All Hail Sophie Mac!!! (or, And a little child shall lead them...)

All and sundry,

You know how I love to quote my bible, especially the Book of Isaiah. Just kidding.

After last night's thumping of the Big 10 by the ACC (again. Can you imagine the crap I have to endure over stuff like this in my very own house?), there is a new order. A torch has been passed to a new generation. Our champion, and the winner of the biggest trophy I can order up here in Maine, is Sophie Peterson. Parents Liz and Matt and sib Ben trailing behind, Sophie trounced us all. Congrats to you, young person. Kudos also go out to Master Calvin Dewitt for his fifth place finish. Two juniors in the Top 5, it's a new day, people.

Only four poolies picked UNC to win the whole thing: Sophie, Chris Dykes, Maggi and me. We each got 6 points, leaving the final standings looking like this:

	Player	R5	Final	Total
1	Sophie	84	6	90
2	Sarah P.	85	0	85
3	Maggi	78	6	84
4	John	81	0	81
5	Calvin	79	0	79
5	Steve	79	0	79
7	Dykes	70	6	76
7	Ruth	76	0	76
9	Knott	68	6	74
10	Tim	73	0	73
11	Scott	70	0	70
11	Willow	70	0	70
13	Katie/Justin	69	0	69
13	Liz	69	0	69
15	Gena	67	0	67
15	Hadiya	67	0	67
15	Kate	67	0	67
15	Michael	67	0	67
19	Ben	66	0	66
19	Cal	66	0	66
19	Matt	66	0	66
22	Dayle	63	0	63
23	Jonathan	62	0	62
24	Acy	57	0	57
24	Sarah B.	57	0	57
26	Henry	52	0	52
27	Rosalie	51	0	51
28	Bill	50	0	50
29	Dana	48	0	48
30	Alexander	36	0	36
31	Harry	34	0	34

One more thing: This will be my last year as sole Poolmeister. Next year, in keeping with our theme of passing the torch, I will be joined by Co-Meister Calvin Dewitt. Please welcome him to our ranks. With his co-meistership, Calvin (who will be, I think, 10 years old for next year's tournament), has taken on a host of adminstrative responsibilities, but also receives commensurate powers. For starters, Calvin is now a full member of the Rules Committee. Don't let the power go to your head, son.

Congrats again to our winner, Sophie. Your trophy is on the way to you. You should get it sometime before you graduate from college.

Cheers,

C

Victory is Sweet

Just Good Parenting

First, congratulations to Sarah Prown, who has won the pool more often than anyone else. Our family has a lot of work to do to catch up to your record. And a big thanks to the poolmesiter and site organizers.

But most importantly, congratulations to our own Sophie Mac, Ithaca's finest guesser! Let's not worry that she can't drink a toast to her own success (much less stay up and watch the game); her parents are more than willing to do it for her. I believe there was a recent study that found a direct correlation between fine parenting and offspring doing well in the NCAA pool--can one of you librarians find that? Not that Matt and I want to take credit for Sophie's brains or beauty--but then, who else should?

Now, how much was the kitty, again?

Big News

First off, a big congratulations to Sarah P. and Sophie...that is, if you can hear me from those lofty heights. Chris pisses and moans, but last I looked he stomped a good portion of the pool, including your truly this year. Hmph. Of course, I have an excuse. And here it is....

I was distracted this year by the fact that I was busy getting myself a new job. Earlier this week, I accepted the position of Executive Director of the Traverse de Sioux Library System headquartered in Mankato, Minnesota. I will be merging the aforementioned Regional Public System with the Southcentral Minnesota Library Exchange (SMILE), a multitype system. In other words, we'll be handling delivery, professional development, automation, innovation and advocacy for all libraries in the Southcentral nine county area. Once successfully merged, I get to show the Mn Legislature that it was all a good idea and get them to rewrite the funding statutes. I start on June 1st.

Yep, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

I don't have a new address yet, but I do have a new email address, which will overlap with my current one for the next few months. It is dzelen@tds.lib.mn.us.

