Block 2 Pennant Race – Friday

Posted: October 5, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: MB 2013 | Tags: | Leave a comment »

Friday Update

In the Atlantic League championship series last night, Long Island defeated Lancaster 9-4 in Game 2 to knot the best-of-5 at 1 game apiece. Meanwhile in the WNBA Western Conference Finals, Minnesota defeated Los Angeles 94-77 in Game 1 of the best-of-3 series. The Minnesota win ensures that all users who picked Los Angeles cannot earn those points in Block 2. A Los Angeles series win would mean the series extended into Block 3. No points were earned Thursday but 24 points are up for grabs in the MLB Wild Card games taking place this afternoon and tonight. The Shriners Open continues – it’s cut day! – as do the Week 6 CFB picks and the Atlantic League championship series.

Current Standings

  1. Danny 689
  2. skizzow^ 673 (-16)
  3. Jimmy 673 (-16)
  4. Bristol* 671 (-18)
  5. mxknkl 663 (-26)
  6. abittner 647 (-42)
  7. JP 618 (-71)
  8. Greg 607 (-82)
  9. Chris 575 (-114)
  10. Ryan 564 (-125)
  11. Doug 551 (-138)

* – Bristol has already clinched a playoff spot. If he wins Block 2, the second place finisher will earn the playoff berth.

^ – skizzow owns the tiebreak edge over Jimmy by virtue of a 6 to 5 advantage in Block 2 Event Wins.

Remaining Points Available

Atlantic League – Barring rainouts the championship series, worth 32 points, will be complete no later than Sunday evening and be included in Block 2.

Major League Baseball – The two wild card games will be played today for a total of 24 possible points.

CFB Week 6 Picks – Week 6 picks end on Sunday with the Montreal @ Laval CIS game, so the 16 points to the week’s winner(s) will count towards Block 2.

Shriners Open – The event that is overwhelmingly likely to decide Block 2 is now underway. As with other UvU events, the top 10 finishers earn points on a sliding scale from 80 to 8, with a 32-point bonus for anyone who correctly picks the winner. Thus, 112 points are possible in this one.

WNBA – The Western Conference Final between Minnesota & Los Angeles began last night and ends on Sunday with a Minnesota sweep. This would add the 32 points to Block 1. (Game 3 of the series would be next Wednesday and would put the points in Block 3 if the game is necessary.)

Note: Since the NFL Week 5 picks conclude on Monday, October 8, those points will open the scoring for Block 3.

The Contenders

Here is a breakdown of how each of the contenders for the Block 2 title stands in regards to ongoing events. All contenders are in play for the 24 points for the MLB Wild Card games, provided they submit picks.

Danny 689 (+16)

  • Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
  • WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota can still win the series in Block 2.
  • CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 9-way tie for 1st place with 2 correct.
  • Shriners Open (112) – In 3rd place after Day 1 at -29 and has tournament leader Ryan Moore (-10).

skizzow 673 (-16)

  • Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
  • WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota can still win the series in Block 2.
  • CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 9-way tie for 1st place with 2 correct.
  • Shriners Open (112) – In 4th place after Day 1 at -28 and has tournament leader Ryan Moore (-10).

Jimmy 673 (-16)

  • Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
  • WNBA (0) – Western Conference champion pick Los Angeles can no longer win the series in Block 2.
  • CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 5-tie for 10th place with 1 correct.
  • Shriners Open (112) – Tied for 8th place after Day 1 at -18.

Bristol 671 (-18)

  • Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is trailing the championship series 1-0. Game 2 is tonight.
  • WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota can still win the series in Block 2.
  • CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 9-way tie for 1st place with 2 correct.
  • Shriners Open (112) – In 2nd place after Day 1 at -30 and has tournament leader Ryan Moore (-10).

mxknkl 663 (-26)

  • Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is trailing the championship series 1-0. Game 2 is tonight.
  • WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota can still win the series in Block 2.
  • CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 5-way tie for 10th place with 1 correct.
  • Shriners Open (112) – In 5th place after Day 1 at -26.

abittner 647 (-42)

  • Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
  • WNBA (0) – Western Conference champion pick Los Angeles can no longer win the series in Block 2.
  • CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 9-way tie for 1st place with 2 correct.
  • Shriners Open (112) – Tied for 8th place after Day 1 at -18.

JP 618 (-71)

  • Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.
  • WNBA (0) – Western Conference champion pick Los Angeles can no longer win the series in Block 2.
  • CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 5-way tie for 10th place with 1 correct.
  • Shriners Open (112) – In 13th place after Day 1 at +7.

Greg 607 (-82)

  • Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is trailing the championship series 1-0. Game 2 is tonight.
  • WNBA (0) – Western Conference champion pick Los Angeles can no longer win the series in Block 2.
  • CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 9-way tie for 1st place with 2 correct.
  • Shriners Open (112) – In 10th place after Day 1 at -16.

Chris 575 (-114)

  • Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick Southern Maryland has been eliminated.
  • WNBA (0) – Western Conference champion pick Los Angeles can no longer win the series in Block 2.
  • CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 9-way tie for 1st place with 2 correct.
  • Shriners Open (112) – In 7th place after Day 1 at -19.

Ryan 564 (-125)

  • Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Lancaster is leading the championship series 1-0. Game 2 is tonight.
  • WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota can still win the series in Block 2.
  • CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 5-way tie for 10th place with 1 correct.
  • Shriners Open (112) – In 6th place after Day 1 at -20.

Doug 551 (-138)

  • Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Lancaster is leading the championship series 1-0. Game 2 is tonight.
  • WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota can still win the series in Block 2.
  • CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 9-way tie for 1st place with 2 correct.
  • Shriners Open (112) – In 1st place after Day 1 at -31 and has tournament leader Ryan Moore (-10).

Event-By-Event Analysis

Atlantic League

  • Lancaster and Long Island are tied at 1 game apiece in the best-of-5 championship series. As scheduled, the series could end as as soon as Saturday or as late as Sunday.
    • If Long Island wins:  mxknkl, JP & Greg all pick up 32 points. mxknkl currently trails Danny by just 26 points for the Block 2 lead.
    • If Lancaster wins: Bristol, Doug & Ryan earn the 32 points. Bristol currently trials Danny by just 14 points for the Block 2 lead.
    • The Takeaway: If the series does not go the full 5 games, Danny will be bumped out of the lead following its conclusion. However, if Lancaster wins he will still be in the lead for the playoff spot.

CFB Week 6 Picks

  • One or more users will earn the 16 points for winning the week. At the beginning or in the middle of a block, the 16 points may not seem to have a lot of impact. This week, it might mean the difference between winning the Block 2 championship and falling agonizingly short.

Major League Baseball

  • The two wild card games will be played today and are each worth 12 points, giving everyone a shot at 24 more points.

WNBA

  • Minnesota leads Los Angeles in the best-of-3 Western Conference Finals. The series will only end in Block 2 on Sunday if Minnesota wins. The game on Sunday begins at 2:30 pm CDT and should be ending during the final round of the Shriners Open.
    • If Minnesota sweeps: Bristol, Danny, Doug, Ryan, mxknkl & skizzow would earn 32 points.
    • The Takeaway: Everyone except for those 6 (and maybe even Ryan & Doug) should be heartily cheering for a Los Angeles win on Sunday. A Minnesota sweep pushes the foursome of Danny, skizzow, Bristol & mxknkl further away from the rest of the group.

Shriners Open

  • The Big One. With a maximum of 112 points available and the possibility of large point swings, the Block 2 championship will almost certainly be decided by the Shriners Open.