Bored

Highlanders select Ed Lopat.

Highlanders select....RICKEY~! Henderson

*Any of the mods who are in the contest, please pin this thread. Thanks. Welcome to year five of the second longest running football pick' em contest in TSM history! And this promises to be the most exciting season of them all! We start... by making a big CG building and then we have a meteor go CROSSHH! [makes a diving motion with his left arm] and it, and it's all like CRAAWWWLL [simulates an explosion with his arms] a-and motorcycles burst into flame while they jump over these helicopters, right? [has his right hand go over his left arm like a motorcycle over a helicopter]...An eighteen-wheeler spins out of control and it's all like BROSSHH [makes a crashing motion with his right hand] And then this huuuge tanker full of dyna- [launches into a series of explosions]... Okay, there is nothing exciting about this season. In fact for the first time in the history of the contest, nothing has changed. Same number of teams, same number of bowls, same number games, and same Bored Championship Series formula. So let me get the "how the contest works" stuff out of the way for those who possibly are interested up for the first time and for those returnees that have early onset of Alzheimer's. Basically this will be copy and paste of last year's sign up thread with some small edits. The prize is still the same, the winner of the contest will receive $50 cash. Also if someone can finish the season undefeated they will win $100. Each player will represent a Division I-A school and match-up head-to-head each week with another poster. I will select 14 games from the college schedule each week and you will pick the winners for each game. I avoid picking games that are obvious blowouts and I do pick a few games from the non-BCS conferences. There will be two tiebreak questions every week, #1 always asking for the total score from a key game that week, and #2 asking how many yards a star player will have that week. The regular season is 12 weeks long, then follows the conference championships that will match-up the 1st and 2nd place teams from each conference. The conference championships will take place over a two week span and will include 20 games. After that of comes the bowl season where if eligible you play in a bowl game and pick all the winners from the entire bowl season. Each week there are typically two deadlines for making your picks. I will always include either the Thursday or Friday ESPN game along with the Saturday games. If you don't get your picks in prior to the Thursday or Friday kick off you can not earn a point for those games. If you do not submit your picks prior to the Noon EST/9:00 AM PST kick off on Saturday you will be assigned replacement picks. You will be assigned the picks of a similarly ranked team for that week and teams using replacement picks can not win by tiebreak. You are allowed to use replacement picks only once during the season and still be eligible to win the contest, although you can still participate in bowl games. You will not be eligible to win the $100 undefeated prize if you use replacement picks at any point in the season. After each week is completed, I post the Bored Championship Series Rankings which is a spoof of the real life rankings. The rankings are based on three factors 1) Win/Loss Record, 2) Pct of Games Picked Correctly, 3) Pct of Games Picked Correclty by Opponent aka "Strength of Schedule." As already mentioned, there is no change in the formula this season. Your ranking in Win/Loss record is 65% of your BCS ranking, Correct Pick % is 30% of your ranking, and "Strength of Schedule" is 5% of your ranking. Now for veterans of the contest you know that the each winner of the prior year's bowl games have the option of renaming the bowl game you won, the only one that can't renamed is the Bored Bowl but the sponsorship can be changed. If you want to change the name of your bowl game please PM me, or if you don't want change the bowl name to let me know as well. I'll probably send a reminder PM to those who won once we get closer to the season. Here's last year's winners: Bored Bowl: Cuban Linx The Synagogue Bowl presented by Al Jazerra: AboveAverage484 The SWF.com Dust Bowl: Vitamin X (name change received) Deadspin.com Barbaro Memorial Bowl: Broward83 (name change received) Covers.com Degenerate Bowl: CanadianChris (will keep name) ConED Blackout Bowl: Edwin MacPhisto Ex-Lax Toilet Bowl: JHawk (name changed received) KFC PETA Bowl: phoenixrising (will keep name) Trent Boyette’s Texas Chili Bowl: Hawk 34 (name change received) For Cuban Linx, the Bored Bowl the name can't be changed but you can add a sponsor (iggymcfly the previous year elected not to have one). For AboveAverage484, please keep the same format of "bowl name" presented by "sponsor" as that is the Rose Bowl of the contest. Now on to the sign ups. Last season we ended the year with only two dead teams. kkktookmybabyaway will remain as the possible replacement for any early season dropouts, which always happens, and Ortonsault let me know at the end of last season that he would not be participating this year. So that leaves us with 36 holdovers and only four open spots. The first four new sign ups will be guaranteed a spot. After that I will still take new sign ups but can't make any promises you'll be in the contest but I've yet to have 100% return on holdovers and there's a couple of holdovers who I'm not sure if they visit the board anymore. For all sign ups please post in this thread what team you want to represent and it must be a Division I-A school. It is first come, first serve and holdovers can change their school if they want to. If any holdovers do not want to participate this year please let me know. Sign Ups are Now Closed Holdovers Alabama - AlwaysPissedOff Arizona - UZI Suicide Ball State - Vampiro69 Boise State - Vitamin X Boston College - HarleyQuinn Buffalo - Carnival Florida - Urban Warfare Florida State - 909 Georgia Tech - iggymcfly Indiana - Tzar Lysergic Kent State - JHawk Kentucky - Danville Wrestling LSU - teke184 Miami - Spaceman Spiff Miami of Ohio - Hawk 34 Michigan - MFerXtreme87 Minnesota - Vern Gagne N.C. State - AboveAverage484 Nebraska - Mecca Notre Dame - KingPK Ohio State - Gert T Rutgers - the pinjockey San Diego State - Next USC #55 South Carolina - Cuban Linx Stanford - Bored Syracuse - CanadianChris Texas - Broward83 Tulsa - Will Scarlet UCLA - phoenixrising USC - Cartman UTEP - Angel Grace Blue Virginia - Edwin MacPhisto Washington - Smues New Sign Ups Arizona State - still fly Fresno State - Agent Bond34 Georgia - Obi Chris Kenobi Illinois - The Ghost of Harold Ballard Navy - MarvinisaLunatic Tennessee - Canadian Brandon Washington State - MrRant

