“We’ll make them when they count”...

Or not. Hmmm, I guess fundamentals are important.

Technically, I know the best teams made it to the big dance but personally, I would rather watch Butler and Davidson play any day. Maybe because I could only dream of playing above the rim. Thanks to all of our pickers this year and thanks to Mary Beth for her tabulating efforts. We hope you had fun.

A few parting comments...
Congrats to Ken for creating the pick’em contest and for winning the Bestest Picker award. We are not worthy. Watch out for next year.
Congrats to Carrye who finished strong with every correct pick in the Final Four.
Congrats to Carrye, Mitch and Andrew for picking Kansas.
Congrats to Lori and yours truly on our B-day today. That in itself is a monumental accomplishment. Just ask Ken.

Thanks for pickin’. Here are the final tallies.

Ken 49 Memphis by 5
Amber 47 Memphis by 10
Mary Beth 46 Memphis by 8
Tim 46 Memphis by 11
Kevin 45 No Pick
Ame 45 Memphis by 7
Rhonda 44 Memphis by 15
Lori 44 Memphis by 5
Matt 43 Memphis by 9
Mitch 43 Kansas by 4
Deborah 42 Memphis by 11
Courtney 42 Memphis by 20
Mark Hein 42 Memphis by 8
Carrye 42 Kansas
Mark Maudlin 41 No Pick
Brooke 40 No Pick
Kathy 37 No Pick
Logan 37 No Pick
Andrew 32 Kansas
Jonathan 31 Memphis

Cue the music...

Below is Commissioner Ken’s acceptance speech after being crowned the Bestest Picker for 2008. I offer it with the following disclaimer. Should you feel the need to exit his remarks prior to their conclusion, cue the music and break into your favorite song. Might I suggest Andrew’s favorite, God is so good.

In the tally below, you will see we have something to pick for tonight. There are several pickers bunched up and the losers will have to endure a lot of bragging for a whole year. Pick wisely and remember to include the margin of victory with your pick.

Happy Pickin’



Commissioner Ken’s prepared remarks...

I want to thank my mom, my dearly departed dad, my beautiful wife, my lovely daughter, my very successful son, all my grand children, my friends from grade school, high school, college, my business associates, my golfing buddies, my bowling buddies, my Tuesday morning coffee group, my Monday noon golf foursome, my Wednesday men's group, my Thursday Minnesota fishing group, my Friday study group, all the widows who bake me pies and cakes, my doctor who teaches me how to loose the weight brought on by the widow's cooking, my therapist who successfully saw me through the Mary Beth crisis and last but not least all those good friends from Indiana who allow me to compete in the pick-em contest. I also want to thank the young friend from Pekin who went fishing with me without whom I could have never landed that huge catfish from the farm pond. It's just such a thrill that I can hardly refrain from becoming emotional. It reminds me of watching Shane leave on that old horse or the dogs who are buried where the red fern grows. I can hardly wait for next year. Could it be that the Red Sox will make my joy complete by winning again? Euphoria!

It has to be said...
I have known Ken for over 20 years. When I first met him, he was a LA Dodger fan. Okay, we can still be brethren I told myself. Several years later I discovered he was now an Arizona Diamondbacks fan. I told myself Ken must have seen the light and repented. It wasn’t perfection but Ken was still a work in progress. I prayed for him. Two years ago I discovered that Ken now claimed to be a LIFE-LONG Boston Red Sox’s fan. That good friends is blasphemy!

What might you ask is the common denominator for all of this waffling? It seems Ken has hatred in his heart, hatred for the New York Yankees. And has backed any team that has beaten the Yanks which does happen occasionally. Please pray for Ken. BTW, is Shane a horse thief who killed a bunch of dogs with poinsettia leaves? I’m confused.

Good luck this week at the Master’s Ken. Say hello to Tiger.



Back to the standings...

Ken 49
Amber 47
Mary Beth 46
Tim 46
Kevin 45
Ame 45
Rhonda 44
Lori 44
Matt 43
Deborah 42
Courtney 42
Mark Hein 42
Mitch 42
Carrye 41
Mark Maudlin 41
Brooke 40
Kathy 37
Logan 37
Andrew 31
Jonathan 31

It’s a decent rant for a former Hoosier...

