MB Playoff Roundup – May 1

Posted: May 1, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: MB 2013 | Tags: | Leave a comment »

MB Playoffs – First Round

MegaMay has begun! Business picks up considerably over the next couple of weeks as Round 1 ends May 10 and Rounds 2 & 3 are complete by May 26.  Also, for those of you trailing in your matchups, there are still a ton of points remaining in Round 1.

Notes from Tuesday:

  • 72 points were available Tuesday
  • 6 users shared top honors with 24 points (Bristol, Greg, skizzow, Ryan, Jimmy & abittner
  • The leader outscored the trailer in 7 of 8 matchups as only Greg lowered his deficit (vs. Doug)
  • 40 points will definitely be available Wednesday while another 28 could potentially be awarded

 

Tuesday Pts

1

Bristol

400

24

16

NicCage

0

0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NNOrp_83RU 

8

Doug

352

8

9

Greg

312

24
Greg slices 16 points off of Doug’s lead on Tuesday, pulling within 40. 

5

Chris

220

0

12

JP

256

8
JP adds a modest 8 points while Chris got shutout Tuesday, a night befitting this low scoring defensive affair. 

4

skizzow

424

24

13

Bred

184

16
skizzow continues his cruise toward Round 2 while Bred looks like the Boston Celtics – an upset threat based on reputation but doesn’t have the same fastball as last season. 

6

Ryan

436

24

11

mxknkl

344

8
Ryan added on another nightly high point total and currently ranks first in Round 1 points. mxknkl is fighting the good fight but still trails by 92 with 10 days remaining. 

3

Jimmy

292

24

14

MegaBot

84

0
Jimmy is lucky that MegaBot is no Johnny 5. 

7

abittner

420

24

10

tonewil

356

0
A big Tuesday night for abittner as he adds 24 points to tonewil’s 0, extending his lead to 64. 

2

Danny

344

16

15

Mattyb22

0

0
Apropos of nothing, but just because – Swayze + PBR. 

MB Playoff Roundup – April 30

Posted: April 30, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: MB 2013 | Tags: | Leave a comment »

MB Playoffs – First Round

Twelve days remain in the first round as play concludes Friday, May 10.

Notes from Monday:

  • Only 1 of 5 series that could have ended were completed, so only 16 points were available
  • The only 2 users who scored points Monday were Ryan and tonewil
  • Ryan extended his lead over mxknkl to 76 while tonewil pulled with 40 of abittner
  • 48 points will definitely be available Tuesday while another 76 could potentially be awarded

 

Monday Pts

1

Bristol

376

0

16

NicCage

0

0
 No change in the points following Monday’s action.

8

Doug

344

0

9

Greg

288

0
 No change in the points following Monday’s action.

5

Chris

220

0

12

JP

248

0
 No change in the points following Monday’s action.

4

skizzow

400

0

13

Bred

168

0
 No change in the points following Monday’s action.

6

Ryan

412

16

11

mxknkl

336

0
Ryan was one of just two users (tonewil was the other) who correctly picked Barrie over Belleville in the Ontario Hockey League Eastern Conference Finals, the only points that were awarded Monday night.

3

Jimmy

268

0

14

MegaBot

84

0
 No change in the points following Monday’s action.

7

abittner

396

0

10

tonewil

356

16
tonewil was one of just two users (Ryan was the other) who correctly picked Barrie over Belleville in the Ontario Hockey League Eastern Conference Finals, the only points that were awarded Monday night.

2

Danny

328

0

15

Mattyb22

0

0
 No change in the points following Monday’s action.

MB Playoff Roundup – April 29

Posted: April 29, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: MB 2013 | Tags: | Leave a comment »

MB Playoffs – First Round

Twelve days remain in the first round as play concludes Friday, May 10.

Notes from the Weekend:

  • 248 total points were available over the weekend
  • Excluding the 2 users not participating in the playoffs, the average points earned from Friday-Sunday was 152
  • 4 matchups are within 60 points while the other 4 have a minimum difference of 184
  • 16 points will definitely be available Monday while another 40 could potentially be awarded

 

Weekend Pts

1

Bristol

376

200

16

NicCage

0

0
Bristol added 200 points over the weekend and will no doubt begin resting his starters in anticipation of a tough 2nd round clash with Doug or Greg.

8

Doug

344

216

9

Greg

288

104
In his final weekend as a single man, Doug enjoyed an outstanding 3 days of MB, outscoring Greg 216-104 and turning a 56-point deficit into a 56-point lead. The 216 were points were a MB high for Friday-Saturday. The key picks for Doug over the weekend were Rio Grande Valley as NBADL champions and Springfield as D-III Men’s Volleyball champions. Those two correct predictions earned him 80 points that Greg could not match. The lead has changed hands multiple times already in this as-competitive-as-expected matchup.

5

Chris

220

104

12

JP

248

112
This matchup is biggest pillow fight of the first round so far as JP sits 11th in MB in playoff points but leads Chris by 28. Both users had low scoring weekends with JP adding 8 to the 20-point cushion he enjoyed heading into last Friday’s action. Whoever wins this matchup will have to fine tune their prognostication skills in order to deal with the likely 4-13 winner, skizzow.

4

skizzow

400

176

13

Bred

168

48
Although 12 days remain in the first round, skizzow has turned this matchup into a rout, exploding to a 232-point lead after outscoring Bred 176-48 over the weekend. Bred’s latest MIA bout has come at the wrong time, especially since skizzow currently sits at #1 in first round points. skizzow has to be licking his chops at a potential 2nd round matchup as his 400 first round points are only 68 points less than the combined totals of Chris and JP.

