By Dr. Rug

It’s Showdown week!!

Woohoo!!

Welcome to the official start of summer everybody, we made it.

As anybody who is eagerly awaiting episode #4 of the Jimmy’s Booth podcast is no doubt painfully aware, things in the YK Fastball media world are not necessarily moving along on the fast-track. Slow would be an understatement. In fact, they are progressing even slower than the hypothetical Bruce vs. Bryson foot race. Blame it on Trump. Or Elon. Or the general chaos in the world these days. Or anybody but me. Regardless, here we are a few days out from the Solstice Showdown and I have yet to produce a tournament preview article.

For shame, Dr. Rug, for shame.

However, fear not, for I am here today to prescribe a remedy to this malady like I’m Dr. Wong at the walk-in clinic. The discussion will be lacking any semblance of intelligence, the accuracy will be questionable at best, but you’ll be in and out in no time flat with a prescription in hand. And what is the prescription in this weird analogy of mine? None other than some tournament predictions, game by game.

Away we go…

(SPOILER ALERT: If you want to be surprised by how the Showdown plays out this weekend, do not read any further.)

Friday, June 20:

6:30 PM: Gastown Giants vs Fire Prevention Prospectors

A clash of heavyweights to start things off in style. Monday night was a fantastic preview between these two that ended in a tie, so what do I see Friday bringing? Much as they’ve been so far in the early season, the Giants’ bats will be slow to wake up and very hit & miss in this game, with more miss than hit. With Steve not prone to 12 walk games (hi Mitch!), this will spell trouble for the Giants hopes.

Prospectors 4 – Giants 1

8:15 PM: D&A Maintenance Mariners vs Tamarack Thunder

This is how you schedule a tournament, with the fan favourite game scheduled for primetime coverage on a Friday night. Despite being game 2 of the tourney, there are huge playoff implications in this one. If you’re not sitting in the beer gardens, alternating between watching the Mariners/Thunder slugfest and triple overtime of the Oilers/Panthers game 7, you need to re-examine your life priorities (the Oilers are down 2-0 after 1 in game 6 as I write this, so that game 7 reference may be the first prediction (of many) that I get wrong in this column).

Editor’s note: Not off to a great start there, Dr. Rug.

Thunder 12 – Mariners 11

Saturday, June 21:

9:00 AM: Optimum Crush Rockies vs Slades Fire Protection Expos

There are so many options for an outcome here based purely on managerial decisions on the mound. Will we see a Chad vs. Mitch big-dog, heat throwing battle? Will we get a precision off-speed match-up of Plot vs. Thiel? Or will we get some sort of wildcard Trent vs. Carson shitshow? Whatever choices are made, expect a few fireworks to wake everyone up on Saturday morning.

Rockies 9 – Expos 4

10:45 AM: Fire Prevention Prospectors vs Tamarack Thunder

Again, managerial decisions make this a tough game to forecast, and by managerial decisions I mean, will Steve be starting? I’m going with a “yes” for Steve starting and mowing down the Thunder to essentially clinch 1^st place in Pool B.

Prospectors 7 – Thunder 0

12:45 PM: Hay River Heat vs Slades Fire Protection Expos

Welcome to Yellowknife, Heat! As always, the Hay River squad is a wildcard in the first tourney of the year and difficult to predict. Have the Rowe boys had this squad out practicing 3 times a week for the past month? Is the Big Dog in midseason shape and ready to fire bullets on the mound? Who is actually on the roster these days? Are they ready to Heeeeeat’er up?

So many questions that I am searching for answers on but given the history of this squad, and my intimate knowledge of Hay Riviera, I am confident in my deductions.

Heat 8 – Expos 6

2:30 PM: D&A Maintenance Mariners vs Gastown Giants

The Giants will be fired up after suffering their first loss of the year on Friday night and much like Pedro Cerrano, will do anything they can to wake up their bats. A date with Bruce on the mound might be just what the doctor ordered… but then again, maybe not. Last week Bruce came in against the Giants and pitched 4 innings of shut-out ball in a tight 4-3 loss. Could he possibly do that again in tournament time and give the Mariners some playoff hope after their heartbreaking Friday night loss? Anything is possible, but my forecasts say don’t bet on it.

Giants 10 – Mariners 3

4:15 PM: Hay River Heat vs Optimum Crush Rockies

Huge playoff implications on the line here in this game as the winner will move straight to the semi-finals and the loser will have an extra game to slog through on Sunday if they hope to win. This could easily be the most important game of the day in the tournament as these title favourites grind it out in front of what should be shaping up as a lively gardens by this point in the day. The bats will hopefully have heated up as much as the gardens and provide a back-and-forth shootout for the fans.

