Fourth Annual PH4H NCAA Tournament Pick 'em -- Final Results

This is a week and a half late, but I have a very good excuse.

Anyway, the winner of the Fourth Annual PH4H NCAA Tournament Pick-'em is Dan.

Here are the final standings:

1. Dan: 267 points, 46 correct picks
2. Steve: 258 points, 40 correct picks
3. Aaron: 239 points, 44 correct picks
4. Andy: 223 points, 39 correct picks
5. Rachel: 216 points, 39 correct picks
6. Jason: 203 points, 40 correct picks
7. Jeff: 193 points, 37 correct picks
8. Dara: 180 points, 37 correct picks
9. Inbal: 157 points, 34 correct picks
10. Caroline: 154 points, 27 correct picks
11. Bo: 139 points, 35 correct picks

If you had picked all the higher seeds, you would have wound up in 6th place overall with 210 points and 45 correct picks.

Stoopid Nats News

Anyone catch this on Friday? From D.C. Sports Bog and NBC News:

At last night's Marlins versus Nationals game, the Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn wore uniforms with their team misspelled. Look closely, see that? You see it's Nat-in-als? Where's the 'O' everybody? Anyway, later in the game both players changed into correctly spelled uniforms.

Fourth Annual PH4H NIT Pool Winner

The winner of the Fourth Annual PH4H Men's NIT Pick'em contest is . . . Jeff, with 16 correct picks for 22 points. No one picked Baylor vs. Penn State in the finals, so the scores did not change at all since last week.

Here's the final tally, in case anyone still cares.

1. Jeff: 16 correct picks, 22 points.
2. Justin: 15 correct picks, 21 points.
3. Dan: 14 correct picks, 17 points.
4. Dara: 13 correct picks, 17 points.

For the record, I keep the NIT score sheets in my office -- in a yellow manila file in my desk file drawer. One of these days, someone is going to need something, and I'm going to tell them to look in my desk, and they are going to find this file of old NIT brackets. I'm hopeful that it'll be someone with a good sense of humor, or at least an appreciation of the absurd.

Fourth Annual PH4H NCAA Tournament Pick 'em -- Third and Fourth Round Results

The third and fourth rounds of the Fourth Annual PH4H NCAA Tournament Pick 'em Contest are over. Here are the standings:

1. Aaron: 239 points, 44 correct picks, 0 possible points remaining
2. Andy: 223 points, 39 correct picks, 48 possible points remaining
3. Dan: 219 points, 44 correct picks, 48 possible points remaining
4. Rachel: 216 points, 39 correct picks, 0 possible points remaining
5. Steve: 210 points, 38 correct picks, 48 possible points remaining
6. Jason: 203 points, 40 correct picks, 0 possible points remaining
7. Jeff: 193 points, 37 correct picks, 0 possible points remaining
8. Dara: 180 points, 37 correct picks, 0 possible points remaining
9. Caroline: 154 points, 27 correct picks, 0 possible points remaining
10. Inbal: 141 points, 33 correct picks, 64 possible points remaining
11. Bo: 139 points, 35 correct picks, 0 possible points remaining

If you picked all the higher seeds, you would be in 7th place overall, with 194 points, 44 correct picks, and 16 possible points remaining.

Fourth Annual PH4H NIT Pool Update -- Quarterfinals

The NIT final four is now set: San Diego State, Baylor, Notre Dame, and Penn State. Accordingly, the scores from the quarterfinal round of the 2009 PH4H Men's NIT pool are in:

1. Jeff: 16 correct picks, 22 points, 0 possible points remaining.
2. Justin: 15 correct picks, 21 points, 8 possible points remaining (if San Diego State wins).
3. Dan: 14 correct picks, 17 points, 0 possible points remaining.
4. Dara: 13 correct picks, 17 points, 0 possible points remaining.

The next round takes place on March 31. And, as in the past, our competition will be decided before it gets to the actual NIT championship game.

Fourth Annual PH4H NIT Pool Update -- Round 2

The scores from the second round of the 2009 PH4H Men's NIT pool are in:

1. Jeff: 15 correct picks, 18 points
2. Dan: 14 correct picks, 17 points
2. Justin: 14 correct picks, 17 points
4. Dara: 13 correct picks, 17 points

The second round ends on Thursday, and the points will again double. For the record, the only team left in Jeff's final four is Notre Dame. Dan and I both have St. Mary's and Florida in our final four. Justin also has two teams left -- San Diego State and Penn State.

Fourth Annual PH4H NCAA Tournament Pick 'em -- Second Round Results

The second round of the Fourth Annual PH4H NCAA Tournament Pick 'em Contest is over:

1. Steve: 178 points, 33 correct picks
2. Rachel: 176 points, 34 correct
3. Aaron: 175 points, 37 correct
4. Andy: 159 points, 33 correct
5. Dara: 156 points, 33 correct
6. Jason: 155 points, 33 correct
7. Dan: 147 points, 34 correct
8. Caroline: 130 points, 25 correct
9. Jeff: 129 points, 31 correct
10. Bo: 115 points, 30 correct
11. Inbal: 105 points, 27 correct

Of course, everyone knows this contest was designed to encourage picking upsets. If you picked all higher seeds, you would have gotten 146 points with 36 correct picks -- which is statistically better than any of us, but only 8th place in terms of points. On the other hand, if you picked all upsets, you would have gotten 108 points with 10 correct picks -- and would be unable to get any more points. Both illustrate that favorites generally win. But I'm also considering this as statistical validation that the scoring system is, indeed, achieving its desired result -- and that you can't game the system by "picking chalk."

