Well, here it is. Send me your picks for: SJE : KCW CHI : NER including: *Final score (including golden goals) *Winner of each game if you predict PKs (i.e. final tie) *Half time score I will use the final scores (i.e. including golden goals) as the scores to predict, with two bonus points for each correct winner. And an awkward scheme for dealing with possibility of PKS: If the game doesn't go to pks you get 2 pts for the correct result and 2 pts for the correct winner plus GD bonuses. If the game goes to PKs and you guessed a tie, you get 2 pts for the correct result, and another 2 if you get the PK winner correct. If the game goes to PKs, and the team you guessed to win in regulation+OT wins, you get 0 pts for the result but 2 pts for the winner. The groups: Group E BenC1357(1A) FanAddict(1B) Scribe (2C) jlo(2D) Group F IASocFan (2A) sljohn (2B) Guinho (1C) MadSirAlexxx (1D) Top two in each move on to the final group. tiebreakers: 1) net goal difference error (absolute value). 2) net goal difference error in favor of the winning teams. 3) best score on halftime scores (someone who sends scores will always beat someone who doesn't) 4) random drawing, done by picking numbers. The two tied players each order the numbers 1 through 10 as they wish, and I will pick a number from 1 to 10 (unless I'm one of the tied folks, in which case someone else can pick) and we all send these to jlo. The player that puts the target number highest on their list of numbers 1 to 10 advances). I think I have more fun inventing rules than actually predicting...! G.
Important excerpts from the jlo press conference: We are delighted to have advanced to the semifinals, and that puts us one step closer to our goal. It's been a long time since we added anything to the trophy case, but we all realize we are in a tough group, and we need to take this one game at a time. If we predict as well as we can, and if the breaks go our way, we just might make it to the finals. We'll be disappointed with the loss, but we've had a fine season already, and we can hold our heads high.
Quotes from BenC1357's response press conference to jlo's press conference: "We have prepared a very short rebuttle statement and will not be answering any questions at this time. jlo sucks and we're gonna win this thing. FanAddict and Scribe are also teams of very poor quality. Only a miracle will keep Team BenC from the championship. Thank you."
Yippee! Hey, all, I might be a little slow in getting the semifinals tables up: yesterday morning little Natalia Christina Karpa-Wilson made her debut weighing in a 7 lbs 14 oz. She and mom are doing great. I'll be at home taking care of our 2 1/2 year old while mom and baby are in the hospital, so after he goes to bed, I'll have time to get some calculations done.... I'm a happy boy! G.
Congratulations, Guinho. I am astounded to learn that you ran this league all year while your wife was expecting. That is dedication.
Thanks! It did have something to do with the recurrent lateness of things. I didn't always have the evenings free for doing such things....! My wife is a big soccer fan, so she's forgiving of these things. She'd probably enjoy going for coffee with themrs. though and swapping stories... Fortunately for you folks, little Natalia is quite the sleepy baby, so we both got a reasonable amount of sleep for parents of newborns and she's out like a light right now.... So the tables: Group E was no problem, with BenC1357 continuing his improbably run. Name . . . . Points CHI NER . pts . . SJE KCW Scribe . . . .9.5 . . . .3 . . 2 . . . 4.5 . . 3 . 2 BenC1357 9 . . . . . 2 . .1 . . . 4.5 . . 1 . 0 FanAddict .8.5 . . . .2 . . 1 . . . 4.5 . . 2 . 0 jlo . . . . . . 8.5 . . . .3 . . 1. . . . 4 . . . 2 . 1 Group F was a different story with all four of us ties on all tiebreaks! It looks like we're going to have to do the listing the numbers 1 through 10 business! Name . . . . . Points . CHI NER Pts GDE SJE KCW Pts GDE Guinho . . . . 8.5 . . . . 2 . 1. . 4.5. . 0 . . 3 . 1 . . . .4 . .1 IASocFan . . 8.5. . . . . 2 . 0 . . 4 . . 1 . .2 . 1 . . . .4.5 .0 MSAlex . . . . 8.5 . . . . 3 . 1 . . 4 . . .1 . . 2 . 1 . . . .4.5 .0 sljohn . . . . .8.5 . . . . 3 . 1 . . 4 . . .1 . . 2 . 1 . . . . 4.5 .0
Coin flipping, Guinho-style o.k. Here's how it works. Three players in this example rank the numbers one through ten, for example, I might submit this list: 3 9 4 7 6 1 2 8 10 5 and the other players pick similar lists. Here are four such sets, the list above is the second of the four columns, say: IAS - Gui - MSA - slj 1 . 3 . 10 . 6 2 . 9 . 1 . .10 6 . 4 . 5 . .1 8 . 7 . 8 . .3 3 . 6 . 3 . .7 7 . 1 . 4 . .8 9 . 2 . 9 . . 9 5 . 8 . 2 . .4 10 10 6 . . 2 4 . 5 . 7 . .5 Now the "master" (let's say kevb) also picks a number off the top of their heads without having seen the lists, say 7. Now the administrator (jlo, say) looks at these and says: player #1 (IASocFan) had 7 in the 6th spot on her list player #2 (Guinho) had 7 in the 4th spot player #3 (MadSirAlexxx) put 7 in the 10th spot player #4 (sljohn) put 7 in 5th so in this example Guinho and sljohn would go through because they'd listed the magic number earlier in their lists. So, we need to find someone to send the lists too and someone to pick the magic number once the lists are in. Sound good? (no probably not. I actually generated these number lists randomly using excel and assigned then in alphabetical order and chose the magic number randomly, but you'd just have to trust me on that...
