NCAA Football Pick 'Em -- Week 1 Results

Week 1 Picks have been made and compiled here: Week 1 Results. I'll be updating this intermittently throughout the weekend.

Week 1 NCAA Football Picks Due Today

REMINDER: For those of you participating in the $25 ALACS NCAA Football Pick 'Em Game, picks are due by 4 PM PST today (the first game is at 4:30). Week 1 lines can be found here. Please e-mail your picks to alacspickem@gmail.com.

Ready for some football?

On Tuesday night, the USC Division held the third and final auction draft of the 2008 ALACS Fantasy Football season. Now that all three drafts have been completed, we can compare the results to determine who was most highly valued by the 36 teams that drafted in the ALACS. Here will you find that comparison: ALACS Auction Values. It’s worth noting that the GU Division’s values had to be adjusted (x1.33) since they auctioned with a $150 budget rather than $200.

The most exciting pick of the three auctions had nothing to do with LT, Adrian Peterson, or Tom Brady – but instead, when the Chargers D/ST was nominated as the 7th pick of the LO Division’s auction. According to witnesses, ALACS newcomers John Rosinbum and Kasey McCabe engaged in a prolonged bidding war so flagrantly outrageous that the rest of the auction room was stunned into complete silence during the bidding. Rosinbum ended up with the Chargers D/ST for $23.

A more sinister plan was hatched by Mike Marty, who held the first nomination of the GU Division’s draft. Marty nominated Adrian Peterson – except this wasn’t the AP who was expected to be a top three pick. Marty nominated the Adrian Peterson with the CHI next to his name – the Bears’ RB. Before the rest of the league had caught on, the bidding had hit $45. Once everyone had settled down, the Commish rolled back the pick as if it had never happened…perhaps wanting to extend an olive branch to the entire GU Division after the 1.5-hour delay they experienced at the hands of Fantasy Auctioneer.

Some other significant price discrepancies between the three divisions:

- LaDainian Tomlinson ($60 LO, $70 USC, $77 GU)
- Tony Romo ($25 LO, $37 GU, $47 USC)
- Donovan McNabb ($13 LO, $19 GU, $35 USC)
- Patrick Crayton ($3 GU, $15 USC, $26 LO)
- Laurence Maroney ($24 USC, $25 LO, $47 GU)

A couple things that apply to the rest of the season:

- Remember that you are only allowed to use one position SIX TIMES in your Flex/Offensive Utility spot over the course of the season. That does not mean you can only use a single player in the spot six times – it means you can only use a RB there six times. Or a QB. Or a WR. You get the point. I’ll be issuing reports each week to help teams keep track of their flex spot usage.

- Remember that the standings/prizes are not determined strictly by head-to-head record – but by a system called Power Rankings that takes three different scoring measurements into account (h2h record, total points, and breakdown). This scoring system, along with everything else you might need to know, is explained in more detail in the ALACS FF intro post. I will be posting your league’s Power Rankings on your league home pages, as well as a composite ranking of all three divisions' standings on the ALACS Website.

Lastly, thanks to everyone for being patient with the draft process this year – we obviously had extreme difficulties using Fantasy Auctioneer, and I appreciate most of you being able to tolerate that. ESPN’s draft rooms ended up working smoothly, and we’ll be using them in future years so we don’t run into problems like this again.

Good luck this year.

Goldmania

On Sunday, August 10th, Dan Goldman clinched the third competition of the 2008-09 ALACS season by winning the PGA Majors Game despite a thrilling Sunday run from Kyle “Hot Karl” Davis and his pony for the PGA Championship, Sergio Garcia. Final standings for the PGA Majors Game can be found here.

Goldman finished the four major championships with a cumulative score of 157.357 points; Davis finished with 142.567 points, with a 3rd-place finish from Sergio netting him 35 points. Had Sergio finished first, his effort would’ve been worth 50 points…and it would’ve given Kyle Davis a 0.210 point victory in the PGA Majors Game. Given Goldman’s commanding lead going into the final major, it was as exciting a finish as dedicated PGA Majors Game-followers could’ve hoped for.

FINAL STANDINGS – PGA MAJORS GAME
1. Dan Goldman, 157.357 ($105)
2. Kyle Davis, 142.567 ($50)
3. Brandon Seroyer, 136.682 ($24)
4. Mike Duin, 119.895 ($10)
5. Logan Morrison, 107.33
6. Mike Lazar, 107.137
7. Sean Stokke, 104.767
8. Mike Mary, 95.262
9. Alex Rosenbloom, 92.347
10. Joe Simich, 90.289
11. Andy Popp, 84.84
12. Teddy Bergeron, 77.925
13. Jordan Spektor, 67.887
14. Mike Rennard, 65.405
15. Joe Nelson, 58.427
16. Chris Platt, 57
17. Tim Hokit, 55.437
18. Steve Duin, 42.952
19. Bobby Weinberger, 33.122
20. Andrew Blood, 25.122
21. Conor McAvoy, 6.25

Goldman’s victory moved him into 3rd place in the ALACS Standings – a frightening prospect to every other ALACS participant, given that Goldman is currently neck-and-neck with PBA Commissioner Fred Schreyer for 1st place in Fantasy MLB and is the two-time defending champion of Fantasy NBA.

Target Acquired

Ladies and Gentlemen of the ALACS: Meet Public Enemy #1 (at least for this weekend). The profile you're staring at is that of two-time Fantasy NBA defending champion Dan Goldman, who also happens to have an overwhelming lead in the PGA Majors Game. The rest of the ALACS will need a lot of help to overtake Goldman this weekend.

Follow the ALACS competition live here: PGA Majors Game Standings and Scores.

ALACS Fantasy Football '08: Everything You Need to Know

In terms of sheer popularity, Fantasy Football is unquestionably the granddaddy of fantasy sports. As the simplest of the major fantasy games as well as the least time-consuming and management-intensive, fantasy football has become a global industry that creates over $3 billion in annual revenue for the major online players.

Here at ALA Fantasy Sports, we’re committed to offering the best fantasy football experience possible – which means we might do things a little differently from past leagues that you’ve played in, but we almost certainly do them better. Allow us to explain by way of Q&A.

Q: Which website will host ALACS Fantasy Football?
A: We will run each of our Fantasy NFL leagues through ESPN.com’s Fantasy Football game.

Q: How do I draft my players in ALACS Fantasy Football?
A: As any ALA veteran knows well, we despise traditional snake-format drafts (1-12, 12-1, etc.) and run auction drafts for all of our fantasy leagues. The concept is relatively simple: Each team in the league is given $150 in fake money to use on 15 players. Owners take turns nominating players, and if you win the bidding on a player, he joins your roster and the price you paid for him is deducted from your available budget. We run auction drafts rather than snake drafts for a few reasons:

- We believe that everyone in the league should have a chance at every player. In our leagues, you’ll never be the guy who gets the 4th pick in a draft where the top 3 players in the league are clearly better performers than everyone else. An auction allows every team in the league complete freedom to construct their team however they’d like – and gives every team a chance at every player. In the same vein, an auction draft allows for more strategy than a snake draft.

- In this Commissioner’s opinion, auctions are way, WAY more fun than snake drafts – particularly because the auction software we use for our drafts is tremendous. We run our auctions through FantasyAuctioneer.com; click here to a run a DEMO of the auction software (the demo is for fantasy baseball rather than football, but it’ll look exactly the same).

Q: How does the ALACS Fantasy NFL scoring system differ from past leagues that I’ve played in?
A: Our Fantasy NFL game uses something that we call Power Rankings to determine the standings, rather than just basing the standings on H2H record. Don’t freak out yet – H2H record is still a major component of the standings, but our system eliminates the luck involved in typical fantasy football leagues, where scheduling luck can often supplant overall performance to determine a champion. That doesn’t happen here; you have to earn your titles, not luck into them.

The Power Rankings are a three-tiered system, with each of the three tiers carrying equal weight. Teams are ranked 12-1 in each of the three categories to determine the standings – so the best score possible is 36 (meaning you’re in 1st place in all three categories).

