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WSOBP II Pool Play

By the time 2006 came to a close, the core group had expanded to 4 teams. Lodge West (the roommates), Wet Bandits (the newlyweds), Seltzer Water (Adam and Grant), and Mudshark (Adam - 'The Logo' and his roommate, Dorian, a last minute replacement for the other roommate, Danny). After a short Vegas detour for New Years Eve, the group (plus cheerleaders Meghan and Katie) headed to Mesquite, NV for four days of beer pong.

The World Series format was two days of pool play, 6 games each day. The top 80 teams would make the final day, with a 32-team double elimination bracket deciding the
winner of the $20,000. The going was rough on Day 1 for everyone except Lodge West - who rolled through their competition, going 6-0 on the day. Seltzer Water never got it going after their first game, when they almost beat the New England Steelers, the reigning Maryland State Champs and eventual 3rd place finishers. The Wet Bandits could not string wins together, ending up the day 3-3. Mudshark had an even rougher day, ending up 2-4.
World Series Pool Play
 
The group had work to do on day 2. Mudshark and the Wet Bandits would likely have to go 6-0 and 5-1 to make it to the 3rd day, with the Wet Bandits' opponent for the final game of pool play being non other than the World Series defending champs, Team France. Day 2 started off rough for all, except Mudshark. With a documentary crew looking on, Lodge West lost to Black Betty, the other 6-0 team in their division, which very much put their hopes of a top 16 finish and an automatic bye to the 32-team bracket in jeopardy. The Wet Bandits could not finish off their first two opponents, dropping to 3-5. Meanwhile, Mudshark won a game here, and a game there, slowly moving up in the rankings. Hope was not yet lost. Black Betty would later lose, letting Lodge West take the division lead with a greater cup differential. Mudshark won their first 5 games, taking a dismal 2-4 record to 7-4 going into the final game, which was against an inferior opponent. If they could win their last game, they would have an 8-4 record, easily placing
them in the top 80. The Wet Bandits had made a move as well, as they won 3 straight games by large cup differentials, giving them a 6-5 record into their matchup with Team France. While the Wet Bandits' record was not stellar, they had a definite edge over teams with similar records, as they had a high cup differential (total cups on the table in games lost vs. games won). If enough 7-4 teams lost their final game, and if the Wet Bandits could pull out a victory against Team France, they would most likely make the top 80.
Mudshark: 5-1 Record on Day 2
 
With the documentary film crew filming Team France's every move, the necessity for the Wet Bandits to win, and Team France's crew yelling 'Shit is Weak' every chance they got, there was a little bit of tension in the air. Peter and Kerrie took over and never looked back, with Peter hitting the last two cups on successive turns. Despite a not so impressive 7-5 record, they had tallied a plus 18 cup differential, letting them slip into the top 80 ranked 76. Meanwhile, a disappointed Mudshark team ended their day with the same record, but with a cup differential that would not make the top 80.


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