March Madness Bracket Pool 2011

March is here, meaning that there is a new way to qualify for the blog's expert league! Regardless of what sport you prefer to watch, you can't call yourself a sports fan unless you fill out a March Madness bracket. In fact, the addiction is so strong that experts estimate the American economy misses out on $1.7 billion of productivity as workers fill out brackets and watch the games. Be a part of that wasted time and enter the bracket pool sponsored by the blog.

Why, you ask, should I enter this particular bracket pool? Because if you win, you are invited to play in the blog's fantasy football expert league! That means you get to compete head-to-head with the guru himself in a league consisting of the best fantasy football players on the face of the planet. If for some crazy reason that doesn't entice you, the winner also receives a Dick's gift card! Plus, it's absolutely free to enter.

Any individual with an email address is eligible to compete. To enter, simply send an email to with the following information: an alias/pen name (optional), your picks, and a score for the Championship Game. I would appreciate it if you formatted your picks in the following way to make scoring easier. List every team you predict to advance from the first round in one paragraph, preferably in a logical order. Do the same for each subsequent round until only one team is remaining. Indicate that this is the team you predict to be the National Champions. Include a score for the Championship Game, in which you indicate the scores for both the winning and losing teams.

You will receive 1 point for each correct team in the first round, 2 for the second round, 4 for the regional semifinals, 8 for the regional finals, 16 for the semifinal, and 32 for correctly predicting the National Champion. Tie-breaking procedures are as follows:

1. Closest to the total score (sum of home and away scores) for the Championship Game.
2. Closest to the score of the winning team for the Championship Game.
3. Closest to the score of the losing team for the Championship Game.

*The formula for determining the closest to the scores is as follows:
X=/(actual score) - (predicted score)/

There is no charge to enter the pool. Sending money will not increase your chances of winning. Only one entry per email address. In the case of multiple entries, only the first entry will be scored. All entries are due by 8:00 AM on the morning of March 15, 2011.

The winner will receive a special invitation to compete against the guru himself in a highly competitive fantasy football league. Good luck to all challengers. Remember, only the best and brightest gain access to the FG37FFEC.

March Madness Bracket Pool 2010 Champion

The guru has spent the last 24 hours feverishly scoring brackets in order to crown a champion as soon as possible. This diligence was to expected; the guru does not rest for his followers. Pausing only to watch Tuesday evening hockey games, (Reminder: Another spot in the expert league is up for grabs with a NHL playoffs bracket pool.) I have determined a winner.

Before announcing the victor, I would like to thank all competitors for their participation and encourage them to partake in future challenges. As expected, the guru himself did not perform admirably. Many of you were able to beat him, still quite an accomplishment despite his limited knowledge of basketball. Without further ado, the guru would like to congratulate...

D-Money!!!

My devoted followers (They are great in number.) are undoubtedly feeling a slight sense of familiarity. This is because D-Money has appeared on this blog before. In fact, he is the esteemed bracketologist whose picks the guru asked to display. Before the tournament, I was quick to laud D-Money for his vast knowledge of college basketball. As March progressed and this expert had only correctly predicted one Final Four team, I was the first to voice my disappointment in D-Money's picks. The guru forgot his own advice that thou shall not "underestimate the wisdom of D-Money." He is now eating his words and would like to offer D-Money an apology, and a spot in the 2010 Fantasy Guru 37 Fantasy Football Expert Challenge.

The performance of all contestants was admirable. The guru would like to acknowledge the following participants for their efforts. The chart below displays the challengers alias, round-by-round, and final scores.

1...D-Money..................28...18...12...8...16...32...114

2...Hay May..................20...12...16...8...16...32...104

3...Mac Attack...............23...20...24...16...0...0...83

4...Ronstar....................20...16...12...16...16...0...80

5...RyRy........................21...16...20...8...0...0...65

6...Fantasy Guru 37..........24...16...16...8...0...0...64

7...Gyro.........................20...18...12...8...0...0...58

8...JZ............................23...18...4...0...0...0...45

I would like to extend a final exhibit of gratitude to all competitors. Be sure to come back and test your skills in future challenges. To those of you competing in your fantasy hockey league championship, godspeed.

March Madness: Take 2

The guru would like to start by offering an apology to those who followed the advice of D-Money. The guru believed the featured bracketologist would make accurate, insightful predictions that would aid the loyal followers of this blog. Instead, D-Money has led to the demise of many readers, the guru included, who trusted in what appeared to be a solid bracket. Of the teams D-Money predicted to advance to the Elite Eight, only four remain, and we are in but just the Sweet Sixteen.

