April 08, 2008

2008 NHL Playoffs Confidence Pool: Enter your picks here, more details inside.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia to fantasy at 05:12 PM - 44 comments

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.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 05:17 PM on April 08, 2008

I'm in. Thanks for doing this, YYM, it's always fun (but a losing cause).

posted by Howard_T at 05:52 PM on April 08, 2008

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.

posted by holden at 05:59 PM on April 08, 2008

Count me in, and I second Howard_T's commotion.

posted by MrFrisby at 06:34 PM on April 08, 2008

The Moops are in. Thanks for doing this, wing wang.

posted by NoMich at 06:41 PM on April 08, 2008

That's interesting, holden. Thanks for including that entry.

posted by NoMich at 06:43 PM on April 08, 2008

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.

posted by owlhouse at 10:21 PM on April 08, 2008

I'm in. Thanks for setting this up, YYM. Glad to see our little app still getting used!

posted by qbert72 at 10:50 PM on April 08, 2008

In like Flynn.

posted by grum@work at 08:54 AM on April 09, 2008

The Rooster Knuckles will once again ascend the dunghill to crow about their victory.

posted by tahoemoj at 01:26 PM on April 09, 2008

I'm in. NoMich are you sure you don't mean the Moores?

posted by HATER 187 at 05:13 PM on April 09, 2008

Oh, Noooo, I'm so sorry. It's the Moops. The correct answer is, The Moops.

posted by NoMich at 05:29 PM on April 09, 2008

Thanks YYM. I'm in too.

posted by BoKnows at 08:24 PM on April 09, 2008

Qbert I have a question. Can I start entering results only after the deadline is passed?

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 09:17 PM on April 09, 2008

Hmmm, most likely, yes. I haven't had a look at this code in ages... It's not such a big issue, is it?

posted by qbert72 at 01:19 AM on April 10, 2008

Nope not at all. I was just wondering.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 05:23 AM on April 10, 2008

Thanks YYM

posted by Monica Poland at 11:30 AM on April 10, 2008

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!

posted by qbert72 at 12:03 AM on April 11, 2008

Seven points to the Wings Frisby? I hope that costs you dearly.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 02:47 PM on April 11, 2008

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.

posted by MrFrisby at 05:42 PM on April 11, 2008

Rafalski has been tremendous for them this year, he was a great accquisition.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 07:45 AM on April 13, 2008

Watching the stellar play of both Rafalski and Gomez makes the thrashing the Devils are receiving even tougher to stomach.

posted by tahoemoj at 02:01 PM on April 13, 2008

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.

posted by MrFrisby at 10:27 PM on April 13, 2008

So, the whole "Detroit are Crap" contrarian thing isn't working, eh? Teach me to read Christopher Hitchens.

posted by owlhouse at 01:49 AM on April 14, 2008

Anaheim is bringing me down. Stupid Turco, you're supposed to suck in playoffs.

posted by mkn at 08:27 AM on April 14, 2008

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*

posted by Ufez Jones at 09:59 AM on April 14, 2008

I think getting Brad Richards from Tampa helped the Stars refind their scoring touch.

posted by NoMich at 10:43 AM on April 14, 2008

Gomez, however, is a slag faced whore. Bwwwwaaaaaaahhhhh, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha...

posted by tahoemoj at 12:50 PM on April 14, 2008

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.

posted by Ufez Jones at 12:55 PM on April 14, 2008

And sure as shit is shinola, I did it. Pardon me. I'm off to either go to bed or beat my dog.

posted by Ufez Jones at 10:33 PM on April 15, 2008

It is quite cozy here in the basement.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 06:50 PM on April 19, 2008

I'm with you, YYM. How about a game of Guitar Hero?

posted by BoKnows at 06:58 PM on April 19, 2008

Only if you're prepared to lose.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 07:37 PM on April 19, 2008

Well, I'm going to finish last with the playoff picks so I might as well lose in Guitar Hero too.

posted by BoKnows at 04:01 PM on April 20, 2008

I'm currently third. What the FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!!!!! Or your teams...

posted by owlhouse at 05:34 PM on April 20, 2008

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!

posted by Monica Poland at 11:18 PM on April 20, 2008

My only hope is if Dallas gets swept in the second round. That DAL 4 is really bringing me down. ugh.

posted by mkn at 08:52 AM on April 22, 2008

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!

posted by NoMich at 09:09 PM on April 22, 2008

(Heard from the basement) Hello....Is there anybody in there?.....Just nod if you can hear me....Is there anyone at home?

posted by BoKnows at 03:43 PM on April 25, 2008

Hockey justice is now underway. I'll be down there shortly. My turn on the small plastic guitar thingy.

posted by owlhouse at 05:02 PM on April 25, 2008

Screw the confidence pool we can have a guitar hero tournament instead.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 05:25 PM on April 25, 2008

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?

posted by tahoemoj at 12:40 PM on April 26, 2008

I'm not a fan of the Rock Band guitar controller to be honest.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 09:08 PM on April 29, 2008

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.

posted by BoKnows at 09:32 PM on April 29, 2008

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