This had to be one of the most even tournaments I have ever been a part of.  We had a regular season that came within an eyelash of having a 5-way tie for the final playoff spot. And then a final series that had a billion twists and turns despite very few runs.  I had a great time playing Strat with my son, despite him beating me 3 out of 4.  It was Nick's first tournament in a couple of years, and for a while he appeared headed for a playoff berth.  In the end, he fell one game short.  Here are the final records and a writeup of the final series.

Regular Season

Tony 16-12

Chris 15-13

Shannon 15-13

Nicholas 14-14

Paul 14-14

Bill 14-14

Russ 14-14

M&M 10-18

Tony advanced to the finals with a bye.  Chris defeated Shannon 3 games to 1 in their semi-final series.  I am doing the following writeup from memory, so details may be a bit sketchy.  

Finals Game 1 - Chris takes a 1-0 lead into the 8th.  Starling Marte finds a homer to 2 on Alcantara's card.  With Tony rolling all 4 dice at the same time, the 2 is already staring me in the face and Tony has tied the game.  Julio Rodriguez would walk it off with a homer in the bottom of the 10th to give Tony a 1-0 series lead.

Game 2  - We go 14 innings and end with a bizarre twist.  Chris gets 1 in the top half to take a 2-1 lead.  Tony gets a man on with one out in the bottom half of the inning, and then rolls a CF x chance to Michael Harris.  The result is an F3 with a rare play.  The baserunner is doubled off to end the game and even the series.

Game 3 - Tony gets a couple of solo homers in the 1st inning and this one is a little less tense than the rest of the series.  Tony takes the win 3-1 to take a 2-1 series lead in a series that we determined was going to be a Best of 5.

Game 4 - Chris' back is against the wall.  And Tony takes a 2-1 lead into bottom of the 9th inning.  Freeman (I think...or it might have been Harris) leads off the inning with a HR 1-11, Triple the rest.  I get the triple, putting the tying run 90 feet away with nobody out.  With the infield all the way in, the next roll is a groundball B.  Chris is deflated as the tying run gets thrown out at the plate.  Nootbaar strikes out, leaving the game, and the tournament, in the hands of Marcus Semien.  I roll a 3-8, which is a homer to 13, double the rest.  A 15 on the 20-sider, pops out of the tower.  The re-roll is good and Chris walks off with a win, sending the series back to Texas for the finale.

Game 5 - Another nail-biting extra inning affair.  And, it took some major cheese for Chris to come away with his first tournament win in a couple of years.  Tony leads 2-1 entering the top of the 9th.  The leadoff hitter in the 9th rolls the obligatory SS x, and Chris proceeded to drop the 3 6-sided dice.  For on this stricken multitude would grim melancholy stare. There seemed but little hope of Swanson committing an error.  Alas, the dice came up all three sixes.  The 2-base error would lead to a game tying double by Machado.  The game would roll on to the 10th.  Chris would get Ty France on first with one out and Willy Adames at the plate against Tanner Banks.  Adames attempts a hit and run, but misses the pitch, leaving France hung out to dry.  Now with 2 out and nobody on base, Adames rolls a 3-8, homer to 7.  And, he nails it.  Chris takes a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the 10th.  Tony responds by getting the first 2 hitter on base.  1st and 2nd with nobody out for Yordan Alvarez.  Tony contemplates a bunt, concerned about the number of DPs in the matchup.  He elects to swing away, and sure enough, hits the DP.  The next batter makes out, and a brutally intense series comes to a close.

In the end, some insane things had to go my way.  Tony was extremely gracious in the difficult defeat.  I want to say I am extremely grateful to Mark for persevering and making this tournament happen.  I am thankful for a chance to play with Nicholas.  We have also been blessed to have Bill join our ranks on a regular basis.  For those that haven't gotten to play him yet, he is a great addition to the group.  Also thankful to see Paul T. back playing on a regular basis.  Tony and Russ...thanks for making the long drive.  And Shannon...really great to see you for the first time in a long time.  Shannon wins the award for longest travels for this one, having flown in from New York.