CATEGORY 1: H2H Record. A simple W/L record based on your weekly games.

CATEGORY 2: Total Points. Still simple – teams are ranked based on the total fantasy points they have accumulated for the year.

CATEGORY 3: Breakdown. This is a cumulative H2H record measurement that acts as if you are playing every team in the league every week. For example, let’s say your team scores 120 fantasy points in Week 1, and everyone else in the league scores between 80-100. Your Breakdown record would be 11-0 for Week 1, because you would have defeated every team in the league had you played them. In Week 2, let’s say you have the third highest point total – one team scores 120, another team scores 110, your team scores 100, and the other nine teams score worse than 100. In Week 2, your breakdown would be 9-2, giving you a 20-2 record in Breakdown through the first two weeks of the year.

Combine the three categories, and you have your Power Rankings.

Q: What scoring system does ALACS Fantasy Football use?
A: In a tribute to one of the better sportswriters of our time, we use a scoring system crafted by ESPN columnist Bill Simmons, also known as the Sports Guy. Complete scoring rules can be found here: ALACS Fantasy Football Scoring. We may make a minor change or two by the time the season rolls around, but this is the gist of it. Make sure to read the note regarding Flex Spot usage – it’s a unique system, but it was a great success when we used it for the first time last season.

Q: How are you going to fit all of us into one league?
A: We’re not. The ALACS will support as many 12-team leagues as we can fill up, and each of the leagues will have equal ALACS significance. The structure of the leagues will be geared to keep friends together within each league as best as possible, while still making the leagues balanced competitively. This may be tricky to pull off, but I realize that it’s more fun for everyone if they’re playing with people they know.

However, it should be noted that it will be IMPOSSIBLE to keep everyone happy in this regard – there’s simply no way to ensure that each “group of friends” that participates in the ALACS will be able to all play in the same league. Of kids hailing from Lake Oswego, there are already more of us than could fit in one league, so seniority/experience will likely take priority when it comes to league placement.

Q: Will we start using Keepers in fantasy football?
A: Nope – Fantasy NFL will remain the one ALACS fantasy game in which we do NOT use a keeper system; rosters will start from scratch each year.

(LATE EDIT)

Q: How do Playoffs work in ALACS Fantasy Football?

A: None of the ALACS Fantasy games have playoffs; having a league title decided by playoffs has always struck me as absurd. The idea that a team could dominate the competition all year only to lose because the Colts sit Peyton Manning every year in Week 17 is simply ridiculous; it amazes me that so many leagues are run this way. We reward people for having the best team over the course of a season, not having the best team in Week 17 when half the NFL isn't playing. Again, the Power Rankings system described above determines who wins the ALACS football leagues.

That should do it; if you have any other questions, post them in the comments.

Looking forward to the best fantasy football year yet for A Level Above.

Punished by Padraig

The first Tiger-less major in ALACS history ended without suspense on Sunday when Padraig Harrington captured golf’s oldest trophy for the second consecutive year, winning the British Open by four strokes. Through the lens of the ALACS, the biggest story was an e-mail sent out from the Commissioner’s Office on Wednesday, July 16th - a day before the British began – to five ALACS’ers who’d selected Harrington.

Gentlemen,
In the spirit of fair competition and not penalizing people who submitted their golfers early, I wanted to make you guys aware of this:

http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/britishopen08/news/story?id=3491525 [article details a wrist injury sustained by Harrington in the days leading up to the open]

Each of the people receiving this e-mail has selected Harrington for the British. I wanted to let you know that you are free to change that selection (if you'd like to; I haven't made up my mind yet) as long as you get me your replacement by 9 PM tonight.

Six ALACS participants – Steve Duin, Chris Platt, Mike Marty, Dan Goldman, Brandon Seroyer, and The Commish himself – had selected Harrington as their Tier 2 golfer for the British, but after reading that Harrington was giving himself only a 50% chance to make it through the first round, everyone but Dan and Brandon switched Padraig out of their foursome. Numerous media outlets reported hearing anguished cries and wails of frustration reverberating through the walls of the Commissioner’s Office when Harrington sealed the deal on Sunday morning.

Harrington’s win blew the PGA Majors Game Standings wide open. The 50-point boost gave Dan Goldman what may be an insurmountable lead; his total score of 152.107 points gives him more than a 33-point lead over ALA veteran Brandon Seroyer, who moved into second with Harrington’s victory. Logan Morrison also made a major charge up the standings, moving into 4th place on the strength of Ian Poulter’s second place finish.


As might be expected as the 2008 PGA season progresses and more and more golfers are removed from the tiered ALACS selection pool, average scores for ALACS foursomes have dropped with each major. This does not bode well for anyone not named Dan Goldman. Even for those close behind Goldman in the standings, it will take a small miracle to make up the points necessary to provide a boost into first place.


Next Up: The PGA Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club, August 7th – 10th.

British Open Live ALACS Scoring

Updated standings for the third Major of the ALACS PGA Majors Game, the British Open, will be available throughout the weekend at the following link:

ALACS PGA Majors Game -- British Open Standings

Round 1 Analysis from Guest Blogger Mike Lazar:

"Looking at the damage after day 1 - some interesting observations (or maybe just my musings as I take a break from a hectic work day...):

1 - Tier 1 scores, ignoring Adam Scott for the moment, did not perform as well as you might expect. Of course, in a British Open, with terrible weather, and Tiger being out of the tournament that might not be so unexpected. Phil and Ernie's high ball flight killed them today, and I don't know how Ernie managed to go triple - bogey - double at one point, but that's the Open.

2 - Tier 2 scores are pretty much exactly where they should be. With the exception of Vijay and Ogilvy, these guys all played well enough to stay in contention (just what a bunch of guys who are top 15 in the world should do in bad weather)

3 - Tier 3 scores are also spot on. Just a bit behind tier 2, but all in all, no one shot themselves totally out of it, and all the guys are in position to make the cut.

4 - Tier 4 provided some surprises. Besides Mahan, Casey, and Leonard, these guys are all right in it (and even leading in the case of McDowell). I don't know if this means that we are getting better at predicting this stuff over the couse of the season, or that the Open is just so messed up that "tiers" don't apply."

British Open Golfers Due Wednesday

Submissions for the third PGA Major of the year -- the British Open at Royal Birkdale -- are due at 9 PM PST on Wednesday, July 16th. Golfers will tee off at 6:30 AM UK time, which is at 10:30 Wednesday night if you live on the west (best?) coast.

Current standings can be found here: PGA Majors Game Standings.

R.I.P.

"July 2nd, 2008: The day Seattle sold the Sonics for $45 million."

The Settlement.
J.A Adande's Take.
TrueHoop.
Bill Simmons' "Save the Sonics" Mailbag.

NBA Draft Day 2008

Follow along with five ALACS veterans as they attempt to predict the first round of the NBA Draft, with $100 going to the winner:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pydYizl3LDh-SxGanN3_bNw

Un-Skewing Strikeouts: Using K/9 Rate

The introduction of an IP cap to ALA Fantasy Baseball this year has made gauging a team’s strength in strikeouts more complicated than simply looking at the standings. No longer is winning the strikeouts category as simple as “amass as many Ks as possible” – each team is required to stay under 1500 IP over the course of the season, which places more value upon efficient pitchers with high K/9 IP rates. Using the K/9 statistic is the key to deciphering each team’s true relative strikeout strength.



The above table breaks down each team’s strikeouts, K/9 rate, and IP pace, as well as projecting the number of strikeouts each team would accumulate if each pitching staff were stretched to 1500 IP while maintaining their K/9 rate.

