Wednesday, April 2, 2003
Issue # 14.4.4 "Of Pods and Nicknames"
[ Home | Updates ]

EL SEGUNDO, CA (smt)- War concerns overshadowed the 9th Annual HWCI NCAA Tournament Pool yet we still were able to get 63 entries, our second best ever. We actually matched last year's number of entries, 82, but 19 were web entries who didn't read the rules and subsequently didn't pay (2 didn't pay last year). Forty-nine (49) entries are returnees, a record. Fifty-seven (57) people submitted 63 entries with four people trying their luck at least twice (Robinson C. 3 times!). We thank you for your support and hope you've all had fun.

The list of names (we do not protect the innocent... well, ok, last names are omitted) to nicknames was posted last week (which is a week earlier than usual) so you can see who you've been battling with the past couple of weeks and wonder who in their right mind would pick Syracuse or Marquette to win it all (oh, they might?).

Regarding nicknames, XK2XBOILX is one of the oddest and hardest to type nicknames we've had so far. We've had names that sounded like movie or song titles (SEANITO'S WAY, MARTINI BLUES) or sounded like superheroes (DUCKMAN, CAPT'N ILLINI, QUEENB, TERMINATOR, KRIMSONGUARD, MR. WIZARD, EL CHINGON). There were nods to Harry Potter (QUIDDITCH RULES), the Simpsons (REX BANNER), Jimmy V (GHOST OF VALVANO), the local pro soccer team (GALAXY), and Dave (SASS MADE ME DO IT). Oddly enough, two people wanted the nickname STRETCH (but latecomer Lucas V. had to settle for LUKIE). BY SEEDLINGS (close to "By Seedings") was so clever he was left out of the pool as our pool administrator thought that was a test entry (he was put back in shortly thereafter).

There were hopeful nicknames (GO FOR BROKE, GATOR BLIND, LUCKYLUCK), short nicknames that rhymed (ZIPPY, TABBY, INDY, LUKIE -and- MINO, HENDO, BINGO, MADPRO, (I AM) FABIO), colorful nicknames (YELLOW MONKEY, BLUESTARS1996, PINKCLOUD, BLUEBERRY) and those that reflected current events (DENVER BLIZZARD, BOMB SADDAM, NUKE BAGHDAD).

A note about the last two. You gotta understand that I'm at my computer at the wee hours of the morning every night after the brackets come out setting up the pool as tons of entries come in and when the "New Entry" came in with the nickname BOMB SADDAM, I nearly burst out laughing- and this was a day before the war started. And when the next entry came in - NUKE BAGHDAD -, I did burst out laughing. I wonder what would have happened if we allowed Robinson C. a fourth entry? Now, we do reserve the right to edit nicknames (see how BRIAN S. SUCKS B'S became MATSUURA ONE last year but we somehow allowed MECONIUM), but who loves Saddam? Now, if someone had come out with "BOMB PARIS", regardless if they deserved it or not, we would have to request a change. Now "BOYCOTT FRANCE", we would allow, though I don't support (even though 33% of Frenchmen want Iraq to win the war).

Also, in the pool we have the aforementioned Robinson C. (though we call him "Rob" on the court), Rob C., and Rob's father Robert C. So don't get confused! We also have several father-son combos (Cliff & Scott T., Bing & Dave F., Robert & Rob C., and Barry & Mike K.), husband-wife teams (Scott & Linh T., Troy and Kim B., and Mike & Ann B.), and sibling rivalries (Linh, Van, and Quang P. and Kevin & Keith J.).

My favorite nicknames this year are DENVER BLIZZARD (cause it reminds me of an old indoor soccer pro team the Denver Avalanche), MARTINI BLUES (though it loses points on originality since it *actually* exists), QUEENB (cool nickname), CAPT'N ILLINI (sounds cool), GHOST OF VALVANO (if only Cal didn't ruin that magic), WEEKEND WARRIOR (what I strive to be), and BOMB SADDAM. Boring nicknames? DARA, STRETCH, PSW, MIKEKRAZ and XK2XBOILX.

Here's the link to the nicknames to the real people list.

Now, to the best of my knowledge, here is a list of pool "pods", a subset of entries related to one another. Most are broken down to those relations to Scott (me), Dave, or Fernando. So even if you didn't win the big one, maybe you beat your fellow friends or family members. And bragging rights are so much more important than 280 bucks, right?