The playoffs are starting this week. As I have mentioned in this space before, it's a weird season. We started it on August 31st, which was the earliest possible date for Labor Day Weekend (that Monday was September 1st). That meant that we basically got five Sundays in September and that we're going to get five Sundays in November. This odd phenomenon is rare. It doesn't happen every seven years; because of Leap Years, it actually happens about once every 10 or 11 years. Making it even stranger is the fact that Thanksgiving is very late this year (November 27th is the second-latest possible date for Thanksgiving). Some think that it's always the last Thursday in November, but it's actually the fourth Thursday in November, so it could be as early as November 22nd.

Anyway, while we usually start the playoffs a week closer to Thanksgiving, such is not the case this season. We'll see how it goes. We usually finish the playoffs a week or so before Christmas, take two weeks off for the holidays, and then start back up in January. One year, due to scheduling difficulties, we had the championship games two days before Christmas. That was bad.  

I just released the schedule for Sunday and I've gotten two complaints about "Why do we have to play a team that was not in our Division during the regular season?" For one thing, we add Divisions for the playoffs, so there's going to be movement. For another, as always, I try to make good matchups, but it doesn't always happen. Just play hard and good luck.

Now, here's a look back at some of the crazy stuff that happened in the regular season. Some of it is pretty cool. 

Holy Hoopers - This is absolutely crazy. During the just-completed regular season, the Holy Hoopers scored 364 points and gave up 364 points. 

JAK - One of the powers in the top Division, JAK lost four games by a total of seven points, including a one-point loss in overtime to Cool Arrows last Sunday.

Local 3 - They went 5-2, with their first four wins coming by 1, 3, 3, and 5 points. That's clutch.

Mambas and Arbol - Mambas lost their first game, then won six straight. Arbol won six straight, then lost their last game.

Flashback - They won their first six and then lost their last one by one point! Wolves won their first six, then lost by two in the finale.

Serpientes - They lost their last two games by one point each! Like Clubber Lang said in "Rocky III,"..."Pain!"

Hickory - Defending Division champions lost their last four games by a combined 11 points.

Fenton Finessers - Since September 7th, the Finessers alternated wins and losses throughout their schedule. After starting the season with two wins, Frosty Hesson did the same thing.

Anybody Can - Won two games by one point each.

Dyin' Breed - They won three games, lost one, then won three more. Meanwhile, the Bandits won two, lost three, won two.

Air Jesus - They lost three straight games by exactly six points each game. That's weird.

4T7 - They lost their first and last games, but, in between, they won six straight.