DiploBall IV, Week 4: Interception!... Erg… No… Touchdown!... I think…

This was a CRAZY week for football!  However, I don’t have time to talk about it, my house hold goods arrived and I am neck deep in boxes.  So, you get an abbreviated recap this week.

DiploBall IV, Week 4 Recap

1^st Place: Irishman

2^nd Place: BeachBum505

3^rd Place: Ryan

NCAA MVP of the Week: vniBarger (93.53% Points Accuracy)

NFL MVP of the Week: Steak N’ Potatoes (10 of 16 NFL games… Best of the Week)

Last Place: Rada

Missed Week Minimum (MWM):  167 Points

Big Dave, dniBarger, Hess, mBounds, SkiClimb2011, and Tashkent1

DiploBall IV, Week 3: Go Falcons!

Yes, I am an unabashed Falcons fan.  And Monday night I went to bed at 8pm… just so I would be refreshed when I woke up at 3am to watch the Falcons face the Broncos in the Tuesday Morning Football game on AFN.  To be honest, I think my boys knew I was watching… as a gift for my early morning rise they gave me three interceptions and a fumble recovery in the first quarter.  And I have to say… I am terrible flattered.

My wife on the other hand admitted to me that she almost cried when she found out what happened.  You see, my wife is from Indianapolis.  I know, I know… being from a Baltimore based family, our love is forbidden… Shakespeare even wrote a play about us… although I’m pretty sure he changed the ending. 

Serena, my wife, even met Peyton while bartending in Indy.  He was out with his offensive line celebrating a victory and dropped his beer… however; he wouldn’t let Serena clean it up.  He took the towel and broom from her and cleaned it up himself. 

In addition, Serena went to college in Denver when John Elway led the Broncos to back to back Super Bowl victories.  To her, the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos are her teams.  When she found out Peyton was going to play in Denver she was very excited.  Serena: “To me Peyton was the Indianapolis Colts, so it feels like my two favorite teams have merged and I loved it!”  Plus, she knew I would stop mouthing Peyton just because he played for the Colts… hitting on my wife at a bar six years before we met is forgivable… playing for the Colts?  Not so much.

In short, seeing her team lose the way they did broke her heart.

And being the sensitive husband I am, I said, “Boo-hoo.  Peyton and the Broncos have three Super Bowl wins between them.  Don’t be greedy.  Go Falcons!

Yeah… so… sometimes being at an unaccompanied post comes in handy.

DiploBall IV, Week 3 Recap

1^st Place: Robbins

Robbins is normally a ‘Hail Mary’ player in DiploBall.  Every season he tells me, “I’m not playing for the season win… I play bold in hopes of earning a weekly victory.”  A good bit of the time his bold picks land him at the bottom of the pack… he is currently ranked 15^th overall.  However, with a Week 3 victory, picking 14 out of 16 NFL games correct is a fantastic start to the season.

2^nd Place: Irishman

Who is this guy?  Irishman is new to DiploBall and he seems to be playing like a DiploBall veteran.  My hats off to you!

3^rd Place: VJSchutz

DiploBall II champion and DiploBall III runner-up is off to yet another fantastic start to the season.  He is also my Dad… and retired… and has way more time to research games than I do… and well… if his success is any indication to what DiploBall XXXV will have in store for me.  I can’t wait!

NCAA MVP of the Week: Nate

When it came to point’s accuracy for the NCAA games, Nate came in third place, just behind Irishman and Robbins.  He earned 84.26% of the points he wagered on those games.

NFL MVP of the Week: ARose

ARose had a very impressive NFL week.  She picked the second highest number of games correct, just behind Robbins, with 13 out of 16 games!

Last Place: Renegade

Well… I really hate to rip of my cousin on his loss.  After all… he’s half Dutch and has lived most of his life in Switzerland… so… even though he lost this week, we should all be happy that he knows what a pigskin is.

Missed Week Minimum (MWM):  90 points

The following people will earn 90 points because they missed making picks this week… and I should also point out that none of these individuals have placed picks at all this season.  So, in two more weeks, they will be GONE!

Big Dave (3), DNIbarger (3), Hess (3), mBounds (3), Skiclimber11 ( 3), and Tashkent1 (3)

Perfect Week Bonus Cash In:  BigCat

As promised, I will report when someone cashes in their “Perfect Week Bonus”.  Like the rest of us BigCat liked Virginia Tech over Pitt… however, he waged 36 points on that game and wanted it back.  So, he cashed in his bonus to change his pick.  This really didn’t help him much in this week’s standings, still only coming in 18^th place.  However, this change might help him long term.

DiploBall IV, Week 2: Like a Fine Wine

Week 2, with the addition of the NFL games, is always a bit tough.  To me, at the start of the season, NFL teams are a lot like the cheap-wines I drink… sure, they look familiar… but you never know if they are going to be any good until you cork them.  All I have to say is that it is such a pleasure to finally root for Peyton Manning… now that he’s no longer playing for the demon-spawn that should still be in Baltimore, I feel like my view of the world has opened up a bit.  However, that won’t last for long… once the Falcon’s make him cry next week I don’t think I’ll be able to take him seriously anymore.  Alas Peyton… our friendship is short lived!

DiploBall IV, Week 2 Recap

1^st Place: EricC

Now playing in his 4^th DiploBall season, Eric has put the league on notice.  Jumping from 15^th to 1^st in the overall standings, Eric certainly isn’t playing around.   

2^nd Place: Badger

Badger isn’t messing around either.  With his perfect finish last week and his second place finish this week Badger is only 4 points out of 1^st in the overall standings.  I should also mention that Badge has the best overall picks percentage.  So far he has an 85.71% accuracy rate.  And let’s not forget that Badger finished last season in 4^th place… and I’m pretty sure he’s looking to break-up the Schutz dynasty this year.

