# 3rd Annual LJ March Madness Challenege - Prize Update - Free hand saw sharpening!



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Its that time of year again. March Madness is back and so is that 3rd Annual LJ's Bracket Madness Challenege. Its totally free and you dont need to know beans about college basketball to play.

If you're not familiar with how it works there are 64 mens college basketball teams entered into a tournament in 4 seperate regions. The teams are seeded 1-16 in each of those 4 regions. 1 seed the most likely to win, the 16 seed most likely to lose. The final four teams remaining meet in the "Final Four" (pretty creative huh?) and the last remaining 2 teams play for the national championship.

Last year we gave away a free vintage gouge, this year Ill be upping the ante a bit and offering a free saw sharpening (you ship to me). So if you've got an old hand saw or back saw kicking around that you always wished to have work like new again this is your chance.

Here's the link to join:

http://y.ahoo.it/Qs0sGjE6

Password is once again: kemba


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

I'd be game.. go UK and SU!


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

Husky pride…I'm in


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Now stretch you cant go rooting for 2 #1 seeds bro …. you cant have Boeheim and Calapari in the same sentence. Ill get the bracket together and repost here as soon as work gets out of my way


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

Well on one hand, I've always loved the Orange, but I attended a basketball camp back in.. summer 2002? at UK.. Had dinner with Tubby Smith and a couple players.. Jules Camara.. (Tubby was a family friend of the people we stayed with). I still have the shirt that the entire team signed.

Can't cheer against a team that will do that for you, can you?


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Fair enough … dinner with Tubby would have given me the same feeling, he was a class act.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

To everyone else wondering if they need to know a lick about basketball to join … dont sweat it. My wife consistently does better than i do in these pools.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

I'm in. This will be my first time to not pick with my heart (I think all my TX teams are in for an early exit). Soooo, GO MISSOURI!


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Long Beach State University, anyone? Bueller?


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Well, the girlfriend is a Michigan Stater, and since Michigan State was THE ONLY ONE of the top 4 ranked teams to win this past weekend…

Michigan State earned the other No. 1 seed and was the only one of the four top-billed teams to win its conference tournament.

*GO Michigan State Spartans!*


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

MSU has a legit shot … Drayman Green is a beast! Mizzou aint no joke either LarryEnglish is a real mismatch for a lot of teams. Its always interesting … now if only the Huskies could bring back Kemba Walker.

Brandon - sorry my knowledge of LBSU is pretty minimal, or well, non existant.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

My knowledge of LBSU is pretty minimal as well-it was where I did my undergrad and I noticed that they squeaked into the tournament this year, but I don't know anything about their team. Where I'm at for grad school doesn't even have a basketball team, so I'll probably root for one of the ACC teams instead.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

The bracket is now open to join …. group name is lumberjocks, password is kemba. See the original post up top for the link. Looks like you'll need a yahoo ID.


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

Actually, you have to join using the link: http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com

with the group ID: 170035
password is (all lowercase): kemba


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Chris, Here is the bracket that ought to be used:










Needless to say I am a true Cat fan and do bleed blue.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

I'm in! Thanks for setting this up. And no, I didn't claim LBSU to win it all.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Stretch - thanks for bein my tech guru on that one!
Scott - AD is the real deal … we might see a battle of the freshamn if uconn makes it to the second round. Wev'e got andre drummond, whos an athletic freak but still very very raw.

Until that fateful day in April im still clinging to that National Championship Trophy from last year. Ive never loved a Uconn team like last years, what a run we made by winning 11 straight especially 5 in a row in the Garden.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Stretch - Bad news brother - the NCAA just declared Fab Melo ineligable for the tourney. As much as i dislike Cuse (being a Uconn die hard), i do respect the hell outta Boeheim, and hate the NCAA for pulling crap like this. They suspend him earlier in the year, then clear him to play, then reopen the case and sit him again … that aint right.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

5 members and lookin for more!


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## juniorjock (Feb 3, 2008)

Scott, that man is a monster!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

JJ … that man is 18 years old and is gaur-an-teed to be the first pick in the NBA draft. Anthony Davis. Hes somethin to watch.


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## juniorjock (Feb 3, 2008)

Yes, I know, been watching him all year. If KY could get some guys to stick around for more than a year, no team could touch them.


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

uconn tends to have that problem a bit too much


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

There can't be only 5 Lumberjocks who are interested in March Madness


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

my thoughts exactly …. cmon gang!!!


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Ditto. I can't believe there are only 5 of us! I guess everyone is not as crazy about basketball as me. I shut everything down in March and devote all my time to watching games. What a great time of the year.


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## RandyM68 (Jan 20, 2012)

Sorry, guys, I'd love to play, but I'm so lazy that even *watching* basketball wears me out. How about an 8 ball tournament?


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## fussy (Jan 18, 2010)

If Kentucky quits thinking they'll win just for showing up as they did in the SEC tournament, they'll win the whole thing. Huskies are runner-ups going down to UK by 1 point in overtime. Or maybe they won't get past WKU tomorrow night in which case it will be


> ?


Steve


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Kentucky can do it thats for sure … the huskies, i dunno, its been a tough season to watch for me. Weve had lots of downs and a few ups along the way. Were as talented as any team in the country but i honestly think that the guys dont get along well. No chemistry and no dagger. I had a coach that used the saying "kick the dog when its down". We definately dont have that. Were more like puppies than huskies.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Geez i think my little sister could put together a better pool that this. 5 guys, 5!!??


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

So I picked my brackets.. Idk.. guess I just felt moved to pick what I pick. I don't see UK or SU going past the final 4.. I agree with Mike


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

I think my estimation of SU might even be a little high.. Like any NY team, as soon as there's pressure, they fold more than a origami swan


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Last chance to join!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

My final plug …. all right if we get 20 people to sign up (thats only 15 more out of almost 40,000, thats .0375% of the total LJ's) i will make a trophy for the winner. Thats right … a trophy … made of wood … shipped directly to your door, hand made, custom designed by yours truly (llike im some rockstar lol). Youll be the envy of the neighborhood … neighbors will be like "dang whered you get such a sweet trophy? Did you play college hoops?"

Looks folks itll take ya 5 minutes to fill out the bracket … it keeps score for you. You can go "chalk" and pick all of the higher seeds or pick whichever team colors you like better or whichever mascot is tougher, it dont matter.

I watch college hoops religiously and ive had my wife beat me 2 years in a row.


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## HenryH (Jan 29, 2009)

I'm in!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

14 more required for the trophy !!!!

Nice Henry!


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

Keep it #trending! (or in this case, at the top of pulse)


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

OK, I have just cleared off a place on my mantel for this custom made trophy. Quick question, will my lovely bride like this trophy? I'm sure it will fit right in with her decor, right?