This last sentence is important because it would obviously be easier for some teams to maintain their current K/9 rate than it would be for others. It can be stated with near certainty that Billy Schreyer’s ShrayDay team will win the strikeouts category; his 8.15 K/9 rate is substantially higher than that of his competitors. Moreover, he has managed to significantly reduce his IP count, as he was on pace to amass over 1650 IP a month into the season. Billy can thank Edinson Volquez (10.42 K/9, 1st in MLB of pitchers who’ve pitched at least 60 IP) and Josh Beckett (9.31 K/9, 4th) for their contributions. (Along the lines of Volquez: How impressive is 10.42 K/9? Since 2005, only five pitchers have maintained a K/9 rate above 10 for an entire season)

Taking K/9 rate into account, most teams are sitting about where they should be in the strikeouts category. It should be noted that “most teams” does not include Poo Holes, managed by the infamously enigmatic Mike Rennard. Poo Holes is the only team in the league with a K/9 rate that comes close to that of Shray Day; both teams come in right at 8.15 K/9. However, Poo Holes also has 260 less IP than ShrayDay, an enormous discrepancy given that we’re not even halfway through the season yet. Despite having two of the top strikeout pitchers in the game (Tim Lincecum’s 9.03 K/9 is 7th in MLB; AJ Burnett’s 8.87 is 10th), Rennard has failed to surround those two aces with a stable of reliable arms. At this very moment, Poo Holes has only four other starting pitchers on his roster: an oft-injured Rich Harden, a demoted Max Scherzer, an injured Adam Wainwright, and a young-and-still-learning Matt Garza. Considering that Rennard is also currently forcing a demoted Billy Butler and an injured Alfonso Soriano into his everyday lineup, it can be stated with a fair amount of certainty that Poo Holes is intent on proving that last year’s championship was an aberration.

Recommended Reading

Fantasy Baseball Owner Rips Team In Media

Kudos to Sean Stokke for digging this one up.

Celtic Pride

The Celtics rewarded the 18 ALACS’ers who picked Boston as their NBA Champion in stylish fashion on Tuesday night, blowing out the Lakers by 39 points in the most lopsided championship-clinching-game in NBA playoff history. The Celtics’ celebrated ‘Big Three’ all showed up for Game 6, and they got some help from Rajon Rondo, who might have turned in the best game of his young NBA career: 21 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and 6 steals. Nice timing, Rajon.

The final NBA Playoff Pool standings (full brackets found here):

1. Mike Duin, 64 (-14 games) – $145
2. Sean Stokke, 64 (-15 games) – $60
3. Mike Lazar, 62 – $28
4. Colleen Northup, 60 – $10
5. Ted Bergeron, 58
6. Brandon Seroyer, 56
6. Cici Northup, 56
6. Dan Goldman, 56
9. Dave Christeson, 50
10. Jeff Vaudt, 48
10. Mike Marty, 48
10. Alex Rosenbloom, 48
13. Jordan Spektor, 46
13. Joe Nelson, 46
13. Shaun Wickers, 46
16. Loren Northup, 44
17. Kyle Davis, 42
18. Andrew Gay, 40
18. Joe Simich, 40
18. Matt Crevier, 40
21. Steve Duin, 38
22. Adam Brady, 36
23. Chris Platt, 34
24. Damon Pryor, 32
24. Micah Gantman, 32
26. Andy Popp, 28
27. Tim Hokit, 24

And with that, the second game of the 2008-09 ALACS season has concluded – updated ALACS Standings can be found here and are always available through the ALACS Home Page. Thanks to everyone for playing.

Tiger's 2008 Season: Extinct

BREAKING: Tiger Woods has announced that he will have surgery on his left knee, ending a 2008 season in which he played in six tournaments. In those six tournaments, Tiger made six cuts, won four times, and made $5,775,000. Tiger will miss the last two majors of the year -- the British Open and the PGA Championship -- leaving eight unlucky ALACS'ers in the dust. Tiger will also miss the Ryder Cup in September.

"This is Probably the Greatest Tournament I've Ever Had"

Tiger Woods won his first major of the year Monday when he prevailed over Rocco Mediate in an 18-hole playoff, rewarding the four ALACS’ers who chose to use the world’s best golfer for the US Open. Thanks to Tiger and a 4th place finish from Tier 4 golfer Robert Karlsson, Mike Lazar rang up the highest single-tournament score yet in the PGA Majors Game, posting 74.167 points for the Open. That score vaulted Lazar into second place with a total score of 86.292 points, just 0.375 behind still-leader Dan Goldman, who sits atop the standings with 86.667 points.

If you’re looking to draw anything meaningful from the performance of your foursome in yesterday’s major, I might come to the following conclusion: outside of Tiger, no one is reliable in these tournaments (a conclusion you assuredly came to yourself if you watched Phil Mickelson’s Kevin Costner-esque performance on the 13th hole on Saturday). In fact, not only have no other golfers proved dependable – but not even the tiers of golfers have demonstrated any sort of collective consistency. Consider the following:


Tiger has averaged 45 points per major; the collective tiers have averaged no fewer than 3.88 points and no more than 4.98 points. Further, Tier 4 golfers (golfers ranked 27+ in the pre-Masters World Golf Rankings) have outperformed Tier 2 golfers (ranked #7-14).

For those of you who haven’t yet used Tiger and have saved him for either the British Open or the PGA Championship? Anything short of a 2nd place finish would all but demolish your hopes of winning our PGA Majors Game – a prospect made much more interesting by the fact that Tiger stated, at the conclusion of the Open today, that he wasn’t sure whether he’d play in the British Open next month. Of course, if you’re still in relative contention and have not yet used Tiger, you’re sitting pretty…assuming, of course, that he continues this run of greatness.

(note: I can't get the order reversed for some reason, but it's better to be at the bottom of this chart with Teddy, not at the top with Chores McAvoy)

Next up: The British Open at Royal Birkdale, July 17th-20th.

US Open Scorecard

PGA Majors Game Particpants:
I'll be updating the ALACS US Open Scorecard frequently throughout the tournament. Refresh it for updates.

US Open Golfers Due Wednesday Night

Just a reminder that the 108th US Open Championship at Torrey Pines -- the second event of the ALACS PGA Majors Game -- begins bright and early Thursday morning. Get your golfers to the Commish by Wednesday night.

Standings can be found here: PGA Majors Game Standings.

NBA Playoff Pool: Standings Through Conference Finals

Here are the updated standings through the conclusion of the Conference Finals. There are two perfect brackets remaining. Following the standings, there is a list of the possible payouts depending on whether the Celtics or Lakers win the NBA Finals. As always, complete brackets can be viewed through the NBA Playoffs link at the ALA website.

If a participant's NBA Champion is not listed, their champ has already lost and their noted score is final.

1. Mike Duin, 48 (-14 games) (Celtics)
2. Sean Stokke, 48 (-15 games) (Celtics)
3. Mike Lazar, 46 (Celtics)
4. Colleen Northup, 44 (Celtics)
5. Ted Bergeron, 42 (Celtics)
6. Joe Simich, 40 (Lakers)
6. Matt Crevier, 40 (Lakers)
6. Brandon Seroyer, 40 (Celtics)
6. Cici Northup, 40 (Celtics)
6. Dan Goldman, 40 (Celtics)
11. Steve Duin, 38
12. Adam Brady, 36 (Lakers)
13. Chris Platt, 34 (Lakers)
13. Dave Christeson, 34 (Celtics)
15. Jeff Vaudt, 32 (Celtics)
15. Mike Marty, 32 (Celtics)
15. Alex Rosenbloom, 32 (Celtics)
18. Damon Pryor, 32
18. Micah Gantman, 32
20. Jordan Spektor, 30 (Celtics)
20. Joe Nelson, 30 (Celtics)
20. Shaun Wickers, 30 (Celtics)
23. Loren Northup, 28 (Celtics)
24. Andy Popp, 28
25. Kyle Davis, 26 (Celtics)
26. Tim Hokit, 24 (Lakers)
26. Andrew Gay, 24 (Celtics)

TOP 4 PAYOUT IF CELTICS WIN:
1. Mike Duin (64) (tiebreaker: 14 games off exact series lengths), $145
2. Sean Stokke (64) (tiebreaker: 15 games off exact series lengths), $60
3. Mike Lazar (62), $28
4. Colleen Northup (60), $10

TOP 4 PAYOUT IF LAKERS WIN:
1. Joe Simich (56) (tiebreaker: 5 games off total games in playoffs)*, $145
2. Matt Crevier (56) (tiebreaker: 6 games off total games in playoffs)*, $60
3. Adam Brady (52), $28
4. Chris Platt (50), $10

*= It's necessary to measure the tiebreaker differently depending on whether the Celtics or Lakers win. If the Celtics win, the two leaders (myself and Sean Stokke) would have perfect brackets, so it is easy to simply count how many games we were off on each series. However, if the Lakers win, Joe and Matt's brackets were not perfect, and the tiebreaker measurement used is the total length of the playoffs (as was specified at the top of the brackets before the playoffs began). It's essentially the same thing, just a different method of measurement.