Highlanders select Reggie Jackson.

Highlanders select Red Ruffing.

Liar. Everyone knows Mike Hampton isn't real. Was Santa Claus in right field?

Aww you don't read my blog. Don't worry, I don't either. I'll probably have it up this weekend.

This must have been the Leslie O'Neal round as I was planning on taking him here after my last pick. Mike Holmgren, Head Coach Super Bowl XXXI Champion 3 NFC Championships 8 Division Championships 12 Playoff Appearances 2 Super Bowl Championships as Offensive Coordinator 157-99 Career Record

Oh ya I forgot about the name thing...I shall be the Highlanders. Now I'm going to shock the world with my next pick but there is a pretty big drop off at this position after this guy. Jesus Christ Derek Jeter

I guess I can take al's cue and assume CC takes Babe Ruth (or Alvaro Espinoza?), so I shall select Lou Gehrig.

Been well over eight hours so I'm making my pick. Dave Wilcox, Linebacker San Francisco 49ers 1964-1974 Hall of Fame - 2000 7-time Pro Bowl Selection 2-time 1st Team All-Pro Sports Illustrated All-Century Team

What the hell, throw me in al unless someone already volunteered.

They'll lock up Ellis and Biedrins, no worries there, but not that this makes this any less of stupid move by the Warriors. Funny a few days ago I was reading an article on BasketballProspectus.com that said basically the last thing they should do is sign someone like Maggette in a futile attempt to win now. Whoops!

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3479195 And the major flaw (well one of them at least) in forcing these guys to wait a year before entering the NBA is exposed. Also can Arizona's program become anymore of a mess?

I worked overtime today and hadn't looked at anything online since noon so this was quite the shock when I peaked in this thread to read the news. On all accounts the trade is getting panned and the only semi-bright spots seem to be a) Sean Gallagher might be halfway decent but not like pitching prospects were a huge area of need for the A's and b) adding Matt Murton will probably mean they finally DFA Emil Brown, although Bob Geren continues to insist on hitting him 4th or 5th. The throw in of the horribly misused Chad Gaudin makes this deal even more puzzling because logic would dictate that if the A's were going to trade Harden or Joe Blanton, Gaudin would have taken their spot in the rotation. Really the only defense you can make of this trade for the A's is that Harden is going get hurt yet again and soon. The start before last against the Angels he complained about a "dead arm" after the game and wasn't too sharp, but not terrible, in his last start against the White Sox. As for possibly giving up on the season, personally I've yet to get too excited about this team. They've been playing .500 ball for over two months since a 17-10 start and they simply aren't deep enough to hang with in the West and Wild Card races into late September even with Harden. If I had any real expectations going into this season I'd be upset, otherwise I'm very indifferent to this and have learned that this is part of being an A's fan.

It's a play on a Simpson's quote.