6

Ryan

396

184

11

mxknkl

336

192
This is one of three high-scoring close matchups to date in the first round. mxknkl had the 3rd best weekend in MB, notching 192 points, but could only cut into Ryan’s lead by 8 as Ryan put up 184 in response. mxknkl is 7th in first round points but is fighting an uphill battle with Ryan currently tied for 2nd. The biggest differences to date in this matchup were Ryan correctly picking the champions of the Quebec Junior Hockey League (Longueuil) and the Maritime Junior Hockey League (Summerside), gaining 64 points on mxknkl, accounting for his 60-point lead.

3

Jimmy

268

104

14

MegaBot

84

68
Jimmy does not appear to have brought his “A” game to the first round, but the matchup with MegaBot allows for any passing grade to suffice. He added just 104 points over the weekend but still padded his lead by 36 over our robot underlord.

7

abittner

396

160

10

tonewil

340

176
As fitting a 7/10 matchup, this one between abittner and tonewil is high scoring and competitive. abittner is currently tied for 2nd in first round points while tonewil is 6th. tonewil put up the 5th best point total over the weekend (tied with skizzow) cutting abittner’s lead to 56 from 72. abittner’s big advantages in the round have come from the BCHL (32 points), the NOJHL (32), the QJHL (32) and the Fed Cup (48) while tonewil has countered in the NBADL (72), the MHL (16) and the USHL (32).

2

Danny

328

128

15

Mattyb22

0

0
Like top seed Bristol and #3 Jimmy, Danny’s point total is irrelevant as he coasts into the 2nd round. Also like Bristol and Jimmy, Danny is going to have a tough 2nd round matchup, regardless of who wins the opposing match.

MB Playoff Roundup – April 26

Posted: April 26, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: MB 2013 | Tags: | Leave a comment »

MB Playoffs – First Round

The first round of the MB Playoffs began Sunday, April 21 and will end on Friday, May 10. While the top 3 seeds will seemingly cruise into the 2nd round barring unforseen developments, the rest of the matchups are far from decided as there are plenty of points available between now and the end of the round. We will be providing daily updates on the round’s matchups.

Notes on Thursday’s Action:

  • Only one series went final, the QMJHL semifinal in which Halifax swept Rouyn-Noranda 4 games to 0
  • That series was worth 16 points and every actual human being still partaking in MB picked Halifax
  • Points available Friday: D-III Men’s Volleyball – 32 points, Ontario Hockey League – potentially 32 points, Western Hockey League – potentially 16 points

 

Thursday Pts

1

Bristol

176

16

16

NicCage

0

0
Bristol is seeking redemption after heading into last season’s playoffs as the top seed only to see his championship dreams all but shattered on his wedding day, due in large part to the Kentucky Derby. He nearly made a heroic comeback but fell 6 points short after some foreign guy blew a D-II tennis match. Bristol, the MB 2011 champion, earned the top seed after winning 9 blocks and also finished first in regular season points, event wins, champions picked, and bracket event points. He has essentially earned a bye into the quarterfinals as NicCage has been absent from MB for some time. There is still time for NicCage to join the playoff action albeit at a prohibitive disadvantage.

8

Doug

128

16

9

Greg

184

16
This 8/9 battle of MB veterans has all the makings of a classic down to the wire battle. Each user earned a playoff spot early in the season (Doug in Block 3, Greg in Block 4) but could not seal a block title to move up the seeding chart, finishing as a block runner-up twice apiece. Doug finished 4th in regular season points, just 17 behind abittner for 3rd and was 3rd in event wins and bracket event points, 4th in champions picked and 5th in user vs. user event points. Greg finished 7th in regular season points and 4th in event wins. Both are original members of MB and seek a berth in the quarterfinals, likely opposite fellow grizzled veteran Bristol.

5

Chris

116

16

12

JP

136

16
JP hopes to pull off the prototypical 5/12 upset over Chris, the winner of NCAA D-I Men’s Basketball. As is often the case in the NCAA tournament, the seeds do not always tell the whole story. Chris finished the regular season with just 65 more total points than JP but earned the 5 seed on the strength of his block title. JP finished with more events wins, champs picked, correct picks and bracket event points, meaning we could see a tight battle down to the finish. Chris narrowly missed winning the Original MB championship back when it consisted of only the 4 Men’s Division I basketball tournaments and finished 3rd in the MB 2012 playoffs. As always, JP represents all colleges with presidential names, especially Franklin Pierce.

4

skizzow

224

16

13

Bred

120

16
After knocking off top-seeded Bristol in the first round of last year’s 8 person playoffs, Bred is in search of another postseason upset. Bred is known for long periods of inactivity/unconsciousness followed by bursts of brilliance, so the potential certainly exists for another upset. skizzow, outright winner of Block 6 and the 2nd highest seeded MB newcomer as the #4 seed, hopes to fend off the upset that Bristol could not in MB 2012.

6

Ryan

212

16

11

mxknkl

144

16
Another intriguing first round matchup pits Ryan vs. mxknkl in the 6/11 contest. Ryan finished 2nd in overall regular season points, event wins, champions picked and bracket event points, and twice was runner-up for a block title (Block 12 and D-I Men’s BB). One block title would have results in a #3 seed and a date with MegaBot rather than a slugfest against the 11 seed. Mxknkl, a MB rookie, led Block 13 heading into the final day of the regular season before finishing 2nd behind Jimmy and qualifying as the 11 seed. Ryan, an original member of MB, was the MB 2012 runner-up, losing to Jimmy in the championship.

3

Jimmy

164

16

14

MegaBot

16

0
Jimmy snagged the Block 13 title from mxknkl on the final day to slip into the 3rd seed and earn a spot opposite MegaBot in Round 1. Jimmy is an original MB member who claimed titles in Original MB and MB 2012, while finishing as runner-up in MB 2011. Jimmy led all of MB 2013 in user vs. user event points and finished in the Top 5 in champions picked and bracket event points. MegaBot, our automated contestant who uses the randomizer for all picks, is not likely to put up much of a fight against the defending champion.