Debut.

"Bruce is loaded with both tools and skills. He's a fantastic hitter who is seemingly incapable of light contact, projecting as a .300+ hitter who approaches 100 extra-base hits annually. He has average to slightly-above speed and has proven to be surprisingly capable in center field, while also showcasing a strong arm. He supplements his natural abilities with strong makeup and an outstanding work ethic. Perfect World Projection: A perennial All-Star and MVP candidate. A true superstar in the mold of a healthy Larry Walker."

Welcome to the Majors, Jay.

NBA Playoff Pool: Standings Through Round Two

Here are the up-to-date standings through the conclusion of the second round of the NBA Playoffs. There are three perfect brackets remaining. As always, each bracket can be viewed through the NBA Playoffs link at the ALA Fantasy Sports website. Each participant's champion is listed after their score.

1. Sean Stokke, 32 (Celtics)
1. Mike Duin, 32 (Celtics)
1. Cici Northup, 32 (Celtics)
4. Steve Duin, 30 (Spurs)
4. Mike Lazar, 30 (Celtics)
6. Andy Popp, 28 (Pistons)
6. Colleen Northup, 28 (Celtics)
8. Chris Platt, 26 (Lakers)
8. Ted Bergeron, 26 (Celtics)
8. Dave Christeson, 26 (Celtics)
11. Joe Simich, 24 (Lakers)
11. Matt Crevier, 24 (Lakers)
11. Dan Goldman, 24 (Celtics)
11. Brandon Seroyer, 24 (Celtics)
11. Jeff Vaudt, 24 (Celtics)
11. Mike Marty, 24 (Celtics)
11. Alex Rosenbloom, 24 (Celtics)
11. Damon Pryor, 24 (Suns)
11. Micah Gantman, 24 (Suns)
20. Joe Nelson, 22 (Celtics)
20. Jordan Spektor, 22 (Celtics)
20. Shaun Wickers, 22 (Celtics)
23. Adam Brady, 20 (Lakers)
23. Loren Northup, 20 (Celtics)
25. Kyle Davis, 18 (Celtics)
26. Tim Hokit, 16 (Lakers)
26. Andrew Gay, 16 (Celtics)

FMLB Team Spotlight: The Waiver Wire Magician

Billy Schreyer has led an intriguing ALA career. As one of the Founding Fathers of A Level Above, he was there in the beginning, fielding a team in all three of ALA’s fantasy games. Yet in recent years, Billy has drifted into the murky underworld of our great fantasy league – first by disappearing from the realm of fantasy football, and then by announcing his retirement from fantasy hoops after an infamous stretch in which he abandoned an injury-crippled team, forcing his hurt players onto the floor when all they wanted was a seat on the bench to rest their torn ACLs and broken limbs. It seemed as though the lack of an ALA Championship had all but demolished Billy Schreyer’s fantasy spirit. Yet through it all, the man they call ‘Ill Bills’ made one thing clear: he would never quit playing fantasy baseball.

And now, six weeks into the 2008 Fantasy MLB season, Billy Schreyer finds himself in an unfamiliar position: 1st place. The top of the heap. How has he gotten there? Where did this sudden, surprising resurgence come from? And the most pressing question: will ShrayDay be able to stay on top?

Billy has a very balanced team – of his league-leading 97.0 Roto Points as of May 14th, 46.5 of those come from his hitters and 50.5 come from his pitching staff. What’s astonishing about Billy’s team is where his stars came from. Billy made a few great draft picks – notably, spending $24 auction dollars on Chipper Jones, who has aged like a fine wine. Chipper’s currently putting up an unbelievable .415 AVG/.475 OBP/.683 SLG and is on pace for 43 HR and 135 RBI. If you’re looking for another outstanding auction pick, look no further than Pat Burrell. After Burrell batted .257 and .256 in the last two years, it wasn’t entirely surprising that the rest of the league let him go to ShrayDay cheaply, at $13 – Burrell has looked like a less powerful Adam Dunn in recent years, as dependable for 30 HR as he was to do serious damage to a fantasy team’s batting average. This year, much to Billy’s delight, Burrell has kept his average above .300 all year and is also slugging a full 120 points higher than his career slugging percentage.



As impressive as Jones and Burrell have been, let there be no doubt why Billy Schreyer is currently in 1st place. As of May 14th, ShrayDay owned three of the top seven players on the ESPN Player Rater, as well as the 14th ranked player. Here are those four players:

#3: Chipper Jones – .415 AVG, 27 R, 10 HR, 31 RBI, 0 SB
#4: Cliff Lee – 6-0, 44 K, 0.67 ERA, 0.67 WHIP
#7: Nate McLouth – .305 AG, 32 R, 10 HR, 31 RBI, 3 SB
#14: Edinson Volquez – 6-1, 57 K, 1.12 ERA, 1.26 WHIP

We’ve discussed Chipper – but look at those other three names. Look at ‘em hard. Now, look at the percentage of CBS leagues that Lee, McLouth, and Volquez were owned in when the fantasy baseball season began:

Cliff Lee: Owned in 21% of leagues
Nate McLouth: Owned in 27% of leagues
Edinson Volquez: Owned in 60% of leagues

This is the amazing thing. Billy picked up all three of those players as free agents after the draft. Cliff Lee, who was demoted to the minors last year after posting a 6.30 ERA and 1.52 WHIP, has come back this year looking like the second coming of Sandy Koufax. Lee’s numbers are beyond mindblowing. They’re seemingly impossible. 53.7 IP. 44 K. Four – FOUR!!! – walks. His 0.67 ERA is the 6th lowest ERA after seven starts since World War II. All of this from someone whose career looked resigned to that of a journeyman after his failed 2007 campaign.



Billy Schreyer’s first place team is Exhibit A in the Museum of Why It Pays Off to Pay Attention. The scary thing? Though Chipper would be hard-pressed to maintain a .415 batting average all year, and Lee’s ERA will certainly not stay below 1.00 forever, ShrayDay isn’t likely to fade away. Even outside of the four fantasy superstars we’ve discussed, Billy has a reliable supporting cast in place – a group that includes a stingy John Smoltz, a reborn Ryan Dempster, and a hard-throwing Josh Beckett on his pitching staff, and a few hitters who haven’t yet hit their stride – notably Robinson Cano and Brad Hawpe. Billy will have to keep an eye on the IP Pace of his pitching staff: he’s currently on track for 1693 IP, far over the 1500 IP limit. But the way his arms are throwing right now, I’m not sure there’s any reason not to run straight into that 1500 IP wall – if ShrayDay’s starters keep throwing like they have, the rest of teams in this league will have their hands full trying to match their peripherals.

A Few Words on OJ

Ten minutes after I walked into my office today, my boss was already giving me shit – “So how do you like that OJ Mayo now?” I’m sure the rest of you aren’t far behind. For those of you who haven’t been glued to your television sets all weekend, a guy named Louis Johnson – formerly a member of OJ’s entourage – came clean and told ESPN that Mayo had accepted $30,000 in gifts over the last four years from an LA promoter named Rodney Guillory. Once OJ made it to the L, he would repay those favors by signing with an agent from Bill Duffy Associates (BDA) – something OJ did the day he declared for the draft.

As fascinating as this story is, my feelings on it are pretty clean cut: as a USC basketball fan, why am I supposed to care about this? Am I supposed to feel guilty, or be pinged with some sort of regret because some guy gave OJ Mayo nice clothes and a flat screen TV?

