March Madness 2007
Fire up the random number generators- it’s March Madness time!! Last year we had lots of fun trying out various picking techniques (Matlab random number, zero points, etc.) but Danielle was the picking champion (check out last year’s post to relive the fun). I’m hoping Danielle will be back to defend her title in the 2007 version of the “We Hate Tim” league. To enter, click the link below:
http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/group?groupID=9968&password=timrocks
Or, if you have problems with the link above, enter through the main page:
Game Front: http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/frontpage
Group: We Hate Tim
Password: timrocks
Five entries are allowed so go ahead and use one to pick your underdog to go all the way (GT national champs!!). Also, be sure to come back here and join in the conversation through the NCAA tournament via the comments (and if you want a sweet new avatar to go with your comments as you mock the user who picked Winthrop to win it all, check out the post below).
Tags: march madnessRelated Posts (perhaps)
March 12th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
Why do we hate Tim? Do we REALLY hate Tim? Or do we just dislike him a little?
But now I’m really confused. Tim Rocks? Doesn’t sound like something you say about someone you hate, or even someone who just annoys you a little.
I’m conflicted. (sigh)
One thing I am not conflicted about… lots of people picking Florida to win a lot of games in this tournament.
March 12th, 2007 at 5:07 pm
Technically, we don’t actually hate Tim. Well, we did kinda hate him when he abandoned his old co-rec softball team to play on a different one (rumor has it that he was interested in one of the females on the other team). But, that was long ago, and we’ve since made up. But for tradition’s sake, we keep the name alive with the password, however conflicting emotionally, so that we can recall the days of yore before Tim met his wife, had three children, moved away, etc. Maybe the real Tim can comment?
As for picking, I’m definitely conflicted. I’m trying hard not to pick GT to make a little run. They were playing so well before that double OT loss to Wake. If they win the first game against UNLV, I think they have a good shot at knocking off UW. Not sure how much faith to put in a freshman point guard, no matter how good he’s been lately (I still remember the rough first few games). UF hit that rough spell but has been really clicking lately. It’ll be interesting to see how our Gator lovers pick…
March 12th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Absolutely right, John. I think you’re right on the money with Tech. Very, very sound pick. I think I have them winning one game in this pool, and no games in another. But you need to follow your Ramblin’ Wreck of a heart.
March 12th, 2007 at 11:28 pm
This is the almost certainly not too exaggerated version of the “We Hate Tim” story that Tim himself related to me one night on his porch with a Slurpee, a bottle of moonshine, and a ukulele. Garrison Keillor was there, too, I think…
No, we really do hate Tim, but he didn’t abandon his co-rec team. His plan was to take a break from intramural co-rec softball (see, he was already playing on a men’s Michigan classics softball team, an Ann Arbor city league baseball team, and two sand volleyball teams), but then he met some grad students — yes, they were female, and yes, they were cute, and yes, some months before, Tim and his girlfriend of 3+ years had split up and his big goal for the summer was just to get over it and go on *one* date — who really needed an outfielder to help their team. A swift, strong, sexy in a sort of intellectual way outfielder with a cannon for an arm and boyish good looks was what they said they needed. Plus they wore really cool socks.
Well, this team managed to make it to the co-rec finals to face the Liz/John juggernaut team of softball awesomeness. Tim chose to make the game a challenge for himself and hit the ball towards John Carlson every time, by far the best outfielder on the softball awesomeness team, because anything less would’ve been a cheap base hit. The details are lost to time, but the Liz/John team suffered one of their few defeats ever that beautiful summer day.
The following summer the Liz/John juggernaut came back, brandishing their new name, “We Hate Tim,” and were totally unstoppable (that is the definition of a juggernaut, after all). Tim was on that team’s roster, and thought the name was ultracool and not the least bit offensive.
Tim rocks because in the ensuing years, he helped various softball teams managed by Liz and John win more championships, and the t-shirts that accompany those championships, than anybody cared to count.
Tim carries not the least bit of guilt about playing against his old teammates for one season because it was intramural softball, and the most important thing about intramural softball is where you go drink after (and before) the games. He never did get around to asking out any of those cute grad students, though.