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Well it certainly has not been designed yet, but it will be tastefully done, im thinking like the NCAA trophy the teams get. Check out the one i made for my fantasy football league …. http://lumberjocks.com/projects/56772


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

OK, it's showtime!


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

chrisstef, I'm sure if you do make a nice trophy for the winner, there will be scores of people signing up for next year's march madness brackets.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

i shoulda put that teaser out to start BW


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## NBeener (Sep 16, 2009)

I'm going with either L-brackets, or-more simply-angle iron.

So there.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

So far 10 for 11!  I knew I shouldn't have favored Long Beach State against the Lobos.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Nice job Brandon.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

boy did the huskies look bad …. and my deep sleeper for the final four is out in wichita state … this is not shaping up well.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Actually, looks like none of us are doing all that great.


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

Speak for yourself


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Touche' Dan.


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

Although I see I just lost the last 2 games.. (one of them by 1 pt) still.. 14/20 ain't too bad :\


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Well Missouri just blew up my bracket. I'm so depressed…I'm going out to the shop.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Wow, Norfolk State? No one saw that coming! But hey, I'm still in the lead, although we're all virtually tied.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Evidently 2 guys saw it coming. There's 2 guys on ESPN's Tournement Challenge that picked Norfolk State. Me, I'm ranked 5,531,972 on that bracket.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

I had wichita state makin it into the 4. These early games dont mean a ton being only 1 point. Its tryin to keep as many final 4 teams in. Dukes gettin a run for their money right now. Best 4 days of sports of the year!

BC … Just back away from the ledge.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Ill be rootin for Marquette and Baylor (as long ad they dont ever ever ever wear those camo uni's again)


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

OK, I've backed away from the ledge but I'm heading for the hills because I'm quite sure the world is coming to an end. A 15 beats a 2 twice in one night???!

I was so counting on Mizzou and Duke.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

I'm out! Nice playing with you guys-I'll try again next year.


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

OUch.. Duke, Missouri, and Michigan.. that hurts


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

i don't know if i''ve ever known anyone who has actually felt ok after the first few days…such is march


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Technically my score is good at the moment, but it's seriously going to go downhill quickly, especially since I chose Duke to go all the way and they are out in the first round!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Its all in fun. Even if my bracket gets blow to pieces i love watching the davd vs goliath battles


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## nate22 (Jul 12, 2010)

I didn't do a bracket but I do pay attention to it and I always like it when the higher seeds get beat unless it is Indiana or butler. It was nice seeing duke get beat. Although butler isn't in it this year. Indiana is still in and made it to the sweet 16. Well good luck to all you guys that did brackets.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Nate, I normally agree with you--nothing like seeing the little guy win. However, when you have a bracket, you toss that all out the window and only care for the teams you've chosen to win.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Here's how its shakin out after the first of 3 weekends of hoops. There were some big upsets with perennial powerhouses Duke and Georgetown bowing out early. LJ Brandon W is off to an early lead but the race is tight. It pandamonium baby!! He's a real PTPer!!

Rank Bracket Correct Picks Points Possible Pts 
1 Brandon W Brandon 34 of 48 45 109 
2 barecycles barry 31 of 48 42 94 
3 SuperStretchies Dan 31 of 48 41 157 
4 *Uconn Stef chris s 29 of 48 40 156 
5 HenryH David 29 of 48 39 159 
6 Jimmy C's Boys BenS 30 of 48 37 137


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

It's a close one! I'm definitely having fun in the lead, but I'm not too comfortable.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

yea its those possible point that would have me scared BW …. im still kinda miffed we only hathered up 6 out of 40,000 LJ's … .015% .. but whatever.

Good luck down the stretch.


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

Brandon-
Yeah, you shouldn't feel comfortable.. look at your "possible points" 

Thanks for the wishing luck Chris ^_^


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Hey guys, you'll notice I counted myself done in post #56, but so far no one has caught me so I'm just enjoying it while I can.


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

Wow.. SU stands and Michigan state falls..


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

I was very happy to see Michigan St fall and see Louisville win.  I think we all picked Syracuse.


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

whoops…im out


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Well, I'm in second place in our 6 man LJ bracket…gotta feel good about that considering I am ranked 5,980,325 in ESPN's Tournament Challenge. BTW the leader in that bracket is a (ahem) lady. I shouldn't be surprised, my lovely bride is beating the stew outta me.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Gotta mention that right now I'm in the 99th percentile across the whole yahoo site! Hafta brag a little now because when this Cincinnati/Ohio St game finishes that will all change. 

[Edit: Ranked 18326 of 3170905]


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

im cooked ….


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Being from TX I'm a little ashamed I did not pick Baylor to go deeper in the tournament. Looks like they have a date with Kentucky!

Chris, what do you mean you're cooked! You made a move to the #2 spot.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Wow, talk about a scare with UNC almost giving away the game.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Im runnin outta points available pretty fast but if ohio state and kansas can get there im in decent shape.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Well boys, I got nothing left! Not one team did I pick right to make the final four.

I'm so ashamed.


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## fussy (Jan 18, 2010)

I hate to gloat, but Kentucky showed up. My daughter asked me if it wasn't supposed to get harder as it went along, but so far--------!! Do you want my address now, or what? Ky vs Kansas in the final, Ky. by 8 points.

Steve


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

Good call.. my gut was to go with UK -_- but expected Mich St to be the dark horse


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

I tend to go away from the favorite but UK is really lookin strong, they made a very athletic and very talented Baylor team look like a JV scrimmage … ive got my faith in Bill Self and Kansas. Rock Chalk Jayhawk.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Well, Chris and David, here's wishing each of you good luck tonight…I got no dog left in this fight.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

thanks for the wish … my predicition is anthony davis gets in foul trouble nad plays only 8 minutes in the first half and T Rob goes off for Kansas.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Congrats Chris!

It was an ugly 1st Annual Lumberjock Bracket Madness Challenge, but it was fun…can't wait for next year.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

That was fun! Let's do it again next year.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Ugly indeed and lacking much participation but we will do another one next year …. this time with a little more hype and a trophy to go to the winner. Its funny this thread had over 1300 views and only 6 of us participated. So to everyone out there that was lurking in the shadows .. lets get you all out there next year!

Thanks to all that joined in to play and now we can all go and sulk that college hoops season is over.


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## fussy (Jan 18, 2010)

Sulk? Why would ANYONE sulk? Ugly? Naw. Two great teams going at it, one down by 18 deep in the second half, coming back to get within 3 or 4 and the other holding on to pull it out? Great game. All in the tournament were great and it's a shame all but one had to lose. They are all winners because they all gave their best.

Speaking of winners: I DO BELIEVE I PREDICTED KANSAS AND UK IN THE FINAL WITH UK WINNING BY 8. I'm not one to say I told you so, but I did. Fun. Next year.