Commissioner Ken sent this rambling rant to yours truly trying to disrupt my pickin’ strategy for the Final Four. Ain’t goin’ work, I’m stayin’ with Butler and Purdue regardless. Since Ken doesn’t know what a blog is and probably think it’s unscriptural, I have posted said comments below for your amusement. Obviously Ken didn’t take the poll or he would not have directed such disparaging remarks to me.

There will be a CORRECT TALLY posted sometime prior to tip-off Saturday. Matt’s and Deborah’s numbers are the only ones that should change. Below is where we currently stand except for Matt and Deborah.

Wounded but not out,
Tim, your humble Picker from Pekin

Ken 48
Amber 47
Tim 46
Kevin 45
Mary Beth 45
Ame 45
Rhonda 43
Lori 43
Matt 43
Deborah 42
Mark H. 42
Mitch 42
Courtney 41
Mark M. 41
Carrye 39
Brooke 39
Kathy 37
Logan 37
Andrew 30
Jonathan 30

And now for your reading pleasure, Commissioner Ken and his first blog post.

Mary Beth is, without doubt, the headliner of this show. Running the contest without her would be like Gone With The Wind starring Woody Allen. Memories of her departure would cloud the ability to pick and one might select some team like Purdue or Butler to win. Recovering from the state of withdraw if she leaves would last well into the baseball season and detract from the joys of watching the Yankees lose to Toronto.
If she goes I will offer an open-ended invitation for her to stay in our spare room and run an even more important pickem contest next year. This invitation will include her kids but not anyone remotely associated with her dismissal from present duties.
The stage is set - - - - let the games begin.

Cliffhanger, we haven’t forgotten you Matt...

Hey Matt,

Mary Beth will look into your picks. She had you one for four in the last round. She is thinking it (the mistake) must have been in an earlier round. Our internet at home has been down but we’ll let you know for sure before the weekend and get the results posted.

Sorry for the delay, stay tuned.

Stop the MADNESS, she's done it again...

Matt contacted me yesterday about another scoring error. And what we discovered were a few errors that have impacted the standings, sorry. Below is what we believe to be the correct scores going into the Final Four. Please check them over. We hope this is the correct tally.

I have also set up a new poll. Should Mary Beth remain as Keeper of the Picks? Show her some love or not. PLEASE VOTE.

Ken 47
Amber 47
Tim 46
Mary Beth 45
Ame 45
Lori 45
Kevin 43
Rhonda 43
Deborah 43
Matt 41
Mark H. 42
Mitch 42
Courtney 41
Mark M. 41
Brooke 39
Carrye 37
Kathy 37
Logan 37
Andrew 32
Jonathan 30

That Curry boy could really shoot...

And he was fun to watch. Too bad they lost. I missed the second half of the game while at worship services.

Ken is now officially alone atop our leader board and the smack has already starting arriving. It is going to be a LONG week. A LONG week too for Matt and Deborah. I hope their relationship survives all of this pickin'. A LONG week for the Hein family. Will they talk to each other all week. A LONG week for Carrye wondering if a two-year-old is going to beat her. A LONG week for Mary Beth who is praying she finally got the scores correct. Please check your scores. They should be and I stress SHOULD be correct but you never know, especially this year.

And now here are the standings.





Ken 48
Amber 47
Tim 46
Kevin 45
Mary Beth 45
Ame 45
Rhonda 43
Lori 43
Matt 43
Deborah 42
Mark H. 42
Mitch 42
Courtney 41
Mark M. 41
Carrye 39
Brooke 39
Kathy 37
Logan 37
Andrew 30
Jonathan 30

Mary Beth is extremely sorry...

Mary Beth got 3 scores wrong. She repented this morning and we hope all is forgiven. The 3 effected were Amber, Kevin and Courtney. As you will see below, Amber has joined Ken atop the leader board. With 2 games yet today, things can still change.

Stay tuned.