I’m not a fan of OJ Mayo the celebrity, or OJ Mayo’s entourage, or OJ Mayo’s self-marketing aspirations. I’m a USC basketball fan, and this ‘scandal’ and OJ’s USC basketball career are hardly related. There was no institutional involvement in buying OJ Mayo a flat screen TV. I find it hard to believe that someone like Tim Floyd – who by all accounts is as good a guy as he is a coach, and has repeatedly stood up for OJ’s character and actions – would put his own name on the line if he had any idea that OJ was blatantly breaking NCAA rules.

This thing has nothing to do with OJ’s USC basketball career (which lasted all of one year). It’s not like USC higher-ups visited OJ in high school and slipped him envelopes full of $100 bills that had “Fight On!” written on the back of them. None of this had even the slightest effect on the 20.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 3.3 APG that OJ averaged last year, which is why I couldn’t care less about this as a USC basketball fan.

This is also why idiots like Pat Forde need to get off their bandbox. Really, Pat? This is our fault? Take a second and remember how OJ Mayo ended up at USC – he quite literally recruited himself. He had one of his boys call up Tim Floyd and say “How would you like it if OJ Mayo came to play for the Trojans?” It was clear, both now and then, that this was part of a plan to craft OJ’s “brand” and make him more marketable as a player. LA was an easy place to do that.

According to USC’s official denial of this debacle, both the NCAA and the PAC-10 “reviewed O.J. Mayo's amateur status before and during his enrollment at USC, and did not identify any amateurism violations. Mayo and USC fully cooperated in these investigations.” If this is true, what exactly was USC supposed to do? Were we supposed to say to OJ: “Sorry man – we know you’re a prep legend, and you’d be the highest profile basketball recruit we’ve ever pulled in…but I think we’ll pass. Someone might’ve bought you some new clothes while you were in high school. Good luck playing for UCLA!”

Pat Forde claims that OJ was “a player everyone in Hoopsworld strongly suspected was no amateur before he set foot in Los Angeles.” Um, Pat? If that’s the case, where was your groundbreaking investigative reporting back then? If it was so obvious, why weren’t you telling us about it? Newsflash: THIS HAPPENS EVERYWHERE!! Instead of taking your self-righteous, melodramatic stand that “Someone has to stop USC!!” you should be working a little harder to figure out where else this is going on. You seem to realize that off the basketball court, in the offices of high-profile agents and wherever the shady ‘runners’ like Rodney Guillory hang out, there’s another game being played. For the sake of your readers, why don’t you try and learn a little more about that game while you’re getting over your envy that no one can beat our football team.

Rethinking - and Revising - the ALACS Scoring System

Let’s get to the point right away: the first draft of the year-round ALACS scoring system was flawed. Aside from being unnecessarily complex, the scoring system failed to differentiate between degrees of difficulty, effort, and time involved in different events. Put concisely: every event held identical significance. First place in the NBA Playoff Bracket Pool scored you just as many points as first place in a seven-month long fantasy basketball season. Clearly, this is both illogical and unreasonable.

The scoring system was initially designed with the six-event requirement in mind; we wanted to make sure that someone playing in all nine events had no advantage over someone playing in just six. However, our idea from the start of this project was also to encourage participation in as many events as possible – and the original scoring system did nothing to accomplish that goal. With every event weighted with equal importance, and an average of each participant’s ‘total’ score taken to determine a year-round champion, there was little incentive for someone to play in a game they didn’t consider themselves an expert in.

Now that I’ve had a little time to tinker with this, I think I’ve found a solution – a scoring system that both rewards people for playing in as many events as possible, but also doesn’t discriminate against those of you who choose not to play in every game. Here’s how it will work.

There will be three “levels” of ALACS events, each with a different set of point values that will be distributed to participants based on how they finish. In this link, you will find two tabs: the first tab shows the current ALACS Standings. The second tab shows the new scoring system.

ALACS Year 1 Standings and Point System

In the first level, we have the PGA Majors Competition and the NBA Playoffs Bracket Pool – two pure guessing games. In the second level, we have the two spread competitions – which take a moderate amount of effort, since participants are required to submit picks every week – as well as the NCAA March Madness Pool, which is given more importance than the Level I events because of its prestige and the certainty that it will be the ALACS Event that the most people participate in every year. Finally, we in the third level, we have the three fantasy games, which require a participant to actively manage a roster over an entire season, and the NFL Survivor Pool.

Some people might scoff at the Survivor Pool’s inclusion in the third level – after all, it’s just as much of a guessing game as the bracket pools and spread games – but keep in mind that the Survivor Pool requires a $55 buy-in. This might also be the most exciting game in the ALACS on a week-to-week basis. Not only will you be rooting for an NFL team every week with a life-or-death state of mind, but you’ll have plenty of other teams to root against – the most popular picks in the pool, the teams that, if they lose, would eliminate a bunch of people you’re competing against. It’s going to be fun, and the brainpower behind this ALACS project would like to see the NFL Survivor Pool blow up.

Now, there are a couple of other caveats to the scoring system that are extremely important. Let’s turn to another round of ALACS FAQ to answer some questions you may have.

Q: This is (expletive) ridiculous. I didn’t even get a chance to play in ALA Fantasy Baseball, and now all the (expletive)s that are playing fantasy baseball have a chance to earn way more ALACS points than I can in the events I’m playing in. How is this fair? (expletive) this, I quit!!

A: Alright, calm down. First of all, it’s important to remember that only 10% of each prize pool is going towards the ALACS Master Pool –playing in an event will always be profitable if you do well, regardless of the overall ALACS implications. Moving on, I’m well aware that not everyone had a chance to play fantasy baseball – which is why we’re including a special fantasy game rule for the first year of the ALACS (and the first year only). Participants in all three fantasy games will only get to use two of their ALACS fantasy scores to go towards their year-round total. Though you could still argue that tri-fantasy players have a small advantage since they have three games available to pick those two scores from, the bottom line is that if you were to play in two fantasy games and do well in both of them, you won’t be getting slighted. And if you don’t do well in the two games you play in (which would be basketball and football), you can’t expect us to jump through hoops for you. Besides, the two people currently leading ALA Fantasy Baseball are almost certainly not going to play in the six events necessary to qualify for the year-round title, so calm the (expletive) down.

Q: So…remind me again why I should be playing in all of these games, rather than just the events that I think I’m going to do really well at?

A: I’m glad you asked. Another new caveat with this scoring system is that participants will use their six highest-scoring events to go towards their year-round total score – so if you screw up really bad with your PGA Golfers, it doesn’t hurt you. We’re not averaging all your games anymore; we’re just picking your six best ones. Again: we’re trying to reward participation with this bad boy.

Q: While we’re here, how are fantasy basketball and football going to work? Aren’t there going to be way too many people trying to play to fit in one league?

A: Indeed there will be – which is why the ALACS will support multiple leagues. Go big or go home baby!

If any of you have comments or thoughts related to the new and improved scoring system – please post them in the comments of this entry. I’ll be happy to respond to them. Thanks for reading and, as always, enjoy the games.

NBA Playoff Pool: First Round Wrap-up

Kobe and the Lakers still haven't lost a playoff game.

The first round of the NBA Playoffs concluded on Sunday when the Celtics finally put the Hawks down, and five of the 27 ALACS Brackets made it through the first round unscathed. Sean Stokke, Andy Popp, The Commish, and Cici and Colleen Northup -- two ALACS newcomers -- each correctly predicted the winner of each first round series. They stand atop the standings, which can be found by clicking on the NBA Playoffs link at http://www.alafantasysports.com/.

The San Antonio Spurs undoubtedly did the most damage to the ALACS Pool as a whole -- which is surprising if only because they've been the dominant team of the last decade, and they repeat the same process every year: cruise control for the regular season, calculated dominance in the playoffs. I will never understand how so many of you guys decided this team wasn't making it through the first round this year. Only one participant, Steve Duin, picked the Spurs to win yet another NBA Championship this year.