Steve


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## DanYo (Jun 30, 2007)

I'm pick'n UK


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## fussy (Jan 18, 2010)

Now there's a man with TRUE vision. A forward thinker if ever there was one.

Steve


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

BUMP in the largest of ways.. Lets DO THIS


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

hopefully this year we'll get some more participation. I don't follow college basketball in the least, but I'm willing to make a bracket again.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

I believe chrisstef will be creating new brackets for us as soon as he can.

I'm excited!!!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Excellent bump fellas.

Ill definately be getting it up and running shortly. Everyone cool with yahoos format again?

No uconn in the tourney hurts.


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

im in even without the huskies


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Crap just reread my post from last year. A trophy. Wtf was i thinkin? I'm gonna have to dig up somethin good, Somethin vintage for the trophy. Maybe a lj care package to the winner??

Edit - ill edit the original post tomorrow.


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

Does UConn still have a basketball team? Just kidding


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Ouch Shane lol. Do me a favor and weeny punch oriakhis old man out there at missouri. Hes a douche. .

What really stings is that we lost 4 starters to bitching out (Oriakhi) or going to the nba and we STILL win 20 games. Also knowing that the big east as we know it is done and were not playing at madison square garden in the big east tourney. That stings.


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

No Big East Tourney? That does sting a bit. Will they be off punishment next year?


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

No big east tourney.

Yea were off punishment next year and if 'Bazz comes back were gonna be legit. Kids got some kemba in him.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Whos in???


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

<-- this guy


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

yea buddy.

As the returning champ you know im in.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

I'm in! Since I win every tourney pool, you guys might as well not enter.

(OK, not really, usually I get beat by some gal that picks teams based what uniform she thinks is prettier, but what fun is a bracket tourney without some trash talk?)


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Trash talk always welcome. Im glad youre in JayT. Ill have a link up as soon as yahoo decides to open up for registration. Tell your boys. Im shooting for 20 people this year. Roughly .04% of the LJ population.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Yes, I'm in….again.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

We might have 50,000 registered users on LJ, but not nearly that number of active users. Still, I'm sure we'll get a micro-fraction of that for this.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

True BW - i wonder if we could fill those empty spots with spammers and auto bots. I aint sending no chisel/plane to someone promoting weight loss, weiner enhancement pills, or sham wows.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

See if we can get good ol' Ted involved. Heck, if even a micro-fraction of his shills would pony up, there'd be a bunch of entrants.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!!!! See the link in the original posting.

You will be allowed to make your picks Sunday night. Tourney starts Thursday. Get em in gang.


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## CL810 (Mar 21, 2010)

A little warm up before my Hurryn' Hoosiers take on Wisconsin.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

You gonna get in the mix cl8?


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

im registered and awaiting the bracket announcements


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Hell yea Ben. Lets do dis.


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

I will most likely sign up. All I have to lose is my pride, right?


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Exactly Shane. A lil pride shedding never hurts. Hell you root for Mizzou and my squad is on the may not attend list.


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

Yep, both our teams got the same chance of winning….zero.

I do believe MU holds the dubious record of having the most NCAA tournament appearances w/o a final four appearance. We have had more than 20 unsuccessful cracks at it. Being a sports fan in KC is rough, if you are not a Jayhawk fan.


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## CL810 (Mar 21, 2010)

*Stef* - For the last 24 hours I have been in a dark closet in a fetal position sucking my thumb. The wounds of yesterday's loss are much too deep to think of the tournament. Well, at least until the parirings.


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

Filled out my bracket….I didn't even go all homer on it. I know better. Thanks for the effort


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## CL810 (Mar 21, 2010)

In


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

In.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

CL810 - at least you're not a Kentucky fan …. or Uconn for that matter. I couldnt even watch the selection show last night. Knowing we dont even have a dog in the fight was too depressing.

Dan - thats what im talkin about.

We need to do some more recruiting and amp this puppy up a little.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Prize suggestiosn updated on yahoo page in the commish's notes.

Lets hear some feedback.

Also we are at 8 people, we need to pimp this thing to all our buddies. PM bomb heading out …


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Witherby chisel would be my vote for the prize.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Great prize suggestions (except for that Ben thing).

I'd be willing to throw in a little something fro my shop if needed.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

BW - i think ive got double of a bevel edge Witherby 3/8" ill double check tonight. Ive also got a little honey hole i know of, stashing away Witherby's, that i can swing by.

BC - much appreciated on the offer. Lets see how many guys we can coerce into this thing, i might take you up on the offer.

3 days til were dancin boys. Ill be pontificating my brackets throughout the night.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

My bracket is made, but like I said I haven't been following the sport AT ALL this year, so I don't have high expectations for my guesses.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

My bracket is done. I follow college basketball like crazy, so have even lower expectations than Brandon. Overthinking a bracket is rarely a good thing, but I'm sure there will be tweaks made as I second guess a pick or two dozen.


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

Chris if my coin flipping and dart throwing get me the win I'll go with your next flea market find. I've been looking for a decent No 2 Stanley.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Dan - id need to find 2 #2's in the wild then! Ive been on that hunt for a while.

Best thing about the tourney is that you could study every team for the whole year and lose to an 8 year old picking cute mascots.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Ya guys think i should rename the thread to "LN plane meets concrete" for a lil more exposure?


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

Yeah, throw something more eye catching in the title. Something funny, but yet half true.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

"Shane really fills out a string bikini"

Pretty catchy right?


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

Yeah, but that is only 1/4 true. Needs to be more believable.


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## roundabout22 (Mar 19, 2007)

I just read your post. I'm in. I haven't followed things too much much this year, so I made my best guesses


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

awesome roundabout. I havent watched much either considering the NCAA banned my team from all post season tourney play. Ba$tards. Feel free to share with your buddies.

Ill be filling mine out shortly.


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## carguy460 (Jan 3, 2012)

I almost made my picks based on schools I partied at…then I realized that the Big 12 sucks, unless you're in Kansas…are there really only 11 signing up for this thing?


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Lol Jason. I fondly remember 1999 at Uconn when we won the whole shebang. Epic party.

Really … 11 out of lets guesstimate 25,000 active members.


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## carguy460 (Jan 3, 2012)

So you actually remember that party? Slacker…I went to Texas Tech back when Bobby Knight was there…didn't win the tourney, but we partied like we did after every game. I don't remember many of those…


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## CL810 (Mar 21, 2010)

In a way I hate to post this but here goes. I arrived at IU the same year Knight did. Ouch, that hurts even to say it! Never a dull moment in those years. I remember those years as a party interrupted by basketball games.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

I, for one, love Bobby Knight. I also love Jim Calhoun. Ive obviously got a thing for cranky, foul mouthed, irrational coaches.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

11????? Hard to believe. Wonder how many would sign up if I offered my Unisaw as a prize?