Dayle

Maggi is the Portland, Maine side bet winner

A sad day for us all. Maggi has won the Pineloch Drive side bet in the pool. (Actually, she mathematically eliminated the rest of the house about two weeks ago, which is pathetic.)

The bet this year, which included me, Maggi and Acy, was that the winner gets to pick the evening's entertainment for two solid weeks. Whatever movies, games, books, etc., the winner wants goes. There were several limits and caveats; Maggi was not allowed to make the evening's fun mopping floors or wiping down baseboards or anything sickening like that. Acy was not allowed to inflict too much Partridge Family on us (she knows it's cheesy, but likes to watch and laugh at it.) I was forbidden to make the family sit through a Red Dwarf marathon (that limitation still mystifies me a little - who wouldn't want to watch Red Dwarf?).

But Maggi has won. It's not the prize, it's crowing, the mockery, the derision, that makes this such a valuable win for her. She hasn't actually taken to wearing some kind of crown or carrying a scepter, but the final game isn't until tonight.

A sad day, indeed.

Humbly,

C

Championship game

All,

If you're still following along, here's an updated chart of who picked whom:

THE BIG CHIMICHANGA - The Championship Game

2. Michigan State - Sarah P
1. UNC - Knott, Maggi, Dykes, Sophie
------------------------------------------------------------
1. UConn - Calvin, Willow, Rosalie, John
3. Villanova - Nobody
4. Gonzaga - Alexander
1. Pitt - Acy, Dayle, Liz, Matt, Mike
1. Louisville - Steve, Sarah B, Gena, Kate, Ruth, Bill
3. Missouri - Dana, Jonathan
3. Kansas - Henry, Hadiya, Tim, Cal
2. Memphis - Ben
2. Oklahoma - Katie/Justin
4. Washington - Harry

The fog clears...

Poolites,

I only have a minute here. We're off to buy Alexander the new bike and a new toy train he was promised if an when he used the potty for the first time. That happened this morning. It's a big day at our house, believe me. If he'd held out for another few months, we would've promised him a new car on his 16th birthday, a big allowance and all the french fries he can eat. But he caved.

Anyhoo, now that you're up to date on our domestic travails, back to hoop. Only Sarah Prown, that genius, got both games right yesterday, which explains why she's hurtled into first place. You'll be able to work this out on your own, but the short answer is that if Michigan State wins tomorrow, Sarah wins in a rout. If UNC wins, Sophie MacGregor Peterson (did I spell that right?) is the big winner, the first pool winner ever not old enough to drive or drink a beer. Now that would be a thing to savor, wouldn't it?

After the semis, then, here are the standings:

	Player	R4 Total	Semis	Total
1	Sarah P.	75	10	85
2	Sophie	79	5	84
3	John	76	5	81
4	Calvin	79	0	79
4	Steve	74	5	79
6	Maggi	73	5	78
7	Ruth	76	0	76
8	Tim	73	0	73
9	Dykes	65	5	70
9	Scott	70	0	70
9	Willow	70	0	70
12	Katie/Justin	69	0	69
12	Liz	69	0	69
14	Knott	63	5	68
15	Gena	67	0	67
15	Hadiya	67	0	67
15	Kate	67	0	67
15	Michael	67	0	67
19	Ben	61	5	66
19	Cal	66	0	66
19	Matt	66	0	66
22	Dayle	63	0	63
23	Jonathan	62	0	62
24	Acy	57	0	57
24	Sarah B.	57	0	57
26	Henry	52	0	52
27	Rosalie	51	0	51
28	Bill	50	0	50
29	Dana	48	0	48
30	Alexander	36	0	36
31	Harry	34	0	34

Moment of gloating...

Yay for Michigan State!!!

The Meister asked why on earth I picked them to beat my homestate team, our local pride and joy, the only team that a native nutmegger should root for?

I'll tell ya why... Michael Moore told me to do it! Oh, and Connecticut sux eggs. I learned that in high school. :)

Final Four picks!!!, Get'em here...