Amber 46
Ken 46
Ame 44
Kevin 44
Tim 44
Lori 43
Mary Beth 43
Matt 43
Deborah 42
Mark H. 42
Mitch 42
Rhonda 41
Courtney 40
Mark M. 40
Carrye 38
Brooke 37
Kathy 36
Logan 36
Jonathan 30
Andrew 29

She did it again...

Please disregard the standings from yesterday. Mary Beth made a couple of booboos and will need to re-tabulate. It only effects three of you. Which three? We'll let you know after the break I mean services.

Mr. Cliffhanger

Hippity Hop, we have a new leader, and it is...

Commissioner Ken!

Yes, it seems that rabbit costume with its huge feet have jumped Ken to the top of our leader board. I picked Michigan State last night, what a bust. I guess you don't have to shoot free throws well if you are dunking all night. Ken, Amber, Logan and Brooke were 7 for 8 in the first round of the Sweet Sixteen, nice pickin' guys. Amber is elbowing her way to the top in the standings so watch out folks.

Happy Pickin'



Onto the scores...
Ken 44
Amber 43
Tim 43
Ame 42
Matt 42
Deborah 41
Kevin 41
Lori 41
Mark H. 41
Mary Beth 41
Courtney 40
Mitch 40
Rhonda 39
Carrye 38
Mark M. 38
Logan 36
Brooke 35
Kathy 35
Jonathan 29
Andrew 28

There will be a new leader in the A.M.

We don't know who but it will be determined by the Memphis/Michigan State game.
Stay tuned.

More pics before the next round...

With so much time before the next round, I thought I would add a few more pics from the egg hunt. The first shows Jonathan doing his best Flash imitation in pursuit of the prize egg. Andrew is visible in the background on the adjacent field. The second shows Andrew with the Easter Bunny. I did learn the identity of said rabbit and it is no other than Commissioner Ken himself. The feet were a dead give away. I should have known sooner.


P.S. I did see that more of you are voting, good. Let your voice be heard and vote for me.

We’re getting very picky...

Their stunning Sienna picks aside, the stress of the constant picking was taking its toll on the boys. We decided to take them out to recharge their batteries at an Easter Egg Hunt Saturday. Luckily for them and us, Jonathan and Andrew each found a prize egg. We would have had a whole new set of problems had only one of them found the prize egg. Pictured are the happy winners with their super duper bunnies.

Now to our contest. Matt has surged to the lead obviously not taking into consideration Deborah’s feelings. She who was in the lead because of Mary Beth’s error, is still within picking distance. Ken and Mary Beth join me in second place and there are lots of you still in contention too. Carrye has stated her sole goal is to trounce the kids, nice Carrye. They could still catch you.

Good luck to all in the next rounds. Bye bye Butler, that one hurt.

Matt 38
Ken 37
Mary Beth 37
Tim 37
Amber 36
Ame 36
Deborah 36
Kevin 36
Lori 36
Courtney 35
Mark H. 35
Mitch 35
Mark M. 33
Rhonda 33
Carrye 32
Kathy 32
Logan 29
Brooke 28
Jonathan 25
Andrew 24

This is getting stressful...

There is a new picker atop our leader board. No it is not Deborah (more about that in minute) and no it is not yours truly. It's Mary Beth. And might I add she has become rather difficult to live with tonight. I even think she is planning my demise. She has dessert for lunch tomorrow and she made something called "Death by Chocolate." I haven't had this before but it smells really good.

Kudos to our rookie picker Deborah for bringing a clerical error to our attention. She was incorrectly awarded 2 points for being Matt's girlfriend. While that is fine and dandy, according to Commissioner Ken it is not grounds for any points. We will re-tabulate and send new stats out tomorrow. Thank you for being honest Deborah.

I think Charlton Heston is about to lead Israel out of Egypt and make Yul Brynner really mad. Have a good night.

That's My Boys...

When you take a hit like I did yesterday, sometimes you have to really reach for something positive. Luckily, I don't. Jonathan and Andrew knew something the rest of us didn't. They both picked Sienna over Vandy. Whoa, way to go boys!