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Lol Barry. Possibly everyone. Im going to repost tonight with a little more incentive. I think a lot of people assume that they need to know a lot about basketball to play or win which really isnt the case. All ya need to know is that the #1 seeds SHOULD win and the #16 seeds SHOULD lose, with some upsets in the mix. I certainly know nothing about most teams outside the Big East and only know about them because Uconn plays, errr played, in that conference.

Ive pimped it to most of my buddies here on LJ … and came away with couple of participants. Tough sell though.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Yeah, it's tough for me to comprehend how some can't get excited about this. But then again, with me it's an addiction particularly since my Mavs are such a disappointment this year. But there will be one good thing happening at the AAC tonight…Slowhand is playing and I'm gonna be there!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

All right, heres the prize update.

WM Greaves & Sons, Sheaf Works 3/4" gouge. Owners marks on the handle, brass ferrule, unsharpened but in good shape.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

That's a nice gouge! I do hope we get more people this time, but that also hurts my chances of getting the gouge.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

It is in great shape. No pitting, original handle, 2 sets of owners marks. Ive had it for a while now, never used or sharpened it. I figure if im not gonna work it maybe one of you guys will.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Just 16 more hours.

Stretch - you a Cuse guy?


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

Indeed.. and UK. I have no hope for either. Ha! Although only one is in the tournament to begin with.. I guess UK decided that you don't have to defend your title.. you own it indefinitely


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

you certainly can't take it away from them…well i guess they could if they had done something wrong enough


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Man seeing Cal and Kentucky goes down last night kinda made me smile. Hes been winning our recruits for years.

Ill be rootin for cuse and louisville. The last of the real big east.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Well unless we get a late morning rush for sign ups it'll be 10 of us battling it out for the coveted Greaves gouge.

A lil better than last year but only a fraction of the hopes i had. Always next year.

Good luck fellas, let the madness begin!!


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

You know.. the LJ Mag came out this morning.. It occurred to me too late that that would have been prime opportunity to get more people in on this


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## carguy460 (Jan 3, 2012)

Sweet…only 10! So you're sayin theres a chance…


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Stretch - Debbie actually PM'ed me about the challeneg, she mistook it for a wooden bracket challenge lol. If i had my business hat on i probably could have coerced her into advertising it. We'll stay grass roots 

Jason - always a chance bro, this thing is soo wide open anyone could win. (was that dumb & dumber referance?)

Im in a 45 person pool, winner take all, with a pretty interesting wrinkle. If you pick a lower seed to win in the first 3 rounds, and its correct, you get more points. If a 12 beats a 5 you get 12 additional points. Made ya think pretty long and hard which is definately not my strong suit. I expect to finish bottom of the barrel.


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## carguy460 (Jan 3, 2012)

Of course that was a dumb and dumber reference…I make it a point to quote that movie at least twice every day…keeps the workplace interesting.

That John Denver's full of….


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## 6t5Goat (Feb 26, 2010)

I'm in.. good chances with only 11 brackets.. Here are some tips for filling out the brackets..

From "The Sports Pickle" website..

1. The Indiana Hoosiers are a No. 1 seed, but they are just two years removed from going 12-20, three years removed from going 10-21 and four years removed from going 6-25. Can a program really turn around that fast? All the way to a national title? Or even the Final Four? Maybe you should have them going out early in your bracket. Maybe.

2. Is this the year a 16-seed wins? There has never been this much parity in college basketball. Correctly picking a 16-seed to beat a 1-seed would give you a HUGE leg up in winning your tournament pool. Have to take a risk sometimes, right? Who knows, maybe even two 16-seeds might win this year. It could happen. Picking two upsets that big would almost assure you of winning your pool. Granted, if zero 16-seeds win, you'd be out of the pool before the weekend even arrives. Hmm.

3. A 5-seed is always a sure bet to lose to a 12-seed. Usually.

4. If a major conference team just won their conference tournament, you know they come into the NCAA Tournament with momentum. On the other hand, they may have peaked a week too early and could be tired.

5. Think about picking a team to win it all with blue in its uniform. A team with some blue has won nine consecutive NCAA titles. Nine! That has to mean something, right? Although it might just be a total coincidence. Who can really say for sure? No one. Still. Nine years in a row.

6. Trends are weird because sometimes they just suddenly end.

7. Teams with Tournament experience are good bets. Also, teams without Tournament experience can do well because they just play instinctively and may not even realize the stage they're on. It sort of depends on the team.

8. A team you never even considered as a contender always ends up making a run. So consider a team you have never considered. At that point you will have considered them, though, meaning the whole thing could be messed up.

9. Kansas is a No. 1 seed and lost three games in a row to mediocre Big 12 teams a month ago. How good could they really be? Unless, of course, they learned a lot from those losses and are now a dominant team.

10. Did you do well in your Tournament pool last year? Well, what are the chances the same strategies and thought processes will work again? You should probably consider changing things up a bit.

11. Certain programs almost always get eliminated early in the Tournament. That's likely to happen again unless the years of disappointment have primed them for a breakthrough this year.

12. You have to give an advantage to teams that are playing close to home, unless playing close to home is distracting for them. Probably depends on the personality of each team.

13. In a season of great parity, you have to think it's unlikely that all No. 1 seeds would advance to the Final Four - something that hasn't happened since 2008. On the other hand, maybe all that parity means that the top seeds will easily breeze past watered down talent. You could really see it going either way.

14. Just pulling team names out of a hat could work, but you still would probably want to allow some of your basketball knowledge to override unlikely outcomes like all the No. 1 seeds losing by the weekend. However, if that were to happen, you'd kick yourself. Maybe it is best to leave it up to random chance.

15. Experienced coaches with a track-record of success have an advantage in the NCAA Tournament. Yet sometimes coaches who have been around a long time lose their edge and their players tune them out. Maybe going with young, energetic coaches is the way to go.

16. Power conferences are the way to go. That said, what really even is a college basketball power conference these days?

17. Did you do poorly in your Tournament pool last year? Maybe it was just an aberration. The same strategies and thought processes you used last year could win your pool this year. Don't throw out the baby with the bath water, so to speak, right? At least give it some thought.

18. A poor shooting team can suddenly get hot for one game and blow out a team that is supposed to be better than them. Usually that doesn't happen, but sometimes it does.

19. Senior-laden teams have the experience and leadership that's needed come Tournament time. At the same time, how talented could a senior-laden team really be, right? If they were so good, those players would have gone to the NBA. Sort of a gray area.

20. Maybe think about filling out your bracket drunk. It could work.

21. Butler and VCU always make runs. That can't happen every year, though. Even the top power programs sometimes flame out in the first or second round.

22. Tournament play is all about match-ups. Except in the games when you can throw stuff like that out the window.

23. Maybe no 16-seed winners this year, but a few 15-seeds could happen, right? One, two, maybe even three could win. Yeah, it's all possible. You can never say never.

