BB5 Week 3 Recap
A look back at an epic week in the Warehouse
Woogas vs Hookline Sinkers Game 8
I hope the team with the MLW player and Dan wins!
Finishing off the group stage was a game with huge implications for the Warehouse Cup. With Hookline Sinkers holding a healthy 4 point lead in the standings coming into BB5, all three other teams in the running to usurp them, including Woogas, have come into this tournament praying for Hookline’s downfall. And now here we are, the Sinkers needing to win this game to avoid falling to 0-2 and into the Loser’s Match against Del Caribe. To slump to such ignominy would put not only their tournament but also their chances of securing clinching points in the Cup in serious jeopardy, leaving the door open for Woogas to achieve a miracle. Big enough stakes for you?
Key Contest
Knorp vs Davis: The history in this one speaks for itself. At least I hope it does because I don’t know it, I dedicate myself only to the one true ultimate source of plastic cinematics:the Warehouse.
Pressure Cooker
How about Old Man Dan being called out from the bullpen with bases loaded and no outs? Hookline are a defensive team and even a deficit of just a couple of runs after the first inning would have given them a massive hole to claw out of, and with ice cold bats. A desperate situation but did Canobbio let it show? Not even a little as he calmly knocked down the Woogas and escaped with a clean scoreboard. Money really does do something for confidence.
Turning Point
Commissioner O’Brien had to be praying for moments like these when he brought in the designated fielder for BB5. Without Rourke and Cohen’s miraculous relay Hookline still would have had more hard work to do to put runs on the board but this was still a brutal swing of momentum. With Drew struggling mightily on the mound and still needing to record his two outs, they simply could not afford to go into the bottom of the 2nd knowing one hit could lose them the game. They did. And, thanks to Knorp, it did.
Headscratcher
This tournament has been an optometrist's nightmare. We’ve had Nicky showing a lack of basic comprehension of his own vision. Dalton not knowing which of his glasses he is wearing. Now Drew not wearing his prescribed post-concussion glasses and Knorp’s confusing reasoning for not wearing his glasses and the resulting varying blurriness he faces day-to-day. I hope there is room in the budget for an on-site optician.
Honorable Mention: Trevor Plouffe, behave yourself.
Moment to Forget
I know we love giving him the ‘Old Man’ moniker but surely Dan Canobbio’s reflexes are faster than this.
Best Quotes
“Don’t fuckin’ boo me.” - Dan Rourke, obviously.
“That’s where you can go to get Mr. Canobbio - he has a big hole.” - Moylan
“Wait a minute, so Drew Davis had a concussion? What happened, did he read a book?” - Rosey, with the quote of the tournament so far.
Player of the Game: Jimmy Knorp
As a renowned appreciator of Dan Rourke’s lunacy my bias almost sways me to giving him the honors for getting the job done on the mound. But I am a professional plastic sports journalist and I cannot let my heart interfere. Jimmy Knorp is the only real choice for his dominant pitching performance and game-winning bomb.
Final Score: WOO 4-0 HKL
Love Yas vs Forgotten Rotten Game 9
I don’t know whether they’ll fight or kiss
With pool play wrapped up we were treated to our first ever one-inning “Winner’s Game” with our two 2-0 teams facing off for a bye into the semi-finals. Forgotten Rotten are playing solely for Blitzball glory whilst Love Yas are also looking for a late surge to lift the Warehouse Cup so this one had huge implications. With the two teams facing each other for the first time since Rotten overpowered Love Yas to lift their second of back-to-back banners in BB2 and the pulsating tension of two sides of the infamous Storiale-Cassano-Plouffe Love Triangle squaring off, this game was always going to have at least a few sparks. But instead we got a full-on explosion of controversy, antagonism and theatrics. And one of the best games we’ve seen in the historic walls of the Warehouse.
Key Contest
Trevor vs Nicky: Two of the fiercest competitors in the Warehouse in one game, not just competing for glory but to be the centre of attention. What a beautiful recipe for chaos. Coming into this game, though, both men have seen their struggles as their teammates carried much of the load towards each team’s 2-0 start. Nicky lost all control of his fast ball last time out against We Got Ice and instead left it to Dalton to escape the high scoring affair with a victory. Meanwhile, humble Trevor Plouffe has been having high-profile struggles at the plate and needs to get his swagger back fast lest he must continue to rely on Shelfy heroics. As the game played out, Dalton and Shelfy continued to be front-runners for MVP and yet they were secondary characters. The Warehouse Cup didn’t matter. Blitzball Battle 5? Who cares? This was just Trevor Plouffe against Nicky Cass.
Now how do I even possibly describe the carnage that unfolded as these two galaxy-sized egos collided? We saw intentional walks so they could face each other, physical confrontations, contentious umpiring calls, late-game drama, bickering, histrionics and a lot of money added to the editor’s swear jar. There could only be one winner and the drama couldn’t have been distilled into a more perfect juxtaposition of emotions at the end of the game as Nicky danced on cloud nine whilst Trevor walked off shirtless into the smoggy Jersey City air.
Honourable Mention: Trev vs Umpire Kev
Pressure Cooker
Even though the tension down on the floor could be cut with a knife, it was the pressure up in the booth that boiled over and had our beloved commentators literally ducking their replay review duties. Hopefully they don’t have to deal with any more piercing glares from Plouffe this tournament or we may be seeing them call the action behind bulletproof glass in BB6.
Moment to Forget
Dalton Feely won’t be including this one in the defensive showreel of himself he watches every night before bed.
Best Quotes
“Can you imagine if I pushed someone what would happen to me? Jail. JAIL.” - Trev
“I wanted it to come down to me and Trevor because he talked a lot of smack, and his game doesn’t really back it up.” - Nicky, dropping the mic in the post-game interview
Player of the Game: Nicky Cass
Forget the home run, forget the strike outs, they don’t matter. This was an old fashioned duel, winner-takes-all. And that winner was Nicky.
Final Score: LOV 4-2 ROT
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