I feel like it’s Christmas morning. “It’s finally here!” The deadline has passed, and I am happy to report that we have a new record number of entries this year: 444! Not only is that an enormous number of entries, but it also happens to be a palindromic number, which is interesting only to OCDs like me.
I offer my apologies for not sending out my usual pre-tournament musings about seeds, numbers, and statistics, but I’m unfortunately having to cut back a little bit in favor of mundane things like real work. If you’re interested in that sort of thing, I direct you to the commentary from years past, where I have discussed those topics ad nauseum.
It is with great pleasure, then, that I offer the opening contest awards. These are just to wet your whistle until things really get rolling.
The Upset Stomach Award, sponsored this year by Tagumet HD-NCAA, goes to the contestant who “picked” the most first round upsets. I use the word “picked” very loosely, since the winner of this award often appears as though he handed his bracket over to a chimpanzee. This year’s winner is Bob Hillman, who picked 26 underdogs and only 6 favorites to win in the first round. Bob, the “pick all the upsets” strategy has been tried before, and it has never worked.
The Some Day, Seven Will Be Lucky award goes to those contestants who picked a 7 seed to go to the Final Four. Believe it or not, this has never happened. This year’s winners are the Butler fans: Doris Goehringer, Jason Justice, Corey Davis, Vanessa Sopke, Charlie Hillman, and Olin Russum; the Gonzaga fans: Esther Wilson, Vanessa Sopke, and Bob Hillman; the West Virginia Fan: Rebecca Davis, and the Miami fan: Luke Gilbert.
Back by not-so-popular demand, the Napolean Dynamite award goes to the contestant with the most clever or most amusing alias. There were several that made me laugh, such as I Don’t Pick Boogers, I Pick Winners, Every House Needs A John, and Pickin’, Then Grinnin’. There were a couple I had to nuke. (Please keep your aliases safe for young eyes. I will be vigilant in policing that.) But, because I’m a sucker for a good pun, I had to give this year’s award to RJ Wynn, otherwise known as The WYNNing Team. The monicker is unlikely to be prophetic, however, since a quick glance at RJ’s bracket reveals that he picked like two upsets for the entire tournament.
The Cheaters Never Win award goes to Andrew Ables, who circumvented the one person, one entry rule on a technicality by “letting” his two children, one of which cannot even walk or talk, enter picks. In fairness, I don’t think Andrew is alone in this practice. You know who you are. Maybe next year I should require photo ID.
As a final thought, let me encourage you to check out the blog. If you register, you can submit your own comments and responses to the commentary as the contest moves along. Also, if you are part of a private group and are wondering where you can see those standings, there is a link on your personal contestants picks page.
If you encounter anything on the website that doesn’t seem to be working, or if you think you should be part of a private group that is not showing up for you, just send me an email.
Good Luck!
Jeff, Exhausted Contest Manager