No Doubt D

In the long history of this little pool, I don't think anyone - until this year - has led the overall score wire-to-wire.  I did not see this coming.  Perhaps I should have, because during the season, I have learned that:

• Coaches see Diana's picks, then do their game plans.
• When D turned up in Vegas, 127 bookies immediately switched to selling car insurance.
• Chuck Norris was in a football pool with D once.  He's now a fan of figure skating.

In a blink, 17 weeks of football are behind us, not unlike Randall Cobb getting, in a blink, behind Chris Con...never mind.  So let me say, first of all, congratulations to Rick Tulloch, winner of Week 16.  Also, congratulations to Rick Tulloch, winner of Week 17.  Out like a lion, that guy.  He breaks even on the year.

Meanwhile, as discussed in September, the following prizes are hereby accrued, if not actually paid yet:

1st Place (300): Diana. The number 300 is retired, owing to this historic performance.
2nd Place (200): Kelly Larum.  I have no idea who this is.
3rd Place (100): Mike McCravens. This, in addition to his winnings from three weekly jackpots.

The above three are the sole members of the 1600 Club this year.

And the Roo Award?  That's 25 to Tim Mitchell, who even now is watching reruns on a staticky 13" Zenith in his VAN down by the RIVER.

Let's talk more about money.  The financials are here.  Many entry fees are unpaid at this point, which is totally fine because I said it was cool to hold off until we could net it all out in the end.  It's now the end, and time to net it all out.  If your name is highlighted that warm desert orange color, you owe me the amount in Column F.  You can send me a check (let me know if you need the address) or send it instantly to my Dwolla account (joewiesner at gmail.com).  I would like to get all outstanding entry fees promptly so I can pay all winners in full quickly.

If your name is highlighted in breezy tropical green, Column F is your friend because I owe you that amount. Distribution of these prizes will begin shortly.  As always, I would love to send you money electronically so let me know if that can happen, otherwise I'm happy to write a check.

Thanks for your kind attention.  We now return you to an in-depth analysis of John Kuhn's blocking technique against Julius Pep...never mind.

I actually do have a bit more information for you on the pool, so this is not goodbye yet.  For now, best wishes for a happy and safe new year to all y'all, and I'll get back to you shortly.

Power Rankings

After I congratulate our last two winners, Laurie and Kelly (both first timers this year), I thought it might be a good time to see how things stack up for the stretch run.  Impossibly, there are only three weeks left in the regular season.  Time is flying as fast as an ice bridge is forming between Milwaukee and Muskegon.  So I present to you...Power Rankings.  The strength of our league's top competitors is herewith analogized based on an algorithm that I just totally made up.

Power Equivalent Rating	Player
The overnight wind chill in SE Wisconsin	Diana
Flushed toilet on a commercial aircraft	Mike
The habañero sauce I accidentally dropped in the chili	Kelly
The aroma coming from the laundry hamper	Jim W
Your horrified reaction to nearly anything Jon Gruden says	Paul

Despite her modest winnings year-to-date, Diana is clearly the class of the field. I can't remember a 43-point gap between first and second in the long history of this pool. After #1, it's hazy. Mike and Kelly are tied, but Mike has a clear edge in the cash column. Jim's holding down fourth and Paul edges yours truly on momentum, his performance improving noticeably over the last few weeks.

Meanwhile, down in Roo Award territory, we have Tim, with a Power Equivalent Rating roughly equal to Christian Ponder's job prospects.  Rimshot!

Good luck to all this week.