March Mediocrity

It's at times like these that I reflect on the wise financial decision not to enter a March Madness pool for money-- because my picks are all shot to heck! I am currently ranked #1,517,265 at ESPN.com. And if UConn hadn't just barely scraped by last night, I would be much worse off.

Don't get me wrong, I think that money pools can be a great entertainment value for the money-- if you have a relatively good knowledge of NCAA basketball and hence a half-decent shot at winning the pot. I, on the other hand, know very little and generally make my picks in a haphazard manner. ("Hmm, need another upset here, let's see... ooh, Kent State is a 12 seed, and way back in 1970 those students were killed by the National Guard there, so why don't I pick them?")

Since I know from the start that my chances of winning a pool are close to nil, I usually don't bother. But I fill out a bracket every year nonetheless-- it makes watching the tournament much more fun, and excitement and playing for pride and bragging rights against friends and family is a fine prize too! Plus, with a winner-take-all money prize, 2nd place is the first loser; but if I can come in 2nd or 3rd in a decent-sized group, I am quite satisfied with myself. This year, however, I'll be lucky not to end up dead last...