OTP Awards

The Sweet Sixteen is underway, and as you enjoy another scintillating round of college hoops action, let me briefly hand out the annual OTP awards.

Best First Round Performance: (and by first round I mean Thursday-Friday’s games).

The Father of Texas who also singlehandedly defeated VCU.

This year we not only have a new record, but two competitors achieved this honor. The previous record was 26 correct picks out of 32, shared by OTP stalwarts Trudy McPhail and Dan Boulton. This year Paul Schultz and Larry Hartzell made OTP history with 27 correct picks. Paul nailed the Harvard and Tennessee wins, while Larry went extra bold with his choices of not only the Crimson and Orange, but also choosing Stephen F. Austin and Dayton (his hometown, although I have seen him wandering the halls of Brookdale’s History Department in his OSU Ted Ginn jersey all the time) to advance. They also both picked Duke. *Doh* But kudos all the same to both Paul and Larry.

Best Second Round Performance:

This is Dayton

Larry again takes this prize, sharing it again, this time with first time OTPer Belinda Gimbert. Larry and Belinda managed to correctly pick 12 out of the 16 games. Larry had the temerity to send his Dayton Flyers to the Sweet 16 (sometimes major homerism can work for you). Props to Christine Reklaitis, who I’m pretty sure has never been to Dayton, and David Kovich, who may have passed through, for being the only other competitors to make that bold – and correct – prediction. Larry ruined his chance at being sole owner of this award by taking his bold pick of Stephen F. Austin in the first round one step too far. And *cough* *cough*, he also picked Duke in this round. Belinda was pretty straightforward with her picks, but made the big call of a Stanford upset of 2 seed Kansas. Only four OTP participants forecast the Cardinal into the Sweet 16. In addition to Belinda, Stanford Alumn Vic Reklaitis made the call as did his sister-in-law Christina and nephew Luke. One last prop to Larry, and then I’m done stroking his ego, he was the only OTPer with a perfect region with his East picks. Ok, Larry congrats, you obviously deserve to be in first, now put on your Ted Ginn jersey and leave us alone.

Ok now I get really mean…

Worst First Round Performance: (must be over 14 years of age to qualify)

True my son is at the bottom of the pack, but he’s 4. Likewise, Lauren Kovich, who outpicked (if you can call it that) JJ by one, is recently 7. Therefore, our winner of worst performance is my friend and the man for whom I was named… George Dehner.  Dr. Dehner only managed to correctly pick 19 out of 32 first rounders. In all (well in somewhat) fairness, he took no major gambles and had no asinine choices, this was just a case where March Madness completely firetrucked him, leaving him ahead of one pre-kindergartener and a 7 year-old, but tied with a second-grader. So goes the Madness eh?

Worst Second Round Performance: (again, must be over 14 years of age to qualify)

*Why 14 you ask? Because I’m okay with making fun of high-schoolers, after all they make fun of me whenever I’m in their midst. Younger than that, however, is not kosher. Everyone else, you are fair game. “Subject to ridicule,” if you remember, is one of the perks of joining the OTP.*

This year goes to Trudy.  Heartbreaking, I know, Trude, especially after your multi-year streak of excellent first round performances went off the rails this year. Trudy only selected 5 of the 16 games correctly keeping her only one ahead of, yet again, a certain second grader who, for what it’s worth, is a really good piano player. That being said there were many, MANY who managed only 6 correct 2^nd round picks. In fact less than half of our competitors managed to have half of their picked teams advance to the Sweet 16. Not your fault my friends, not your fault.

One last award, since there is still much tournament to unfold, but while many of our contestants were hurt early on with having their Champion picks booted out of the tournament, only one has already lost his entire Final Four. I don’t mean to be harsh, because he is a first year participant and I don’t wish to scare him off, but Eddie G, you unfortunately are that person. Lucky for you Eddie, this why I have (force) my kids to participate every year. So none of the rest of you will ever end up in last place. Thanks for playing, everybody.

Good news! Four great nights of basketball are in progress. I will update scores every morning. Enjoy all, and I will talk to you soon.

P.S. I picked Duke too. *Bleh*