A confidence pool is a pick em with a twist. Instead of picking the winners of each game or series, you rank all participating teams at the beginning from strongest to weakest. As the tournament plays out, you receive points for team wins, based upon your initial rankings. Here's an example: a four-team tournament. You think the Winnipeg Jets are the best team going in, and will dominate the bottom-feeding Atlanta Flames. So you rank the teams this way: 4. Winnipeg Jets 3. Quebec Nordiques 2. Vancouver Millionaires 1. Atlanta Flames For every game that the Jets win, you get four points; for every game that the Nordiques win, you get three points; and so on. That's all there is to it. At the end of the tournament, the participant with most points wins (bragging rights, mostly). One thing to remember is that you're not necessarily picking the winner of the tournament: you're picking overall tournament dominance. If the Atlanta Flames squeak into the tourney final and win against the otherwise-dominant Winnipeg Jets, your picks could still generate the most points. The deadline is Thursday at 8:30 though I would appreciate if you put them in before the start of the playoffs. The deadline is pushed back slightly for latecomers.
I'm in. Thanks for doing this, YYM, it's always fun (but a losing cause).
I'm in. I also posted an entry for ESPN's (Terry Frei's) odds, which are not necessarily in keeping with the confidence pool concept (these are odds to win the Cup, which is different than ranking teams on games they will win, how much they will dominate, etc.), but I figured it may make for an interesting benchmark.
Count me in, and I second Howard_T's commotion.
The Moops are in. Thanks for doing this, wing wang.
That's interesting, holden. Thanks for including that entry.
I have entered. I want to state clearly and categorically before a puck is dropped that if I win this thing, you people really, really suck.
I'm in. Thanks for setting this up, YYM. Glad to see our little app still getting used!
In like Flynn.
The Rooster Knuckles will once again ascend the dunghill to crow about their victory.
I'm in. NoMich are you sure you don't mean the Moores?
Oh, Noooo, I'm so sorry. It's the Moops. The correct answer is, The Moops.
Thanks YYM. I'm in too.
Qbert I have a question. Can I start entering results only after the deadline is passed?
Hmmm, most likely, yes. I haven't had a look at this code in ages... It's not such a big issue, is it?
Nope not at all. I was just wondering.
Thanks YYM
All right, I've entered the SpoFi Collective based on our average picks, and the game results from the first two days of play. So we have a provisional leaderboard. Game on!
Seven points to the Wings Frisby? I hope that costs you dearly.
Well I did say that I was picking from the heart, and they are playing Nashville in the first round. Not to mention how much the Devils fan in me misses Rafalski. In fact, I'm going to be there on Monday just so I can heckle Hasek and/or Osgood. That's if they can hear me anyways, I got seats right behind thier net, too bad their in the last row of the lower bowl.
Rafalski has been tremendous for them this year, he was a great accquisition.
Watching the stellar play of both Rafalski and Gomez makes the thrashing the Devils are receiving even tougher to stomach.
I've mentioned it elsewhere, but I'm actually happy for Raffy. He didn't get drafted and then went overseas to play hockey. He's a Michigan native who finally got a chance to play for his home team. Gomez, however, is a slag faced whore. And that's all I've got to say about that.
So, the whole "Detroit are Crap" contrarian thing isn't working, eh? Teach me to read Christopher Hitchens.
Anaheim is bringing me down. Stupid Turco, you're supposed to suck in playoffs.
To be fair, Marty played pretty damn well in the first round loss last year to Vancouver (he had three shoutouts, IIRC), but the Stars couldn't score a goal if Luongo had been standing in front of a regulation soccer sized net. They seem to have figured that part of it out a little bit now, too. *hopes he's not jinxing them*
I think getting Brad Richards from Tampa helped the Stars refind their scoring touch.
Gomez, however, is a slag faced whore. Bwwwwaaaaaaahhhhh, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha...
No doubt that the addition of Richards and the emergence of Mike Ribeiro are reasons 1 and 1a that the Stars have found a way to score this year in the playoffs. Between the two of them they have 2 goals and 6 assists in the first two games. But there was certainly a point in time (like, say, the entire month of March) that it was pretty shaky that Richards would find a way to click with the rest of Dallas. Hopefully, this hot start will continue and it's not just a quick flash in the pan.
And sure as shit is shinola, I did it. Pardon me. I'm off to either go to bed or beat my dog.
It is quite cozy here in the basement.
I'm with you, YYM. How about a game of Guitar Hero?
Only if you're prepared to lose.
Well, I'm going to finish last with the playoff picks so I might as well lose in Guitar Hero too.
I'm currently third. What the FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!!!!! Or your teams...
Can the rest of the cellar dwellers join in guitar hero (which I won't win either but when they invent tuba hero---watch out)? Owlhouse -- my teams are discouraged that you didn't pick them!
My only hope is if Dallas gets swept in the second round. That DAL 4 is really bringing me down. ugh.
Well...I gave my 16 points to Warshington. I guess I'm a serious threat to win the Costanza now. Watch out Fritsy, here I come!
(Heard from the basement) Hello....Is there anybody in there?.....Just nod if you can hear me....Is there anyone at home?
Hockey justice is now underway. I'll be down there shortly. My turn on the small plastic guitar thingy.
Screw the confidence pool we can have a guitar hero tournament instead.
Pfffttt. Guitar Hero. You guys are so '07. How bout a little round of SpoFi Rock Band? Course they'd need to add a keyboard to suit NoMich's tendency to the new wave of the 80's. Maybe in honor of owlhouse's descent, wo could play a little Men at Work or Psychadelic Furs?
I'm not a fan of the Rock Band guitar controller to be honest.
We have the Wii, and they don't make RB for it yet. I've actually been playing Tiger Woods '08 most of the time. Or whenever my daughter is not playing Puppy Luv.