March 13th, 2007 at 10:09 am
>>A swift, strong, sexy in a sort of intellectual way outfielder with a cannon for an arm and boyish good looks was what they said they needed. Plus they wore really cool socks.
March 13th, 2007 at 10:11 am
Damn… technology. The reply above has not lost it’s comic timing. But what it said was this:
“Plus it helped that the chicks dug really short guys.”
March 13th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
That is why Tim rocks!! Solid effort!! No doubt about it- their socks were much cooler. We had to let Tim go and find his own way- we’re just glad he made it back to us (and then promptly got a job and moved away). We’ll always have a place on our team for that “swift, strong…blah, blah, blah” OF if for no other reason than the increase in opponent intimidation that comes along with seeing a short guy wearing two different colored tie-dyed socks (think pink and purple) pulled up to his knees and swinging a mean 24oz green stick.
March 15th, 2007 at 11:08 am
Oh my, how the memories fade with Time.
The following summers immediately following the that first summer, as I recall, Tim did not play for the Liz/John Juggernaut in the intramural league. If I recall correctly, my memory is fading as well
I believe the memory is blurred because Tim, was RENTED to Co-Rec Michigan Classics Juggernaut that following summer managed by Liz/John by Tim’s then-current manager (not gonna mention who) who felt somewhat guilty in the first instance of stealing Tim in the first place.
To jump to the end, all is good (I think) after a few summer’s worth of competition, the two teams eventually re-merged. Coincidentally, because a few (not to be mentioned) males finally gave up on finding dates or found dates and finally settled down with their future spouse to be. Or was it because they drove all the dateable women off the team and/or losses due to graduation and/or need to feed oneself with a real salary?
I don’t exactly recall…
March 17th, 2007 at 7:52 am
The first round is done- how’s everyone feel about their picks? Looks like George is the first round winner, picking 29 of the 32 games. We’ll see if his Badgers can go all the way.
I went with GT and got burned (though only to the sweet 16). Though I didn’t see the game, they got down early and made a comeback. Missed free throws and bad shooting = losing. Oh well, you can’t pick against Buzz.
The random numbers didn’t work out so well (as expected). Those picks were truly random, no weighting for seeding. I generated random integers- even meant the higher seeded team won, odd the lower. Of course, you don’t expect this to work out well but it is always fun to see if the random picks are better than any human wons (they weren’t). And it really only makes sense for the first round. Last year, I also did a weighted random scheme but didn’t have time to do so this year.
March 29th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
OK… my 10 minute analysis of the standings and the weekend tells me this. Someone check me on this.
FLA/GT with FLA winning it all, Shea gets pimped and loses to John by 10 pts.
FLA/GT with GT winning it all, Shea still gets pimped and John still wins by 10 points.
FLA/OSU with FLA winning it all, Shea gets pimped out of 2nd. Batteh24 leaps John and wins.
FLA/OSU with OSU winning it all. LilDonnie explodes to the title.
UCLA/GT and the Hoyas win… Chomistek chants “Hoya Saxa” all the way to the bank.
UCLA/GT and the Bruins win… John wipes his brow and outpoints Shea (again) by 10.
UCLA/OSU… LilDonnie roots for an OSU title.
UCLA/OSU and UCLA wins… John goes 0/3 for the weekend and still wins. And Shea, getting uncomfortably used to this drill, falls 10 points shy.
March 29th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
oops… Nope. Sorry. Georgetown for 280 won’t get Alex Trebek the title. John wins if GT beats either UCLA or FLA for the title.
March 31st, 2007 at 8:49 am
Greg- solid analysis!! I saw that we had lots of similar picks in the Elite 8 and Final 4 was wondering if it might come down to those 10 points. We’ll learn a lot more tonight…
April 3rd, 2007 at 11:58 am
Tied for 2nd and alone in 4th. No soup for me.
Congratulations, John. Send me an email, I have some other news for you.
March 17th, 2008 at 8:40 am
[…] and talking smack. I won’t remind you who was the picking champion but you can check out last year’s post to relive the fun. So let’s have another fun year in the 2008 version of the “We Hate […]