24. There are 9.2 quintillion possible bracket combinations, thanks to all the many Tournament outcomes and upsets, but don't let that large number overwhelm or discourage you. You just need to try for the one right bracket out of the 9.2 quintillion.

25. What if you take all of your current picks, erase them and do the exact opposite. It could work. Think on it.

Hope this has helped! Best of luck on your bracket!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

"just go man, just go"

Thats one hell of a funny movie.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

6t5 - great to have you on board. I got a heck of a chuckle out of that write up. There's some truth in there but it reads like a diary entry from Yogi Berra. Hilarious.

90 percent of picking winners is half mental. 
This thread is too busy, no one comes here any more.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Last and final …..


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

5 of 8 … Not the start i was lookin for. Good thing its early.

Zags almost becames infamous.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Well my wife and all the grandkids are spanking my picks.


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

Yes Mizzou fans, we stand alone. 26 cracks at the NCAA tournament and not one single final four appearance. Awesome. The agony, the shame, the mediocrity! I am going to sulk now : (


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## carguy460 (Jan 3, 2012)

And New Mexico with the fail…my bracket is shot in the West…

Side note - "Childbirth Education"...sounds like a safe way to spend a Thursday night, right? Not so much…Why must birth be so violent? Yikes…some things you just can't un-see…


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

I'm right there with you, Jason. Sucks when a team picked to go to the Final Four bombs out in the first round.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Ouch, sorry JayT. Jason, I take it you're expecting your first child--congrats!

Four-way tie for first!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Shane - id blame it all squarely on Oriakhi. Cursed ya.

Jason - childbirth education most certainly not the best way to spend a Thursday evening lol. For me, i was as far north as a guy could have been during the birth of my lil guy but the funny thing was being so amped up and full of adrenaline i didnt have time to be nervous or squemish. Your milage may vary.

Stretch - your boys at Cuse handed out an old fashined wood shed beatin. BTW, i love Boeheims response to reporters on the investiagtion. "Seems to be a yearly event." I knew another guy named Jim who was a little touchy with the media. "Not a Dime"

I didnt perform very well but none of my loses were that detrimental to my overall bracket and thats a good thing. All though Gonzaga gave me quite a scare.


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## CL810 (Mar 21, 2010)

Gonzaga scared me as well Stef! I have them in the final 4 so that shows you what I know. Lovin' my St. Louis pick! Coach Jim Crews is former IU boy who played on the '75-'76 ncaa championship team. The boy knows how it's done!


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

Yeah the Orange just barely skated by on that one >_> lol

To be honest, I don't follow basketball that much.. which is funny because I made varsity when I was 13 and am pushing 6'8.. I'll probably get more into once it gets down to 16.. until then, there's too much to do around the house, out in the shop, and too many auctions to go to (tomorrow AM's plan )


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

CL - a lot of teams get a good scare in the beggining of tournaments, i wouldnt sweat the Zags so much. As long as they can forget about it they'll be in good shape.

St Louis is a scary team from what i hear. Majerus really set them up to succeed for the future.

Looking forward to a Friday night on the couch watchin some more hoops! Pizza, check. Beer, check. Sargent sweatpants here i come.

Stretch - 6'8" holy crap bro. You could stack 2 of me and i wouldnt make it up that high but ill hack the hell out of you all the same. You wouldnt want to see me on the court, i play everything like it was football. I once got thrown out of an intramural game lol. Competition gets the best of me sometimes.


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## carguy460 (Jan 3, 2012)

Yeah, I was definitely educated last night…guaranteed that I will be passing out and or puking when the time comes…June 6 is the word on the street, I can't wait for June 7!

The NM loss really devastated me…but I also took a long shot and picked Michigan to take the whole shebang, so its obvious that I'm clueless. Still tons of fun to watch it all play out though! Good luck to everyone with todays games!


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Jason, it's common for the first one to be a week or so late--that period for us was the hardest. Also, get in as much shop time now as humanly possible, just saying.

Stretch, now I understand the reasoning for your username.


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

Yep.. I've had the nickname 'stretch' for about a decade now.. ^_^


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Jason - if the wife can hold out until June 9, your little one and myself would have the same birthday!! I also second what Brandon has said, jam as much shop time in as you can.

With our little guy now at 7 months ive been able to grab shop time in 1-2 hour clips after he hits the sack. Everything takes twice as long now but without a doubt very much worth it. Its a good time to spend sharpening and tuning your gear so that when time comes all your tools are in great shape to go right to work. Thats also something that you can drop at a momments notice and tend to the screaming baby.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

The gonzaga game was a real nail biter …


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## carguy460 (Jan 3, 2012)

I'm doing my best to get in the shop now, I've got a marking gauge in the works, followed by another mallet, followed by a workbench…yeah…that ain't happening before the baby. I've still got to trim out my basement, which is cool with me since it will be kinda shop-time…

Anyone here ever trim out a door where the sheetrock isn't flush with the jamb? I've got about 1/4" difference (used to be paneling, now 1/2" rock) and am wondering how I'm going to make this the opposite of gap-tastic…


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## carguy460 (Jan 3, 2012)

LOL stef - good pic! And I'll try and get my wife to coordinate the date so we can have a connection…I'll call it my Conn Connection…


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Shims and caulk brother. Jam some shims in behind the trim and caulk to your hearts delight. Better get a fresh tube though.

Wife snapped that one, thought it was funny. It was a 2 point game at that time and i think the bog kid from Gonzaga just got called with BS charge. Nathan was not impressed and i was equally appauled.


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## carguy460 (Jan 3, 2012)

Caulk…I keep hearing that word…I wanted stained trim, so I assume that means no caulk can be used? Caulk-less? (I'm open for jokes)


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Jason, do you have a picture of what you're trying to do? And no, I don't want to see your caulk.


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## carguy460 (Jan 3, 2012)

I'll snap a pic this evening…I probably should start a new thread and leave this one to tourney talk…


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

And down goes Wisconsin …. Stef's cooked. I had them in my final four!!!

Mr. Greaves, it was a pleasure knowing and fondling you but i will soon be forced to send you off to a more worthy home. I hope that you are treated well. Just stay away from Jason's caulk.

Jason - I think you're going to have to glue a thing strip of 1/4" wood behind your trim if you plan on staining it. Correct me if im wrong but the drywall that butts up to the stud (door opening) is not flush with the outer face, it sits back @ 1/4". So when you put your door trim on there is a gap between it and the drywall.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

My West bracket is already pretty much all red. Can you win by only picking 3 of the 4 regions anywhere close to correct?


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

I'm sure it's possible. (Yay Temple)


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

I think its all very up in the air JayT. Lots of hoops left to be played.

I got louisville winning. U guys?


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

I think I'm still good. Three of my final four have not played yet. I think.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

I think my only shot is if the Jayhawks come through and win it all, since I'm the only one that picked KU as national champs.

