Week 13 finds the commissioner’s office in a very somber place. I typed up the Notes Tuesday even though there was one game left on Tuesday (hoping that there were very minor changes). However, there was a major event that I must address. So, for the first time ever, these notes may go over 3 pages (including box scores). Around 2:00 AM today, we lost another founding member of the SWFFL. Daniel “Bubba” Jones lost his battle with liver and pancreatic cancer.

  Bubba was one of my best friends. He was my roommate in our first apartment after moving out of our parental homes. He was the best man at my wedding. We all have our own Bubba stories. I have many. Several involve Bubba’s first car which we simply called the “Peal” because it was an orange pinto and looked like an orange peal. My favorite story about he Peal goes like this, we were coming home form a Super Bowl Party at Pop’s Barrel Inn. After a particularly curvy part of Church lane, Bubba veered off to a side road and pulled into a driveway. Unlike me, he noticed that a police car was following us. Said police car pulled up to the driveway and walked up to the drive side window. The Officer asked Bubba why he pulled into the driveway. As quick as a whip and totally stoned-faced, he pointed to me and said “My friend needs to take a leak”. The cop just chuckled and said OK, just get straight home. Which we did, half laughing and half thanking God. Bubba had a quick mind that is for sure. As I stated before, he had consistently beaten me in a trivia head-to-head game. I argued we were about even, but we started keeping track and although he had only a slightly better record than me, he did have a better record than me. This is only significant, because I consider myself a trivia buff of sorts. Yes, Bubba was a very bright person.

  Another little anecdote involves 2 group skiing trips we attended. On the first one, Bubba had to be “ski-mobiled” from the top of the hill. I made it to the bottom in 10 yard steps of fall, get-up, go 10 yards, fall, get-up, go 10 yards again. After about 10 times Norm had to help with the get-up part. As that point Norm noticed I had no socks, which my mother (yes I still lived at home) had packed for me in a side pocket that I did not know existed. Bubba and I were not stupid, we learned. On the next ski trip, I packed my own bag (with socks) and we skipped the skiing part and went 100% apres-ski (or more plainly we stayed at the bar where we belonged). Like I said, we were not dummies.

  OK, enough of those embarrassing incidents (especially embarrassing for me). Bubba was a founding member of the SWFFL and one of the few owners who has been in the league since the beginning. He was also in the Father league (Freddy Flintstone Fantasy Football League – Commissioner Coach Casey). He came into the league with Michael Brown as a partner. Mike quit for a few years and came back with his own team. After several years, Mike joined back up with Bubba for a year before returning to the Black & Blue Attack. Bubba only won one championship in 1993. He won one in the Freddy League and always insisted that I should count that as the SWFFL (or the original GFFL) was just the continuation of the Freddy league. I of course ignored such crooked logic. Bubba was also my partner in the CHFLL (Joe Gum’s league). We won the championship the first year. After a few years Bubba wanted to cut down his leagues. My team name is still the Dream Takers, which was a combination of our SWFFL team names “Dream team” and “Money Takers”. Bubba also teamed up with Norm in the Maggie O’Neil’s Fantasy Football league in that league’s first year. The last few weeks, Bubba was very much interested in keeping on top of his SWFFL team. It is safe to say he was a fan of the Fantasy Football phenomena. He once told me that he hated the DRAFT. This is weird, because for most of us the DRAFT is the high point of Fantasy Football (except for the settle-up party – depending on how your year went). I asked him why. He told me that there was too much pressure. If you blew the draft, you blew you whole year. Obviously, Bubba did not subscribe to the Casey method of blowing up your team and rebuilding it as you go. Many yeasr ago, a few of us would watch football on Sunday at Bubba’s apartment or house and we of course called that “Football Central”. In fact, in some cases, Bubba would have to take an early lineup because I was still in transit. I have spent many an hour discussing the rules and strategies involved in Fantasy Football with Bubba. Yes, there is no doubt Fantasy Football will not be the same without Bubba. Hell, life will not be the same without Bubba.

  I only have one more thing to say. I would like to thank my partner Norm. He took Bubba back and forth to the doctors or wherever he needed to go. He would bring Bubba a Gatorade or a Dr. Pepper or a Nifty Fifties’ milkshake when Bubba needed/wanted one. He set up my final (and Shawn Malin’s) in-person visit with Bubba on Saturday afternoon. Norm set up a gofundme and is helping with the funeral arrangements. He also got the hospice arrangement set up. I can only hope when my time comes that someone is there to help me as much as Norm helped Bubba over the last couple of months. Thank You Norm.

  Some combination of Norm, Casey and I will manage the Taker lineup (unless we find a better option). Any Taker winnings will go to the family. All 9 teams will eat the loss if the Takers lose money. This is not negotiable. OK, here are the Notes as of Noon yesterday, updated for game changes.