3^rd Place: BigCat

BigCat, is this really your 3^rd season?  That just seems crazy!  I just hope you’re not in Pakistan… but if you are… enjoy your 3^rd place finish!  (You’re also 3^rd place overall!)

NCAA MVP of the Week: Ted

Ted walks away with the, well deserved, NCAA MVP award this week.  Ted came in 3^rd place in the NCAA games and 4^th place for the entire week.  And Ted, who finished last season in 6^th place, is sitting pretty in 4^th overall.

NFL MVP of the Week: Robbins

Although Robbins only earned 80 points this week, he totally schooled everyone in the NFL games!  Robbins picked 12 out of 16 games correct.  Now, I should also mention this little fact:  Robbins only registered picks for 17 games this week, which means he’s eligible for the MWM Bump.

Last Place: BeachBum505

Sadly, BeachBum found himself in a bit of a situation this week.  He did not register picks for all 40 games… however, he did register picks for exactly 27 games, which met the 2/3 Minimum Rule.  This means his score will stand AND his score will be the benchmark used to calculate the MWM. 

Missed Week Minimum (MWM):  230 points.

The following people will benefit from this week’s MWM:  Robbins, Big Dave, DNIbarger, Hess, mBounds, SkiClimb2011, and Tashkent1.

Closing Comments

Hess, I hope you're doing alright out there!

DiploBall IV, Week 1: History in the Making

Wow!  What a triumphant start to the season!  For the first time in DiploBall history, not 1, but 6 players had PERFECT weeks!  Earning them the coveted ‘Perfect Week Bonus’ (PWB), which gives them the right to reverse any incorrect pick at any point during the season.

Please note, unlike last year, when I did the math for you… this season it is up to you to make your own decisions.  Those of you who earn a PWB, it is up to you to cash it in by emailing me the pick you want to reverse!  You can do this at any time and I will announce PWB usage in my weekly recaps.  (If you use your PWB during an active week it CAN change your standing within that week!)

Reinstated Rule: Missed Week Minimum Points

The DilpoBall environment is comprised of players serving around the world and at times, due to travel, it becomes difficult to make picks every week… especially during a 22 week season. 

During the first two season of DiploBall we had a rule in place allowing players who miss a week to earn one less than the points earned by the last place player of that given week.  For some reason we did not do this last season, however I am hereby reinstating this rule… with a couple stipulations.

1. No Negative Points:  The missed week minimum (MWM) will be based on the lowest positive score.  So, if the loser of the week scores a negative number, the MWM will be based on the lowest ranking player who ended the week with a positive score!

2. Two-Thirds Picks:  In addition, the MWM will be based on the lowest positive score of a player who submitted picks for at least two-thirds of that week’s games.  For example, if there are 20 games in a week and the player with the lowest positive score only submitted picks for 10 games, then the MWM would be based on the lowest ranking player who had made picks for at least 14 games.  (Please note:  I am rounding up!)

3. The Two-Thirds Bump:  If you are late making your picks, submit picks for less than two-thirds of that week’s games, and end the week under the MWM… guess what?  Your score for the week will be bumped up to the MWM.

4.  Over the Two-Thirds:  If you submit picks for two-thirds (or more) of a given weeks games and score less than the MWM… well… you’re SOL.

5. Five Week Maximum:  Each player is only allowed to benefit from the MWM five times over the course of the season.  Once you have maximized your benefits, your scores will stand without change.

6. PWB Ineligibility:  Players who earn PWBs are not allowed to cash them in on weeks they benefit from the MWM.

PLEASE NOTE:  With the reinstatement of this rule, we will no longer drop your worst weeks from your overall season score.  Also, any player who does not submit picks during the first five weeks of the season will be considered AWOL and will be removed from the league.

DiploBall IV, Week 1 Recap

1^st Place: Badger, VJSchutz, The Great Usurper, SchutzJP, BigCat, and RollTide1

This was a BIG week!  And these are officially your leaders!  But let’s face it… this was a pretty straight forward week without any major upsets getting in the way.

2^nd Place: Ted, Irishman, and Ryan

When the Schutz’s get together and talk about DiploBall, we always talk about one thing:  “DiploBall isn’t about picking all the games right… it’s about weighting the games in such a way to minimize damage.”  And out three second place finishers did just that.  These three only missed their 1 point game, which is huge!  Ted and Ryan are DiploBall veterans and it should be noted that Ted was last season’s Week 1 champion.  And if Irishman wanted to float under the radar… well… he failed.  He may be a newcomer; however the league has taken notice!

3^rd Place: SEC#1

Also a rookie this season, SEC#1 only missed his 2 point game and has shown he can play with the big boys

MVP of the Week: Jim Schutz

Okay… so… sure, my brother, DiploBall II Champion, ended the week fourth to last… however, he admitted that his loss was due to a data entry error.  He did not mean to pick UTEP for 18… he had meant to pick Oklahoma.  However, data entry is part of the game and thus Jim is out of luck!  That said, if he had entered his picks correctly, he would have been our seventh player with a perfect week!

Last Place: ARose

Yeah… man… no one likes to be last on week one.  That’s a bummer.

Missed Week Minimum:  103 Points

The following people will earn 103 Points just for being awesome:  Big Dave, DNIBarger, Hess, mBounds, Rada, Skiclimber2011, and Tashkent1.

Closing Comments

Fantastic opening week everyone!  Every season of DiploBall get more and more difficult and I am really looking forward to DiploBall IV!!!!