The Final Four Preview

FIRST AND FOREMOST!!!

Hopski entrants have contributed via the $5 Hopski Charity Tax and Direct Donations $3,362 to the Polish Humanitarian Fund for supporting Ukrainian refugees!!  

Thanks to all of you generous folks - such generosity helps me rally each year to keep the Hopski going!!

If you want to make any further donation - here is the link again:  https://www.pah.org.pl/en/donate/

NOW YOUR PRE- FINAL FOUR UPDATE:

Yes, I know you may be missing the Commish and frequent updates this year, but what can I say, I am just getting older and busier unfortunately!  I certainly need to go the Silicon Valley way................

 - you know, add .com (TheHopski.com) ......

....................and of course hire an intern!!!

That certainly sounds like a plan for Hopski 2023 - then again - I would probably just get pissed off at an intern anyway

Alas - we'll have to thus settle for the "when i can" posts such as this - 

YOUR INTRO TO THE 2022 FINAL FOUR!!!!

That is the hooded blue villian waving good-bye to Hopski Hopefuls as unless you picked this year's brackets based upon the color blue - it has been a tournament of blues that has lead us to a dreaded Blue Bloodiest of all Final Fours that only an alum of one of these schools could love!

In game 1, we'll have the Baby Blues vs the Devil Blues.  Cannot imagine anything finer for a Tar Hell than sending Coach K off with losses at Cameron and a loss in the Final Four to his bitter rival.  That could cause many a man to unretire!!!

Then our Saturday nightcap though probably not mine though as, oh by the way, the Commish is on a 2nd annual Family Trip Final Four Weekend Spring Break and will be loading up on U2 in Joshua Tree National Park come Saturday night soooooooooo DO NOT EXPECT A PRE-CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE FROM THE COMMISH - E.G. CONTACT MY INTERN IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THIS!)

 

**Bono likes the Heels to take it all!!

Back to our 2nd game on Saturday - 2 more literally blue blooded programs will go to battle.  IMO this pits one of the game's better coaches against one of my most disliked cheaters.......  I'll let you figure that one out......

YAWN - as I said - only an alumnus of one of these schools could love this Final Four.......  the damned Big 10 let most of us (Midwesterners) down again - ugh - 2 years in a row without a team making the Elite 8!!!

Yes - I agree with Davison on this one - WTF??

Must Move On..... as I am rambling and have to pack and then off to a Journey/Toto concert tonight (don't ask!).  A commitment that I am sure I will somehow enjoy after a couple of beers, but probably not the priority of the week / month / year / etc.....

Where are you Steve???!!!

Let's start with some congratulations to the Hopski Leaderboard as for the first two - this is the last congrats that they will receive this year as their Championship Hopes were dashed in the Elite 8 with the Zags going down and with St. Joseph's and Miami getting knocked out!

King Slayer from Keir Novesky (New York art director / graphic guy at GQ) has been comfortably at the top of the Board for a few rounds now, but he's run out of underdog bonus points to keep him there (though a UNC over Nova final gives him a well deserved 3rd place!).  Jenada10 from Eric Gates (long-time IU closest friend that is in Chicago suburbs for ages - make sure you ask him about Jenada the next time you see him btw - classic story!!!) also has been smelling the podium for awhile, but alas, the Kentucky 1st round exit has caught up.  Thank you for the memories and collect your Top Ten Finish plaques at the door.....

In third place heading into Final Four weekend is none other than AarUpThere from Aaron Jackson.  I love the entry name but have not info on the entrant that I can recollect (another challenge these days with providing updates!!).  Aaron has a shot at the Hopski title - needing a UNC over Villanova final result!

That completes the podium task. This year's Hopski though is WIDE OPEN heading into the Final Four - with 14 entries still with a chance to finish "in the money" in the top 3!!!  Here are the scenarios.......