Now for some grumbling! I root for I.U. at least once every year, when they play the Mighty Wildcats of Kentucky, who by the way are no longer in the tournament. You should have heard the Louisville fans piling on, brutal. According to one Louisville fan, Kentucky was 31-0 if you add up all of the moral victories and the ones where the refs stole the games. I digress.

This year, I had I.U. advancing out of the first round. Maybe Mr. Gordon was thinking more about his N.B.A. degree last night; I don't know. I actually felt sorry for them after their coach played too much phone-tag but I'll get over it. Remember, I tend to root for the periennial choker of all time, Purdue, so my euphoria will likely be short-lived and come crashing down sooner than later. At least Butler gives me a little hope. I just like the way they play.

Our rookie picker Deborah has now joined me atop the leader board. I'll take that ticket in our Picky President race and I'll even take the V.P. slot. When you see you can't win, number 2 isn't so bad. Although remember Gary Larson's version of Custer's Last Stand? I'm doomed. A number of you are nipping at our heels. It's anybody's race except mine. It was fun while it lasted.

Tim, slip sliding away.

Now onto the scores...

Deborah 26
Tim 26
Ken 25
Mary Beth 25
Matt 25
Ame 24
Kevin 24
Mitch 24
Amber 23
Courtney 23
Lori 23
Mark H. 23
Rhonda 23
Brooke 21
Carrye 21
Logan 21
Mark M. 21
Kathy 20
Jonathan 17
Andrew 15

Take the poll, show Lori the love. BTW, I think she has voted.

P.S. If you don't understand some of my rambling, sorry. I was writing while Mary Beth was ciphering

And the winner is...

Me, game over, thanks for playing. We'll if only we could change the rules like Hilliary, I could be President Picker. But no we will play by our time-honored rules regardless. As you can see, it is VERY close. Things are sure to change hourly as the games begin again today. Good luck to all except for Lori. Sorry, but we just can't have a repeat picker champion unless of course you win and then we will all say in our best Eeyore impersonation, way to go Lori :0(

Special thanks to our picking tabulator Mary Beth who stayed up way past her bedtime to enter in the data. She asked that each of you verify her numbers just in case.

Don't forget to vote to in our poll. You can select as many options as you like, especially the one about yours truly. Let your voice be heard.

Pickers Unite!
Tim, Pickers Party of Pekin candidate for President Picker

Thursday's Games...
Tim 16
Kevin 15
Amber 15
Mitch 14
Matt 14
Lori 14
Ken 14
Deborah 14
Ame 14
Mary Beth 14
Mark M 13
Mark H 13
Logan 13
Carrye 13
Rhonda 12
Courtney 12
Kathy 11
Brooke 11
Jonathan 8
Andrew 5

We are gunning for Lori!

I had forgotten, okay my therapist said I needed to move on for my own mental health, that Lori won our little picking contest last year. There is a big target on your back Lori and we are all gunning for you. I am setting up a poll to see if you think Lori will repeat this year.

Say hey to our newest picker Deborah, “Hey Deborah.” I have it on good authority that she is rooting for Matt to win if she can’t.


Good luck to all unless your name is Lori.
Tim

P.S. Carrye has been awarded 5 BONUS POINTS for blogging. Get in there and let your voice be heard. I will only edit your comments if you say something bad about me.

The Pickers so far, and the list is growing...

Here is a list of the confirmed pickers to date.

Ken
Tim
Mary Beth
Jonathan
Andrew
Rhonda
Amber
Courtney
Carrye
Matt
Deborah
Mitchell
Mark H.
Lori
Amelia
Kevin
Kathy
Brooke
Mark M.
Logan

Remember, get your first picks in before tip-off tomorrow.
Thanks!

Welcome to the Mad Pickers Blog

It’s time to start picking. This year we are trying something new with our very own Picking Blog! Here you will be able to keep tabs on the other pickers and even post comments as we see who is the Bestest Picker for 2008. This post should go out to your respective emails. When you get it, can you try posting to the blog?

More to come, stay tuned.
The Pekin Picker