Week Three Death March

"Son", Dad said, "there are going to be weeks like this. Nothing, and I mean nothing will go right. Your team will lose. Your other team will lose. You might personally even finish last in something. It might keep you up at night. Yelling won't help. Crying won't help. Denial won't help."

"Gee dad, sounds bad. What do I do?"

"Well son, I have just two words for you: horse tranquilizers."

"Gee dad, that's sounds swell. Hook me up?"

Quick congratulations to Mr. Stellick, a wandering soul who returned to us this year, on winning this week's jackpot. Fortune favors the bold, and I guess putting 14 on Arizona no matter who they're playing might be construed as such.

Meanwhile, there I am at the bottom after three weeks, treading water, with only my sis worse off than me.

But it's all gonna be fine, thank you very much.

We Pick Rick

Your winner this week, as you know, was Rick Astley Tulloch. Mild-mannered, upbeat, and with a surprisingly deep voice, I can only guess Rick watched, calm as can be, as Garret Hartley kicked the game winner for the Saints last night. "Cool", he would have said...and then maybe celebrated with some of this easy flowin' smooveness right here.



Yup. We've been Rick Roll'd. I'll try not to let it happen again.

Four Score and Twelve Weeks Ago.

Last September 17th, I posted this from the balcony of a house on Maui, looking west over the Pacific Ocean. One year later, I am posting from a stuffy room looking south over Commerce Street. And yet, the story has changed hardly at all. There are no mangoes nearby. That's one difference.

BUT...the real story is that Sarah Schneider leads off the season with her now-customary win, though it was not quite the same 7 on the Richter scale that she uncorked last year at this time. Sarah has already paid for her season. "I'm cleanin' up, baby!" she was heard to exclaim, moments before she hotwired a street sweeper and sent it careening down Lombardi Avenue into midday traffic.

Anyway, the numbers this season are:
Total pool: 24 players @ 50 = 1200
Weekly prize: 50 x 17 weeks = 850
This leaves 350 to divide amongst the overall winners. I propose:
225 for first
100 for second

Yup, that's just TWO places payin' out in January, plus...

...25 for the Roo Award, which goes to the person who gets picks in every week but otherwise tanks it hard enough to finish dead last. We're small enough that I couldn't see paying out some token amount for third place, but the Roo Award is always good for yuks.