The Hopski Death Valley Final Four

Well - due to some very untimely "planning" by the Commish, the Hopski family (sans our 15 year-old Natalia that chose a week with the grandparents in Indiana over this family outing) will be climbing into this:

to go here:

Death Valley, CA

and do this:

https://youtu.be/7Ddtta_iCek

somehow missing out on this:

Yup.....duh.....check the calendar next year Commish!!!!  I will be OFF GRID from the 2nd thru the 6th.  On the bright side, Former Guy Wins Bigly With This Bracket (Rob Babcock, a friend here in Palo Alto that organizes Scottish and Irish golf trips btw) will take over updating the website (not the blog).  IN CASE this does not happen for whatever reason - the website has a report titled Tournament Scenarios.  This report includes the final standings for the the 8 potential outcomes next weekend.  That is the fallback update!!!

Before we move on to the Pool, A HUGE THANK-YOU TO ALL PARTICIPANTS as we have raised $5,275 for Great Lakes Outreach!!  This goes a long, long way in Burundi and I hope that you take a continued interest in Burundi and GLO.  I'll keep Commishing as long as you keep supporting!!

Traditional Burundian Dancers

Lastly (before Hopski standings section) - EMAIL ME YOUR VOTES FOR 2021 BEST HOPSKI ENTRY NAME - I will announce in post-DV/Final Four blog update.

The Madness has reached its Final Four, but the Hopski has but a FINAL TWO for the 2021 Hopski International Pool Championship!!

In the Blue & Red corner of Gonzaga (or UCLA or Houston for that matter) we have the defending champion, Ryan Fazio and his Timme! entry

Ryan will remarkably defend his Hopski title with a Gonzaga, UCLA or Houston championship OR a Baylor championship with a final combined score of 155 or more (in which we'd have a 2nd consecutive and 2nd ever year of the tiebreaker determining a champion - and in both instances favoring Ryan!).  FYI - Ryan is an investment analyst AND politician in Connecticut.  He’s also big baseball (Yankees - blech!) and college basketball (UConn and Northwestern) fan and has rigorously (some friends would say obsessively!) honed his basketball prognostication skills in the Hopski pool since he was a teenager after his dad and the Commish met at the 2000 Final in Indianapolis (best sports weekend of my life - thank you Arthur Andersen!!!).  Honed indeed as the he was 3rd in 2018 on top of the 2019 championship and now with 2nd guaranteed.  Quite a 3 year run!!

And in the Green & Yellow (Baylor) corner, we have the Challenger, Bryan Robson and his entry, Sister Jean Believes in Life After Duke, needing a Baylor victory and a final total score of 153 or less.  If it is 154 - then we'll all need to wait for my return from Death Valley and a Zoom broadcast coin flip for the title!!  (that almost seems appropriate in this Upside Down world btw!!).

Bryan is an llinois State undergrad/Northwestern MBA - so not a lot of time spent rooting for his alma maters in March Madness over the years (where he was roommates with long-time Hopski participant Ron South (2015 Hopski runner up and contender though not winner of this year's Toilet Bowl).  Bryan is a man of faith as he's had NU football tickets for 25+ years and has shared NU basketball tickets for about five years.  This is Bryan's 6th Hopski and he is certain to best his previous best placed finish of 30th in 2017!

How quickly the Hopski field was narrowed after the UCLA (not picked by anyone to the Final Four) upset victory of the Maize and Blue of Michigan in last nights final game of the Elite 8.

For the rest of the 2021 Hopski Payout Podium, kudos to our 3 entries competing for 2nd place:

Get Kids in School - Palo Alto's Jacob Kivett (looking for his 2nd Hopski 2nd place in 3 years!), one of just 2 entries picking a Houston championship;

It's the Hope That Kills You (Beth Paul, a Chicagoan that finished 3rd in 2016 en route to Finland and the Arctic Circle - needs a Gonzaga title);

Where Are the Blue Devils (Chicagoan Bill LaFever, as profiled yesterday);

The final place on the podium is a 4 entry race between:

"This is my year" (Every year) (Brandon Pimentel, a Hopski rook I believe - though I know nothing more!);

Elite Eight-Gendered KickinAzztec (David Lowery, Norcross, GA and Crimson Tide alum - I think!); 

And the Brothers from a Different Mother - Kier Noveski and Peter Pell - the identical entries for both pools will require a coin flip tiebreaker, though certainly some Strange things afoot at the Circle K there as their 2nd Chance Dance entries are identical as well down to the tiebreaker.  Hopski investigators are out in force checking out this situation - anyone with information pertinent to the investigation - contact the Hopski Hotline!!

The 2nd Chance Dance has a 3 way battle for the golf, with Biden Let Me Win and Michael Hoss having the road of the favorite with a Gonzaga over Baylor championship scenario.  Also in the running are More Shitty Picks from Rob Babcock (go Baylor or at least UCLA over Baylor) and Team Mo (Mike Modena with any Baylor-less Final!).

It is great to have some March Madness this year instead of Covid Madness - though it still lingers. I was fortunate enough to get a 2nd vaccine shot today and I hope that all of you step up to the plate and do the same when your opportunity comes -  OUR ONE SHINING MOMENT SHOT!!!

Keep well.  I will get an update out once i get home from DV, inclusive of the Toilet Bowl Champion - Glen Gregory!

The Commish