This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on January 23, 2011 4:50 AM.
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Here we are, in the last week of this season's charity pro football underdog pool. Thanks to our players and a friendly supporter, we're about to send $890 to some worthy causes, all because a group of folks who frequent this blog enjoy trying to prognosticate winning NFL underdogs every weekend during football season.
First place is locked up, but the players occupying seats 2 through 5 could all see a shuffle depending on what happens today. Here are everyone's picks:
3.5 CHICAGO vs. Green Bay - Doug, Sattelihu, Anthony, Hank, john dull, Larry Legend, Flowers by Dorcas, pdxmick, Ricardo, genop, genop's gal, Michael K., Gary, Andy
3.5 NEW YORK JETS at Pittsburgh - Nick, Flowers by Dorcas Husband, AKevin, Biggest Cubs Loser, Bad Brad, Gordon, Broadway Joe, Annie, Drewbob, Paul
If both the Jets and the Bears win, or if they both lose, the current standings become final. But if one of them wins and the other loses, places 2 through 5 shift, as follows:
There is also a fair amount of jostling for position in the lower ranks of the standings, and since our game is a lot about bragging rights and glory, those matchups are not to be overlooked. Flowers by Dorcas vs. Flowers by Dorcas Husband -- today will decide who's superior. And Drewbob's late (and disqualified) 14-point Dallas pick in Week 10 would have put him in fourth place currently; with the Jets today, he would be vying for third. Genop and his gal also showed up late one week and missed some points, as I recall. All great food for thought as we settle in to watch the Big Daddies.
The folks who picked the Bears today need a Bears-Steelers Super Bowl to advance, whereas the folks who picked the Jets are hoping for Jets-Packers. Can the Jets and the Packers both win on the road today? In the past 40 years, the two road teams have both won their championship games only twice, the last time in 1997-1998 (Denver and Green Bay). But this is no normal year in the NFL, and so it should be quite an interesting brace of pigskin contests.
Once again, our prizes:
First prize - $500 to player's favorite charity
Second prize - $165 to player's favorite charity
Third prize - $100 to player's favorite charity
Fourth prize - $75 to player's favorite charity
Fifth prize - $50 to player's favorite charity
Good luck, and enjoy the games, everybody.
UPDATE, 3:53 p.m.: With the Bears' demise, Biggest Cubs Loser clinches second place -- congratulations. If the Jets win, Gordon will leapfrog two players to take third.
Weather is going to be a major factor today in both games, especially the night game where the temperature at halftime will be close to zero. Kicking will be mysterious in both.
Getting two picks correct but submitted untimely, a big disappointment in letting my charity down; however, hearing a formerly disinterested companion inform me in cogent terms about offensive schemes - priceless. Congrats to Gary & all those still in the hunt. The field is sloppy in Chicago (go figure) just one more benefit to home field advantage. Let the games commence.
I missed the deadline due to being at a multi-day seminar that scrambled my brain, but that's probably just as well because a) I am hopelessy mired in the top of bottom half of the pool where 3.5 points is a couple drops in the bucket, and b) my longtime affection for the Steelers and Packers would make me uncomfortable betting against them, even for charitable purposes. Congrats to the top players who have demonstrated a combination of skill, foresight, cajones and good luck. And a big thank you to Jack for hosting and scoring. What a great way to put an edge on virtually every game of the schedule. Count me in for next year.
I know the time you put in here, and I appreciate you putting it in. Congrats to the winners, thanks to everyone for playing, and thanks to the anonymous donor for making the pot so much sweeter.
Wish I were in the money, but I look forward to reading about the charities that get the cash.
I think it's awesome that we're getting a Rust Belt Bowl for No. 45, it will be remembered as the harbinger of the great second dip of the double dip recession that took off when suddenly all the muni bond chickens started falling from the sky, deader than a flock of birds over Arkansas. I back the Pack, but would be OK with a Steelers win too.
Charamba, Douro 2008
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2007
Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
Purple Moon, Chardonnnay 2011
Abacela, Vintner's Blend No. 12
Opula Red Blend 2010
Liberte, Pinot Noir 2010
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Indian Wells Red Blend 2010
Woodbridge, Chardonnay 2011
King Estate, Pinot Noir 2011
Famille Perrin, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2010
Columbia Crest, Les Chevaux Red 2010
14 Hands, Hot to Trot White Blend
Familia Bianchi, Malbec 2009
Terrapin Cellars, Pinot Gris 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2009
Campo Viejo, Rioja, Termpranillo 2010
Ravenswood, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2010
Waterbrook, Reserve Merlot 2009
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills, Pinot Grigio 2011
Tarantas, Rose
Chateau Lajarre, Bordeaux 2009
La Vielle Ferme, Rose 2011
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio 2011
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir 2009
Lello, Douro Tinto 2009
Quinson Fils, Cotes de Provence Rose 2011
Anindor, Pinot Gris 2010
Buenas Ondas, Syrah Rose 2010
Les Fiefs d'Anglars, Malbec 2009
14 Hands, Pinot Gris 2011
Conundrum 2012
Condes de Albarei, Albariño 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2007
Penelope Sanchez, Garnacha Syrah 2010
Canoe Ridge, Merlot 2007
Atalaya do Mar, Godello 2010
Vega Montan, Mencia
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2009
Portuga, Rose 2011
Revelation, Chardonnay, Pays d'Oc 2010
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 2005
Monte Alto, Tinto Reserva 2005
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Cabernet, Indian Wells 2009
Espiral, Vinho Rose
Vin-Koru, Pinot Gris 2011
14 Hands, Hot to Trot Red 2009
Rodney Strong, Cabernet, Sonoma 2009
