Remind me again why in April you think a pool that lasts in to summer is a good idea? Noteworthy notes:
- #1 - People that picked Staal and Stillman did well in the Stanley Cup Finals did very well. Rob wins the NHL portion and a drastically undervalued hockey card for 159 points. Recount allegations will be accepted but any hope of overturning the fine accounting job I did in preparing the scores will be judged solely on the quality of your haiku.
- #2 - The Hershey Bears won the Calder Cup. No one picked them so there are no more points to be had. Ranald picks up the card of questionable value for this category.
- #3 - The World Cup section of the pool is still up in the air and won't be determined until next Sunday when I am on the road and may not get around to totalling the points...again giving rise to the question of what I was thinking in April when I wrote these questions. There is one question which is answerable:
Which team goes farther: Togo or Trinidad and Tobago? Ten points. Total goals breaks the tie.
Both teams came last in their first round groups, both had a -4 goal difference, Trinidad got one point for its 0-0 tie with Sweden. Trinidad scored no goals. Togo scored one goal. As the rule was "total goals breaks the tie" Togo wins. Only Matt picked Togo. - #4 - The final question in the other sports section was this:
Who is the top scorer in the NBA playoffs. Twenty points.
I did not think that there would be a controversy over such a simple calculation. Yet there is. The NBA is the only league of note that uses a nutty nutty system of point calculation based on average per game. As a result, Dwayne Wade got a total of 654 points in the playoffs, leading Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas by 34 points. On the more common standard of points per game, however, Wade was in fourth with only 28.4 points on avaerage for the 23 games he played. Vince Carter, by comparison, was third with 29.6 for the 11 games he played. I am going to ignore the average as averaging was not mentioned. As a result, the winning answer is Dwayne Wade. Don and Matt picked him and both got 40 points for the "Other Sports" category. Again, plead your case if you like on the methodology.
Correction!!! I did not consider the Togo v. T+T question until after I wrote the above and Matt's uncanny ability to pick the obscure ones right led him and no other to pick Togo so he roars ahead and is not four points in the lead at 244.
So, as there are 20 points still to go in the World Cup category, it is all up in the air based on the winner of the golden boot and the World Cup Finals.
Further Correction!!! And on further review...Rob can't win. Both picked Ronaldo for the golden boot and Rob picked Brazil which is already out. Whatever happens, then, Matt is the only one who can win as no one else is within the available 20 points. Matt wins the book Man Walks Into A Pub!!!
Playoffs |
Hockey |
Cup |
Fitba |
Sport |
|||
| Hans | 112 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 152 | Alan | 88 | 20 | 0 | 15 | 20 | 30 | 173 | Rob | 159 | 11 | 0 | 40 | 20 | 10 | 240 | Scott | 120 | 11 | 0 | 15 | 20 | 0 | 166 | Ranald | 128 | 23 | 0 | 15 | 20 | 10 | 196 | CM | N/P | 14 | 0 | 20 | N/P | 20 | 54 | Don | 125 | 14 | 0 | 25 | 20 | 10 | 194 | Mike | 141 | 8 | 0 | 30 | 20 | 0 | 199 | Matt | 107 | 17 | 10 | 30 | 40 | 40 | 244!!! | Marcia | 45 | N/P | N/P | N/P | N/P | N/P | 45 |

Comments
Rob MacD - July 3, 2006 10:53 AM
So very close. I will not contest the tallying of the points, as I fear I'd have to get a lawyer and an accountant to figure them all out. If only I had spent more time studying the finer points of cricket. Congratulations Matt. I will donate my drastically undervalued hockey card back into the prize pool. Thanks, Alan, for hosting the only sports pool that matters.
Alan - July 3, 2006 10:55 AM
<i>...the only sports pool that matters</i>...<p>
[Ed.: (<i>Sniff</i>) Ok, ok...we'll do it again in 2007.]
Mike - July 3, 2006 12:32 PM
Dammit - 3rd overall and not winning a single category. Congrats to Matt and Thanks again Alan.
Matt Fletcher - July 3, 2006 1:37 PM
It is quite an honour to win "the only sports pool that matters" to which I would add that it is probably the most difficult sports pool I have ever come across.
I must concede that I had quite a bit of spare time on my hands back in April and spent more time than I care to admit in researching the "other sports" categories. It seems however to have paid off as I severely overestimated my hockey knowledge.
Thanks to Alan for hosting the pool.
See you all next year.
Also, Alan, I'm still in Kingston, and live and work down-town, so arranging to pick up the prize shouldn't be too difficult; I'm looking forward to reading it.
Alan - July 3, 2006 2:14 PM
Perfecto. I will send you an email as to coordinates.
Hans - July 3, 2006 3:02 PM
Congrats to the winners. I hate cricket.
gr - July 3, 2006 3:35 PM
Very pleased to see cm was not the loser. Well done, cm!
I dreamt of banjos last night. Can't figure out why.....
Joseph - July 3, 2006 8:07 PM
whats up all you non-germany fans.
I am so happy to see barsil drop out. you barsil fans hearts must have stop at that point when the ball was put in the back of the net. As a result this has pave the way for Germany to win world cup. I'm so sorry non-germany fans both its germany time to sunshine. hahhahahahahahahahhaha
cm - July 3, 2006 9:28 PM
Thank you, gr, I was quite pleased to see that myself. (Sorry, Marcia!) Last time I checked, I was still in last place in the work pool. Given that I went with a Trinidad/Brazil final, I imagine I still am.
Alan - August 28, 2006 8:09 PM
Matt picked up his prize today.