7

abittner

236

16

10

tonewil

164

16
This 7/10 matchup also shapes up as a competitive matchup. Both MB rookies, abittner & tonewil put together solid regular seasons with each losing a block title in a painful way. abittner lost the Block 6 title in the final game of the block as San Francisco defeated Green Bay in an NFC divisional playoff game. He finished 3rd in regular season points, just 19 behind Ryan for 2nd, while also ranking 2nd in user vs. user event points, 3rd> in champions picked and 4th in bracket event points. tonewil tied Bristol for the Block 7 title, losing on the first tiebreaker (2-1 in block event wins) and finished 8th in regular season points, including 3rd among rookies. A block title for either user would have resulted in a top 5 seed.

2

Danny

200

16

15

Mattyb22

0

0
Newcomer Danny stormed to two early titles in Blocks 2 and 3, earning the 2 seed as one of just two users to win multiple blocks. Danny heads into the playoffs as the highest seeded MB rookie and finished 2nd to abittner in regular season points among newbies. He was 6th overall in points and finished in the Top 5 in events wins, champions picked and user vs. user event points. Similar to Bristol, it appears Danny will coast into the quarterfinals as Mattyb22 has not made a MB appearance in quite a while.

MB Playoff Roundup – April 25

Posted: April 25, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: MB 2013 | Tags: | Leave a comment »

MB Playoffs – First Round

The first round of the MB Playoffs began Sunday, April 21 and will end on Friday, May 10. While the top 3 seeds will seemingly cruise into the 2nd round barring unforseen developments, the rest of the matchups are far from decided as there are plenty of points available between now and the end of the round. We will be providing daily updates on the round’s matchups.

Notes on Wednesday’s Action:

  • JP picked the Maritime Junior Hockey League champion Summerside correctly to earn 32 points and take the lead in his matchup with Chris
  • skizzow correctly picked the winners of all 3 series that ended last night, picking up 72 points and extending his lead over Bred to 104 points (208-104)
  • Ryan (40 points) and Greg (32) points extended their lead over Doug and Max, respectively, as the latter pair did not earn any points on Wednesday
  • abittner and tonewil each gained 32 points, with abittner maintaining the top point total in the first round to this point

 

Wednesday Pts

1

Bristol

160

0

16

NicCage

0

0
Bristol is seeking redemption after heading into last season’s playoffs as the top seed only to see his championship dreams all but shattered on his wedding day, due in large part to the Kentucky Derby. He nearly made a heroic comeback but fell 6 points short after some foreign guy blew a D-II tennis match. Bristol, the MB 2011 champion, earned the top seed after winning 9 blocks and also finished first in regular season points, event wins, champions picked, and bracket event points. He has essentially earned a bye into the quarterfinals as NicCage has been absent from MB for some time. There is still time for NicCage to join the playoff action albeit at a prohibitive disadvantage. 

8

Doug

112

0

9

Greg

168

32
This 8/9 battle of MB veterans has all the makings of a classic down to the wire battle. Each user earned a playoff spot early in the season (Doug in Block 3, Greg in Block 4) but could not seal a block title to move up the seeding chart, finishing as a block runner-up twice apiece. Doug finished 4th in regular season points, just 17 behind abittner for 3rd and was 3rd in event wins and bracket event points, 4th in champions picked and 5th in user vs. user event points. Greg finished 7th in regular season points and 4th in event wins. Both are original members of MB and seek a berth in the quarterfinals, likely opposite fellow grizzled veteran Bristol. 

5

Chris

100

0

12

JP

120

32
JP hopes to pull off the prototypical 5/12 upset over Chris, the winner of NCAA D-I Men’s Basketball. As is often the case in the NCAA tournament, the seeds do not always tell the whole story. Chris finished the regular season with just 65 more total points than JP but earned the 5 seed on the strength of his block title. JP finished with more events wins, champs picked, correct picks and bracket event points, meaning we could see a tight battle down to the finish. Chris narrowly missed winning the Original MB championship back when it consisted of only the 4 Men’s Division I basketball tournaments and finished 3rd in the MB 2012 playoffs. As always, JP represents all colleges with presidential names, especially Franklin Pierce. 

4

skizzow

208

72

13

Bred

104

32
After knocking off top-seeded Bristol in the first round of last year’s 8 person playoffs, Bred is in search of another postseason upset. Bred is known for long periods of inactivity/unconsciousness followed by bursts of brilliance, so the potential certainly exists for another upset. skizzow, outright winner of Block 6 and the 2nd highest seeded MB newcomer as the #4 seed, hopes to fend off the upset that Bristol could not in MB 2012. 

6

Ryan

196

40

11

mxknkl

128

0
Another intriguing first round matchup pits Ryan vs. mxknkl in the 6/11 contest. Ryan finished 2nd in overall regular season points, event wins, champions picked and bracket event points, and twice was runner-up for a block title (Block 12 and D-I Men’s BB). One block title would have results in a #3 seed and a date with MegaBot rather than a slugfest against the 11 seed. Mxknkl, a MB rookie, led Block 13 heading into the final day of the regular season before finishing 2nd behind Jimmy and qualifying as the 11 seed. Ryan, an original member of MB, was the MB 2012 runner-up, losing to Jimmy in the championship. 

3

Jimmy

148

40

14

MegaBot

16

0
Jimmy snagged the Block 13 title from mxknkl on the final day to slip into the 3rd seed and earn a spot opposite MegaBot in Round 1. Jimmy is an original MB member who claimed titles in Original MB and MB 2012, while finishing as runner-up in MB 2011. Jimmy led all of MB 2013 in user vs. user event points and finished in the Top 5 in champions picked and bracket event points. MegaBot, our automated contestant who uses the randomizer for all picks, is not likely to put up much of a fight against the defending champion. 