Rock Chalk!


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## CL810 (Mar 21, 2010)

Wisconsin a big shock. Watching the IU game but that's it for today. The spousal unit has us in Nashville for a Clapton concert. Rock on!


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Kansas State loss was a shocker!


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

K-State just made me 1 for 6 in West Region first round games. Gah!

I'm a KU fan in the middle of K-State territory, don't know whether to gloat or duck for cover. (Actually, better save the gloating 'til KU actually wins a couple games. After all, they did lose to TCU)


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

So the Jay in JayT is short for Jayhawks?


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

I'm pretty much disgusted with the West. My bride picked Harvard and Ole Miss.

CL810…I just saw Clapton on Tuesday. Soooo good!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Cmon bare .. She picked Harvard?! Thats awesome. I was listening to espn radio this morning and out of 8 million brackets there was 1250 perfect and 2 that were completely wrong.

And Clapton fellas … Very strong. I havent been to a show in a while now.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Link to the standings now in original post.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

Sure Brandon, at least during basketball season.

I'm being saved by the East bracket right now, the West is brutal and the South will be hurtin' if G-town doesn't have a big comeback in 'em.

Well, bare, your gal is obviously smarter than me. Good thing she's not an LJ member or she'd be showing us all up.


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

this georgetown game is gonna mess people up


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

Its raining upsets!


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

Woohoo, I'm in first place! Have to cheer now, 'cuz that will end tomorrow. Too many of those upsets took down teams I had going deep into the tourney.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Even if all these upsets are hurting my brackets, at least it's a pretty exciting tournament.


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## carguy460 (Jan 3, 2012)

Regarding my door trim question, I think Stef has a good idea with the 1/4" strip glued to the edge of my trim…

I've started a topic so I won't muddle up this thread with my problems…http://lumberjocks.com/topics/48202

My bracket is shot…Michigan and Duke are my only hope now…


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

Shockers bustin' some brackets!! If you didn't watch that game, you missed a doozy. Very exciting, both teams went on runs back and forth, hit clutch shots and everything else that makes a college b-ball game great.

The worst part is that in my first bracket build, I had Wichita State into the Sweet Sixteen, then I started overthinking and took Pitt instead. Now look. Oh well, it was still a hell of a game to watch.

Edit: I had to watch, not just because it was a Kansas team, but I used to live in Scott City, the hometown of Ron Baker, who hit several of those clutch shots.


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## roundabout22 (Mar 19, 2007)

Well, I had Gonzaga going all the way. I think I might be in trouble like most everyone my west is pretty much shot. Oh, well there have been some good games.


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

West is pretty sunk for me.. but I think everyone is in that boat. The one redeeming pick I have is Ohio St. beating out Gonzaga, so there still might be hope for me yet. East is looking good.. Cuse had me a little worried, but its all good.

I'm liking my odds for our pool.. I started out just about last and now I'm back in it and tied for most possible points.

Anyways.. just thinking out loud.. just dropped some cash on a Nikon D3200 with 18-55 and 55-200 lenses..


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

gonzaga…gulp…see ya guys next year


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Adios zags. The marquette game was also a back and forth battle of wills last night. College hoops and the emotions displayed on the court make this the best sporting event of the years hands down.

This thing is still wide open.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Whew! Indiana barely makes it.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Yeah, if Indiana had lost, I'd be toast.


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## CL810 (Mar 21, 2010)

^I just lost 6 months of my life!


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## CL810 (Mar 21, 2010)

This the first time I've rooted for a Roy Williams team.


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

Anytime catch Iowa St and Ohio st? Great game!


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

Also, took some digging, but I found the Yahoo app for android.. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.protrade.sportacular


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Ice water in that kids veins from Indiana. Blows the front end of 3 one and ones and nails the game winner. What!

Cl810 - hard to root for roy. I just wanna uncomb his hair. Kinda like jimmy johnson.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk!! What a second half. If they could play like that all the time, the championship would be a cinch. Unfortunately, they also frequently play like they did in the first half.


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## CL810 (Mar 21, 2010)

Illinois got a raw deal.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

The battle starts again this evening. Im ready for some hoops baby!

It looks like this contest could go down to the wire.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

I'm ready as well. I was in a conference most of last week and missed a lot of games.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

At this point I'm just gonna root for Florida Gulf Coast University.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

BW - youre just rootin for FGC's coaches hot wife


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

Should be some great games this weekend. Lots of interesting matchups.

I'm rooting for a Wichita St/KU finals. Not going to happen, but I'm rooting for it anyways.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Ok, this Miami game is making me ill.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

Yep, there goes another af my Final Four teams.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

I'm liking this today! Go Marquette!


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Okay Indiana choked. My bracket is done for. Go FGCU!


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

SU dominated.. but I picked Indiana to beat them.. don't know if this is gonna sink my bracket..


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

BW…ditto!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

And Stef shoots up the ladder, calling 3 of the 4 games last night!!! He's a PTP'er baby (Dicky V voice)!

Looks like it might come down to you and I Stretch, were deadlocked at 50 point with 154 possible left. Im rooting for the final stand of the Big East and Louisville and you're rootin for the Dukies. Smells like dookie.

That Cuse zone D is swarming, Indiana didn't know what hit em. Marquette looked strong. Ohio St. squeeks out another game winning 3 ball. Man i love me some college hoops.

If for some reason, i happen to win, ill send out the gouge to whomever comes in second place.


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## CL810 (Mar 21, 2010)

Well, last night was unpleasant. JayT, I wish we could join up to commiserate over a drink! Not a good night.

Phoenix Stef makes a comeback!!


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

That's what I get for not following any of the teams up until a week before the tournament.. then buy into the predictions that my local team won't do too much. SU is really the only upstate NY team that isn't a constant disappointment. Well maybe them and the Buffalo Sabres -_-


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

As Stef shot up the ladder, my bracket went into freefall. With how the points weigh out, though, if someone picks the national champion correctly, they are very likely to win. Right now there are six of us whose national champ picks are still alive with five different teams selected (Stef & Shane both have Louisville). One of those will definitely be eliminated tonight as my pick of KU squares off against carguy's Michigan pick.

Lousy slate of games last night. Not just because I didn't have any winners picked, but three of the four games were never really in doubt by midway through the first half-the only close contest was Ohio St & Arizona. 'Cuse, Marquette and WSU just dominated their games. We'll hopefully see more excitement the rest of the weekend.

If for some reason, i happen to win, ill send out the gouge to whomever comes in second place

Not gonna happen, my friend. Not gonna happen.

Edit: CL810, a drink would have been good last night. Hopefully tonight goes better. If the bracket falls too far, I'll just cheer for Wichita St to go all the way.


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

I've got nothing but sun burn. Dam amusement park lines.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Lol Dan. No complaining! I think i heard the first bird chirps this morning here in CT, there's still snow in my backyard. Id gladly trade some frozen white crap for a good ole sunburn right about now. They say 55 tomorrow … time to bust out the shorts!