Fourth Annual PH4H NCAA Tournament Pick 'em -- First Round Results

The first round of the tournament is over. My heart is already broken, and my bracket is already busted. Still, life goes on. Here are the current results of the Fourth Annual PH4H NCAA Tournament Pick 'em:

1. Andy: 121 points, 23 correct picks
2. Jason: 119 points, 24 correct
3. Dara: 116 points, 24 correct
4. Steve: 116 points, 23 correct
5. Aaron: 113 points, 24 correct
6. Rachel: 112 points, 23 correct
7. Caroline: 106 points, 20 correct
8. Jeff: 85 points, 21 correct
9. Dan: 83 points, 20 correct
10. Inbal: 77 points, 19 correct
11. Bo: 69 points, 19 correct

By way of comparison, if you picked all higher seeds, you would have gotten 82 points with 22 correct picks -- and if you picked all lower seeds, you would have gotten 108 points with 10 correct picks.

Fourth Annual PH4H NIT Pool Update -- Round 1

The scores from the first round of the 2009 PH4H Men's NIT pool are in:

1. Jeff: 12 correct picks, 12 points
2. Dan: 11 correct picks, 11 points
2. Justin: 11 correct picks, 11 points
4. Dara: 9 correct picks, 9 points

The second round ends on Tuesday. As usual, point values double.

Fourth Annual PH4H NIT Pick-em

This is what everyone's really been waiting for: The Fourth Annual NIT pool.

Here's the bracket. Get me your picks before the first game tips off tomorrow evening.

Fourth Annual PH4H NCAA Tournament Pick 'em

The PH4H Tournament pool is back for the fourth straight year! Like the last few years, it utilizes a scoring system that uses a point multiplier based on seeding, to encourage picking upsets.

And, in our inimitable fashion, the winners are the people with the highest and lowest scores (i.e., even if your picks stink, the only way you're not in the running is if you don't play).

So all you need to do is log in with the username and password you used before, and you should automatically be back in the user group. And once the brackets are released, all you need to do is make your picks before the tournament begins.

If you want to invite others, go ahead. Just have them go to this website (http://ph4h.mayhem.sportsline.com), and enter the password "reverse."

Good luck!

Second Annual PH4H Empanada Bowl Results

The results of the Second Annual PH4H Empanada Bowl are in. (Actually, they've been in since late Thursday night, but I've been lazy.)

(names partially redacted to protect the mostly-innocent)

Congrats, Bo. You should be proud.

The Second Annual PH4H Empanada Bowl

Sign up here to play. For historical reference, see here and here.

This is Not from The Onion

This is a real headline from the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz:

"Two Jews and a Black Man Help Phelps Fulfill Olympic Dream"

Carlos Delgado's Agent is a 9-Year Old?

Judging from this email exchange between Carlos Delgado's agent and a reporter, the 9-year old might be more mature.

Elijah Dukes

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/20/AR2008022002742_2.html?sid=ST2008022002769

Looks like the Nationals are taking a chance on Dukes, hoping he will be like Young next year. I think PH4H should sponsor either the Comeback Player of the Year award or its counterpart, the Falldown Player of the Year Award. If this one works, I heard the Nat may sign Darrell Strawberry and Dwight Gooden.

Me. On the radio. (Via the Internet.)

I am scheduled to be on Chicago Public Radio's "848" program tomorrow morning, sometime between 10 and 11 a.m. Eastern time. You can listen, live or via a link afterward, via the 848 Web site. The segment is about a book I have edited, Your Brain on Cubs: Inside the Heads of Players and Fans, to be published in March by Dana Press. The book is about the role of the brain in both playing and being a fan of sports, with the Cubs as my team of choice (duh).

The interview is airing this early because this weekend is the Cubs Convention. Although the publication date is March, the book is available for preorder on Amazon (it's cheap, too!).

Lesser-Known College Football Awards

From The Onion:

I hope you like this posting better, Dara

For those of you who think that only big state schools have sports worth mentioning, take a look at a couple of Brown's latest accomplishments, courtesy of the monthly alumni email.

No. 1 Women’s Ruggers Roll at Northeast Championships
When the U.S. Naval Academy’s top-ranked women’s rugby team faltered three weeks ago, Brown took over the nation’s number-one ranking. The Bears proved they belonged in the top spot by dismantling two opponents to win the Northeast Rugby Union Championships.

Taekwondo Kicks Off Strong Season, Looks to Nationals
The Taekwondo Club has dominated two recent tournaments. At a Nov. 11 tournament in Lowell, Mass., the men swept the medals in the poomse, or forms, category, and the women dominated in the sparring event.


Home Cooking Boosts Men’s Basketball Past Northwestern
Thanksgiving is a good time to return home and be with family. Chicagoan Peter Sullivan ’11 did just that and more over break. His team-high 19 points helped the men’s basketball team to a 73-67 win over Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

Jewish Mascots

Apparently, some college mascots are getting bar mitzvahed. Who knew?