7

abittner

220

32

10

tonewil

148

32
This 7/10 matchup also shapes up as a competitive matchup. Both MB rookies, abittner & tonewil put together solid regular seasons with each losing a block title in a painful way. abittner lost the Block 6 title in the final game of the block as San Francisco defeated Green Bay in an  NFC divisional playoff game. He finished 3rd in regular season points, just 19 behind Ryan for 2nd, while also ranking 2nd in user vs. user event points, 3rd> in champions picked and 4th in bracket event points. tonewil tied Bristol for the Block 7 title, losing on the first tiebreaker (2-1 in block event wins) and finished 8th in regular season points, including 3rd among rookies. A block title for either user would have resulted in a top 5 seed. 

2

Danny

184

32

15

Mattyb22

0

0
Newcomer Danny stormed to two early titles in Blocks 2 and 3, earning the 2 seed as one of just two users to win multiple blocks. Danny heads into the playoffs as the highest seeded MB rookie and finished 2nd to abittner in regular season points among newbies. He was 6th overall in points and finished in the Top 5 in events wins, champions picked and user vs. user event points. Similar to Bristol, it appears Danny will coast into the quarterfinals as Mattyb22 has not made a MB appearance in quite a while. 

MB Playoff Roundup – April 24

Posted: April 24, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: MB 2013 | Tags: | Leave a comment »

MB Playoffs – First Round

The first round of the MB Playoffs began Sunday, April 21 and will end on Friday, May 10. While the top 3 seeds will seemingly cruise into the 2nd round barring unforseen developments, the rest of the matchups are far from decided as there are plenty of points available between now and the end of the round. We will be providing daily updates on the round’s matchups. Here is our first installment….

Tuesday Pts

1

Bristol

160

24

16

NicCage

0

0
Bristol is seeking redemption after heading into last season’s playoffs as the top seed only to see his championship dreams all but shattered on his wedding day, due in large part to the Kentucky Derby. He nearly made a heroic comeback but fell 6 points short after some foreign guy blew a D-II tennis match. Bristol, the MB 2011 champion, earned the top seed after winning 9 blocks and also finished first in regular season points, event wins, champions picked, and bracket event points. He has essentially earned a bye into the quarterfinals as NicCage has been absent from MB for some time. There is still time for NicCage to join the playoff action albeit at a prohibitive disadvantage.

8

Doug

112

8

9

Greg

136

24
This 8/9 battle of MB veterans has all the makings of a classic down to the wire battle. Each user earned a playoff spot early in the season (Doug in Block 3, Greg in Block 4) but could not seal a block title to move up the seeding chart, finishing as a block runner-up twice apiece. Doug finished 4th in regular season points, just 17 behind abittner for 3rd and was 3rd in event wins and bracket event points, 4th in champions picked and 5th in user vs. user event points. Greg finished 7th in regular season points and 4th in event wins. Both are original members of MB and seek a berth in the quarterfinals, likely opposite fellow grizzled veteran Bristol.

5

Chris

100

0

12

JP

88

16
JP hopes to pull off the prototypical 5/12 upset over Chris, the winner of NCAA D-I Men’s Basketball. As is often the case in the NCAA tournament, the seeds do not always tell the whole story. Chris finished the regular season with just 65 more total points than JP but earned the 5 seed on the strength of his block title. JP finished with more events wins, champs picked, correct picks and bracket event points, meaning we could see a tight battle down to the finish. Chris narrowly missed winning the Original MB championship back when it consisted of only the 4 Men’s Division I basketball tournaments and finished 3rd in the MB 2012 playoffs. As always, JP represents all colleges with presidential names, especially Franklin Pierce.

4

skizzow

136

24

13

Bred

72

16
After knocking off top-seeded Bristol in the first round of last year’s 8 person playoffs, Bred is in search of another postseason upset. Bred is known for long periods of inactivity/unconsciousness followed by bursts of brilliance, so the potential certainly exists for another upset. skizzow, outright winner of Block 6 and the 2nd highest seeded MB newcomer as the #4 seed, hopes to fend off the upset that Bristol could not in MB 2012.

6

Ryan

156

8

11

mxknkl

128

8
Another intriguing first round matchup pits Ryan vs. mxknkl in the 6/11 contest. Ryan finished 2nd in overall regular season points, event wins, champions picked and bracket event points, and twice was runner-up for a block title (Block 12 and D-I Men’s BB). One block title would have results in a #3 seed and a date with MegaBot rather than a slugfest against the 11 seed. Mxknkl, a MB rookie, led Block 13 heading into the final day of the regular season before finishing 2nd behind Jimmy and qualifying as the 11 seed. Ryan, an original member of MB, was the MB 2012 runner-up, losing to Jimmy in the championship.

3

Jimmy

108

24

14

MegaBot

16

8
Jimmy snagged the Block 13 title from mxknkl on the final day to slip into the 3rd seed and earn a spot opposite MegaBot in Round 1. Jimmy is an original MB member who claimed titles in Original MB and MB 2012, while finishing as runner-up in MB 2011. Jimmy led all of MB 2013 in user vs. user event points and finished in the Top 5 in champions picked and bracket event points. MegaBot, our automated contestant who uses the randomizer for all picks, is not likely to put up much of a fight against the defending champion.

7

abittner

188

16

10

tonewil

116

24
This 7/10 matchup also shapes up as a competitive matchup. Both MB rookies, abittner & tonewil put together solid regular seasons with each losing a block title in a painful way. abittner lost the Block 6 title in the final game of the block as San Francisco defeated Green Bay in an  NFC divisional playoff game. He finished 3rd in regular season points, just 19 behind Ryan for 2nd, while also ranking 2nd in user vs. user event points, 3rd> in champions picked and 4th in bracket event points. tonewil tied Bristol for the Block 7 title, losing on the first tiebreaker (2-1 in block event wins) and finished 8th in regular season points, including 3rd among rookies. A block title for either user would have resulted in a top 5 seed.