I plan on bonfiring my cut offs tomorrow, ive had enough of me tripping over them in the shop.


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

not your cutoffs!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Well played Stretch, howd you get into my dresser?

Could you imagine me in the shop, hairy ass legs hangin out of those daisy dukes with Norm flannel. Full vertical smile goin on. Ewww.

Next year, last place guy has to wear those in his shop and take a pic!


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Ok, first you offer a date with Ben as a prize now you're saying I may have to wear those things (I'm already preparing myself for another last place finish next year).

54 year old legs protruding out of those shorts may make us all sick!


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

This just got a little interesting.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

This just got a little interesting

Interesting? I think the word you were actually looking for is nauseating.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Sounds like youve got 375 days to get those legs in shape Barry lol. Squats and lunges bro.

If we have hit the nauseating stage my work here is done but i cant imagine it would drum up any more participants … i may have to rethink this one. What we'd need is a leggy female who knows diddly about hoops.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

Here ya go! (though she may still be able to pick a bracket better than me)


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

Any time I see flamingos, my mind wanders to HL2










also, flannel and cutoff jorts conjures up pictures of what Larry the Cable Guy might consider lingerie


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

man i was leaning in a totally different direction …. i was thinkin dukes of hazzard … is jessica simpson available to on LJ's?


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

OK.. can't really argue that one ^_^


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)




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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Chive on!!!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

And the big east rolls on. I dunno if Louisville can be stopped. Theyre gritty.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

We finally got an OT game. Kansas should've never let this happen.


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

That was the single worst decision I've seen in my life.. wide up dunk to tie it up and he baseballs it out to the 3pt line for a terrible glass brick.. My bracket just took another massive hit -_-


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

KU choked, so I'll just have to cry in my beverage of choice and then root for Wichita St. That might pretty much assure me last place and the wonderful cutoffs.

Edit: stretch, that is Elijah Johnson's season in one play, tons of talent but does not make good decisions under pressure. Unfortunately I'm not sure Naadir Tharpe is much better. KU needs a real point guard before they will challenge for a title again.


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## carguy460 (Jan 3, 2012)

Wow…anyone besides me pick Michigan to win that game? I was just being a smartass, didn't think they would actually do it!

Sorry for my friends in Lawrence…


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Good Lord! Anybody watching this FGCU game. They're throwing up NBA 3's.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

Just call it stretching the floor. Gotta open it up and spread the defense before goin' dunkin'.


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## CL810 (Mar 21, 2010)

What size are those cutoffs??


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

KU gagged big time. You cant go blowin the front end of one and ones. Kids, please take notice, MAKE your free throws!

The fgcu game was too late for this guy, i was droolin on myself before tip off.

Back at it this afternoon at 430.









Currently on my coffee table.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

Shockers to the Final Four!!! I bet there are no brackets outside of Kansas and WSU alumni that predicted that.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Ohh my was that disturbing. That was the grossest basketball injury ive ever seen. Gonna find out what Louisvilles got in the tank.

Jason - that michagan call may be the winner


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

This is a great game but I'm still cringing over Ware's injury.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Agreed Barry. That was a football injury. Gonna be a hell of a 2nd half


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## carguy460 (Jan 3, 2012)

Dang, I dunno…Michigan may not be able to keep this stuff up…and that damn Duke let me down…oh well, this has been a heck of a tournament!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

I was wrong, it wasnt a good second half, it was great. I love watching the Dukies walk off the court as the losing team. Siva and Smith are a serious back court tandem.

Ive always believed that experienced guards and good guard play will win you championships. Couldnt be any more evident than with Syracuse and Louisville.

If Michagan can stay hot from behind the arc they might have a chance. The shockers of Witchita St …. i dont give them much hope but a heck of a run while it lasted.

Any of you guys play fantasy sports? baseball or football?


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

Yep.. I'm out. I was doing so well too.. >_<

I play fantasy football.. was thinking of making a couple leagues this year for friends/family, work, and whatever else… we should def do one for LJ


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Im down with doing one for LJ's. We will need an award as well as the Sacko for he who comes in last place.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

And the dance continues ….

Good luck in the final 4 fellas.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

I'm stuck at a wedding but did see Wichita State score….Wow! Didnt think it'd be this close.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Atta boy Barry. I tell ya some people just dont get it lol. Ive been the guy that pokes his head in to the kitchen to get a score update.

Comin down to free throws …


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## carguy460 (Jan 3, 2012)

So if Louisville wins it, Stef wins the bracket with Shane in 2nd and barecycles takes 3rd…If Michigan wins it, I win? Is that how I read this thing? Never been this close before, I'm kinda excited!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Thats how it goes down Jason. All comes down to Monday night. It just goes to show that anything can happen in this tournament.

Ill start packing up the gouge ….


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

This was a great tourney. Can't wait til next year.


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## carguy460 (Jan 3, 2012)

Yes, awesome tournament! Congrats to Stef with the win…and damn you Michigan!

Did I hear someone mention an LJ fantasy football league?? I'd be in for that…


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

Great fun Chris!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Back to Back Jack!!

Man i couldnt believe a kid named Spike went hog wild in the first half with the player of the year on the bench. That kid was lights out. I couldnt comment much on the second half though, its hard seeing through your eyelids.

Jason - there has been grumblngs on fantasy football. Ill keep you posted on it.

Shane - as promised, a new gouge is heading your way!


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Well gentlemen, another year has come and gone and we're on the threshold of another tournament. What say ye?


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

yessir. If chrisstef doesn't chime in soon, I'll fire up a league


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

im in


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Fire it up stretch. Im down.


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

I'll defer to the OP  Swing away


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

http://y.ahoo.it/Qs0sGjE6

Password is once again: kemba


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Thanks stretchy. Ill revise the original post.


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## 7Footer (Jan 24, 2013)

Oh hellz yeah gurlz - I'm all over this. The absolute best 3 weeks of sports of the year, a shame that Gus Johnson is no longer commentating for the Tourney too. God damn I love the Madness. Stef was this prized gouge listed up above from last year?


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Yea that was last years prize. Ill do some digging and see if I cant come up with another goody for this years winner.

At least this year my squad gets to play in the tourney. Gonna whoop up the Bearcats tonight and see if we cant get Mick Cronin to make his own head explode.

Go UConn


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

I'm in again. Let's see if I can't improve on last years piss poor showing. I think that can be done by letting a blind chimpazee pick my teams.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Thanks chrisstef for getting this rolling again. I am soooooo ready for a lot of basketball since being laid up with kidney stones this week.

Good luck to all and here's hoping we have a better turnout.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

OK, tried to sign up, but Yahoo won't let me unless I give them a mobile phone number so they can send "marketing messages". Sorry, I'm not going to give out my cell number just so it can be spammed and sold to a bunch of other companies so that they can spam me, too. Good luck to those of you that do choose to participate.