Taking a quick glance at the pool leaders:
- Sean Stokke missed less games (seven) than the other four perfect brackets. As he and The Commish have identical brackets and an identical NBA Finals length, the best The Commish can hope for at this point is a tie. Unfortunate.
- Andy Popp's bold prediction of a Utah/Detroit NBA Finals -- which would hold only slightly more entertainment value than a Spurs/Pistons rematch, for the record -- is markedly different than anyone else at the top of the pool.
- Colleen Northup was the only pool participant to pick the New Orleans Hornets to reach the Western Conference finals. They've already taken a 1-0 lead over the Spurs.
- Cici Northup was the only one of the pool leaders to pick the Spurs to reach the NBA Finals.

Enjoy the second round.

ALACS NBA Playoff Pool: By the Numbers

The first week of the 2008 NBA Playoffs has been a fantastic experience. Among other highlights:

- The Suns/Spurs series, unquestionably the most important first round series in terms of the ALACS Pool, has featured one of the best first round games in NBA history and has maintained in intense aura that’s usually reserved for the later rounds. Between Shaq’s quest for a fifth ring with a third team, the high probability that this is Steve Nash’s last chance at a title, and the Spurs continual ability to coast through the regular season before turning it on in the playoffs…well, there’s a lot happening with this one.

- CP3 is a legend (where’s Sebastian Telfair these days?). Last night Chris Paul became the 8th player in NBA history to post consecutive games of 30 points and 10 assists in the playoffs – a list that features the likes of Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, John Havlicek, and Kevin Johnson. By the way, CP3 did this in the first two playoff games he’s ever played.

- Dwight Howard threw up consecutive 20-point, 20-board games – the first player to do so since KG did it back in ’04. On a related note, the Magic lead the Raptors 2-0.

It’s hard to compare the NBA Playoffs to March Madness, but I’d like to if only because far too often (at least where I live) I hear ranting about how the NBA sucks and college basketball is so much more ‘pure.’ What struck me watching these games yesterday, among other things, was a simple fact: this is better basketball. These guys don’t miss open shots; they’re always in the right spots on the floor; they thread the ball through passing lanes that may not even exist when the ball leaves the passer’s hand. Say all you want about the ‘passion’ that college players have – which NBA players supposedly ‘lack’ (as you might be able to tell by the quotemarks, this assertion is total bullshit in my opinion) – but if anyone tells me the college game is a better basketball product than the pro one, they deserve to be slapped in the face.

Without further ado, the ALACS Pool: By The Numbers…

27: Total number of brackets in the pool

18: Brackets picking the Boston Celtics as NBA Champion
5: Brackets picking the LA Lakers as NBA Champion
2: Brackets picking the Phoenix Suns as NBA Champion
1: Brackets picking the Detroit Pistons as NBA Champion
1: Brackets picking the San Antonio Spurs as NBA Champion

3:2 : Current Vegas odds of the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, the best of any team (followed by the Lakers at 2:1, the Spurs at 5:1, and the Jazz at 8:1)

19: Brackets picking the Suns to upset the Spurs in Round 1 (Spurs currently lead 2-0)

0: Brackets picking the Lakers, Pistons, or Celtics to lose their first round series

3: Brackets picking Tracy McGrady to finally get out of the first round

7: Brackets picking the Magic to reach the Eastern Conference Finals

1: Brackets picking LeBron James to return to the NBA Finals

6: ALACS newcomers in the NBA Playoff Pool

1: Person who has paid their NBA Playoff Pool entry fee (thank you, Hot Karl)

Until next time...

One.

In the world of college basketball, the shot has become known as Mario's Miracle. In ALACS lore, Mario Chalmers' game-tying three pointer with less than three seconds left in the National Championship game will be forever known as Marty's Miracle. Michael Marty took home the $339 awarded to first place in the ALACS March Madness Pool, and he has an early lead on the rest of the field as the winner of the first game of the 2008 ALACS Season.

The Payout:

1. Michael Marty ($339)
2. Damon Pryor ($150)
3. Leslie Dillavou ($60)
4. Lauren Duin ($30)
5. Willis Barnes ($15)

Thanks to everyone for playing.

Two.

Here are the two possible prize breakdowns once tonight's title game has concluded:

If Memphis Wins:
1. Alex Rosenbloom - 138 Points ($339)
2. Michael Marty - 130 Points ($150)
3. Christina Duin - 129 Points ($60)
4. Jordan Spektor - 123 Points ($30)
5. THREE WAY TIE between Brandon Seroyer, Damon Pryor, and Matt Crevier, all of whom would have 119 Points. Their championship tiebreaker scores would determine who gets the $15 for third place.

If Kansas Wins:
1. Michael Marty - 154 Points ($339)
2. Damon Pryor - 143 Points ($150)
3. Leslie Dillavou - 140 Points ($60)
4. Lauren Duin - 137 Points ($30)
5. Willis Barnes - 132 Points ($15)

Good luck to all...

Four.

For the sake of everyone's unyielding curiosity, let’s break down every possible Final Four scenario to see who has the best shot of winning this thing. The following hypothetical scenarios are all based on the possible Championship Game matchups.

IF UNC BEATS UCLA…
Andy Popp will win. Popp nailed three of the four Final Four teams, picking Pitt to get there over Memphis.

IF UNC BEATS MEMPHIS…
Tiffany Baiardo will win. Tiff nailed all four Final Four teams, and is also beating her boyfriend Willis Barnes, much to Willis’ embarrassment.

IF KANSAS BEATS UCLA…
Lauren Duin will win. Lauren nailed all four Final Four teams.

IF KANSAS BEATS MEMPHIS…
Michael Marty will win. Marty also nailed all four Final Four teams.

IF UCLA BEATS UNC…
Alex Bratt will win. Thankfully, there is no possible scenario where Alex Bratt’s tiebreaker score of 87 can come into play and actually matter.

IF UCLA BEATS KANSAS…
Brandon Seroyer and Matt Crevier will tie at the top, and it will come down to each bracket’s tiebreaker score. Seroyer has 132; Crevier has 112.

IF MEMPHIS BEATS UNC…
Christina Duin will win. I’m slightly embarrassed that both my sisters correctly predicted all four Final Four teams, yet I did not.

IF MEMPHIS BEATS KANSAS…
Alex Rosenbloom will win, despite spending the past two weeks depressed by how poorly his brackets were doing.

I’m fairly certain all of these ‘predictions’ are correct, but I claim no responsibility if I missed something while perusing the brackets. Best of luck to all, especially my sisters.

National Holiday.

Sometime this week I'll figure out who wins the ALACS March Madness Pool based on every possible scenario that we have left; today, however, is Opening Day in the major leagues...and of course, the first real day of the ALACS Fantasy Baseball Season.

Texas Rangers @ Seattle Mariners. 3:40 PM PST. Safeco Field.
It's Erik's time.

Eight.

Eight teams left in the NCAA Tournament. Here's how the top eight ALACS brackets can win.

1. Jon Wang, 74 Points. Best Score: 154
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Wisconsin, Texas, UCLA
CHAMPION: UNC over UCLA
BREAKDOWN: Wang once again finds himself in the lead, even after taking a major hit in yesterday's Davidson/Wisconsin game. He has one problem, and that problem is writing this blog. If Kansas beats Davidson, The Commish will jump ahead of Wang, and the rest of their brackets are identical. Long story short: If Kansas beats Davidson, Wang can't win.

2 (tie). Brandon Seroyer, 71 Points. Best Score: 159
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Kansas, Memphis, UCLA
CHAMPION: UCLA over Kansas
BREAKDOWN: Seroyer and fellow #2 Matt Crevier share the highest possible score in the pool, as well as the exact same results for the remainer of their brackets. As Seroyer conveniently pointed out to me last night via text message, this is the third year in a row he has nailed seven of the Elite Eight teams -- and given that Seroyer has won my NCAA bracket pool the last two years, the rest of us should probably start worrying. Brandon has all four #1s in the Final Four. The bad news for Seroyer? No Florida to count on as national champ this year.