2

Danny

152

8

15

Mattyb22

0

0
Newcomer Danny stormed to two early titles in Blocks 2 and 3, earning the 2 seed as one of just two users to win multiple blocks. Danny heads into the playoffs as the highest seeded MB rookie and finished 2nd to abittner in regular season points among newbies. He was 6th overall in points and finished in the Top 5 in events wins, champions picked and user vs. user event points. Similar to Bristol, it appears Danny will coast into the quarterfinals as Mattyb22 has not made a MB appearance in quite a while.

MB 2013 Playoff Primer

Posted: April 16, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: MB 2013 | Leave a comment »

The second edition (and first with a 16-person field) of MegaBracket playoffs will commence on Sunday and run through the end of June. The 2013 MB champion will have to navigate through four rounds of head-to-head action in order to be crowned ruler of the MB universe for the 2013 season. Let’s take an in-depth look at the 2013 MegaBracket playoffs…

Format

The playoffs will consist of a standard 16-person bracket with the winner of each matchup advancing to the next round. There will be consolation rounds that play out to all 16 places.

Schedule

The four rounds will adhere to the following schedule:

  • Round 1 (Block 15) begins Sunday, April 21st and ends Friday, May 10th
  • Round 2 (Block 16) begins Saturday, May 11th and ends Saturday, May 18th
  • Round 3 (Block 17) beings Sunday, May 19th and ends Sunday, May 26th
  • Round 4 (Block 18) begins Monday, May 27th and ends Sunday, June 30th

How to Qualify

The champion of each regular season block qualifies for the playoffs, taking up 14 of the 16 spots. If a block champion has already qualified, then the highest finishing user who has not qualified earns the playoff spot for that block. The champion gets credit for the block win which counts for seeding purposes. The other two spots are filled by the two users with the highest point totals who have not already qualified for the playoffs.

Who’s In

There isn’t any suspense in the final blocks of this year’s regular season as we have not yet expanded past the playoff field. There are 14 users competing with recent regularity and all 14 will claim playoff spots. The final two spots will go to people who were active earlier in the season but have dropped off. If they do not return within the next week there will, for all intents and purposes, be a couple of byes in the first round. The following users have clinched playoff spots:

  • Bristol (Block 1 champion)
  • Danny (Block 2 champion)
  • Doug (Block 3 playoff spot)
  • Greg (Block 4 playoff spot)
  • mxknkl (Block 5 playoff spot)
  • skizzow (Block 6 champion)
  • tonewil (Block 7 playoff spot)
  • abittner (Block 8 playoff spot)
  • Jimmy (Block 9 playoff spot)
  • Ryan (Block 10 playoff spot)
  • JP (Block 11 playoff spot)
  • Bred (Block 12 playoff spot)
  • Chris (Men’s D-I Basketball champion)

The final 3 spots will be claimed by the following users:

  • MegaBot (Block 13 playoff spot)
  • Mattyb22 (Overall standings playoff spot #1)
  • NicCage (Overall standings playoff spot #2)

Seeding

Playoff seeding is determined in the following manner:

  1. Most block wins
  2. Overall points

If the regular season ended right now (as of 4/17 @ 9:11 am CDT)…

  1. Bristol (9 block wins, 14,691 points)
  2. Danny (2 block wins, 11,748 points)
  3. skizzow (1 block win, 9,825 points)
  4. Chris (1 block win, 7,915 points)
  5. abittner (12,629 points)
  6. Ryan (12,598 points)
  7. Doug (12,583 points)
  8. Jimmy (12,311 points)
  9. Greg (11,331 points)
  10. tonewil (9,751 points)
  11. mxknkl (9,053 points)
  12. JP (7,991 points)
  13. Bred (4,720 points)
  14. Mattyb22 (3,133 points)
  15. MegaBot (3,087 points)
  16. NicCage (2,356 points)

Matchups

According to the above projected seeding, here are your projected first round matchups…

1 Bristol vs. 16 NicCage

8 Jimmy vs. 9 Greg

5 abittner vs. 12 JP

4 Chris vs. 13 Bred

3 skizzow vs. 14 Mattyb22

6 Ryan vs. 11 mxknkl

7 Doug vs. 10 tonewil

2 Danny vs. 15 MegaBot

Playoff Scoring

Points in non-user vs. user events will be compiled in the same way as the regular season. Points are awarded for correct picks and count towards the round in which the game or series ends. User vs. user events are handled differently since the playoffs are head-to-head rather than all users competing against each other. The playoffs user vs. user events begin with a draft among the two users. Each user submits their draft order and once the pick deadline has passed, the teams are drafted by alternating picks with the higher seeded user earning the first pick. This method ensures no duplicate picks. The head-to-winner earns 16 points and a bonus of 1 point per margin of victory, with a maximum of 16 margin of victory points. The user that selects the champion also earns 16 points. Thus, the head-to-head winner is guaranteed more points, gaining anywhere from 1-48 points on their opponent.

