GUY'S RETIREMENT: A LOOK BACK

H. GUY RITCH JR.: 9/1/2012 – 12/31/2019

As you all know, Guy has retired from the GWBL effective immediately. Before officially closing this chapter of the GWBL History Book, I wanted to look back at his career. Here is a breakdown of Guy’s tenure in the league.

Summary:

Seasons: 8

Average Draft Position: 4.38

Cumulative Record: 43-60

Win Percentage: 41.75%

Playoff Appearances: 3

GWBL Titles: 1

2011 Season – N/A:

N/A - Guy was not involved with the GWBL during its inaugural season.

*He was also not involved during the 2009, or 2010 seasons. While not a part of official league history, these seasons were part of the foundation of the GWBL.

2012 Season – 6-6 record, 7th place:

His first team name was “Sandusky Steamer”, which was a topical reference as the Penn State scandal was an ongoing national nightmare. Guy finished his first season with a 6-6 record and scored the 6th most points during the regular season. His top performers were Ray Rice, Marshawn Lynch, CJ Spiller and the Bears D/ST. Despite the even 6-6 record, he missed the playoffs as the 7th seed.

2013 Season – 5-8 record, 7th place:

Guy confused everyone and named his team name “. Hi”. Maybe it was a ploy to confuse his opponents, but I still to this day don’t know. Anyway he finished with a 5-8 record and once again finished in 7th place. He scored the 7th most points in the league and his team consisted of guys like Marshawn Lynch, Frank Gore, Roddy White, Victor Cruz, Cam Newton, Antonio Gates and the Bears D/ST.

2014 Season – 5-8 record, 9th place:

In 2014 Guy named his team Shmasmorshin Clinic in a reference to the movie Knocked Up. Unfortunately 2014 was another abortion of a season which saw him finish in 9th place with a record of 5-8. The key contributors on his team were Demaryius Thomas, Brandon Marshall, Julius Thomas, LeVeon Bell, Steve Smith and Russel Wilson. Guy got boned badly this year as he put up the 3rd most points and didn’t even make playoffs. This was in large part due to the fact he had the most points against. Three years into the league and Guy was still looking for that first playoff appearance.

2015 Season – 9-4 record, GWBL CHAMPION:

Guy named his team frank’s little beauties in 2015, his fourth year in the league. After a brutal 2014, he ran through the league with a 9-4 record on his way to becoming the GWBL CHAMPION. His championship roster included names like Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham, Lamar Miller, Mark Ingram, Latavius Murray and Doug Baldwin. It was a great team and no one can ever take this championship away from Guy.

Note: I actually predicted this in Guy’s draft recap which is insane. I guess I peaked back then because my recaps have been rough lately.

2016 Season 7-6 record, 6th place:

Guy named his team Marty Huggins in 2016 and followed up his title run with a 7-6 record and 6th place finish. His roster consisted of guys like Brandon Marshall, Dez Bryant, Rob Kelley, CJ Anderson, Carlos Hyde and Isaiah Crowell. While he scored the fewest points in the league, it appeared as though he finally established himself in the league as a contender. Unfortunately the warning signs had started to appear as Guy only made 11 roster moves all season…

2017 Season – 2-11 record, GABRIEL:

The 2017 was the low point of Guy’s tenure in the league. His team name was Duncan’s Toy Chest, but at some point he changed it to Jakey Jakey Big Mistakey. He finished with a 2-11 record and the fewest points among any team. His team averaged 91 points a week even though we had introduced points per carry and points per completion. Guy’s team had some good players like Gronk, Marcus Mariota and Dion Lewis, but had major busts like Odell Beckham, Marshawn Lynch and Mike Gillislee (remember him?). Looking back at the recaps, this is when I started to express doubts about Guy’s interest in the league.

2018 Season – 6-7 record, 5th place:

Guy bounced back in 2018, taking DeAngelo Vickers to a 6-7 record and playoff appearance. His 6-7 record wasn’t great, but he still scored the 6th most points and finished in 5th place. The stars of his team were Todd Gurley, Devante Adams, Tevin Coleman and Kerryon Johnson.

In his season ending recap, I voiced some more concern about Guy’s dedication to the league. Particularly the fact that Guy had thrown away the Gabriel Trophy that Frader gave him at my rehearsal dinner. In hindsight, the writing was on the wall.  

2019 Season – 3-10 record, 9th place:

The Skid Row Nightcrawlers would be Guy’s swan song in the league. Even though he had the MVP of fantasy in Christian McCaffrey, he finished with a 3-10 record and the 2nd fewest points for. Not ideal. The only team he finished better than was an auto-drafted team and that would be the straw that broke camel Guy’s back. He announced his retirement shortly before the end of the season.