2 (tie). Matt Crevier (2), 71 Points. Best Score: 159
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Kansas, Memphis, UCLA
CHAMPION: UCLA over Kansas
BREAKDOWN: Again, Crevier and Seroyer have identical brackets from here on out -- if they both are correct, it'll come down to the Final Game Score Tiebreaker, which Crevier has at 112 and Seroyer has at 132.

4 (tie). Andy Popp (2), 70 Points. Best Score: 150
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Kansas, Pitt, UCLA
CHAMPION: UNC over UCLA
BREAKDOWN: Popp has already lost Pitt as a Final Four team; if Texas beats Memphis, Popp will be mathematically eliminated at the hands of Jon Wang.

4 (tie). Danny Hennessy, 70 Points. Best Score: 158
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Kansas, Texas, UCLA
CHAMPION: UCLA over Kansas
BREAKDOWN: Like much of the pool, the Texas/Memphis game is critical for him: if Texas and Kansas win, Hennessy jumps into the lead and controls his own destiny. If UCLA then beats Kansas in the title game, Hennessy wins the first event of the ALACS season.

6. Corey Mitchell, 69 Points. Best Score: 149
FINAL FOUR: Tennessee, Kansas, Memphis, UCLA
CHAMPION: UCLA over Kansas
BEAKDOWN: Corey has lost Tennessee out of his Final Four and because he shares the rest of his bracket with Seroyer and Crevier has already been mathematically eliminated from winning the pool.

7. Willis Barnes (2), 68 Points. Best Score: 156
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Kansas, Texas, UCLA
CHAMPION: Kansas over UCLA
BREAKDOWN: If Kansas wins, Willis wins the pool. It's that simple.

8 (tie). Alex Bratt, 67 Points. Best Score: 155
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Kansas, Memphis, UCLA
CHAMPION: UCLA over UNC
BREAKDOWN: Alex can win because he is the top person in the pool who has UCLA over UNC in the national championship. If that happens, Alex wins.

8 (tie). Mike Duin, 67 Points. Best Score: 155
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Kansas, Texas, UCLA
CHAMPION: UNC over UCLA
BREAKDOWN: Thanks to Davidson beating Wisconsin and a still-intact Final Four, The Commish still has a chance to win this thing if he nails every single remaining game. I'm praying.

8 (tie). Joe Simich, 67 Points. Best Score: 147

FINAL FOUR: UNC, Georgetown, Memphis, UCLA

CHAMPION: UCLA over UNC

BREAKDOWN: Joe's best hope is to tie for the win -- this will only be possible if Kansas loses to Davidson and he nails the rest of his bracket. In the event that happens, he and Alex Bratt will tie for the win and the tiebreaker will decide it.

8 (tie). Andrew Gay (2), 67 Points. Best Score: 147

FINAL FOUR: UNC, Kansas, Stanford, UCLA
CHAMPION: UNC over UCLA
BREAKDOWN: Gay has been mathematically eliminated from winning because he lost Stanford and shares the rest of his bracket with Wang and Popp, who are both ahead of him.

8 (tie). Ted Bergeron, 67 Points. Best Score: 147
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Kansas, Stanford, UCLA
CHAMPION: UNC over UCLA
BREAKDOWN: See Gay's explanation above. Sorry Tee.

8 (tie). Jordan Spektor, 67 Points. Best Score: 123
FINAL FOUR: Tennessee, USC, Memphis, UCLA
CHAMPION: Memphis over USC
BREAKDOWN: ...see above. Spek's done.

8 (tie). Andy Popp (1), 67 Points. Best Score: 83
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Wisconsin, Stanford, Xavier
CHAMPION: Stanford over Wiconsin
BREAKDOWN: "Simultaneous train wrecks." - the text I received from Andy as Wisconsin and Stanford both were discarded by double digits. This bracket is dead.

Sixteen.

In the spirit of the Sweet 16, which starts tonight, I'm going to break down what needs to happen for each of the current top 16 teams in the ALACS pool to win the $339 that goes to first place.

It's worthwhile to keep in mind that a correct Sweet 16 pick is worth 4 points, a correct Elite 8 pick is worth 8 points, a correct Final Four pick is worth 16 points, and picking the correct champion is worth 24 points.

1. Andrew Gay (2), 51 Points
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Kansas, Stanford, UCLA.
CHAMPIONSHIP: UNC over UCLA
BREAKDOWN: Our current leader was the only person in the pool to correctly pick Western Kentucky, Villanova, and Davidson all reaching the Sweet 16. Gay has lost only one of his Elite Eight teams -- he had Kansas St. beating Davidson -- and shares his two Championship teams with much of the pool. The key to Andrew Gay's success is the South region -- he has Stanford beating Texas and Michigan St. prevailing over Memphis. If he nails both of those winners, I might as well start writing his check for first.

2 (tie). Alex Bratt, 47 Points
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Kansas, Memphis, UCLA.
CHAMPIONSHIP: UCLA over UNC
BREAKDOWN: Bratt picked all four #1s to reach the Final Four -- something that, as the geniuses at Basketball Prospectus pointed out before the beginning of the tournament, has as good a statistical chance of happening as a #16 upsetting a #1 in the first round. He's lost Georgetown and Duke out of his Elite Eight, and otherwise has every single #1 and #2 advancing. Especially considering Memphis' free throw woes, Bratt is a longshot to win.

2 (tie). Andy Popp (1), 47 Points
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Wisconsin, Stanford, Xavier.
CHAMPIONSHIP: Stanford over Wisconsin
BREAKDOWN: Simply put, Popp is living and dying with his two #3 seeds. If Stanford and Wisconsin do in fact make it to the Championship game, Popp wins.

2 (tie). Joe Simich, 47 Points
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Georgetown, Memphis, UCLA.
CHAMPIONSHIP: UCLA over UNC
BREAKDOWN: Joe has lost Duke and G'Town out of his Elite Eight and G'Town out of his Final Four -- for Joe to beat Alex Bratt (who has the exact same Championship result), he will need Kansas to lose, Stanford to beat Texas, and Louisville to beat Tennessee. The chances of all of these things happening are not likely.

2 (tie). Jordan Spektor, 47 Points
FINAL FOUR: Tennessee, USC, Memphis, UCLA
CHAMPIONSHIP: Memphis over USC
BREAKDOWN: USC's done and Memphis shot 59% from the FT line this year. Good luck next year, Spek.

6 (tie). Andy Popp (2), 46 Points
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Kansas, Pitt, UCLA
CHAMPIONSHIP: UNC over UCLA
BREAKDOWN: Popp's second bracket has lost Pitt out of his Final Four and Georgetown from his Elite Eight -- to catch current leader Andrew Gay, Popp's #2 bracket will need both Texas to beat Stanford AND Lousville to beat Tennessee. If those two things don't happen, he can't catch Gay.

6 (tie). Aurora Janke, 46 Points
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Kansas, Memphis, Duke
CHAMPIONSHIP: UNC over Duke
BREAKDOWN: Aurora needs a lot of help -- probably a little too much help given she's already lost one of her Championship teams. However, she has already scored a serious victory as she's beating her boyfriend, Sean Stokke. Stokke....hang your head in shame.

6 (tie). Danny Hennessy, 46 Points
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Kansas, Texas, UCLA
CHAMPIONSHIP: UCLA over Kansas
BREAKDOWN: Hennessy boasts an oustanding Final Four (at least in this Commissioner's biased opinion) and has only lost Stanford out of his Elite Eight. If Kansas gets to the title game, Hennessy is in great shape for a top 3 finish. However, he will have to worry about....

6 (tie). Michael Marty (1), 46 Points
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Kansas, Memphis, UCLA
CHAMPIONSHIP: Kansas over Memphis
BREAKDOWN: Marty's technique was interesting in this bracket -- he chose all four #1s to make the Final Four, but also chose the two underdogs (relatively speaking) to play for the title. If Kansas and Memphis can both make it that far, Marty will almost certainly win.

6 (tie). Joe Nelson (1), 46 Points
FINAL FOUR: Tennessee, Kansas, Texas, UCLA
CHAMPIONSHIP: UCLA over Kansas
BREAKDOWN: Joe found a nice mix of bold picks and reliable ones -- no one ahead of him in the standings has Tennessee reaching the Final Four, so if that were to happen Joe would be gaining serious points on the rest of the field. It's worth noting that despite being a higher seed, Tennessee is a 3-point underdog to Louisville in their Sweet 16 game tonight.