Things to Watch

  1. Will MegaBot rack up 47 more points and pass Mattyb22 for the #14 seed?
  2. abittner leads Ryan by 31 and Doug by 46 as the #5-7 (or perhaps 6-8) seeds are up in the air.
  3. Who will claim the Block 14 title and the succeeding seed bump?
  4. Here is the seed bump each user would earn by winning Block 14 (in order of their current place in Block 14):
    1. mxknkl #11 -> #4
    2. Greg #9 -> #3
    3. JP #12 -> #4
    4. Jimmy #8 -> #3
    5. Danny – no bump
    6. skizzow – no bump
    7. abittner #5 -> #3
    8. Bristol – no bump
    9. Doug #7 -> #3
    10. Ryan #6 -> #3
    11. tonewil #10 -> #4
    12. Bred #13 -> #5
    13. MegaBot #15 -> #5
    14. Chris #4 -> #3

Theme Team – A Tribute to Warren Zevon

Posted: November 8, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Theme Team | Tags: | Leave a comment »

My musical tastes were largely shaped by my father, a man who reared my sister and I on Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabbath, Men At Work, The Dire Straits, and many others. The musician that Dad and I bonded the most over in recent years was Warren Zevon. Zevon is best known for Werewolves of London and Lawyers, Guns and Money, but was a successful musician for more than 30 years before his death in 2003. To me, Zevon’s genius lies in his lyrics. He had the ability to be humorous, violent, satirical, sarcastic, obnoxious, wistful and sentimental, often combining several of those in the same song. Zevon’s songs are funny, poignant and real. My first official theme team pays homage to Warren Zevon.

Roland Thatcher – Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner

This is one of my favorite songs of all-time. I first heard it while home from college one summer when my Dad and I were listening to one of those random music stations on cable. That was so long ago we didn’t have iTunes or Amazon or other tools to immediately download the song and listen to it 1,000 times. I eventually tracked down a Zevon CD and the song became part of family lore.  Take it away, Wikipedia – “It was composed by Warren Zevon and David Lindell and was first released on his 1978 album Excitable Boy. It is the last song he ever performed in front of an audience, on the Late Show with David Letterman, before his death in 2003. Zevon met co-writer Lindell in Spain, where the latter was running a bar after a stint working as a mercenary in Africa. Always interested in the darker side of life, Zevon decided to collaborate with Lindell on a song about a mercenary. The fictional character Roland is a Norwegian who becomes embroiled in the Nigerian Civil War and Congo Crisis of the late 1960s. He earns a reputation as the greatest Thompson gunner, a reputation that attracts the attention of the CIA. Roland is betrayed and murdered by a fellow mercenary, Van Owen, who decapitates him with a burst of gunfire. Roland becomes the phantom “headless Thompson gunner” and eventually has his revenge, when he catches Van Owen in a Mombasa bar and guns him down. Afterward, he continues “wandering through the night.” Other violent conflicts of the succeeding decade are said to be haunted by Roland, including Ireland, Lebanon, Palestine, and Berkeley, California. At the end of the song, Patty Hearst, and her stint as Tania of the Symbionese Liberation Army (as memorialized by several photos published nationally of Hearst holding an automatic weapon), is attributed to her hearing “the burst of Roland’s Thompson gun” and having “bought it.” The film The Lost World: Jurassic Park has characters named Nick Van Owen and Roland Tembo, as a tribute to the song.”

John Mallinger – When Johnny Strikes Up the Band

Although I could locate nothing definitive regarding this song, one school of thought is that it’s about Johnny Carson and the Tonight Show. Before Leno and Letterman, Johnny Carson ruled the late night talk show airwaves.  He delivered night after night – “The keeper of the keys”, “Back by popular demand”. Fred de Cordova was Johnny’s long-time, unflappable producer (Freddy get ready, rock-steady). In the Excitable Boy version, Warren even exclaims “Heeeeeeere’s Johnny!”, like Ed McMahon used to do.

James Driscoll – Frank and Jesse James

From Noel Murray and Leonard Pierce’s “Talkin’ About the Man: 18 real and fictional characters in Warren Zevon songs“: “Most songs and stories about The James Gang focus on the moment when “that coward Robert Ford” gunned the outlaw Jesse James down, but Zevon goes back further, spending two of the three verses in “Frank And Jesse James” describing the boys’ days as Missouri bushwackers during The Civil War, and proposing that they went rogue by circumstance, because they chose to side with “the poor Missouri farmers” over The Union.”

Charlie Beljan – Charlie’s Medicine

“Charlie dealt in pharmaceuticals” is a marvelous way to describe your drug dealer. Again from Murray and Pierce – “Charlie may or may not be based on a real person; more likely, given the fatality-strewn drug lifestyle that Zevon and his Hollywood cronies lived during the 1970s, he was a composite. Over a bluesy tune that alternates between rough electrics and gentle acoustics, Zevon tells the story of a man who “dealt in pharmaceuticals” and who was recently murdered: “Some respectable doctor from Beverly Hills shot him through the heart.” Though he seems to regret ever getting involved with Charlie (“I gave Charlie all my money; what the hell was I thinking of?”), the narrator nonetheless shows up at his funeral at the behest of the dealer’s sister, and says, in the song’s final ambiguous twist, “I came to finish paying my bill.””

Richard H. Lee – Bill Lee

Once more from Murray and Pierce – “It’s no surprise that Zevon would lionize legendary Boston Red Sox pitcher Bill “Spaceman” Lee, a pitcher who became a counterculture hero for his hippie-dippy attitude during one of the Sox’s greatest eras. In this short piano ballad, Zevon gets inside the mind of Lee, standing in the middle of the diamond all alone, away from the guys in the dugout who expect him to “nod at stupid things.” The song is a salute to individualism, and to the understanding that when a group demands conformity, one man can still make his own way by controlling his own performance.”

Zevon wrote two other phenomenal songs about sports, Boom Boom Mancini and The Hockey Song (by the way that’s David Letterman saying “Hit Somebody” in the background during the chorus).

Defeateds & Undefeateds – Week 10

Posted: October 30, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: CFB Weekly Picks | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment »

For the 2nd consecutive week eleven undefeated teams suffered their first defeat of the season leaving 32 unbeaten squads. Only 2 previously winless teams earned their first victory last week with 30 teams remaining without a win.

