Josh, Laura, and Jeese: Sunday’s 100 Trifecta
23 July | MUD Centurion Club
Josh Mandell
When IUD beat (null) (null) for the sixth time this season, Josh Mandell—in his tenth season—got his 100th win. And it took him only 160 games. That’s tied for fourth fastest to clear the century mark. The hot-shot handler shares the four-spot with his former and three-time captain Karina Ray, with whom he won finals in Sum16. Josh has been to finals five times and won four of them since he debuted in Sum10 on webuygold.com. That team and the Sum16 team KitKat most contributed to his total with 16 wins each. The Centurions are eager to welcome Josh into the 100 Club. Particularly enthusiastic is Josh’s six-time baggage Sean Petterson who has been sitting alone at a table in the back since Sp15. Bring him a drink, would you Josh? Everything’s free at the Centurions Club.
Laura Kaplan-Weisman
It was Laura Kaplan-Weisman’s 188th game in her 12th season when her team Extenuating Circumstances won on Sunday. And zip! Laura was a Centurion. The ever-attending clutch cutter is the 13th woman to receive the golden honor. Now she just needs another one. Dr. Kaplan-Weisman has been to finals only one time (in Sum14 with Green Eggs and Hammer) and she didn’t win. But that’s only on the COMP side of MUD. These days, Laura plays three leagues per season, and while the Centurions only consider her COMP wins, she and her fellow Centurion baggage, Andrew, are clearly campaigning to play the most games of any MUD player. Centurions respect this, especially when those Weismans win.
Jesse Mang
Jesse Mang began the season as a shoe in. He had 97 wins. But Jesse rarely takes the easy way in this league. In Sum13, Jesse suffered a season-ending knee injury helping his team, Toast, secure the top-seed, which eventually led to one of Jesse’s championships. When he came back healthy in Sum14, his team, We’ve Got a Biter, was the league’s worst in the same season that featured MUD’s only undefeated regular-season team. And yet, Jesse was a key player in what has been called the greatest upset in MUD history: the worst over first playoff defeat of I Barely Know Her. To become a Centurion this season, Jesse had to plow through eight weeks and 16 games just to get three wins. This lanky speedster is in his 12th season, and like Laura Kaplan-Weisman, he spent 188 games getting his 100th win. Unlike Laura, Jesse has three finals wins in six appearances. But he and Laura and Josh have no more worries: they’re Centurions now.
A somewhat surprising note is that despite their becoming Centurions on the exact same day, Jesse has never played with Laura or Josh, and actually, Josh and Laura only played one season together.
Berzofsky’s Got More than Almost Everyone
18 July | MUD Centurion Club
Alex Berzofsky’s team, IUD, completed a league trick on Tuesday, and it proved to be Alex’s 200th win in the league. It took the lefty handler 397 games, which seems like a lot for one man to have played, but Alex is in his 25th season. Alex captained the very first winning team in MUD, White on Rice. He dropped the mic after that spectacular season and hasn’t led a team since. In total, Alex has won five times in nine finals appearances. He is the fifth person to reach 200, and, in addition to all his winning, Alex is otherwise important in MUD’s history. He was largely responsible for securing the permit and renovation of the Riverside field where this league has played 565 games so far. That field is also where Alex got his Double Centurion status. As a matter of perspective, let it be known that Alex spent 204 games getting his first 100 and only 193 games getting his second set. Just another example of getting better with age.
Ben Graf Dates 100 Wins
2 July | MUD Centurion Club
The latest gossip on Ben Graf is that he’s got 100 wins. Sources at the Centurion Club confirm this. It took the 6’2” handler 188 games to get his century of victories. On top of that, Ben has picked up three championships in his 11 seasons played. He is a member of IUD in his current and 12th season. While Ben wouldn’t talk to the throng of paparazzi after IUD’s Sunday victory, his three-time captain Mateo Mead was thrilled to welcome Ben into the Club. “I’m proud to have played with Ben Graf for his 100th win and for his most recent championship back in spring 2014,” Mateo said. “Now, let’s get him another one.”
Summer League: Come Get it
3 June | MUD Headquarters
We’ve ditched our robes and stuck with the legit mixed ratio. This is the summer for you. 88 players gonna get competitive. 20 rookies gonna figure out what we’ve been doing for 29 seasons. It’s ultimate, baby. And we’re drowning in MUD. Sunday’s coming. Please.
Summer 2017, Spring 2017
Fall 2016, Summer 2016, Spring 2016
Fall 2015, Summer 2015, Spring 2015
Fall 2014, Summer 2014, Spring 2014
Fall 2013, Summer 2013, Spring 2013
Fall 2012