Rockies 9 – Heat 9

6:15 PM: Tamarack Thunder vs Gastown Giants

With second place in Pool B on the line here, and more importantly a noon start instead of a 10am start, this game still has plenty of meaning despite both teams being locked into the quarterfinals. The disparity in pitching depth between these two teams will be on full display in this one. The Giants have 3 excellent options that they can throw out on the mound (and that’s not including the undefeated Nichols option) and AJ’s arm should finally be tiring by this point in the weekend. Not a good combination for the Thunder.

Giants 11 – Thunder 2

8:00 PM: Fire Prevention Prospectors vs D&A Maintenance Mariners

A meaningless Saturday night game with nothing on the line as the Prospectors have clinched the top spot in pool B and the Mariners have been eliminated, this one has all the makings of a beer garden classic. Steve resting on the bench, Bruce in prime form after an evening in the gardens, both teams carefree and swinging for the fences. I see plenty of hits, plenty of errors, and above all, plenty of entertainment!! Grab a cold one, sit back, and enjoy yourself.

Mariners 12 – Prospectors 11

Sunday, June 22:

10:00 AM – G1: 2nd Pool A Heat vs 3rd Pool B Thunder

The Saturday tie against the Rockies means an early morning start for the Heat as they try to run the gauntlet. The Thunder, meanwhile, are just happy to be playing on a Sunday. I see the Heat bats starting off slow after a late night on the Monkey Tree dance floor, but eventually they’ll find a groove (much as they did on said dance floor) and string together enough offense to move on.

Heat 8 – Thunder 5

12:00 PM – G2: 2nd Pool B Giants vs 3rd Pool A Expos

As I noted in my last article, it’s been 6 years since the Expos didn’t make it to at least the semi-final of a tournament they were in, that impressive streak will be on the line in this game. However, as Nelly Furtado so elegantly pointed out, all good things must come to an end. This weekend will be the weekend that both the Expos semi-final streak and the Rockies title streak grind to a halt. The Expos will get back to their winning ways later this season, but early on they are struggling to put the pieces together and those struggles will continue on Sunday.

Giants 9 – Expos 2

2:15 PM – G3: 1st Pool B Prospectors vs Winner G1 Heat

Despite coming off the wild Saturday night loss, the Prospectors will enter this game firing on all cylinders. Steve is well rested, the bats are popping, and the D is making the plays they need to make (i.e. getting dropped third strikes down to first base in time). The Heat enter this game coming off a morning victory and a Gold Range diner breakfast, ready to ride a Sunday wave as far as their bats can take them. A close battle for much of the game, the Heat will succumb to a classic catastrophic inning and let victory slip away.

Prospectors 6 – Heat 3

4:15 PM – G4: 1st Pool A Rockies vs Winner G2 Giants

My intel tells me that the Rockies start Plotner in this game, hoping to both exploit the Giants tendency to struggle against the soft stuff and save Chad for the final against the Prospectors. Unfortunately for them, the plan backfires as the Giants bats stay hot, staking them to an early lead. The Rockies will undoubtedly push back with their own plethora of big bats, doing everything in their power to keep the title streak alive. Will they be able to stave off elimination one more time? Can they come from behind to yet again crush the Giants title hopes?

No.

Giants 8 – Rockies 7

6:30 PM: Final Prospectors vs Giants

They say that the third time’s the charm and the Giants are certainly hoping that’s the case here as they face off with the Prospectors for the third time in the last week, looking for their first victory. Riding high off their victory over the Rockies in the semis, the Giants will need to adjust quickly to the significant contrast between facing Plotner and facing Steve. The Prospectors meanwhile will be doing what they always do. Grinding out at-bats, looking to capitalize on mistakes, and riding the right arm of their ace. As always seems to be the case between these two squads, victory and defeat will hinge on one or two big plays or costly mistakes. This time, the gods will be smiling down on the Giants as they finally get another title.

Giants 4 – Prospectors 2

That’s right folks, you read it here first. The Giants will end the Expos semi-final streak, end the Rockies title streak, and take home the title this weekend.

Quite the weekend for them.

And for anyone out there that may doubt my prognostication skills, just know that I had the Golden Knights winning the Cup over the Hurricanes in my NHL playoff pool and the Nuggets over the Cavs in my NBA playoff pool. My picks are money in the bank!!