Once the final game is decided - please drop me a quick email with a recent interesting photo (mug shots preferred) and a bit of a bio / why you love/hate the Hopski so I have some decent fill materials for the Final Update.  I am wholly unsure of my ability to get that update out next week (e.g. - DISNEYLAND is planned for TUESDAY vs updating the blog!!!) - but I will get something out at some point!

The 2nd Chance Dance Pool continues to be led by Russian Warship, Go F**K Yourself from Jacob Kivett (Palo Alto friend and THE ORIGINAL FLORIDA MAN!!)!  Jacob picked 7 of the Elite 8 winners and 3 of the Final Four to lead the pool into the final stretch.  He'll need a Duke championship to take home the title though!  Always Believe (Ted Schulz - one of the early 90s Warsaw expats with International Paper and who I think has missed only 1 Hopski Pool in his lifetime and if I remember right - has never really contended.....  HE HAS A SHOT!!!!)  Both at the BIG POOL and the 2nd chance dance (KU>Duke).  Go Ted!!!!

Some IMPORTANT ADMIN......

PLEASE VOTE FOR THE BEST ENTRY NAME!!!  THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!!  EMAIL ME OR DROP A QUICK POST ON THE POOL MESSAGE BOARD.  THERE ARE SOME REALLY GOOD ONES (I love Its Late, Its Tate, Its Great for some reason!!!!).

FINAL POOL PAYOUT FIGURES:

KEEP WELL - 

THE COMMISH

Elite 8 Preview - sorry

 I am running behind today as the intent was to do a quick Elite 8 Report - but we had a car delivery today from Carvana (worked pretty well) and it has been a bit crazy.  Now i have to run to SF for the Duke/Arkansas game.

Quickly though:

Only 17 entries have their Champion Pick still alive!!  Duke leads with 8, Kansas with 5 and Villanova with 4.  What a crazy year!!

King Slayer continues to lead the Hopski with 125 points - he'll be rooting against all 3 of those teams as his Gonzaga pick is GONE!

Udaman in 10th place is the highest placed entry with a champion still picked (Kansas).

Safer Picks Than Gas Station Sushi sits in 12th place and is highest placed entry with Duke!

Rounding out those still alive - The Swedish Krzyzewski in 28th place still has a shot with Villanova picked to take it all.

Let's not overlook More Beef Than Kanye and Pete - sitting in 28th but with the highest possible point total in the pool and with Duke picked to win it all.  This entry has Duke beating Villanova in the Final!!

Jacob Kivett and Russian Warship, Go F**K Yourself is leading the 2nd Chance Dance, having picked 7 out of the 8 winners and has Duke to take it all.

Back in the main pool - WE HAVE A CHAMPION.......kind of........  congrats to Play-in Game from Julie Grundberg!  Not only was one of the first entrants to lose her picked Champion this year, but she has wrapped up the Toilet Bowl Last Place Trophy with just 44 points and receives free entry into the 2023 Hopski!!!  Congrats Julie!!  (this text color is the closest I could get to what is in the toilet bowl!!)

I am off to the Elite 8 - GO HOGS!!!

Sweet 16 Preview

 

Welcome to the Sweet 16!  

With about 3 hours to go until the Hopski 2nd Chance Dance Deadline hits, we have 75 entries chasing Sweet 16 Pool glory.  

The Commish and my 10yo sidekick Sophie (Chicken Life entry) will get to experience some March Madness live today as we head to the Chase Center to root on the Zags and Red Raiders (she picked Duke though).  A good online purchase when they went on sale about 9 months ago - should be fun though taking the binoculars!!

Unfortunately - we also have 14 entrants that have yet to make payment.  Aside from bringing down the full wrath of the Commish in the next pool update - these entrants will be booted from the 2nd Chance Dance if payment not received by tip-off today.  

I mean hey - ya got time for another set of brackets but 3 clicks to donate to the Ukraine or paypal Hopski is just too much??  Dikembe says NO!!!!!

