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Thursday, December 26, 2002
WEINKOPF.COM FOOTBALL POOL WEEK 16 UPDATE: ORPHAN TRIUMPH!  It was a banner day for orphans everywhere as Hoboken Orphans Chris triumphed in Week 16 of the Weinkopf.com Football Pool.
MERRY Christmas, everyone, and thanks for your patience in receiving this week's belated edition of the Weinkopf.com Football Pool update. Holiday cheer has kept yours truly away from the updating racket. Now if only I could blame holiday cheer for my dismal performance on the week, but more on that later ... First things first Congratulations are in order to this week's pool winner, Hoboken Orphans Chris, who has taken his first weekly title and scored the second-highest single-week total of the season with 105 points. With that, HO has leapfrogged over Flipper Lynn and New York Lancers Dave, putting him into third place over all, and giving him a remote shot at the season title depending on this weekend's outcomes. A little bit of controversy The 2002 Weinkopf.com Football Pool threatens to end the way it began -- shrouded in controversy. If you remember back to Week 1, there was some confusion when I failed to notify some poolers of the switch to the confidence-points system. To protect the innocent, we allowed some poolers to get in their picks after the deadline. But if you go back to the message I posted at the time, I made it clear: This was a one-time deal. From here on in, we're all responsible for our own picks, period, no exceptions, no pity. And I've stuck by my word. At points this season, Bruiser Tim, Cappuccino Commando Charles, Steel Man Joe, and Schizophobes Glen have all realized -- only minutes after the first game's kickoff -- that for reasons either beyond their control or their own forgetfulness, they were unable to get their picks on time. In each and every instance, the neglectful or unlucky pooler has been stuck with a goose egg on the week. This past weekend, I received e-mails from WildStyle75 Stacey and Jersey Girl Cris, dated almost simultaneously and after the first game's kickoff, claiming that technical difficulties prevented them from getting in their picks on time. Both e-mailed in picks, and asked that I mentally tabulate their outcomes. Sorry, but no can do. Fairness dictates that all poolers receive the same treatment. I've sent out repeated suggestions that poolers make all picks in advance, then revise them later, precisely to safeguard against this sort of thing. I sent out a warning last week informing everyone of the Saturday deadline. And I have no way of verifying whether it was technical difficulties or human error that created this problem. In other words, the evidence is insufficient to reverse the ruling on the field. After further review, the Yahoo! scoreboard still stands. and that means ... WildStyle75, who still had her drop-one week available, has regained first place over Jersey Girl, albeit thanks to a call as controversial as the tuck rule. Hanging on to first place going into the final week of the season, she is the obvious pick for the season's final One To Watch honors. Can she hang on to her slim, 10-point lead? Will the confidence points she so despises end up saving her bacon? We shall see. OTW, ONTW, TNTW, etc. The OTW hex did its job on last week's winner, "Hail to the Redskins! Scott Rubush, but just barely. It kept Scott from notching another win, but he still scored 65 and moved up one spot to seventh place overall. The One Not To Watch charm did its wonders for At Least I'm Not a Zebra Elizabeth, who came in third on the week (behind only HO and NevadaNiner Jason with 80 points). There can be no doubt who will claim the final ONTW. Once again, the Mighty Mighty Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots tanked last week, and once again, yours truly, The Mighty Mighty Pats Fan, tanked with them, with a ghastly 24 points (two successful picks) on the week. Not only am I hereby claiming ONTW honors for myself, but I'm designating the Pats, once again, the Team Not To Watch as they go up against Flipper's beloved Dolphins. Holiday spirit What's Christmas without family? And, by extension, what's the Weinkopf.com Football Pool without familial rivalries? Brother When's Baseball Season Start Bob (36 points) has finally managed to put yours truly away for the season, taking a 9-7 lead. Usually I would be devastated, except that yesterday Bob informed me that not only has he won two tickets to Super Bowl XXXVII in a raffle, but that he's bringing me as his guest! With that, his unwarranted early-season successes in the pool are forgiven, and we both look forward to watching the Mighty Mighty Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots defend their title on January 26 in San Diego. NevadaNiner Jason beat his son, Padawan Ebin (59 points), but still trails on the season, 9-7. Mrs. Zebra scored a garbage-time point against husband Grogan's Heroes Kenny, but still trails 10-5 on the season. Most exciting of all, the Battle Rubush is now knotted at 8 wins apiece, with Brother "Barrio Bravo" Matthew falling to Brother Scott 65-65 on the week. Five points separate the two in the overall standings, with Matt hanging onto fifth place and Scott right behind him in sixth. Fraternal bragging rights rest entirely on Week 17. Answers Will Scott live up to his own hype? No, but he may still beat his little brother. Will Stacey's season-end implosion continue? Yes and no. She scored zero points, but she's back in first place. Go figure. Which bottom-dweller will surprise us all by cracking the Top Ten? Bruiser Tim is already there, in 9th place overall. Questions Will Jersey Girl accept this week's ruling graciously or go ballistic? Will three-year-old Padawan Ebin crack the Top Ten? And most importantly: Who will win it all? Stay tuned, folks, it's just getting interesting! Yours, Chris, the Mighty Mighty Pats Fan Monday, December 23, 2002
YEAR IN REVIEW My take on Los Angeles, California, and the end of the year in this week's Daily News column, Wasted Away. |