2005 CHAMPION   -   THE BARBARRYANS

In what can only be described as an impossibly close finish, the Barbarryans grabbed on to first place in the final hours of the final day of the season and held off two tenacious competitors to grab the Championship, thereby becoming the third back-to-back champion in league history.

This was the most competitive season this league has seen to date, with four or five teams all having a legitimate shot at winning well into the summer months. From July forward, the Barbarryans, Mutts, Comfortably Numb, and the Arms & Hammers fought a tight three month long running battle that saw each team in first place at least once, and in which the four teams were rarely separated by more than five or six points.

This was nothing compared to the level of excitement that developed in the final two weeks, when the Barbarryans, Mutts, and Comfortably Numb became locked in an even fiercer dogfight, in the final days of which no more than two points separated the three teams.  The battles further extended to individual categories, where mere single digits of runs, RBIs, Ks, and other small margins were all that differentiated the contenders.

On the beginning of the final day, the Mutts started one point ahead of Comfortably Numb and two points ahead of the Barbarryans.  However, the Barbarryans Dontrelle Willis turned in one of the all-time Roto clutch performances and struck out twelve batters, vaulting his team over the Mutts in Ks. Combined with 1/2 point swings in two other categories both in the Barbarryan's favor, this was enough to tilt the balance. 

The tension extended through the final outs of the season, as the Barbarryans and Mutts were tied in runs, with a one run swing potentially making all the difference. The Mutts actually had a man on base in the late innings of one of the final late West Coast games, but failed to bring him around, and the Barbarryans emerged victorious by one point. For a complete recap of the events of the final day, see the Vagrant Newsletter, October, 2005 edition, To the Last Man.

Second place was incredibly even closer and necessitated implementation of the tiebreaking rules to anoint the Mutts as league runner up.  It literally
came down to the final play of the regular season, with Trevor Hoffman of the Marauders picking up a save and taking one half point from Comfortably Numb, who then lost the tiebreaker.

Not to be lost in this were the performances of Double D and Eight Men Out who also waged a close battle with one another and both passed Arms & Hammers in the final month of the season to round out the money finishers.  Likewise, the competition extended to seventh place, with the Marauders beating Shu's Crew by tiebreaker and thereby turning in their best finish to date.

The Barbarryan's successful defense of the Championship extends their string of consecutive money finishes to five. The Mutts return to the money after a two year absence, while Comfortably Numb is noted for their high finish in their first year back in the league after 'retiring' following the 2001 season. Eight Men Out also deserves honors as a money finisher for the second consecutive season.