Teams in red have completed their regular season.

Undefeated (32 – 43 last week)

FBS (6; 11 last week)

Alabama, Kansas State, Louisville, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon

FCS (1; 2 last week)

Lehigh

D-II (8; 10 last week)

Ashland, CSU-Pueblo, Henderson State, Minnesota State, New Haven, Shippensburg, Tuskegee, Winston-Salem

D-III (12; 15 last week)

Coe, Concordia (IL), Hobart, Johns Hopkins, Linfield, Mary Hardin-Baylor, Mount Union, St. Thomas (MN), Trinity (CT), Waynesburg, Widener, Wisconsin-Oshkosh

NAIA (4; 4 last week)

Georgetown (KY), Marian, Missouri Valley, Morningside

CIS (1; 2 last week)

McMaster

 

Winless (30 – 32 last week)

FBS (2; 2 last week)

Massachusetts, Southern Miss

FCS (3; 3 last week)

Austin Peay, Rhode Island, Valparaiso

D-II (4; 4 last week)

Fort Lewis, Lock Haven, Pace, Seton Hill

D-III (16; 17 last week)

Anderson (IN), Beloit, Claremont-Mudd-Scrips, Hiram, Luther, Maine Maritime, Maranatha, Marietta, McDaniel, Misericordia, Olivet, Pomona-Pitzer, Puget Sound, St. Lawrence, St. Vincent, Tufts

NAIA (4; 5 last week)

Bethel (KS), Bluefield (VA), Concordia (MI), Haskell

CIS (1; 1 last week)

Alberta

 

Battle of Undefeateds (Record, Point Differential) – [0]

There are no more potential battles of undefeateds in the regular season.

Battle of Defeateds (Record, Point Differential) – [0]

The only remaining potential battle of defeateds is D-III Pomona-Pitzer @ Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in Week 11.

Mismatches (Record, Point Differential) – [3]

D-III (3)

Coe (8-0, 30.00) @ Luther (0-8, -17.88)

Linfield (7-0, 26.14) @ Puget Sound (0-7, -30.57)

Hobart (8-0, 25.25) @ St. Lawrence (0-8, -17.38)

Miscellaneous Notes

  • 1o worst point differentials for winless teams:
    • Misericorda (D-III) – 47.00
    • Haskell (NAIA) – 43.38
    • Bethel (KS) (NAIA) – 41.38
    • Pace (D-II) – 39.13
    • Concordia (MI) (NAIA) – 38.38
    • Fort Lewis (D-II) – 34.88
    • Bluefield (NAIA) – 33.11
    • Valparaiso (FCS) – 32.63
    • Austin Peay (FCS) – 32.38
    • Maranatha Baptist (D-III) – 32.38
  • 1o best point differentials for undefeated teams:

    • Mount Union (D-III) – 49.88
    • Morningside (NAIA) – 35.88
    • Widener (D-III) – 35.88
    • Oregon (FBS) – 34.00
    • Henderson State (D-II) – 33.78
    • Alabama (FBS) – 32.50
    • Missouri Valley (NAIA) – 31.63
    • Winston-Salem (D-II) – 30.22
    • Coe (D-III) – 30.00
    • McMaster (CIS) – 30.00
  • 1o best point differentials for winless teams:
    • St. Vincent (D-III) – 16.25
    • Pomona-Pitzer (D-III) – 17.00
    • Seton Hill (D-II) – 17.33
    • St. Lawrence (D-III) – 17.38
    • Luther (D-III) – 17.88
    • Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (D-III) – 18.00
    • Olivet (D-III) – 18.88
    • Beloit (D-III) – 20.22
    • Southern Miss (FBS) – 20.38
    • McDaniel (D-III) – 20.50
  • 1o worst point differentials for undefeated teams:
    • Louisville (FBS) – 9.63
    • Waynesburg (D-III) – 9.67
    • Lehigh (FCS) – 10.75
    • Concordia (IL) (D-III) – 11.88
    • Ohio State (FBS) – 14.44
    • Notre Dame (FBS) – 16.50
    • Minnesota State (D-II) – 18.67
    • CSU-Pueblo (D-II) – 20.56
    • Tuskegee (D-II) – 21.43
    • St. Thomas (MN) – 23.88

Last Week’s Battle of Undefeateds (Record, Point Differential) – [4]

FBS (1)

Mississippi State (7-0, 22.29) @ Alabama (7-0, 32.71)

D-II (1)

Bloomsburg (8-0, 16.50) @ Shippensburg (8-0, 30.25)

D-III (2)

Heidelberg (7-0, 33.86) @ Mount Union (7-0, 54.29)

Middlebury (5-0, 21.20) @ Trinity (CT) (5-0, 22.80)

 

Camel Foe – Week 9, Morehead State

Posted: October 26, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Camel Foe | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment »

Campbell’s rough season got even rougher last weekend with a 28-21 homecoming loss to previously winless Davidson. Davidson raced out to a 14-0 1st quarter lead on the strength of two Jonathan Carkhuff touchdown passes. The Camels failed to score in the first quarter for the 7th straight game. Two more TDs in the 3rd quarter gave Davidson a seemingly insurmountable 28-0 lead. However, the Camels finally got on the scoreboard :06 into the 4th quarter on a Brandon Chandler 9-yard run. QB Dakota Wolf capped a 10-play, 87-yard drive with a 3-yard run to cut the margin to 28-14 with 4:12 left in the game. After a failed onside kick, the Camels’ defense stiffened, sacking Carkhuff twice and forcing a 3-and-out. Campbell then marched 84 yards in 10 plays with Wolf again scoring, making it a 7-point game with 1:16 remaining. However, the onside kick again failed and Davidson escaped with a 28-21 victory.

