|
Entering the final month of the season, Steve A. held a slight lead over
both Chuck & Matt. The September pennant race came down to those 3
entries. Strangely enough, as a group, our picks regressed in the final
month as teams like Cleveland, Colorado & Washington exceeded all our
expectations even more so while teams like Oakland & Minnesota fizzled
off into further disappointment down the stretch. Those 5 teams alone
cost each of us 19 wins, though causing no effect on the standings.
Steve A. began the month off by a contest low 141 projected wins. Steve
gave back 23 wins in September.
Chuck began the month 8 wins behind Steve. Chuck gained 2 on Steve due
to the Yankees' performance in September; gained 4 more from the Tigers'
play; gave 2 back with the Mets; got 2 back with the Cubs; gained 4 more
from the Brewers; and gained 2 more from Pittsburgh. This adds up to a
12-win advantage for Chuck, thus passing Steve by 4.
That leaves only Matt, who began September tied with Chuck. But Matt
lost 8 wins to Chuck from the Yankees; lost 2 more from his beloved Blue
Jays; lost 4 more from the Tigers; lost 2 more from Texas; got 4 back
from Philadelphia; got 2 more back from the Mets; gave back 2 more from
the Cubs; gave back 2 more from the Reds; gave back 2 more from the
Pirates; and got back 4 from the Dodgers. That's 0 (tied) - 8 - 2 - 4 -
2 + 4 + 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 + 4 = -12.
...Which means that Baseball Examiner has successfully defended its
contest for the first time! No entry was able to beat Baseball Examiner.
Therefore there is no winner of the Ogre Award this year. A hearty
congratulations to all who submitted an entry, particularly to those who
made it a tight race in the final stretch! Hopefully Mel will be able to
regroup in the off season and be able to submit an entry for 2008 in an
attempt to become a 3-time winner.
A
couple other notes:
-
Of the 210 predicted team win totals, 8
were nailed dead-on. And 3 of those 8 were by Matt. He pegged
Philadelphia, Atlanta, & Milwaukee perfectly. Way to go, Matt!
-
Phil & Steve A. both predicted 3
division winners correct (Boston, Cleveland, & LA Angels). No one
else predicted more than 2.
Here are the final standings:
| entry |
end of
April |
end of May |
end of
June |
end of
July |
end of
August |
Final |
| Chuck |
291 |
269 |
207 |
162 |
149 |
160 |
| Steve A. |
311 |
277 |
213 |
168 |
141 |
164 |
| Matt |
339 |
269 |
205 |
190 |
149 |
172 |
| Steve W. |
325 |
305 |
237 |
202 |
165 |
180 |
| Phil |
311 |
255 |
205 |
182 |
173 |
186 |
| Dwaine |
323 |
287 |
241 |
214 |
217 |
226 |
| Eric |
339 |
311 |
249 |
226 |
251 |
240 |
To best read the chart below, observe
a team's projected win total after four months in the Final
column and compare with your prediction. The difference is the number of
wins off you are for that team. |
