done it. Always a fighter, expect Tom to be among the contenders again in 2003.

The Pez also never gave up this season, as Bruce continued to make aggressive, sometimes risky, moves to position himself for a shot at the money. He fell short, but his eighth place finish was still a solid one. If there was an award for an inspirational owner, this is the guy who would get it. Of course, there isn't, so Bruce will have to wait until next year to line his pockets with cash.

The Viagra Big Men were early contenders, but too many gaps in his lineup and a weak QB situation doomed Eric S. from making a serious run. Giving up on James Stewart early in the season did not help matters, but would not have saved his team from its ninth place finish this season.

Rarely would you give props to someone who finished in 10th place, but considering where the Lancaster Raiders were at mid-season, Troy's perseverance must be honored somehow. After a few trades that were deemed disasters by many of his peers, some actually turned to Troy's favor, and in the end, he finished much better than anyone might have projected. Add to that he has one of the strongest potential keepers for 2003 in Chad Pennington, and this is one guy who might recapture his 2001 glory.

For awhile, it looked like the Brickyard Bullies just might make things interesting, and when Dave secured the services of one Marshall Faulk, the purchase of trophy polish might have seemed a wise investment. But when Faulk's health went south, as well as Drew Bledsoe's productivity, the Bullies found themselves in a free fall more terrifying than the Twilight Zone ride at DisneyWorld. The only thing that saved him from a basement-dwelling season was, well, Mike Ruth.

Mike, the first of the three fellas to own the rights to Marshall Faulk (is there a curse?) was actually one of the top teams very early in the season. That didn't last, and when he grew frustrated with Faulk's disappointing productivity, he panicked and traded him away. From that point on, a head-to-head matchup vs. the Razorbacks was the equivalent of a forfeit victory, as he failed to win a single game after week two. Can he recover from such a disastrous season. Well, it seems unlikely that he could do much worse.

So there you have it - the 2002 season in a nutshell. Congratulations to all of the winners, and thanks to everyone for making it such a fun season! Keep checking the CBS Sportsline Website. We can continue to keep the playoff chatter alive, and I plan to update new poll questions from time-to-time. Hey, we're paying 120 bucks for this service, you'd better believe we should utilize it as long as possible!

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