All right, hoop fans, this is it; the last three games. We have a cluster of prognosticators at the top, all eagerly awaiting news of who picked whom. The rest of us are eating chips and looking for the remote in the couch cushions. It's really two different worlds by this point in the tournament, no?

Here are the Final Four picks:


2. Michigan State - Sarah P (what a genius pick. What made you think of this? Amazing.)
1. UConn - Calvin, Sophie, John, Liz, Rosalie, Willow, Acy
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Memphis - Knott, Dayle, Dykes, Ben, Katie/Justin
1. Louisville - Maggi, Steve, Tim, Sarah B, Matt, Gena, Kate, Ruth, Silet, Mike, Bill
9. Texas A&M - Alexander
3. Missouri - Dana, Jonathan
3. Kansas - Henry, Hadiya, Cal
4. Washington - Harry


3. Villanova - Nobody
1. UNC - Knott, Maggi, Steve, Dykes, Ben, Sarah P, John, Sophie
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Gonzaga - Alexander
3. Syracuse - Dana, Bill
2. Oklahoma - Rosalie, Willow, Katie/Justin
5. Illinois - Gena
6. UCLA - Harry
1. Pitt - Acy, Dayle, Henry, Calvin, Hadiya, Tim, Sarah B, Liz, Matt, Kate, Ruth, Silet, Cal, Mike


THE BIG CHIMICHANGA - The Championship Game

2. Michigan State - Sarah P
1. UConn - Calvin, Willow, Rosalie, John
3. Villanova - Nobody
1. UNC - Knott, Maggi, Dykes, Sophie
------------------------------------------------------------
4. Gonzaga - Alexander
1. Pitt - Acy, Dayle, Liz, Matt, Mike
1. Louisville - Steve, Sarah B, Gena, Kate, Ruth, Bill
3. Missouri - Dana, Jonathan
3. Kansas - Henry, Hadiya, Tim, Cal
2. Memphis - Ben
2. Oklahoma - Katie/Justin
4. Washington - Harry

Scott Silet, my friend, who do you have winning the whole thing?

I think that's that. Quite a few people have a shot at sneaking in there for the win, so good luck to all the potential winners.

I believe I may still be able to pull out the pool win with a couple of lucky outcomes, so look for me shooting up to first from twentieth place. Yeehah!

Have fun out there. Let's have a little blog chatter out there. It's been too quiet this year.

Yours in poolishness,

C

A Tie At The Top!

Fans,

Some excitement at last. Calvin and Sophie are now deadlocked at the top of the heap, with 79 points each. It's going to be a nail-biter. There are others with a chance to sneak through, too. I'll write out the Final Four picks later this week, so you can play along at home, especially those of us with nothing left to cheer for.

Today's geniuses are Sarah Prown and Ben Peterson, both picking the two games correctly. I honestly didn't give Michigan State much of a chance in the tournament, but they looked great today, I gather. Go Spartans. I'd like to see the Big 10 do well every now and then, even if Iowa is hopeless. Four of their players quit the team this week, so it looks as though next year will be just as bad. On the plus side, I did correctly predict that Tiger Woods would catch and whup Sean O'Hair today, so I'm doing far better (1 for 1) there than in hoop. Frankly, there's no chance Tiger going to lose against a guy (kind of) named for an airport.

Anyway, back to basketball. Here are the standings after four complete rounds:

	Player	Saturday	Sunday	R4 Total
1	Calvin	79	0	79
1	Sophie	75	4	79
3	Favs	72	4	76
3	John	72	4	76
3	Ruth	72	4	76
6	Sarah P.	67	8	75
7	Steve	70	4	74
8	Maggi	69	4	73
8	Tim	69	4	73
10	Scott	66	4	70
10	Willow	70	0	70
12	Katie/Justin	65	4	69
12	Liz	69	0	69
14	Gena	67	0	67
14	Hadiya	63	4	67
14	Kate	63	4	67
14	Michael	63	4	67
18	Cal	66	0	66
18	Matt	66	0	66
20	Dykes	61	4	65
21	Dayle	59	4	63
21	Knott	59	4	63
23	Jonathan	62	0	62
24	Ben	53	8	61
25	Acy	53	4	57
25	Sarah B.	57	0	57
27	Henry	52	0	52
29	Rosalie	51	0	51
30	Bill	50	0	50
27	Dana	48	0	48
31	Alexander	36	0	36
32	Harry	34	0	34

