~ HALFWAY POINT UPDATE

51 down, 49 to go...here's a little recap of what's happened, and what to expect the rest of the way.

I'll comment on each team in the playoff order as of today.  Enjoy.

1.  Mucca Mad Boys  (36-15)

Chris started off incredibly hot, and hasn't really slowed down whatsoever.  Winning at a 71% clip, I'm not sure there has been a team that has had this kind of start. Not only that, but he has a commanding 8 game lead over the would be favorite in his division, Tim.  Jose Bautista has been quietly doing what he has done for the past few years.  And while Prince Fielder has had a good start to his Detroit career, he's yet to explode too.  That should be a scary thought to the rest of the league. He nailed his first round pick in Brandon Phillips, and got the steal of the draft with Carlos Beltran in the 10th round. 

2.  Off Constantly  (30-21)

Bare started off the season frustrated, but as of late, there hasn't been a hotter team.  As always, there have been a flurry of trades made involving Bare, some questionable (Howie Kendrick??).  But even though he's already spent some of next year's draft, it's obviously working out for him so far.  If Ryan Howard ever gets back to prove he was worth a fourth round pick and Melky Cabrera, he could be hard to catch in the Coors Division.  One move that could come back to haunt Bare is him dropping Mike Trout.  Doh!  But as I said, something obviously is working as Bare is in this thing per usual.

3.  Nick Ellis  (27-24)

One of our two teams that remain nameless leads the weakest of the divisions, the Beef by two games.  Nick always challenges for a playoff spot, and right now it looks like the only team that will stand in his way this year is Junebug.  Nick traded first round pick Tampa Bay SP to Tim and got Hunter Pence who has been very good all year.  Michael Cuddyer in the 7th and especially Allen Craig in the 20th (when healthy) have been outstanding value picks.  Albert Pujols was awful at the beginning of the year, but has started to heat up as of late.  For Nick to be in the position he's in without his best player performing says a lot about the team he's put together.

4.  Small Mop Who?  (29-22)

Over the last couple weeks, Bill has leapfrogged me, and is nipping at the heels of Bare for the #2 seed as of now.  He's doing it with his usual magical lineup insertions,  and a couple of Cubs.  Starlin Castro and Alfonso Soriano have been surprisingly good, and what the fuck is going on with Edwin Encarnacion.  A certain website predicted a big year from him, and by golly he's just figured out Major League pitching now I guess.  Getting a guy that's on pace for 40 HR in the 15th round will help your team's chances.  After this weekend, who knows?  Bill could very well be at the top of the Coors.

5.  FedExFuckUp44  (28-23)

Tim started off with a couple of MVPs and all kinds of draft picks, so the fact that he's currently in the fifth spot is a little surprising, but a week or so ago, he wasn't even in the playoffs.  No team can match his firepower.  Mike Trout was a gift from Bare.  Joey Votto, Evan Longoria, Dustin Pedroia, Tampa Bay SP, have all been added, and he's already given up half of his top of the draft for next year.  Tim is all in, and since he's the current points leader, the only thing standing in his way might be the dominant season his division rival Chris is having.  8 games is a lot to make up, but if there is a team that is up to the task, this is the one.  Tim leads the season series with Danny 6-3 with three to play, so one more win vs. Danny and he holds the tiebreaker.

6.  Dan Nelson  (28-23)

Fresh off a 57 point game from his starting pitching, Danny has set his team's cruise control at 65 and is making great time thank you very much.  One has to wonder if his good fortune will last as Troy Tulowitzki has been hurt, and Robinson Cano has been ordinary.  But here he is in the playoffs as of today.  You would think he might need to make a move or two to stay in the toughest division the Ram.  Will he go outside the family circle and get some help?  Time will tell.  Both brothers have their own contenders to work with, so that's the way it's going to have to be.

7.  Brat Hot Tub  (26-25)

I have no idea what is happening to my team.  I feel pretty damn good about my lineup every game, but I have lost 10 of my last 12 and I haven't scored over 35 forever.  Justin Upton can wake up any time now.  Extremely hot starts from Matt Wieters, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Jay Bruce have slowed considerably.  I'm not ready to panic just yet, but when you go from a 5? game lead in your division to out of the playoffs pretty darn fast, you have to wonder what's in store for me.  I usually start slow and finish strong, but this year my hot start has turned in to the weakest team in the league...behind Phil of course.

8.  Junebug  (25-26)

Junebug is staying alive in a fantasy sport...imagine that.  Not too many changes are being made, but he keeps his head above water.  The weak pitching he supposedly had after the draft has actually been outstanding with the Mets and Orioles (his first pitching draft pick Oakland not so much).  Carlos Gonzalez is one of the top keepers in the league.  One 3rd round pick has yet to start a game (Ike Davis).  The other is having the comeback season that keeps brother Bill up at night....Adam Dunn was supposed to be his Bug.  Let's all hope Bug stays alive and isn't providing one of his brothers a good SS, a slugging OF, a top SP, and top RP for one pick at the deadline again.

9.  Miller Genuine Draft  (21-30)

Our defending champ has started slow, but he did the same thing last year.  Other than Jason Maxwell (????) there isn't really a hole in his lineup (sorry Tom).  And he's just filling in for Nelson Cruz.  The double Starting and Relief staffs (Texas) has worked surprisingly well and who knew that Albert Pujols would play THIRD fiddle to Trout and Mark Trumbo?  If Tom can get his second keeper Jacoby Ellsbury to come back and produce like his other, Curtis Granderson, he could make a run to get back in this thing.

10.  Crardawgs  (21-30)

John gave up then won a couple games putting up impressive scores, and then decided to trade a pick for a couple guys.  I'm not sure Crary has enough to get back in the playoff race, but I guess the Beef Division is the division to do so.  Loaded up for next year, it would seem this year is a rebuilding year, and that will probably play itself out over the next couple weeks.  He still has Alejandro DeAza to trade off...that guy does it all!

11.  Flight 666  (20-31)

Andy probably shouldn't have kept a pitching staff over Joey Votto, and he finds himself in a position to try and load up for a run next year.  He already added a fifth for next year, and has a couple of pieces that he could possibly get another pick or two next year.  The bright side?  He may have found a keeper in Adam Jones.

12.  Domination!!!  (15-36)

Just as Chris started off at a historic pace, Phil has done the exact opposite.  Another team that kept a pitching staff, we might have seen this trend end after this season.  Getting a 4th round pick (and an OF who has produced) for a lame Ryan Howard can be looked at as a positive.  He also got a couple picks for Corey Hart, and the Yankees bullpen respectively.  There's no shot at Phil to come back from this.  He's a virtual lock for the #1 pick next year.  Who is going to be alongside of Matt Kemp to start off next year's team is the question.