6 (tie). Jon Wang, 46 Points
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Wisconsin, Texas, UCLA
CHAMPIONSHIP: UNC over UCLA
BREAKDOWN: Wang has been the ALACS leader for nearly the entire tournament -- he only recently dropped down after Butler, Notre Dame, and Georgetown all lost. Wang is the only person in the pool to have his entire Elite Eight intact -- if Wisconsin can defeat Kansas and make it to the Final Four, I'd mark Jon Wang down as your winner.

12 (tie). Corey Mitchell, 45 Points
FINAL FOUR: Tennessee, Kansas, Memphis, UCLA
CHAMPIONSHIP: UCLA over Kansas
BREAKDOWN: Corey has hope, but that hope depends on Memphis and Tennessee both making it to San Antonio, which seems like a longshot. He will need those two things to happen to win, as he has the same Championship game as Danny Hennessy, who's a point ahead of him.

12 (tie). Jane Scott, 45 Points
FINAL FOUR: Tennessee, Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA
CHAMPIONSHIP: Tennessee over Kentucky
BREAKDOWN: Sean Stokke's aunt Jane must be from the south. On a related note, she has no chance of winning this pool.

12 (tie). Lauren Duin, 45 Points
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Kansas, Memphis, UCLA
CHAMPIONSHIP: Kansas over UCLA
BREAKDOWN: Given that no one else above her in the pool has Kansas beating UCLA in the Championship Game, little sis Lauren will win the pool if her fairy tale ending becomes reality.

15 (tie). Mike Duin (2), 44 Points
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Kansas, Pitt, UCLA
CHAMPIONSHIP: UCLA over Kansas
BREAKDOWN: Given that The Commish has already lost a Final Four team and a couple people ranked ahead of him also have UCLA over Kansas...well, to hell with the third person. I'm not winning with this bracket.

15 (tie). John Rosinbum, 44 Points
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Wisconsin, Stanford, UCLA
CHAMPIONSHIP: UCLA over UNC
BREAKDOWN: Rosinbum has a shot because of his Stanford and Wisconsin Final Four picks -- if both of these things happen, considering his dependable Championship picks, his bracket will become scary.

15 (tie). Matt Crevier (1), 44 Points
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Kansas, Texas, UCLA
CHAMPIONSHIP: UCLA over UNC
BREAKDOWN: Crev's bracket simply has too much in common with those ahead of him. I could be wrong, but I think our favorite LMU grad has already been mathematically eliminated.

15 (tie). Willis Barnes (2), 44 Points
FINAL FOUR: UNC, Kansas, Texas, UCLA
CHAMPIONSHIP: Kansas over UCLA
BREAKDOWN: For Willis to beat Lauren Duin -- who has the exact same Championship result -- he will need Texas to beat Memphis and/or Xavier to beat West Virginia tonight. Another interesting spread: West Virginia is a favorite in that game, despite being the #7 seed to Xavier's #3.

So there you have it. Enjoy the games.

I'm beating ESPN to this!

Davidson comes back and beats Georgetown 74-70 after being down 17 points in the 2nd half. The legend of Stephen Curry, the 12-year-old Basketball Jesus, grows.

In the ALACS Pool, three of 66 brackets had Davidson prevailing over the Hoyas, and those three brackets were from the three Stanford alums in the pool: Andrew Gay, Kyle Davis, and Mike Lazar. An ALACS-funded study analyzing the correlation of GPA to Bracket Performance is forthcoming.

Three Current Scores...

(2) Tennessee 63, (7) Butler 63. 23.6 seconds left in the game.
(2) Georgetown 57, (10) Davidson 57. 5:07 left.
(12) Western Kentucky 60, (13) San Diego 57. 4:36 left.

I love March.

24 Down, 8 To Go

With eight first round games remaining, Jonathan Wang, a mysterious man who works with my roommate at Research in Motion, sits alone atop the leaderboard after picking 21 of 24 games correctly. I hope everyone got a chance to see the last couple minutes of Drake/Western Kentucky -- if you missed it, the last three minutes are available through the CBS On Demand program that lets you watch all the games online (just click 'Buzzer Beater'). That was about as good as it gets; as ALACS-er Adam Atkins so eloquently put it, "put it on the shelf of the all-time highlights" that March Madness is famous for.

In another dose of Day 2 excitement, San Diego outlasted UConn in overtime, winning on a fadeaway just inside the three-point arc with 1.2 seconds left, despite having their top two scorers foul out of the game. Worth noting: Only three of the 66 brackets in the ALACS pool did not have Drake or UConn advancing to the Sweet 16; Andrew Gay, Kyle Davis, and Jordan Spektor each had Western Kentucky winning two games.

Now we're talkin'

After a first day that saw teams winning by an average of 16 points per game, we're finally being treated to some true battles this morning. Gonzaga/Davidson lived up to expectations: Stephen Curry scored 30 points in the second half, 40 in all, and was 8-11 from beyond the arc as he almost single-handedly led the Wildcats to the second round. That guy can SHOOT. 15-seed American hung around with Tennessee until the last ten minutes of the game. And now, Drake has closed regulation on a 29-14 run to send their game with Western Kentucky into OT. A Drake loss would devastate one Matt Sachse, who has them winning...the entire tournament. Stay tuned.

Davidson/Gonzaga Highlights Day 2

Day 2 begins this morning with four early games, including the Gonzaga/Davidson game that might be the most interesting game all day. The Zags find themselves in the unfamiliar position of playing against the media's mid-major darling -- in the past, they've usually occupied that position themselves. Stephen Curry and Davidson have won 22 games in a row and didn't lose a game in whatever craptastic conference they played in this year.

Alex Bratt, Jon Wang, and Matt Langedyke each missed only one game in Day 1, which was devoid of any major upsets despite Belmont's best efforts to shock Duke. Remember, each first round game is only worth one point, compared to 16 for a correct Final Four pick and 24 for picking the right team to win it all. Enjoy the games.

Bracket Update; Trojans struggling

Through the morning's 8 games, seven brackets were perfect: Alex Bratt, Corey Mitchell, Damon Pryor, Matt Crevier, Matt Langedyke, and the boyfriend/girlfriend combo of Willis Barnes and Tiffany Baiardo. Sounds fishy to me. Hopefully Alex Bratt is not involved in a tiebreaker scenario at the end of the tournament, as he predicted a total score of 87 points in the championship game ("Ladies and Gentlemen, UCLA is your national champion...they win 57-30!!!").

In other news, my Trojans are down 10 to KSU at halftime. Bill Walker, OJ Mayo's high school teammate who now plays at Kansas State, is playing out of his mind and has 17 points at the half on 6-8 shooting. All week I said the same f'ing thing: Taj Gibson cannot get into foul trouble. He had three fouls with six minutes left in the first half. Weak.

The Best Day of the Year

I'd like to start off the first post of the ALACS Blog with a sincere thank you to everyone who joined our March Madness pool. I was optimistic sending out invitations, but I tried not to hope for as many brackets as we pulled into this pool. We have quite an eclectic group: within the ALACS pool there are fathers (mine and Kerry Burke's), aunts (Sean Stokke's), students abroad (my sister Christina and Adam Brady), alums of over 20 different colleges, and one guy with a really sweet name (Blaiz Grubic). There are 53 of us in total...all of whom, it should be noted, have more testicular fortitude than Brendan Meyer. Even the girls.

Who will the ALACS be rooting for (brackets aside) in the tournament?
Gonzaga (11 alums)
Oregon (8)
USC (6)
Stanford (3)
Portland St (3)
Duke (2)
Arizona (2)
Oklahoma (1)

Here is how the payout will work:
1st: $339
2nd: $150
3rd: $60
4th: $30
5th: $15

I'll be updating this throughout the opening weekend, the rest of the tournament, and the ALACS season (which lasts all year). Good luck with your brackets...