Sunday's picks

Dear ones,

For those of you following intently, here are today's picks:


1. Louisville - Everybody else
2. Michigan State - Ben, Sarah P, Katie/Justin
------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. USC - Alexander, Harry
3. Kansas - Acy, Dana, Dykes, Henry, Hadiya, Liz, Cal, John
4. Wake Forest - Rosalie


1. UNC - Everybody else
2. OK - Calvin, Sarah B, Willow, Rosalie, Liz, Katie/Justin
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Gonzaga - Alexander, Harry
3. Syracuse - Dana, Jonathan, Henry, Cal, Bill
5. Illinois - Matt, Gena


Good luck out there today.

C

Standings after Saturday

Poolies,

Only a few more games left. Villanova in the Final Four, who would've guessed it? Gena, that's who. She's the only one of us who got that one right. Congrats to you. Calvin extended his lead over the field, and he's looking good to walk off with the whole chimichanga. Look out for Sophie Mac, though, creeping up quietly and looking stealthy and dangerous.

I'd write more, but I'm on my way to the ballet. I'm not kidding, here. The ballet. I hope the rest of you enjoy the basketball today. Sigh.

Here are the standings after Saturday's games:

	Player	R3 Total	R4D1	Total
1	Calvin	75	4	79
2	Sophie	71	4	75
3	Favs	68	4	72
3	John	68	4	72
3	Ruth	72	0	72
6	Steve	70	0	70
6	Willow	66	4	70
8	Liz	65	4	69
8	Maggi	69	0	69
8	Tim	69	0	69
11	Gena	59	8	67
11	Sarah P.	63	4	67
13	Cal	66	0	66
13	Matt	62	4	66
13	Scott	66	0	66
16	Katie/Justin	65	0	65
17	Hadiya	59	4	63
17	Kate	63	0	63
17	Michael	63	0	63
20	Jonathan	62	0	62
21	Dykes	61	0	61
22	Dayle	59	0	59
22	Knott	59	0	59
24	Sarah B.	57	0	57
25	Acy	49	4	53
25	Ben	53	0	53
27	Henry	48	4	52
29	Rosalie	47	4	51
30	Bill	46	4	50
27	Dana	48	0	48
31	Alexander	36	0	36
32	Harry	34	0	34

Standings after Round 3

All Hail Calvin Dewitt!!!
All Hail Calvin Dewitt!!!
All Hail Calvin Dewitt!!!

Getting distance on the rest of the pack for the first time all tournament, we now have our clear leader, Master Calvin Dewitt. Congrats to you. I hope you're giving it good to your parents and your little brother. They should make you some kind of crown to wear (until and unless someone catches you, I mean.)

The rest of us stink by comparison, and here's the proof:

	Player	R3, D1	R3,D2	R3 Total
1	Calvin	63	12	75
2	Ruth	63	9	72
3	Sophie	59	12	71
4	Steve	61	9	70
5	Maggi	60	9	69
5	Tim	60	9	69
7	Favs	56	12	68
7	John	59	9	68
9	Cal	60	6	66
9	Scott	57	9	66
9	Willow	57	9	66
12	Katie/Justin	56	9	65
12	Liz	56	9	65
14	Kate	54	9	63
14	Michael	54	9	63
14	Sarah P.	54	9	63
17	Jonathan	53	9	62
17	Matt	59	3	62
19	Dykes	52	9	61
20	Dayle	50	9	59
20	Gena	56	3	59
20	Hadiya	50	9	59
20	Knott	50	9	59
24	Sarah B.	51	6	57
25	Ben	47	6	53
26	Acy	46	3	49
27	Dana	45	3	48
27	Henry	45	3	48
29	Rosalie	44	3	47
30	Bill	43	3	46
31	Alexander	36	0	36
32	Harry	34	0	34