While it is easy to point fingers, we must acknowledge D-Money's efforts. He boldly stepped forth and made his prognoses known to the world. He was willing to help the masses, when called upon by the guru, by putting his reputation on the line. It should be stated, as much as it hurts, that we make our own decisions. While certain incorrect picks may have been more appealing as a result of his encouragement, we must admit that the brackets were filled in by ourselves, that we are the ones responsible for the outcomes of our entries, not those who simply discussed theirs.

However, there is one shred of good news. The second bracketologist the guru petitioned the help of, the one whose bracket will be shown below, made even more foolish predictions. Due to complications in email, the guru was unable to post this self-proclaimed expert's forecast until now. (Forecast, because, like meteorologists, he is only right half of the time.) While his incompetence is indicated by his inability to attach files, the guru trusted his peer (?) to produce a solid bracket. Fortunately, for those of you who would have based your decisions upon those of this second authority on the NCAA, his foresight was unavailable until now, at a time when, using hindsight, we can mock him.

Click here to see RyRy's bracket.

Along with his atrocious bracket, RyRy included the following thoughts.

Favorite: Kansas; They are deep, well coached, and tested. This is a great combination. Plus their road is not the most difficult. They are definately a Final Four favorite.

Underpreformer: Purdue; Ever since the loss of Hummel, the Boilermakers have not been the same. Do not be surprised with an early exit.

Sleeper: Temple; Many people are high on Cornell, and so was I until I saw their first round match up. Temple has shown their ability and has a chance to reach the Sweet Sixteen.

About that. Kansas failed to make the Sweet Sixteen. Purdue did. The Boilermakers are still alive. Same with Cornell. They eliminated Temple in the first round.

As previously stated, the guru is terribly sorry that the consultants he recommended and lauded performed so poorly. He entertained the thought of their inadequacy, dreadfully so, but in the end trusted in their abilities. Again he apologizes for the troubles he may have caused. You may now realize how bright the guru himself actually is. It is quite difficult to consistently make accurate predictions, as the guru does. I hope you now have a greater understanding of the guru's skills and abilities, and will check back frequently to take his advice, the advice of a truly capable and esteemed expert in this field.

March Madness: Take 1

Click the bracket to zoom in.

As previously stated, the guru knows little about basketball. Because of a strong desire to aid the fantasy community, he has found a way to bring wisdom to his followers. He feels their loyalty to this blog should not be underestimated. To help those who are participating in the guru-sponsored March Madness Bracket Pool, he has called upon the assistance of esteemed bracketologists. These bracketologists are no ordinary, self-proclaimed experts. They are experts in their field, widely respected by their peers. They will bring to you trusted, unbiased opinions. Remember, the guru will do whatever it takes to enlighten his followers. He cares deeply for their fantasy success.

The bracket above was submitted by a colleague the guru holds in the highest regard, D-Money. He has unselfishly given the guru and his followers special insight. Do not underestimate the wisdom of D-Money, for he is a veteran bracketologist. The guru hopes the following information will assist his followers in their predictions. He encourages participation in his March Madness Bracket Pool, in which the winner earns the privilege of competing against the guru himself in a fantasy football experts' league. Good luck to all competitors.

March Madness Bracket Pool 2010

I'll be quite honest with you. The guru knows little about the world of basketball. Realizing that the winner of a March Madness Bracket Pool would add a new dynamic to the 2010 Fantasy Guru 37 Fantasy Football Expert Challenge (2010 FG37FFEC, for short), he set up such a pool.

Any individual with an email address is eligible to compete. To enter, simply send an email to FANTASYguru37@gmail.com (got that RyRy?) with the following information: an alias/pen name (optional), your picks, and a score for the Championship Game. I would appreciate it if you formatted your picks in the following way to make scoring easier. List every team you predict to advance from the first round in one paragraph, preferably in a logical order. Do the same for each subsequent round until only one team is remaining. Indicate that this is the team you predict to be the National Champions. Include a score for the Championship Game, in which you indicate the scores for both the winning and losing teams.

You will receive 1 point for each correct team in the first round, 2 for the second round, 4 for the regional semifinals, 8 for the regional finals, 16 for the semifinal, and 32 for correctly predicting the National Champion. Tie-breaking procedures are as follows:

1. Closest to the total score (sum of home and away scores) for the Championship Game.

2. Closest to the score of the winning team for the Championship Game.

3. Closest to the score of the losing team for the Championship Game.

*The formula for determining the closest to the scores is as follows:

X=/(actual score) - (predicted score)/

There is no charge to enter the pool. Sending money will not increase your chances of winning. Only one entry per email address. In the case of multiple entries, only the first entry will be scored. All entries are due by 8:00 AM (0800 hours) on the morning of March 18, 2010.

The winner will receive a special invitation to compete against the guru himself in a highly competitive fantasy football league. Good luck to all challengers. Remember, only the best and brightest gain access to the FG37FFEC.