Block 2 Pennant Race – Tuesday

Tuesday Update

Danny and skizzow each picked an impressive 13 of 15 NFL games correct in Week 4 to claim the weekly title and more importantly, the 16 points. Danny extended his lead over the rest of the field and now sits 26 points clear of mxknkl. skizzow moves past Bristol into a 3rd place tie with Jimmy, 32 behind Danny. skizzow holds the tiebreaker edge over Jimmy with 6 Block 2 Event Wins to 5. Had the Cowboys won last night instead of the Bears, mxknkl and Greg would have tied for the weekly title and picked up 16 points as well. In other words, He’s A….Romo put a wrinkle in mxknkl’s hopes and severely damaged Greg’s chances by out-Cutlering the master last night.

Current Standings

  1. Danny 673
  2. mxknkl 647 (-26)
  3. skizzow^641 (-32)
  4. Jimmy 641 (-32)
  5. Bristol* 639 (-34)
  6. abittner 615 (-58)
  7. JP 586 (-87)
  8. Greg 575 (-98)
  9. Chris 559 (-114)
  10. Doug 535 (-138)
  11. Ryan 532 (-141)

* – Bristol has already clinched a playoff spot. If he wins Block 2, the second place finisher will earn the playoff berth.

^ – skizzow owns the tiebreak edge over Jimmy by virtue of a 6 to 5 advantage in Block 2 Event Wins.

Remaining Points Available

Atlantic League – Barring rainouts the championship series, worth 32 points, will be complete no later than Sunday evening and be included in Block 2.

WNBA – The two remaining in-progress first round series conclude tonight. With each series worth 16 points, 32 Block 2 points are available this evening.

CFB Week 6 Picks – Week 6 picks end on Sunday with the Montreal @ Laval CIS game, so the 16 points to the week’s winner(s) will count towards Block 2.

Shriners Open – The event that is overwhelmingly likely to decide Block 2 begins on Thursday and ends Sunday. As with other UvU events, the top 10 finishers earn points on a sliding scale from 80 to 8, with a 32-point bonus for anyone who correctly picks the winner. Thus, 112 points are possible in this one, which is keeping so many users alive for the Block 2 championship.

Note: Since the NFL Week 5 picks conclude on Monday, October 8, those points will open the scoring for Block 3.

The Contenders

Here is a breakdown of how each of the contenders for the Block 2 title stands in regards to ongoing events. All contenders are in play for the 16 points for the upcoming Week 6 CFB picks and the 112 points for the Shriners Open, provided they submit picks.

Danny 673 (+26)

  • Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
  • WNBA (32) – Has Atlanta and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

mxknkl 647 (-26)

  • Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.
  • WNBA (32) – Has Atlanta and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

skizzow 641 (-32)

  • Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
  • WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

Jimmy 641 (-32)

  • Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
  • WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

Bristol 639 (-34)

  • Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Lancaster is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.
  • WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

abittner 615 (-58)

  • Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
  • WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

JP 586 (-87)

  • Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.
  • WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

Greg 575 (-98)

  • Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.
  • WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

Chris 559 (-114)

  • Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick Southern Maryland has been eliminated.
  • WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Seattle picked to win in the 1st round.

Doug 535 (-138)

  • Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Lancaster is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.
  • WNBA (32) – Has Atlanta and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

Ryan 532 (-141)

  • Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Lancaster is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.
  • WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

Event-By-Event Analysis

Atlantic League

  • The championship series between Lancaster and Long Island begins tomorrow night and is a best-of-5 series. As scheduled, the series could end as as soon as Friday or as late as Sunday.
    • If Long Island wins:  mxknkl, JP & Greg all pick up 32 points. Unless the series does not conclude until after the Shriners Open on Sunday, mxknkl will take a 6-point lead over Danny for the Block 2 lead with a Long Island championship. Doug would be eliminated from contention.
    • If Lancaster wins: Bristol, Doug & Ryan earn the 32 points.

WNBA

  • The Indiana-Atlanta and Minnesota-Seattle series both conclude tonight and are worth 16 points apiece.
  • Rooting interests:
    • Atlanta @ Indiana
      • Indiana – Jimmy, Bristol, skizzow, abittner, JP, Greg, Chris, Ryan
      • Atlanta – Danny, mxknkl, Doug
    • Seattle @ Minnesota:
      • Minnesota – Danny, mxknkl, Jimmy, Bristol, skizzow, abittner, JP, Greg, Doug, Ryan
      • Seattle – Chris
  • Tonight’s breakdown:
    • If Atlanta wins: Danny & mxknkl move 16 more points clear of everyone else except Doug, keeping Danny’s lead at 26 and giving mxknkl a 22-point cushion over 3rd place. Jimmy & skizzow would fall 48 points behind Danny with Bristol 50 back.
    • If Indiana wins: mxknkl drops from 2nd to 5th place, passed up by skizzow, Jimmy & Bristol. skizzow & Jimmy would trail Danny by just 16 while Bristol would be within 18.
    • If Minnesota wins: Everyone else gains 16 points on Chris, putting him on the brink of elimination.
    • If Seattle wins: Chris gains 16 points on everyone and keeps his faint hopes alive.
    • If Atlanta & Minnesota win: Chris is eliminated from contention.

CFB Week 6 Picks

  • One or more users will earn the 16 points for winning the week. At the beginning or in the middle of a block, the 16 points may not seem to have a lot of impact. This week, it might mean the difference between winning the Block 2 championship and falling agonizingly short.

Shriners Open

  • The Big One. With a maximum of 112 points available and the possibility of large point swings, the Block 2 championship will almost certainly be decided by the Shriners Open.

Final Note

The only way that the Block 2 championship will not come down to the Shriners Open is if the Atlantic League Championship series is later Sunday evening with a chance to swing the title. Otherwise, it all comes down to a golf event. Perfect.

[Ed. Note: I might be the only one paying this close of attention, but holy shit this is fun.]