NSHL Offensive Player of the Year

This kid has been an iconic piece to Thumbs Up and there is no one the Commish would rather go to war with. Doug Schlehuber did not have quite the year he hoped for, but still was a force on offense. When he gets in the lane he's almost impossible to control, and to top it off his vision while driving is pin point. Doug also has top tier trey range and is just non stop on the offensive. Doug was last year's Conference Player of the Year and has a good shot to keep the awards rolling for years on.

The Time Has Come: Championship Thursday

Tonight is the same match up from Week 2 when the Super Villain Squad took control in the second half. Tonight should be an intense game with clashing styles of play on each side. The super Villain Squad uses its monstrous height to pound the rock inside and play tough man to man defense, while Thumbs Up is a fast break driven team that uses the three ball to generate their offense. Either way at the end of the night, only one team comes out the victor.

No ID No Idea Gets Carded on a Tuesday Night

Tuesday was a world class upset as Thumbs Up took down No ID No Idea 40-35 in the Semi Finals game. Dan Nagle, Steve Burill, and Doug Schlehuber just drilled trifecta after trifecta to give Thumbs Up a hefty lead early. No ID No Idea had star player Joey Wilkes arrive late, but it was a little too late. This eliminates the undefeated top dogs who seemed destined for the title. tonight Thumbs Up will play the Super Villain Squad for the league title.

Semi Finals Week!

This week commences the Semi Finals of the NSHL. We have to great match ups with tomorrow's game of undefeated No ID No Idea versus the Commish's very own Thumbs up. This should be an interesting match since last time Thumbs Up went to war with only four guys. The other Semi Final game will be a reoccurrence of last year's match up with the Super Villain Squad against Dump Em  Out.

Playoff Time

Due to site maintenance, the blog has not been updated in quite some time. To summarize in short a lot of teams never made up some of their make up games so they were seen as forfeits. We started the playoffs Thursday night where Thumbs Up defeated Kung Fu Panda 40-22. Today is an intriguing match up of reigning champion Cougar Bait against Dump Em Out. Hometown Hero Jordan Weygand returns from his tour of Afghanistan and will be the X factor in this game.

Weekly Matchups: Wednesday Thumbs Up vs. No ID No Idea

No ID No Idea (2-0)
4 Key Factors:

• Malik Little's scoring capability
• Joey Wilkes ability to push the ball in transition
• Defensive presence by Hannon Brothers
• Key contribution from at least one man on sideline crew (Keegan Schleicher, Tom Munger, or Mike Twitchell)

Thumbs Up (1-1)

4 Key factors:

• Doug Schlehuber's ability to finish around the hoop
• Steve Burrill's ability to take more control of offense
• Control amount of turnovers in transition
• Team Defense combined with defensive rebounding

The Commish's week 4 Gunslinger Games

This Week there are two great match ups occurring Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday No ID No Idea plays Thumbs Up. This should be a great match up  both teams are mirror images of each other. Both teams enjoy the three game and an uptempo fast break offense. The other game will be The Super Villain Squad against Cougar Bait. This game will be interesting when the preseason favorites play the defending champs. This also a rematch of lat year's championship game. This game will see if Cougar Bait is the real deal or not.

Later on tonight and during the week. I'll go over every match up this week with pregame analysis. Put me in the booth baby!

The Commish's Power Rankings: Week 2

These Rankings are a little late because most games were delayed.

1. No ID No Idea (2-0)- They cruised to their second victory and will have a big test with a make up game with Thumbs Up next week. Joey Wilkes, Malik Little, and the Hannon Brothers will continue to anchor this team.

2. The Super Villain Squad (1-1)- Their victory tonight against Thumbs Up bumps to number 2. They match up great on defense with their hieght and Chad Earls anchoring them. Lex Luthor was a strong surprise wince he missed game one. Timmy Laconte and Death Stroke play as great guards, and bigs Jared Lang and Kurt Sullivan are do it all players.