As we look to the Sweet 16 and the MAIN POOL standings - here are the match-ups in terms of entries picking each team into the Elite 8:

Gonzaga 125 vs Arkansas 5

Texas Tech 60 vs Duke 58

UCLA 62 vs North Carolina 6

Purdue 37 vs Saint Peters - ZERO

Arizona 99 vs Houston 12 (I bet quite a few of those 99 might like a do over!)

Villanova 52 vs Michigan 9

Kansas 81 vs just ONE for Providence

Iowa St 4 vs Miami 3

Presuming the delinquents all pay - here are this year's Prize Pool and Payouts:

I will finalize the figures for Ukraine donations in my next update - hopefully after the delinquents pay up!!!  Right now though it appears we have raised about $3,000 for PAH!!  That's a job well done to everyone!!!!

All the best-

The Commish

The Post-First Madness Weekend Hopski Update

The admin blog updates are out of the way now (2nd Chance Dance and Platform User Guide sent already), so.......

If you have not unsubscribed from the RSS Mail Chimp Feed

LET'S CELEBRATE THOSE PEACOCKS!!!!!!!

Yes, those beautiful PEACOCKS of ST. PETER'S!!!!  They are just the 3rd #15 seed in history to make the Sweet 16 and as an added bonus, they eased so many of us Hoosier fans away from the edge of the roof, the cliff or whatever we were preparing to jump off of after losing to St. Mary's - by eliminating the hated Kentucky Wildcats!!!

That started off a parade of double digit seeds into the Sweet 16 this weekend, with Iowa State, Michigan and Miami all dealing out underdog bonus points to their faithful entrants!

31 entries nabbed 8 points from Michigan, 23 entries took 8 from Iowa State (hey that's great - aka Schoolhouse Rock) and Miami delivered 8 points to 8 of its followers!!  Not a bad haul to say the least, though no one took St. Joseph's (seriously - 2 picked them to beat Kentucky but Murray State - that was too big of a mountain to climb?!).

As a result, King Slayer from Keir Novesky (New Yorker & GQ Design Direct that had identical picks to Peter Pell last year, drove me crazy, after checking out his work - will need to get a Hopski Logo at somepoint!) leads the Hopski with 101 points (with a whopping 58 underdog points!!!).  With 3 of his Final 8 out of it (including Indiana?!), it will be tough sledding to stay on top though!

**some of Kier's work - FORCE OF HOPSKI has a better ring - just sayin''''

In 2nd place with 97 points (and the highest possible points at 243) UDAMAN from long-time Hopski entrant Mike Ching and the 2011 runner-up (since he was last at the top of the leaderboard midway thru the 2017 Dance, Mike has returned to EY as a partner in Honolulu).  Udaman has a LOT riding on the Iowa St and Michigan advancing another round as one of only 4 to predict Iowa St and 9 to tab Michigan into the Elite 8!  Mike's also 1 of 5 to have Kansas winning it all.

Rounding out the first weekend podium in 3rd place is AarUpThere from Aaron Jackson (Aaron is a dancing sensation out of Chicago who loves Arby's and surgical power tools - we'll presume in that order).  AarUpThere combined accuracy (26/32 first round winners) with the Iowa St and Michigan picks into the Sweet 16 (Iowa St into the elite 8).

ButlerDawgs from Brad Miller (relative of my Indiana U boss Steven Miller) was our first round dart thrower, picking 27 of 32 first round games, albeit losing his Champion Kentucky in the process - e.g. - end of Hopski Championship hopes.  

Three entries picked 11 of the 16 (B10 Brethren, My A** (Eric Gates - longtime IU friend - we were just golfing last weekend and debating on our commitment to rooting for other Big 10 teams), Mahonez (Zach Mahoney - a Hopski rookie - I think - unless it is Maloney....) and BGifty (Brian Gift - a 20+ year Hopski entrant and the only one of these 3 to get 11 of 16 AND still have their Championship hopes intact!

