2010 FINAL STANDINGS

It's official! Jud Ehrbar becomes the sixth different person to win the pool in our six year history. How's that for parity? Jud's record-breaking performance of nine correct picks earns him a record-breaking grand prize of $460.

Thanks to everyone for playing! It was another fun year, and also one in which our collective average of 5.5 correct picks per participant shattered the previous record of 3.8, established in 2006. We look forward to everyone returning next year, and hopefully adding a couple more entrants to bring the pot to the $500 mark.

Happy postseason everyone!

October 3, 2010

October 2, 2010

Friday night was a rough night for Dave. Jered Weaver notched four strikeouts, just enough to overtake Felix Hernandez for the AL lead. So, unless Seattle changes their mind (unlikely) about shutting down Hernandez, that point is lost. Also, the Yankees were rained out, and now will play a doubleheader with the Red Sox starting at 4pm today. It's highly unlikely that Jeter and A-Rod will play in both games.

Technically, Dave now stands in fourth place, but he's still the only one with a shot at beating Jud. He needs two of the following three things to happen to be victorious:

• Albert Pujols loses the NL RBI crown (Carlos Gonzalez still trails by one).
• Alex Rodriguez wins or ties for the AL RBI crown (he stands three behind Miguel Cabrera).
• Derek Jeter wins or ties for the AL runs lead (he's one behind Cabrera and Mark Teixeira).

Of course, this means Dave is rooting hard for Gonzalez, Jeter and A-Rod for the remainder of this weekend. $460 is on the line.

October 1, 2010

Heading into the season's final weekend, the pool's standings give the appearance of a wide-open battle for the top spot. Unfortunately, looks can be deceiving, as there doesn't seem to be a realistic scenario that would involve anyone but Jud or David finishing in first.

In a somewhat unprecedented move, I'm going to handicap the categories that are still in question and make a prediction as to the final outcome of this year's pool. Considering my (Dan's) performance in the pool over the course of the last six years, you should probably choose to take these prognostications with a grain of salt.

Between our two top contenders, it basically comes down to the following four statistical categories:

AL RBI: With Miguel Cabrera out for the season, and leading a red-hot Alex Rodriguez (26 RBI in 22 September games) by just three in this category, it's looking like David has a chance to grab another point. Prediction: A-Rod rests one of the Yankees' final three games and comes up short of the league lead.

AL Runs: Cabrera is tied with Mark Teixeira for the league lead, but they're only one ahead of Derek Jeter, another development that could benefit Mr. Jones. Prediction: One D.J. comes through for another.

AL Strikeouts: Felix Hernandez leads Jered Weaver by three, but Hernandez has been shut down for the season and Weaver pitches tonight. Jones really needs King Felix to hang on to this category. Prediction: Weaver grabs the lead with four or more Ks, costing David a much-needed point in the standings.

NL RBI: Albert Pujols leads Carlos Gonzalez by one. As far as I can tell, both players should be in the lineup all weekend. Prediction: Pujols hangs on to the top spot, which in turn helps Jud hang on to win the pool.

September 27, 2010

September 25, 2010

Jud falls out of first place, by just a three HBP margin, as Albert Pujols falls one RBI behind Carlos Gonzalez. Meanwhile, Sid Harris takes exception to the idea that someone could break his record for correct picks. With just over a week to go in the season, three participants are tied with a pool record eight correct categories. But, as things stand right now, David Jones's HBP total gives him a tenuous hold on the top spot.

There are still quite a few categories to watch, but two players in particular whose performance will have a major impact on the pool's outcome are Albert Pujols and Felix Hernandez. Put simply, Dave needs Hernandez to maintain his AL strikeout margin over Jered Weaver, and Jud needs Pujols to reclaim his NL RBI lead. Sid's chances are a little more of a long-shot at this point.

September 19, 2010

With just two weeks to go in the year, Jud is making a run at the pool record for number of correct picks in a season, a mark established when Sid Harris recorded eight in our inaugural season of 2005. However, that's not to say he has this thing wrapped up, as David Jones trails him by only one category and six other participants are just two back.

As always, the tiebreaker category looks to play a significant role in the pool's outcome, as all six of those in places 3-8 trail both Jud and David by at least four HBP, making the deficit a little harder for them to overcome. David, although trailing by one category, holds a three HBP advantage over Jud, so he'll probably only need to tie for the top spot to take this year's prize.