  Week 13 finds 5 teams still within a game of first place (and for the first time in many weeks the Dream Team is not one of those teams, so look forward to a gloomy edition of the Notes, especially after considering the EAGLES more recent efforts). Unfortunately, we also have had our first 2 eliminations. FYI: This Sunday marks the trade deadline. I know this league is famous for all the trades 8-^), but after Sunday there are no more trades.

  The old web (http://swffl.50megs.com) has updated archives and historical records. I will also add some web-exclusive. Send any ideas to me and I will see what I can do.

Key Matchups to watch this Week

  The Jelly Beans will try to keep that top spot by sweeping the Croatans. The defending champion Black Assassins will try to keep their repeat hopes alive by avenging their early season loss to the Body Shop. The Black & Blue Attack will try to keep the heat on the Beans by sweeping the Roxborough Wranglers. The Dream Team will try to keep their dwindling money hopes alive by sweeping the Money Takers. The Good Fellas will try to keep their shiny new money spot by sweeping the Fightin’ Irish.

  Spock was 3 of 5 last week making him 30 of 55 (55%) on the year. He regains top billing. Norm (my estimates) was 0 of 5 last week making him 26 of 55 (47%) on the year. His lines (my estimates) appear below:

  With 3 post-Sunday games, there were no games that were decided on Sunday. The rest had some Monday/Tuesday night madness, but some of the madness was more like Hail Marys.

  The Good Fellas and a 120.4 point lead were far too much for the Croatans, Beasley, McLaurin and Thomas on Monday night. The Fellas were led by Murray and a huge game by Waller in the win that netted them the helmet and put them back in the Money. The Croatans were led by Tannehill, Beasley and Thomas in the loss that eliminated them. They had some minor improvements on the bench, but even these would have no impact on the outcome.

  The Black & Blue Attack, Diggs, the RAVENS and a 41.5 point lead easily held off the Body Shop, Gibson, Mostert, Diontae and the STEELERS on Monday and Tuesday night. The Attack kept pace with the Beans at the top and swept the Body Shop due mainly to the efforts of Aaron Jones. The Shop was led by Diontae Johnson. It di not help that the Shop lost a long TD form Mahomes to Hill who caught the back but do not realize he caught it. The Shop left significant points on the bench, more than enough to keep them in a tie for first instead of on the outside looking in.

  The defending champion Black Assassins and a 58.4 point lead were too much for the Dream Team and Debo on Monday night. The Assassin were led by Carson, Adams and Kelce as they kept pace with he teams at the top. The Dream Team was led by Watson in the loss. The Dream Team has some bench points but not enough to get them back in the money.

  The Jelly Beans, Bass and a 26.8 point lead were just able to fend off the Fightin’ Irish and CeeDee on Monday and Tuesday night. The Beans were led by Hill (Drew who?) and Cook as they maintained their hold on the top spot and completed the season sweep of the Irish. The Irish were led by Rodgers in the loss. The Irish had very little help on the bench to help them avoid elimination.

  The "Game of the Week" honors go to the contest between the Money Takers and the Roxborough Wranglers. The Takers, McKinnon and a 75 point-lead were just not enough for the Wranglers, Allen, Hollywood Brown, Cooper and JuJu on Monday and Tuesday night. The Wranglers, Allen and JuJu cut lead by more than a half on Monday, leaving the Wranglers behind by 26.6 points. Brown and Cooper came up with just enough points on Tuesday night. The Takers were led by the Viking Triple Ripple (Cousins, Thielen and Jefferson) and Boyd who caught a bomb before exchanging punched on the sideline and being ejected. OK, Boyd was probably ejected for contact with referees that those little punches(?), but never let the fact get in the way of a good story. The Wranglers were led by Allen, Montgomery and Gesicki in the win that avenged their early season loss. The Takers had a few bullets on the bench, however, a Landry start would have given the Takers the “W”.

CHATTERBOX:(Get Quotes in by Monday Night)
Dream Team (Norm): Suspiciously Absent

BEST & WORST OF WEEK 13

MVP: Darren Waller (48.0) Good Fellas       Best on Bench: Lamar Jackson (42.9) Fightin’ Irish      Low Scorers: Body Shop (88.7)    Coaching Efficiency: High: Money Takers (95%) Low: Body Shop (63%)

Top Rostered Players By Position (Rostered Players Only)
QB – Murray(403.5),Wilson(378.0),Mahomes(371.9),Rodgers(363.8)
RB – Cook(291.1),Kamara(247.0),Henry(235.8),Robinson(201.8)
WR – Hill(294.1),Adams(270.9),Metcalf(237.9),Allen(226.3)
TE – Kelce(241.5),Waller(196.2),Hockenson(145.4),Tonyan(141.7)
PK – Koo(163),Sanders(161),Bass(147),Butker(131)
ST – COLTS,STEELERS(116),DOLPHINS(102),PATRIOTS,RAVENS(92)

  COVID-IR: