The Juice of the Lime
by Simon McGrother
Fantasy-God-Fearing Southern Division
I don't need to get in to a theological debate with all y'all - whether you believe in a creator, reincarnation, heaven and hell or none of the above - such belief is an act of faith.
Fantasy Gods, by contrast, demonstrably exist. Proof is trivial to come by. Going in to week 1, look at your match-up, then say to your opponent: "I have a superior team, and I will win," or the equivalent -- your 0-1 start is guaranteed. Unfortunately modest, self-deprecating statements about your team are not as effective in guaranteeing victories -- it is as if the gods can look into your very soul and gauge whether you are sincere.
A word of caution, once you have voiced confidence, complacency or satisfaction with your team (and the gods have struck you low), it can be difficult to convince them to leave you alone -- so undertake the above experiment at your own risk.
Take a lesson from the South and act like a God-fearing sinner, and maybe the angel of defeat will pass over you.
The Southern Conference features two of the traditional powerhouse teams of the AFL. 7 of the last 16 ArenaBowl championships have headed to Florida (Tampa Bay 5 titles, Orlando 2). The balance of the conference comprises the always strong Georgia Force, the developing Austin Wranglers and the returning New Orleans VooDoo.
2007 promises to be a very competitive year with Orlando (last year's ArenaBowl runner-up) most expert's pre-season favorite, but with Georgia's superb receivers, Austin's strong offense and Tampa's wealth of experience the road to the southern title is not going to be an easy one.
Chances are the VooDoo will bring up the rear, rarely does an expansion team (which in effect they are) do much better, but Mike Neu worked the magic when the VooDoo really were an expansion team (11-5 in their inaugural season) and will be keen to do so again. Probably 4th is their best hope.
We'll take a more in-depth look at the contender's strengths and weaknesses over the coming weeks. In the meantime, an early prediction for the final standings:
Prediction
Orlando 10-6
Austin 10-6
Georgia 9-7*
Tampa Bay 7-9
New Orleans 5-11
* Sneaky pick for ArenaBowl champions
Simon McGrother is a founding member of Arena Football Online and has been following the Arena Football League for 4 years. Contact Simon at smcgrother@arenafootballonline.com
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