At the other end of the spectrum and with a early inside track on this year's TOILET BOWL is Mark Conlon - from - you guessed it - that deft and creative due Mark Conlon of Minneapolis.  Mark has won the Hopski back in 2006 but I guess he has forgotten the need to have a decent entry name!!  Karma clearly is working against him in 2022, though he does have Gonzaga remaining.  The lowest possible point total is Play-in Game (Julie Grundberg - another IU alum and current Seattle resident) at 86 points.  That is an early low water mark set to go lower if Gonzaga is eliminated!  

34 entries lost their Champion this first weekend - congrats to the remaining 133 as maybe you still have a chance at the title!

That about catches us up on the standings and such.  We have 137 entries this year, though I have yet to verify entry fees nor total up the charitable donations (which look great btw!!!!).  I will leave that for later this week and a Sweet 16 Preview.

Stay well - 

The Commish

MAKE YOUR PICKS FOR THE SWEET 16 SECOND CHANCE DANCE POOL

 

Which is why the Hopski offers all entrants a shot at redemption with a SWEET 16 POOL!!!

The Second Chance Dance Sweet 16 Pool (c) is your chance to take all of your learnings from the First Weekend Madness and make a clean set of picks - with a FREE chance to win some money!!!

YES, the 2nd CHANCE DANCE ENTRY is FREE!!!!

To enter your picks:  When you next login to the RunYourPool website - you should see the below:

Merely "click to confirm participation" and you will see this:

Then click on "Yes, I'm Playing" (unless you do not like FREE) and then on the next screen just click on "Make Your Picks" for the Sweet 16!

If you have any questions, drop me an email or give me a ring!

The Commish

Updates Are Slow - Let's Start with the Software First

NOOOOO - Not RUN IN YOUR POOL, but RUN YOUR POOL!!

Yes - TurboTourney is retiring and they recommended Run Your Pool as a good platform of their choice to host pools from now on.  This is a quick introductory update to this year's new software, where you can find reports, standings, etc...  Quite a few things to highlight of course with some good, some bad and one ugly (no - not the Hoosiers performance).

First - this has been such an easy week for the Commish in terms of hours spent downloading and uploading web pages, remembering how to configure the standings page and also work the cheat for the Leaderboard.  RYP is ALL ONLINE & ALL THE TIME!  This was good timing for the change as I really do not know if I could have managed this from Warsaw whilst on a 3 day zip-in, zip-out work trip.

PLEASE USE THE BELOW AS A GUIDE TO THE NEW SOFTWARE

REPORTS

Unfortunately are not configurable by the Commish.  This kind of sucks, but they are generally well thought out, though I will send a list of demands, errr, recommendations for 2023!

Leaderboard - this is straightforward though I wish they would include the option to add entrants names as well as a split of regular and underdog points.  Possible points means your best case - the lowest of which creates a mendoza line of sorts for avoiding the Toilet Bowl (last place!). 

Who To Root For - this report ranks which teams success are most important for your bracket and also which teams losing would most benefit your bracket.  Pretty neat report - check it out.

Game Pick Summary - for any game in the tournament, this shows you how many entries picked each team as well as the entry names;

Scenario Generator - you can play with the outcome of the games left to play and see how it can affect your position in the standings;

Final Four Pick Summary - shows how many entries picked teams into the Final 4, the Final and as Champion;

Team by Team Pick Summary - shows by region how many entries picked any team by round;

Group Results - I can (and have) create Groups of entries.  This may be done on request as well.  For now - I have Indiana alumni, We Have Never Met the Commish, Unfortunately We Have Met the Commish, Hopper Family and European Expat Community.  Let me know if you want something and tell me who to populate it with;

MESSAGE BOARD

Seems cool - we can create message boards and trash talk or whatever.  Unfortunately - no one cares as I seem to be the only one posting to date!  

PLEASE do cast your vote ON MESSAGE BOARD for this year's BEST ENTRY NAME!!!

