Welcome to a special edition of the weekly stats report. WK21 happened to land on the third quarter of the season, so this week's stats report will double as GM's Quarterly III. How awesome is that?
"I'd go as far as saying it's as awesome as Clooney," said Burgundy.
I couldn't agree more. Anyways, this quarter spans from January 5, 2014 to March 9, 2014. Ready, gentlemen and lady?
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| "Let's get to it." |
First off: weekly stats report. The biggest headline in my opinion for this week was Dick Burn's decision to trade away Tuukka Rask to Team Safari. Dick was cruising the entire season with two monstrous goalies ("Moster!" yelled Pierre), without a care in the world to find a third string tender, but now he's decided to say "fuck off" to goalies in general; he's now running with one (Fleury).
"I live for trades," said Dick Burns. "No trade is out of the question when you deal with me."
Has the trade paid off for Safari, who is gunning for top spot? Let's take a look:
I will say this: Safari's goalie rainbow is looking a lot better than it used to. In fact, he only sports one red-bloodied figure (GAA). He's been able to rise up in all other categories, and may even eventually obtain a few shades of green if his goalies continue to perform the way they have. The only downside I see here is that Safari is fourth in PPGP (3.31), trailing Sitch (1st at 3.54), Dick (2nd at 3.35) and Tree Bone (3rd at 3.32).
Adds McGuire: And there's more bad news for those chasing Sitch. After two subpar weeks in the V, Sitch was once again this week's top performer, amassing a whopping 169.45 points this week, slightly ahead of Safari who had 166.75 points. And Sitch did this while boosting his PPGP week over week, so it's not like he had any underperforming players. He clocked in a solid, MONSTROUS week!
But what about the quarter? Let's dish out some awards.
GM OF THE QUARTER - AZNSITCH
(Honourable mention: African Lion Safari)
Last quarter this award was a toss-up between Sitch and Burgs. This quarter, the race was tight once again, with Sitch just edging out Safari.
"Absolute balls!" roared Safari.
I know, Safari, I know. Pierre will tell you why.
Adds McGuire: Thanks Commissioner Randy. Sitch edged out Safari just by a whisker. If we were to look purely at points gained, they were close; Sitch brought home just over 50 more points than Safari, which isn't a whole lot over a quarter when you think about it. Safari's change in PPGP over the quarter was -0.02, which was better than Sitch who came in at -0.05. Both men, however, moved up two spots in the rankings, which is very impressive. But when it came down to dishing out the award, it had to be given to Sitch because he absolutely demolished the PPGP stat this quarter; he came in at 3.47, whereas Safari came in second with 3.28. Tree Bone was next best at 3.21, followed by Dick Burns at 3.09 and Burgundy at 3.04.
Thanks Pierre. Here are the visuals:
BUTT-FUCKED OF THE QUARTER - DICK BURNS
(Honourable mention: Burgundy)
Remember when Dick Burns sat atop the standings? Seems like a while ago eh?
"You don't need to remind me," said Dick Burns.
The last time Dick Burns sat atop the rankings was January 5, 2014, which is over two months ago (and also when the last GM's Quarterly was published). He's taken a huge fall since the last quarter, most of which is due to injury. Datsyuk and Zetterberg, who were both cashing in hard earlier in the season, have been hit with long term injuries and cost Team DB dearly. Already struggling to find offense, Dick Burns was left out to dry when the two players hit the IR.
Adds McGuire: It's unfortunate to see these two fine young men be sidelined. But, I shouldn't be saying young men. They are not young anymore, and when you're not young, you're susceptible to injury. Dick went with stability and a proven track record when selecting these two players; it was not a bad strategy by any means, but it comes with risk as these guys are aging.
If Dick Burns doesn't turn things around, he may be caught with his pants down at seasons-end. Or, maybe he'll be caught wearing a dress. Kind of like this guy... (WTF?)
F.Y.M. OF THE QUARTER - AFRICAN LION SAFARI
(Honourable mention: NA)
By FYM, I mean "Fine-Young-Man". ("That's my line!" cried McGuire) I'm giving this award to Safari. I have spoken to him on several occasions throughout this quarter and I was thrilled to hear that he had decided to make some changes in his life to better his health. Safari took it upon himself to eat better, exercise more and live a better lifestyle.
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| Artist's conception. |
"Jeah buddy! Jeah!" fist-pumped Sitch, tearing off his shirt in excitement. "Let's go pump some Fe (iron) right now, bra!"
Fuck Sitch; sit the fuck down and put your shirt back on. By the way, how the hell does a meathead like Sitch know the periodic symbol for iron?
Anyways, I've seen Safari's sexy, sexy transformation in just a short two months. It's nothing short of spectacular, and I am so happy for him. And he's an example of excellence.
"It's really not about the weight," said Safari, speaking to a crowd of GNC reps trying to sign him up for sponsorship. "It's about living right. Eat right, sleep right, feel right. You don't need to starve yourself, purge yourself, etc. All you need is a sound mind, realistic expectations and a good support group. If you want to make changes in your life, do it now. Don't wait for the next New Year's resolution, the next month, or the next anything. Just do it (no Nike infringement). Now."
Hopefully his players can look at his self-betterment as motivation to stay competitive in this last quarter; perhaps Safari can finally shake off the silver lining he's been accustomed to and bring home some gold!
That's all for this week, gentlemen and lady. Prepare for the final push.
Cordially,
Commissioner Randy