3. Cougar Bait (2-0)- The defending champs move up a spot but still have yet to be tested. This week will be interesting with them playing the Super Villain Squad and will prove if their really top tier material.

4. Thumbs Up(1-)- With an atrocious performance in game 2, they drop two spots. Their match up with No ID No Idea should be interesting. Doug Schlehuber and Steve Burrill need to lead the way in scoring to get them back on track with DAn Nagle orchestrating the offense.

5. The Tune Squad (0-1)- This team still hasn't played a game, but with the height they have, I don't see them losing many when they get on the court.

6. Dump Em Out(1-0)- They haven't played yet either but this roster will be interesting with the losses of Beatrice and Weygand. Saturday against Cougar Bait could get interesting.

7. The Dirty Burg (0-2)- If this team had their full squad they could do some damage. Chris Brooks has just checked in for scoliosis from carrying this team for the past two games.

8. Kung Fu Panda (0-2)- When looking at their schedule, it's tough to figure out where they could scrap a W. They should pray Chris Pinheiro can show up for a few.

Thumbs Up Gives Thumbs Down Performance, Super Villain Squad Prevails

The Super Villain Squad outplayed Thumbs Up by far in their 40-34 victory. Bret AKA Lex Luthor played a phenomenal game in the paint and crushed the boards. Deathstroke hit a few 3's and had a couple nice drives, while Chad Earls did his usual of a solid 7 points and redirecting everything on defense. Tim Laconte out hustled everyone on the court leading to steals and fast breaks. Kurt O'Sullivan worked his inside out game, while his partner in crime Mr. Freeze drained some 3's. The only bright spot for Thumbs Up was sharp shooter Steve Burril. The rest of team did not play their usual game with Dan Nagle and Doug Schlehuber showing glimpses of great plays but nothing compared to Game 1. The Commish rocked out a double double with 15 boards and 15 turnovers absolutely destroying fast breaks. Matt and Mike Donovan hit some key shots, but were not there usual selves. This will shake up the Power Rankings that will be posted later tonight.

Week 3 Game of the Week

Tonight is the best match up for the week. Thumbs Up is playing the Super Villain Squad. Which is a 2 vs. 3 in the Commish's Week 1 Power Rankings. Depending on the outcome, multiple things could happen in this weeks rankings. Word is the game is gonna be sold out, but they will be scalpers near the tennis courts for those who are looking to catch a glimpse of some magic.



Commish's Prediction- Thumbs UP 40 Super Villain Squad 33

Mother Nature Ruins a Monster Game

Due to the beautiful thunderstorm throughout Norton, the match up between the Super Villain Squad and the Tune Squad has been postponed. This was a match up between the two tallest teams in the league. The Super Villain squad has an average height of about 6'2 (closer to 6'4 if you take out Derek Dufresne) while the Tune Squad averages a monstrous 6'4. Word is this game and Nos. 1&2 of the Power Rankings of Thumbs Up and No ID No Idea will be played Wednesday.

The Commish's Power Rankings: Week 1

With Week 1 under the belt, the Commish is going to start his annual league power rankings. I first want to say that rankings are not solely maintained on a team's record or the score of their games. Things considered are what teams a team has played so far, team improvement over the year, if players were missing during losses, and overall team talent perception. With this said here's what it looks like for now:

1. No ID No Idea (1-0)- I have to put them at No.1 for Week 1 because they took down the big bad wolf of the league in the Super Villain Squad. With the Hannon Brother Duo they can match up with anyone down low, and sharpshooter Mailk Little and fast break starter Joey Wilkes do a great job with their fast paced offense.

2. Thumbs Up (1-0)- Thumbs up thrashed the Dirty Burg, but that's not the reason they're in this spot. So far this team looks like the best shooting team in the league. Every player on this roster is a three point threat, and their transition game is the best in the league along with No ID No Idea. On defense they can match up with anyone. I'm not mentioning any players in this review for them because this team gets contributions by their entire roster. This weeks winner of their game with No ID No Idea will probably be No.1 next week.

