Tuesday, May 26, 1998
     WC98 Update # 2.0.2
     
     1998 HWCI WORLD CUP TOURNAMENT POOL '98 
     =======================================
     
     Here are some quick notes and tips to filling out your pool:
     
     * Entries and fees are due by 11:59 pm PDT on Tuesday, June 9.
     
     * The favorites to win it all are Brazil, Germany, Italy, France, and 
     England.  There is a FIFA ranking list on FIFA's website, but take it with
     a grain of salt.  US is ranked 11th and Japan 12th. Italy 14th, France 
     17th, and Nigeria 74th.
     
     * The 16 teams you pick to make it to the 2nd Round DO NOT have to 
     correlate with your round-robin picks.  So, in Group G
     you could pick USA to win all 3 round-robin games 'cause you're a die-hard
     US fan, but realistically you think Germany and Yugoslavia will advance.
     
     * Although you get no extra points by predicting the correct order of 1st 
     and 2nd place in each group, it will help you in the
     long run in getting the most points.  For example, let's say you choose 
     1st-Brazil and 2nd-Scotland in Group A and 1-Italy and 2-Chile in
     Group B with Brazil and Italy advancing to the Quarterfinals...
     BUT Chile actually finishes first and Italy 2nd, then you would have your 
     two picks playing each other:  1-Brazil vs 2-Italy.  Of course this 
     guarantees you at least one Quarterfinal pick but you lose the chance of 
     having both teams (Brazil and Italy) making it.
     
     * The bracket you filled out is only a guide.  You will get points only by
     which teams advance in your bracket, not if the teams advance EXACTLY how 
     you had it on your bracket.
     
     * Remember, the total goals tiebreaker is the combined total in BOTH the 
     3rd Place and Final matches, and DOES NOT include any penalty kick 
     tiebreaker goals (e.g., the 1994 World Cup Final goal total
     was 0, although Brazil won 1-0 on the PK tiebreaker).
     
     * Also, you can pick in 1/2 goal increments for the tiebreaker.
     So 3.5 goals is a valid choice.  The last two World Cups have each produced
     a total of 4 goals in the 3rd Place and Final matches. However, the 
     previous three before that ('78, '82, and '86) have produced 7, 9, and 11 
     total goals.
     
     * If the two tiebreakers are left blank, the default will be
     0.0 goals for Tiebreaker I and Groups A/B/C/D for Tiebreaker II.
     
     * All 64 matches will apparently be televised Live! by ABC, ESPN, or
     espn2.  All 64 matches will also apparently be on Univision as well.
     
     * In the round-robin, ties are a wash.  You will only get a point for a 
     correct prediction and not for a tie or a loss.  There are no ties after 
     the round-robin games.
     
     * Although each round-robin game is only worth one point each, these early
     games will set the stage... separating the meek from the mighty... stay 
     near the top of the leaderboard early, unless you have some upsets planned
     later on.
     
     * Email and web updates will be every couple of days or so during the 
     round-robin, and almost every day during the rest of the tournament.
     
     Scott M Tamashiro
     Pool Administrator
+-------------------+
|Scott M Tamashiro  |
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