Re: Coin flipping, Guinho-style Guinho, I trust you absolutely and completely! You know, that other procedure sure sounds like a lot of work to figure out, maybe we should just trust the random draw you've already performed.
Send me your lists, participants. Since I am now eliminated, I assure you I will be completely impartial. Therefore, I have already picked a MAGIC NUMBER in order to reduce the response time.
Now waiting on Guinho. One of the three who sent in their picks has been eliminated, but I don't know if I should announce it or wait until all results are final. What do the parties involved want?
Excerpts from the final jlo press conference: It's been a long, difficult season, and we'll welcome the time off. Obviously it's a disappointment any time you go through an entire season without taking home a trophy, especially here, with the tradition and all, but there were some good teams in our group. If we'd been in the other group, we would have been in the playoffs. That's just the way it goes. BenC1357? Yes, I read about that in the press. Well, any time you have a new... No, no, I won't respond to that. We prefer to let our predicting do the talking for us, and this time around we just didn't get the job done. We were right there, we were competitive, but we just didn't get it done. We'll see about next year. No, I don't think the referees have it out for us. I know the draw was unfavorable, but I have the utmost respect for the refs and the administrators.
Excerpts from Scribe news conference (weeping at podium) After all these years... finally... finishing ahead of jlo in SOMETHING! (sobs) And they say miracles stopped with the '69 Mets! You gotta believe!!! (composes self) Now there's this business of dealing with BenC 1357... sounds like one of George Lucas' droids. (takes deep breath) And two other as yet unknown rivals. But I'll say this... (grinds jaw)... I'm on a roll, baby. I mean, who else guessed the exact score of the SJ-KC match? (snorts) In fact, and Guinho can confirm this - in between burping his new baby - that I said the match would end with a Golden Goal as well! El prediction golazo! Or something like that! (pumping himself up) In fact, we might as well call off the rest of the freakin' competition! (steroids kicking in) 'Coz I have this sucker nailed down flat! (steam escaping from ears) VICTORY WILL BE MINE!!!!! (beat) I forget... who's playing again?
Short Statement from the BenC1357 camp [Dan Patrick on Sports Center] This just in, BenC1357 was seen by reporters leaving Britney Spears' New York appartment and made these comments to reporters camped outside: "In response to recent comments in the media, BenC1357 would like to state that jlo got was what coming to him. He couldnt handle the pressure of the big game. He just cracked. You could see in his eyes that he didn't have what it takes. And Scribe, take a look around, you're next buddy. There's a new kid in town and he's here to take what's his. I'll see you Sunday, and I suggest you bring your A game. Now get that camera out of my face!" It seems BenC1357 is calling out Scribe and the other competitors in Sundays all important WPL Final. Nothing like the underdog to cause a stir. And someone tell Justin, Britney's got a new boy toy. [/Dan Patrick on Sports Center]
The results are in, ladies and gentlemen. Here are the official number strings (T = 10). Guinho: 6T13789425 Mad Sir Alexx: 3684752T19 sljohn: 621834T795 IASocFan: 537682941T The MAGIC NUMBER was..... .... ... 3. Amazingly, all four semifinalists put 3 in the top half of their string. But Mad Sir Alexx and IASocFan go through to the finals. Way to go, you two. Congratulations to Guinho and sljohn on an excellent season. That's a tough way to go out. Of course, if you had been in my group, you wouldn't have made it to a playoff.
Also, congratulations to Scribe and BenC1357 on advancing to the next round. My condolences to each of you as well. I'm not sure which is worse, a steroid problem or a Britney Spears problem. You've both overcome significant handicaps to get where you are.
I'm crushed. After my best showing yet in the first round of the play-offs--far exceeding all expectations for a #15 seed--it all comes down to an unlucky draw. Congratulations to those still in contention. I eagerly await next season's competition.