Donald Hefferon beat Matt Francis 112.5 to 107.5 on Monday night, a five point margin bettered by only 107 of the 1,140 games ever played in this league. Francis is now 0-3.
Five points separated the two men, and in twelve seasons of record keeping only 107 games have been settled by less. Hefferon's 112.5 was not a display anyone will be describing to their grandchildren. It did not have to be. Francis brought 107.5, a total that would have beaten six other managers this week, and took it home unspent.
The bench is where the story lives. Francis left 46 points sitting in reserve, which is to say he left nine times the margin in a drawer and shut it. Jahmyr Gibbs did his part with 37.5, the second best individual score of the round. The supporting cast was assembled by a man who evidently wanted the afternoon to stay close.
Hefferon moves to 3-0 with 418.5 points for, the most in the league, under a team name that grows less accurate by the week. The paper notes, without comment, that this same fixture in week three last season went to Francis by three points, 96.5 to 93.5. The ledger has now been balanced with interest.
Francis sits last but one at 0-3 while carrying the fifth largest points total in the competition. He has outscored Hannan Merritt, who has not lost, by nine points, and trails him by three games. There is no rule against this. There is simply no comfort in it either, and Ian Dudley next week offers only the certainty that one of them must finally win.
Travis Gervais took Ian Pfeiffer apart 125.5 to 102.0, with Brock Bowers contributing 28 from the tight end slot and the rest arriving steadily. Pfeiffer, unbeaten until this week, is 2-1 and third.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba's 34 was the third best score of the week and served no purpose whatsoever. Pfeiffer still holds 381 points for, second only to Hefferon, which is the sort of statistic a man reads aloud to nobody in particular.
“Wish I took a screenshot of my 95% chance of winning before the Monday Night game. Tough start for Beef Dip. I hate the eagles”
Mike Littlehale started 106.0 and benched 59.5, including Garrett Wilson's 26.0, then beat Ian Dudley by 23.5 regardless. A functioning second team was left in the garage. The result was never in question.
Hefferon 112.5, Francis 107.5. Only 107 of the 1,140 games in league history have finished tighter, and Francis carried 46 bench points through the whole of it without touching them.
Mike Littlehale stands on 99 career wins and needs one more. Tom Pauza needs one for 50. Matt Francis, on 97, needs three, and currently needs any win at all.
Tim Kelly scored 116.5, third highest of twelve, and lost to Sam Wadhams' 129.0. Bijan Robinson's 39.0 was the week's finest individual return and is filed under nothing.
Pauza v Borah — Pauza trails Borah 3-4 all time, and both arrive with something to prove.
Kelly v Abbott — Kelly and Abbott, 9-10 across the years, meet at 1-2 apiece.
Hefferon v Merritt — Hefferon v Merritt, 7-9 all time, and one unbeaten record must end.
Gervais v Wadhams — Gervais trails Wadhams 5-6 in the books, a fixture dating to 2018.
Dudley v Francis — Dudley trails Francis 6-11, and one of these two finally wins something.
Littlehale v Pfeiffer — Littlehale 10-13 against Pfeiffer, with a hundredth career win waiting.
Heavy, persistent gloom over Beef Dip. Matty scores freely, banks nothing, sees no break in the cloud.
Bright and settled above The Unluckies. Don enjoys three days of unearned sunshine and zero visible remorse.
Dense fog on the Jackalope Society bench, where Duds parked a 25 point quarterback.
Scattered bench squalls across Bucky Bunkiss country. Mike wins regardless. Warnings remain in effect.