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

I'm ready to go (until I watch some more ESPN and realize they are silly and need to be reworked)


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Yea i wasnt real cool with it either JayT. If i get time tomorrow maybe a different host could be used.

Uconn a 7. Eesh.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Louisville a 4 is an utter joke.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Yep, putting Louisville at a 4 will be just enough to piss Pitino off and make him wanna win even more.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Were gonna need to pimp this thing a bit here boys. I cant go offering Buffett money but maybe a free saw sharpening?


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Prize updated. Winner will get a free saw sharpening to their specifications.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Very nice chrisstef. I hope I win…at least I'll have one sharp saw blade in this workshop.


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

If I get a perfect bracket and win the million billion dollars or whatever it is I'm gonna buy you all a brand new LN saw!


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

I'm in. With my limited success in the bracket and FF I thought it was best to have my 13 year old daughter pick. The kicker is and I quote "if you win what to you get? I get a hand saw sharpened. That won't happen, I know nothing about hockey". Enjoy the night fella's.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Hell yea Ben. Ill take my in cocobolo with a brass spine.

Dan - that's funny man. I too know nothing about hockey.


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

i figure you'd want something brass spined stef


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

Some things never change. The link doesn't work for me this yr either. I click on join, and it takes me to yahoo's home page. My technical skillz are seriously lacking.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Shane - try this link instead. We'll get you and your downsy interwebz skills there one way or another.

https://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/quickenloansbracket/


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

Comparing my skillz to the downsy kids is insult to those poor children. They are like Steve Jobs compared to me. Tried the new link, when I sign in, hit join…it jumps me to the Yahoo home page. Beats me.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Thats odd Shane. Well get ya squared up one way or another.


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## 7Footer (Jan 24, 2013)

Shane try opening up yahoo in another tab of your browser, sign in to either your email or to the fantasy pick 'em site there and leave it open, then open another new tab to LJ's and try the link again. I dont know if what I said even makes sense, but basically just saying try to get signed in to your yahoo account before clicking on the link from this thread and it should work.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

One. Last. Bump.

Im all greased up for noon time.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Me Too!!!

I think I may get sick today about 11:45…then head to the house and plop my fat behind in the La-z-boy and recover for a few hours.


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

There's always this in case you're running short on PTO: http://mashable.com/2014/03/18/how-to-watch-march-madness-online-2014/

Also, *entirely* unrelated, did you guys hear the news about this? http://readwrite.com/2011/02/01/atdhe_seized_how_site_takedowns_are_ceremonial#awesm=~oz3Y7KfHUc5Nhi

*cough cough*


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Luckily we just subscribed for cable here in the office. My work will be done from the conference room this afternoon. Im thinkin pizza's for lunch. Id also be willing to be that there just might be a couple of beers floating around this office somewhere.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Had not seen that Dan, interesting.

Unfortunately I'll be out in the field today, hence, I'm pretty sure I've got some kind of illness (other than mental of course) and will need to take it easy from noon onward.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Good golly. I can't even get the first game right!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

1-0 for this guy!


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## widdle (Mar 10, 2010)

Go Dayton.. Quack..


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

If you're having bracket problems, I feel bad for you son.. I got 63 picks but Ohio St ain't one..


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

Actually, it was, but losing in the 2nd round to SU.. Condolences to the other Dan


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

I totally even forgot that it started today until about 5:30…oh well


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Well chrisstef is this what you expected, overtime? Not me.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Baby brain ^


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

yeah huskies!!!

interesting that we all picked a different champion…lets see how it pans out

too bad for you all that ohio state lost since it ruined my perfect bracket and your not all getting ln saws


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

The huskies didnt need to be so darn dramatic. Givin me heart palpitations.


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

Well I guess I'll have to resort to bribery to win. I was out by 1:30 central time. And yes I did blame my daughter. Next year I'll have the dog pick.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

OK guys, chrisstef is leading this. If he should win, shouldn't we chip in and get him a prize? Or do we let him sharpen his own saw blade??


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

Ouch.. where there goes that. That's what I get for not trusting my gut about kicking SU to the curb.. but nooo gotta be all loyal and stuff.


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

I was bummed about losing a final 4 team, but glad I still have a championship game possibility


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

MSG here we come baby! U-C-O-N-N!

Conference realignment or not we still run the Big East. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

in march we dance!!!!


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

Hey anyone have security issues with their Yahoo account? I got a notice there was suspicious activity with my account and I had to change my password. I only use yahoo for Fantasy sports so with my past records who would hack to get my insights. Let em!!!!


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## bowedcurly (Aug 31, 2013)

GO BIG BLUE….. CATS ALL THE WAY I HOPE


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

apparently mid majors aren't always cinderalla stories


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

I've got my shovel in one hand and my brackets in the other. I think I've found a nice quiet, peaceful corner in the backyard to bury it…rest in peace.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Only slightly jacked up for the UConn game tonight! Woke up and screamed "Game Day Baby!". Wife looked at me like I had two heads.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Well chrisstef, congrats on the Uconn win.

Meant to tell you my one brush with fame was a pickup game I played with Ollie and Robert Pack when they were with the Dallas Mavs years ago. I like the man, he appears to have become a pretty good coach.


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

I guess I better go out to the backyard and dig up my brackets. Hope they haven't started smelling yet.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Big win Barry. This could be a special team. Very cool story playing with KO. Hes bringing a lot of fire to the club and i like the way he runs things. See ya on Sunday baby!!


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

Uconn wins tonight is good for real life me bad for fantasy me. Oh well my bracket is always on the bottom so to hell with it let's keep seeing the dogs dance


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

Well after losing both championship game teams at once I guess I'm officially out of the running for a new saw


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

30 hours until we be dancing!

Start this one at the 3:00 mark. Campus doin that 3 Sweep outside of Gampel Paviliion!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

All. Jacked. Up


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

lol…i figured you weren't bummed about the gators getting knocked out.

watch this video and then you'll really be jacked up


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Damn. That guy got me feelin like im the kool aid man, running through walls n chit.

Or maybe its the 4th cup of coffee for the day.

All I know, is that if Coach Ollie needs me, im ten toes in.


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

https://yho.com/tourney?g=12376&k=c20f57f37920dabe

2015 Tourney is up!

Password is kemba once more


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

Oh yeah…my absolutely favorite time of the year.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

You know this!

Doesn't looks like my Huskies will be in the field this year barring a conference tournament miracle.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

Has anyone considered trying to get this off Yahoo? I'd love to participate, but refuse to accept Yahoo's blatant attempts at data mining and privacy infiltration.


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

This link should be a working version..

https://yho.com/tourney?g=12376&k=b04f636e3cff7a72


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

This guys in.


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