Abacela, Vintner's Blend #11
Portuga, White 2010
La Bourgeoisie, Red 2009
Januik, Red 2009
Three Rivers, River's Red 2008
Kirkland, Alexander Valley Merlot 2008
Muga, Rioja Rose 2010
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2009
Mauro Molino, Barbera d'Alba 2009
Garda Chiaretto Rose
Columbia Crest, Two Vines Vineyard 10 White
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley 2009
L'Hortus, Rose de Saignee 2010
Maculan, Pino & Toi 2008
McKinley Springs, Bombing Range Red 2008
Trader Joe's Pinot Gris 2009
Montes Alpha, Cabernet 2007
Gran Sasso, Sangiovese, Terre di Chieti 2009
Garda, Classico Chiaretto Rose
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 1999
Picos del Montgo, Tempranillo 2008
Chateau de Montmirail, Vacqueyras 2008
La Granja 360, Syrah 2009
Montgras, Carmenere Reserva 2009
Lange, Pinot Gris 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet 2008
Kirkland, Pinot Grigio 2010
Trader Joe's Coastal Syrah 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Merlot 2008
Trader Joe's Coastal Chardonnay 2009
Vieux Papes Red
Domaine de l'Aujardiere, Chardonnay 2009
Santa Rita, Cabernet, Medalla Real 2007
Penfold's, Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2008
Guild, Red, Lot #02 2008
Dievole, Dievolino Sangiovese 2008
Laforet, Burgogne Chardonnay 2009
Columbia Winery, Merlot 2007
Bonterra, Cabernet 2008
Elk Cove, Pinot Gris 2009
Maquis Lien 2006
Scott Paul, Pinot Noir, Le Paulee 2007
The Occasional Book
Hope Larson - A Wrinkle in Time, the Graphic Novel
Rudyard Kipling - Kim
Peter Ames Carlin - Bruce
Fran Cannon Slayton - When the Whistle Blows
Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace
Mark Bego - Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (2012 ed.)
Jenny Lawson - Let's Pretend This Never Happened
J.D. Salinger - Franny and Zooey
Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
Timothy Egan - The Big Burn
Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
Cheryl Strayed - Wild
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Jack London - The House of Pride, and Other Tales of Hawaii
Jack Walker - The Extraordinary Rendition of Vincent Dellamaria
Colum McCann - Let the Great World Spin
Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Diaries
Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
F. Sionil Jose - Dusk
Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting
Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food
Phil Stanford - The Peyton-Allan Files
Jesse Katz - The Opposite Field
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice
Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith
C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
William Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ivan Doig - Bucking the Sun
Penda Diakité - I Lost My Tooth in Africa
Grace Lin - The Year of the Rat
Oscar Hijuelos - Mr. Ives' Christmas
Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Steven Hart - The Last Three Miles
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Karen Armstrong - The Spiral Staircase
Charles Larson - The Portland Murders
Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony
William H. Colby - Long Goodbye
Steven D. Stark - Meet the Beatles
Phil Stanford - Portland Confidential
Rick Moody - Garden State
Jonathan Schwartz - All in Good Time
David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Anthony Holden - Big Deal
Robert J. Spitzer - The Spirit of Leadership
James McManus - Positively Fifth Street
Jeff Noon - Vurt
Road Work
Miles run year to date: 32
At this date last year: 66
Total run in 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269
Comments (10)
I hope old Weeb has a good seat.
Posted by Drewbob | January 23, 2011 7:57 AM
Weather is going to be a major factor today in both games, especially the night game where the temperature at halftime will be close to zero. Kicking will be mysterious in both.
Posted by Mojo | January 23, 2011 10:40 AM
Getting two picks correct but submitted untimely, a big disappointment in letting my charity down; however, hearing a formerly disinterested companion inform me in cogent terms about offensive schemes - priceless. Congrats to Gary & all those still in the hunt. The field is sloppy in Chicago (go figure) just one more benefit to home field advantage. Let the games commence.
Posted by genop | January 23, 2011 11:31 AM
I missed the deadline due to being at a multi-day seminar that scrambled my brain, but that's probably just as well because a) I am hopelessy mired in the top of bottom half of the pool where 3.5 points is a couple drops in the bucket, and b) my longtime affection for the Steelers and Packers would make me uncomfortable betting against them, even for charitable purposes. Congrats to the top players who have demonstrated a combination of skill, foresight, cajones and good luck. And a big thank you to Jack for hosting and scoring. What a great way to put an edge on virtually every game of the schedule. Count me in for next year.
Jim
Posted by Jim | January 23, 2011 11:48 AM
Jack--
I know the time you put in here, and I appreciate you putting it in. Congrats to the winners, thanks to everyone for playing, and thanks to the anonymous donor for making the pot so much sweeter.
Wish I were in the money, but I look forward to reading about the charities that get the cash.
--Paul
Posted by Paul Hamann | January 23, 2011 11:53 AM
What Paul said. Me too.
Posted by Drewbob | January 23, 2011 2:23 PM
Did you finally exhaust your (rather impressive) supply of punny, dog-related post titles?
Posted by none | January 23, 2011 2:44 PM
And Socialist America's Team wins! Huzzah!
Posted by George Anonymuncule Seldes | January 23, 2011 4:27 PM
I cannot remember when I was last this disinterested in a Super Bowl game.
Posted by Nick | January 23, 2011 7:14 PM
I think it's awesome that we're getting a Rust Belt Bowl for No. 45, it will be remembered as the harbinger of the great second dip of the double dip recession that took off when suddenly all the muni bond chickens started falling from the sky, deader than a flock of birds over Arkansas. I back the Pack, but would be OK with a Steelers win too.
Posted by George Anonymuncule Seldes | January 23, 2011 11:44 PM