The Camel passing game again sputtered as Wolf was just 8 of 22 for 80 yards and 1 interception. The ground game accounted for 236 yards with Wolf leading the way, gaining 154 yards on 22 attempts and the 2 TDs. Chandler added 71 yards and 1 score. Kurt Odom was the leading receiver with 3 grabs for 31 yards. Steth Monore paced the defense with 12 tackles and Michael Rudisill added 11. Isaac Scott had a huge day rushing the passer with 3 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Davidson outgained Campbell 404-316, gaining 340 of those yards through the air.

This weekend, the Camels hit the road to face Morehead State.

Morehead State University

Location: Morehead, KY (population: 6,845 as of 2010 census)

Established: The school was founded in 1887 as Morehead Normal School, a church-supported teacher-training school. It was taken over by the state in 1922. The school’s name changed as its mission broadened—to Morehead State Normal School and Teachers College in 1926, Morehead State Teachers College in 1930, Morehead State College in 1948 and Morehead State University in 1966.

Enrollment: ~10,200

Nickname: Eagles.

Mascot: Beaker. Watch Beaker get excited for the career fair or tripping over his own feet. Or have your kid become one of Beaker’s Buddies.

Affiliation: MSU is a charter member of the Ohio Valley Conference in NCAA Division I and sponsors 18 intercollegiate sports for men and women, with all sports except football competing in the OVC.

Random Fact #1: The 2013 edition of “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report named MSU one of the top 25 public universities in the South.MSU has also become one of only four universities in the U.S. to offer a Bachelor of Science degree in space science.

Random Fact #2: The coed and all-girl cheerleading squads have won a combined 32 national championships.

Random Fact #3: At the 2011 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament, 13th-seeded Morehead State upset Louisville 62-61. The Eagles then faced 12th-seeded Richmond in the third round, which was only the ninth time in tournament history that a 12–13 match-up occurred in the round of 32.

Random Fact #4: MSU has claimed the state’s best computer-student ratio in its computer laboratories, as well as offering students a program to lease university owned laptops while enrolled. The campus is ranked among the safest in the nation.

Notable Alumni:

  • former MLB 2B Denny Doyle
  • Denver Nuggets F Kenneth Faried
  • professional bowlers Liz Johnson and Kelly Kulick
  • MLB pitcher Jon Rauch
  • former NFL QB and current broadcaster Phil Simms
  • former MLB pitcher Walt Terrell
  • former college football coach and current broadcaster Mike Gottfried
  • game show host Chuck Woolery

Notable natives of Morehead, KY:

  • None listed

Oh yeah, the Football Team:

  • Morehead State is 1-6 (0-4 in the PFL) and has lost 6 consecutive games following a 55-0 season-opening win over Southern Virginia. Both teams have lost to Drake (MSU 28-25 and CU 35-7) and Butler (MSU 39-35 and CU 35-14).
  • Morehead State was picked 8th in the preseason coaches poll, ahead of only Valparaiso and Davidson.
  • The teams have split the 4 previous games with each team winning twice at home. Campbell took last year’s contest 41-31 after losing in double overtime in 2010.
  • The Eagles suffered a heartbreaking 39-35 loss to Butler last weekend after leading by 17 points in the 4th quarter. The offense put up 505 yards but the team could not hold the 3-score lead late in the game.
  • QB Zach Lewis threw for 254 yards and 1 TD while Rees Macshara ran for 116 yards. Kevin Thomas and Brandon Bornhouser combined for 3 short TD runs.
  • Donte Sawyer led the receiving corps with 9 catches for 92 yards and 1 TD while MacShara added 8 for 85.
  • Dillion Blackburn led the defense with 11 tackles and 1.5 TFL.
  • Head Coach Matt Ballard is in his 19th season as head coach at Morehead State. The school won four straight PFL South Division titles from 2002 to 2005. He also spent 6 seasons as the head coach at Union College (KY). He also spent time as an assistant at Gardner-Webb, Georgetown (KY) and Morehead State.
  • Defensive line coach Chris Garner won an NAIA national title while playing for Findlay. Offensive line coach Matt McCutchan was a 3-year starter on the line for Kentucky.
  • Stat Leaders:
    • Passing
      • Lewis – 177 of 281 for 1,826 yards with 14 TD and 9 INT
    • Rushing
      • Macshara – 86 carries for 492 yards (2 TD)
      • Thomas – 4 TD (7 carries, 9 yards)
    • Receiving
      • Sawyer – 47 receptions, 471 yards, 4 TD
    • Defense
      • Hendrix – 84 tackles
      • Aaron Meadows – 8.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks
      • 3 players have 1 INT each
      • Kameron Scott – 13 pass breakups
      • Nick McCune – 2 forced fumbles
  • Best Name Nominees:
    • K Rainer Duzan, QB Boone Goldsmith, SLOT Cyrus Stahm, DB Rayquan Sam, LB Russell Wilson, WR Shade Whitfield,
    • The winner – RUSSELLWILSON!!!

Prediction:

For the second week in a row, the Camels take on a team with a poor record. This matchup of 1-6 teams will give one team its first conference victory. The Camels also play winless Valparaiso later this season so opportunities for wins still exist, but the team must play better. The lack of any semblance of a passing attack has no doubt hurt the running game this season. QB Jordan Wolf is a threat on the ground but the offense has not done enough to win. The defense has had its ups and downs also, playing well only in stretches. If scores against common opponents means anything (and it’s debatable how much) the Eagles have to be favored here. For the 3rd or 4th week in a row, I am predicting a Fighting Camels point in the 1st quarter – after all, they can’t go the whole season without scoring in the opening period, right? However, the Eagles offense, which put up over 500 yards on Butler last week will have another fine day. I predict the Camels leaving Morehead unhappy after a 30-17 Eagles triumph.

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