Most of the Sunday Night Baseball schedule is determined before the season starts.

ESPN/FOX/TBS Games to Poison Our Youth MONDAY Twins (Scott Baker) at Red Sox (Daisuke Matsuzaka), 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN WEDNESDAY Cardinals (Mark Mulder) at Phillies (J.A. Happ), 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN SATURDAY Rockies at Mets, 3:55/12:55 PM, FOX Diamondbacks at Phillies, 3:55/12:55 PM, FOX Twins at Tigers, 3:55/12:55 PM, FOX SUNDAY Orioles at Red Sox, 1:30 PM/10:30 AM, TBS Rockies at Mets, 8:00/5:00 PM, ESPN

Absolutely agree 100% on that. The unbalanced schedule has played a huge part in the overexposure of the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry. It's also led to a lot less exposure for west coast teams nationally since they make so fewer trips to the east coast now. With ESPN's current weekday coverage where they only show games at 7:00 or 8:00 PM EST, you rarely get to see a west coast team in these games.

This argument always rings hollow to me. While it is true the Yankees and Red Sox are the two biggest draws in baseball, it becomes kind of a self fulfilling prophecy when MLB does such a terrible job of promoting the other teams with the exception of the Cubs and maybe a few others. When MLB and their television partners continue to tell you that these are the only teams that matter, you then build an audience that more and more will believe this and will choose not to tune in to national telecasts when those teams are not featured. Personally I couldn't give a shit about t.v. ratings in sports and always makes me laugh when the average fan takes a vested interest in the ratings as if it some how will impact their life. It's not like the major sports are a network sitcom where if your favorite show doesn't get enough ratings they will be canceled. The only t.v. ratings I care about are the Bored Ratings, as in what I end up choosing to watch, and the Yankees and Red Sox rank near the bottom of those ratings.

Yup I don't really give a shit about tennis either but that made for some great television. Glad it ended when it did because it was getting close to being suspended due to darkness.

Just noticed Rivals.com has been doing a Top 120 preseason countdown this past month and they will get to the Top 25 this week. Here's 120 thru 26: 120. FIU 119. Idaho 118. Utah State 117. Eastern Michigan 116. Western Kentucky 115. North Texas 114. UAB 113. Kent State 112. Louisiana-Monroe 111. Army 110. Rice 109. Northern Illinois 108. SMU 107. Tulane 106. Arkansas State 105. UNLV 104. San Jose State 103. New Mexico State 102. San Diego State 101. Duke 100. Middle Tennessee 99. Akron 98. Ohio 97. Louisiana-Lafayette 96. Colorado State 95. Temple 94. Memphis 93. Minnesota 92. Baylor 91. Buffalo 90. Louisiana Tech 89. Troy 88. Air Force 87. Syracuse 86. Toledo 85. Marshall 84. Western Michigan 83. Wyoming 82. UTEP 81. Hawaii 80. Iowa State 79. Indiana 78. Navy 77. Miami of Ohio 76. Washington State 75. Vanderbilt 74. Florida Atlantic 73. Georgia Tech 72. Stanford 71. Virginia 70. Nevada 69. UCF 68. N.C. State 67. Mississippi 66. Bowling Green 65. Texas A&M 64. Kentucky 63. Kansas State 62. Arizona 61. Southern Miss 60. Iowa 59. Houston 58. Ball State 57. Northwestern 56. New Mexico 55. East Carolina 54. Arkansas 53. Maryland 52. Tulsa 51. Washington 50. Connecticut 49. Central Michigan 48. Mississippi State 47. North Carolina 46. Louisville 45. Nebraska 44. Boston College 43. UCLA 42. Oklahoma State 41. Miami 40. Notre Dame 39. Rutgers 38. Purdue 37. Florida State 36. Oregon State 35. Boise State 34. Colorado 33. TCU 32. Michigan State 31. California 30. Michigan 29. Alabama 28. Utah 27. South Carolina 26. Cincinnati

Final Vote Ballots American League Jason Giambi Evan Longoria Brian Roberts Jose Guillen Jermaine Dye National League David Wright Pat Burrell Carlos Lee Corey Hart Aaron Rowand

Here's a breakdown of who was selected by the players and then the five players that were selected by the managers just so no one thinks Terry Francona picked Varitek himself.

Yes, Jason Varitek was actually voted by the players as the back up catcher. Just a hunch Francona added Navarro to the team so Varitek won't have to play.