3. Super Villain Squad (0-1)- Even with a loss in Week 1, the Squad is still looked as a championship level team. I can't picture Chad Earls allowing his team to lose many more games this year. With the presence of Jared Lang and Chad on defense, I just wonder why does a team that can match up with anyone just sit in a zone so much.

4. Cougar Bait (1-0)- The defending champs dominated Kung Fu Panda, but if they didn't they would have been much lower. That win is almost equivalent to the Perkins School of the Blind. Cougar Bait is a good team, but after Martin I just don't see many players that will be able to do something when they play a team that plays tough man to man defense right in their face.

5. Dump Em Out(1-0)- This team is my biggest question mark in the rankings. They won by forfeit in Week 1 and have major losses coming into the season. I'm very curious to see who they reload with. Truthfully, I don't see this team ever surpassing a ranking higher than No. 5.

6. The Dirty Burg (0-1)- This team looks like it will be on the verge of playoff contender all season long. they have scoring capability behind Chris brooks, but the wild card will be how many games will hustle machine Tom Mcdermott be able to make.

7. Kung Fu Panda (0-1)- Well this team doesn't lack any heart, that's for sure. But it's lacking talent by far. Hopefully Chris Pinheiro will be able to make some games because after Greg Ware, there is not another player that I can see to step up and control a game.

8. Tune Squad (0-1)- This ranking will skyrocket soon, but when you don't show up for Week 1 and didn't play last year I just have nothing to go by. I picture the Tune Squad to jump to around No.4 next week, but first they have to show up to a game.

Thumbs Up Punches the Dirty Burg in the Mouth

It was the same story from the first possession to the last. Thumbs Up started the game 7-0 and didn't take the foot off the gas. The Commish started the game off with a turn around pull up on the first possession, and sharpshooter Matt Donnovan made his debut noticed in a hurry by banging out three threes in the opening minutes. Reigning Player of the Year Doug Schlehuber did the usual with a couple threes, some beautiful finishes at the rim, along with an a no look behind the neck assist. The offense was quarterbacked by Dan Nagle. young Steve Burrill also played great in his Thumbs up debut with a couple threes including the game ender and some fast break finishes. For the Dirty Burg, their offense was carried by Chris Brooks and Travis Jolly. They also had a solid contribution from young gun Danny Refuse.

Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself: Thumbs Up

Thumbs up is going to be a powerhouse in the league. The only question is how many casualties will there be. Before I go further I want to be clear that there is no exaggeration to these statements because the commish is the captain of Thumbs up, everything I state is facts. Thumbs Up has taken a great clay figurine, crushed it back into a ball, put it in God's hands, and created something beautiful. Formerly known as teh Rochester Rawdoggers, Thumbs Up has kept three core players and has gone Theo Epstein on everyone to go from contender to heavyweight.

Last year there was a commitment issue with numerous players leading into a game that was started with only three players which they pulled out, but a playoff loss where they only had four guys. Thumbs up looks to run a lethal transition game with snipers all over the court. They return offensive juggernaut and Player of the Year Doug Schlehuber (Dougie Fresh) along with the commish and last year's late add in sharp shooter Dan Nagle. They've added the big three (big as in talent not height) in the Donnovan brothers which consist of twins Keith and Mike and big bro Matt. With the loss of First Team All Star Darren Doucette, they've added bulk with former Feehan star David Simmons and wingman current Norton High standout Steve Burrill. The commish is still wheeling and dealing and could make one to two more key additions, but this is the core right here and they look to take the ship and nothing less.

Countdown: 6 Days Until First Games are Played

This Thursday the league kicks off with two games. Thumbs Up featuring last year's Norton Division Player of the Year Dougie Fresh will play the Dirty Burg featuring First Team All Star Chris Brooks. The other game will consist of league runner up The Super Villain Squad featuring last year's Lancer Division Player of the year Chad Earls and the young gun reigning baseball state champs No ID No Idea with non baseball player All Stars Pat Hannon and Joey Wilkes. There's nothing better than opening day baby!