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CHICAGO WHITE OUT--MIKE BLANCO IS MADNESS CHAMPION by: Scoop Palazzo

Chicago, IL - There are many qualities that one needs to be a Pass The Pigs Champion. Poise, confidence, arrogance, focus, stamina, and the ability to count to 100 come to mind. Every champion, past and present, have at least a few of them when they march to victory

And when you posses all of them, you're almost impossible to beat.

Mike Blanco proved just that at the 2nd Chicago Pig Madness, going on a run for the ages that catapulted him to the stratosphere of NPPL legends by starting off 12-1, winning the division title, and then storming through the playoffs and winning the NPPL Chicago Championship, defeating co-finalist Aubri Vincent-Barwood in convincing fashion.

"I just taught everyone a necessary lesson of humility" Blanco boasted shortly after winning. "Pass The Pigs is the perfect opportunity to do so. I want to thank Satan, for without him I could not be a Pass The Pigs Champion".

IN A GAME OF CHANCE, PIG PROWESS MATTERS

With a playing style bordering on aggressive, Blanco was able to play with the poise of a veteran Pig Passer, rendering his inexperience in the game moot. "It was if he played the game all his life" one disgruntled player said afterwards "I think he's full of shit--he must've played since he was old enough to walk". In reality, Blanco just played with that cunning "it" factor that certain pig passers are just born with.

And he wasn't the only one. Out of the top 8 that made the playoff field, it was no accident that seasoned vets Alyson Pouls and Perry Day qualified. They have long possessed this mysterious "it" factor, although they ultimately came up short. It didn't help that they had to face off in the quarterfinals, which knocked Pouls out of the compitition early & clearing the field for the newcomers.

The other strong showing was from Vincent-Barwood. With Beer & Cigarettes fueling her game rather than damaging it, it was quickly apparent that she had what it took to be a strong contender. She also benefited from the playoff seedings, facing a too drunk to focus Mike Dwiggins in the quarters and then seeking out a hotly contested semi final victory over a worn out Day, who was basically spent from running the show all afternoon. This locked up her finals appearance against Blanco, which was a very fitting matchup, as the two constantly bicker at work, with Day usually caught in the middle. A perfect finals opponent to motivate her to victory.

But she was no match for Blanco, who mowed through his playoff bracket with relative ease, beating Leon and then Curtis "Curt" Miller, who must've pigged out 10 times in row after Blanco left the door open for him to get back in the game by constantly pigging out while sitting on 85 points, one of his few weak moments of the tourney. After finally dispatching of Miller, Blanco went about his business methodically, filling his beer cup, setting his playlist on the party ipod, then sweeping the 3 game mini series over Vincent-Barwood to take the title, trophy, and $200 dollars. But in a surprising show of generosity, Blanco handed the trophy to Vincent-Barwood as a runner up prize for her efforts.

CHICAGO ON PAR WITH L.A. -- MAYBE TOUGHER

In a tournament that nearly doubled in size from the debut 9 months ago, this one was filled with twists and turns. Stray dogs roaming the yard, a mysterious neighbor trying to move out after not being seen for a year, and a delayed start time partly due the the Blackhawks playoff game (and partly because Day is an asshole and put an earlier start time in his evite, forgetting that Chicago is not L.A.--people actually come on time to parties in the midwest) were just some of the bizarre highlights that were present in this years event. But these were secondary issues next to the main event of the evening, the unpredictable Chicagoland weather. What started out as a perfect 75 degree sunny day at game time turned into dark clouds, 20 MPH wind gusts, and a 20 degree drop in temperature by the time the regular season was winding down. Rolls were being affected as the pigs were caught in wind gusts, plates, food and trash were airborne, and the annual Alyson-painted banner was torn from it's moorings.

Quite, frankly, if this happened in L.A., people would run for cover or complain that they needed a scarf. But this is Chicago, where the cry from more than one player was "I see a keg that isn't tapped yet & a tournament to play. Let's finish this!" Yes, readers, between the delayed start time & the drastic climate change, the Chicago division's resolve was truly tested on this day. But they passed with flying colors, with a strong core sticking around to drain the keg during the post game wrapup and then continuing the party with 2 more cases of beer in the Miller/Price residence until finally the whistle was blown for drunken shenanigans. In a fitting end, Champion Mike Blanco took the remaining revelers to Club Foot bar across the street, where his victory party continued into the night. When it was over the 18 players and the half dozen or so that paid admission to attend put away as much booze as the LA madness does, and that is twice the size! One can only imagine what Chicago will look like if if grew to that level...............

It's safe to say that Chicago's NPPL division is now firmly entrenched as a serious event that should warrant out of towners to attend in the future. It's easily as fun as L.A., and with the New Jersey league floundering, it has a chance to perhaps pick up some of the east coasters who are hungry for a pigs event and don't have the time or finances to cross the country to play on the west coast.

This writer has attended virtually every sanctioned NPPL event in 3 different areas of the country for the past 11 years, and he's now convinced of one thing:

Chicago may be the 2nd city. But it could very well become the first city of pigs.