Power Rankings -- Week 6

Another week of pure havoc, with the three top teams in the East combining to score only 0.5 / 3 match points when facing three of the lower four, leaving the East Standings in pure turmoil. The West had quite a bit of its own chaos, with the bottom team upsetting the top team, and really little seems to be impossible when trying to guess exactly who will get the coveted playoff positions which are still very much up for grabs.



1st: Queens Pioneers (5.0 – 1.0) (+0 from last week). While the 10 – 0 dream may be dead, I doubt the Pioneers are fretting about that as all their attention is likely on this week's big showdown with second place New Jersey who they now lead by only one point. While a win next week will give them a hammerlock on the division crown, a loss will put them in a dead heat for it, and I think they're going to take every route to ensure the former occurs. (Win Division: 63%, Make Playoffs: 100%), (Combined Current Record of Remaining Opponents: 13.5 – 10.5)


2nd: San Francisco Mechanics (4.5 – 1.5) (+0). After getting pummeled 3 – 1 by Boston in a match that could well have been 4 – 0, the Mechanics decided a repeat performance was in order, just with them on the opposite side as that's what basically transpired in their fair thrashing of Arizona. Combined with Dallas's loss, they now are back where many have expected them to finish, alone at the top. Their position is far from sturdy though, with rejuvenated Seattle paying a visit next week and having the ability to pull into a tie with them with a victory. (54%, 99%), (12 – 12)


3rd: New Jersey Knockouts (4.0 – 2.0) (+1). An interesting recent match for the Knockouts as they had to like their chances to win based on their previous meetings with Baltimore so escaping with a miracle draw might not have been the way they'd have chosen things to transpire from the start, but when you get a miracle the best thing to do is to accept it for what it offers, which in this case happens to be continued sole second place in the East. One can't help but wonder whether the all important showdown with Queens next week might see the second appearance of the fearsome lineup Benjamin + Gulko + Ippolito + Ng. It does seem if there was ever a time to use it, this would be it. (19%, 94%), (12.5 – 11.5)


4th: Dallas Destiny (3.5 – 2.5) (-1). A tough loss for the Destiny, but as has been shown, it seems inevitable for every team to experience adversity from time to time, and the true test is how well they can weather those hard times, and it should be interesting to see just how they do that against a Philadelphia team who might have regained a good deal of confidence. (18%, 73%), (12.5 – 11.5)


5th: Seattle Sluggers (3.5 – 2.5) (+1). I'm glad to see that despite most people's disagreeing with it, that my faith in ranking the Sluggers highly last week merited itself somewhat, being the only 0.500 team in the West to emerge from the mass of teams with a victory. If they can continue to this trend, it will be the division title they will be craving, not a mere playoff spot, and obviously knocking off San Francisco this week would be a rather giant step towards doing that. (19%, 71%), (11.5 – 12.5)


6th: Miami Sharks (3.0 – 3.0) (+1). A tough ending to a tough match probably left Miami fans a bit disappointed, but they still garnered a half point and are in good playoff position still. At the same time, any slip up can be so costly when everything is so razor close in the league, and letting the win escape yesterday might well prove to haunt them. Luckily, Miami has plenty of chances to redeem themselves, but it won't be easy as the strength of the rest of their schedule shows. But with the way both Becerra and Rodriguez are performing, I still really like their chances. (5%, 55%), (14.5 – 9.5)


7th: Carolina Cobras (3.5 – 2.5) (+3). Carolina continues to defy everything I've said about them over and over, and maybe it's time to just acknowledge that they're obviously a better team than I've been giving them credit for. While clear third was obviously better than I expected for them, that's exactly where they are, but they can hardly rest on their laurels, next week facing off against the Kingfishers, who account for one of their two defeats and then New Jersey who hope to be tied for the division lead at that point. (10%, 77%), (12.5 – 11.5)


8th: Boston Blitz (3.0 – 3.0) (-3). The Blitz, like their last week's opponents the Mechanics, also decided to basically reverse their previous week's match, but this time not in a good way, suffering their worst defeat in recent memory to a team they'd routinely dominated in the past. Like many other things, anomalies like this are always a part of the league, and luckily for them, a rematch against their old foes, the struggling New York Knights with the chance to perhaps eliminate them from post-season contention altogether, should be just the right motivational assignment to put them back on the right track. (8%, 70%), (9 – 15)


9th: Chicago Blaze (3.0 – 3.0) (-1). Another solid performance from the Blaze, but again solid may not be good enough as it's simply too close everywhere and the margin of error is so low that teams need not merely be normal, they need to be superlative. Fortunately, the one team the Blaze really demonstrated the ability to do exactly that against, Tennessee, is their next foe, but I have a feeling this time, it won't be quite as easy. (3%, 51%), (13 – 11)


10th: Arizona Scorpions (2.5 – 3.5) (-1). I'm sure getting really blown out by the Mechanics wasn't the result the Scorpions were aiming for after a couple of tragic results left them with a draw instead of a win the week before, but as always, they have little time to lament over it as they are nearing do or die time. (1%, 38%), (13 – 11)


11th: Philadelphia Inventors (2.0 – 4.0) (+1). Philadelphia is clearly a team which just wants to keep you guessing as after finishing second last year, starting 1 – 4 probably wasn't what most expected, and then to end that streak by blowing out the one team they'd never had any success in the league against, well that's just a bit...odd. Nevertheless if ever a win could get a seemingly defeated team back into the mix, it seems like this could be it, but next week's match against defending champion Dallas isn't going to be any easier. (0%, 30%), (11 – 13)


12th: Tennessee Tempo (2.0 – 4.0) (+2). Only their second win in history, but what a win, defeating the defending Champions who were using one of their better lineups. A giant step of progress for the Tempo, and I'm sure they wouldn't like to stop it there and redeeming themselves from their previous sweep against Chicago would obviously be a huge step into doing just that. (0%, 13%), (12.5 – 11.5)


13th: Baltimore Kingfishers (1.5 – 4.5) (-2). I've often noted that teams which continually shoot themselves in the foot late in their matches are the ones who will really suffer in the end, and this year I have to say the team most guilty of that has to be Baltimore, with this most recent match being the most extreme example. While there playoff hopes are still alive, they grow dimmer quickly. (0%, 23%), (9.5 – 14.5)


14th: New York Knights (1.0 – 5.0) (-1). I remember writing New York off several times last year, and they proved me wrong. Well I guess I have to set myself up for the ridicule from doing that again, as I feel this time we're not going to see a miraculous finish by them to score a narrow playoff birth. But hey, they've proved me wrong on things of this nature more than a few times, so fans are probably safe in pre-ordering their seats for the Knights' postseason matches. (0%, 6%), (10 – 14)