THE UGLY

RYP takes a different approach to underdog bonus point awarding than Turbo Tourney.  I noticed this last night and have emailed support this morning and requested a fix for our pool for this - but I expect this is something that we will have to live with.  In fairness - their rule description for underdog points is accurate.  More so - this has not affected a LOT of entries - but certainly gave a few extra underdog points to those that picked the double digit seeds into the Sweet 16.

The problem:  TT only gave underdog points if you picked the actual upset.  For example - if you picked an 11 seed to beat a 3 seed in the 2nd round and it happened - you received 8 bonus points.  If you only picked the 11 seed to beat the 14 seed (and the 14 seed did not win in the 1st round, so the 11 seed beat the 3 seed in reality (e.g. Iowa St over Wisconsin) - you did not underdog points.  However, RYP is awarding underdog points in this situation.  I do not like it but my guess is we are stuck with it for this year!

That is about it.  See - told you it was easier......

Additional updates coming shortly!!

The Commish

2022 Hopski International March Madness Pool Is Off & Running - Day 1

Coming to you live from the skies over Greenland as I type this on my return flight to SF.  After 90 minutes of sleep last night – as was glued to ESPN Player until 4am and had a 7am flight – this return day has gone well.  Breakfast included the Polish scrambled special as well as the Arkansas game before boarding - clearly the happiest I think I have ever been at an airport at 5:45am!!

After a completely non-Germanic Frankfort passport control mess took 75 minutes to clear (thank goodness I had a 4 hour layover), the Lufthansa lounge allowed me to round out my Day 1 viewing.  Now I type this fresh from 5 additional hours of sleep.  So……LFG!!!!

This year’s Hopski has a healthy 137 entries and the donations to PAH for Ukraine have been numerous.  I will total up and share shortly, but the generosity of all of you is impressive and will be more than welcomed and well utilized in Poland!  Thank you!  

After a long walk around Warsaw on Wednesday and seeing so so many Moms & Grandmas with their kids (no Dads) – those funds are and will be needed as the refugee crisis grows.  Soooooo many Polish residents (Poles and expats alike) have opened their doors quickly to house these homeless Ukrainians, but if Russia starts moving further West to Lviv – the refugees will really test overwhelming Poland and the rest of the EU.  Here is some “cool” poster art posted around Warsaw:

On to Day 1 of the Hopski and March Madness.  

For many Hoosier fans, myself included, both the high and low points of the day pertained to losses – so you can imagine my picks are in the toilet already!!  Indiana took one of the worst beatings I have seen in a tournament after racing to an early lead for the first 10 minutes of the game.  After that – it was ugly and a low point of my day.  

After clicking over to St. Joseph’s vs Kentucky and seeing UK go down to the #15 Peacocks, my spirits were lifted as at least Indiana won one game in this tournament!!  Just 2 entries picked the Peacocks of St. Joseph’s to win in the pool, garnering a whopping 13 bonus points.  

Congrats to Biden's Gas Busters (Nick Adams, nephew of WTNY Jack Bell and a Hopski competitor since he was in middle school!  Nick is now in LA working for Adidas – clearly not highly ranking though as still waiting for my Mike Woodson issued black IU sideline quarter zip).  Also nailing those 13 bonus points was Mathurin Father (Peter Pell, in his 5th year now and with 2 runners-up, a 9th and 12th place finish - uncanny - we need to source his source!!). 

2 #12 over #5 upsets also provided ample bonus point opportunities thanks to the Richmond Spiders & New Mexico State (Jimmy Buckets).  In all, Day 1 delivered 6 upsets and a total of 34 underdog bonus points.  39 entries picked NMSt and 23 picked Richmond.  

My favorite game though was Murray State vs San Francisco.  This had a lot on the line after Kentucky lost as the winner would be a favorite to make the Sweet 16 and both teams played well before SF was vanquished by the Racers (btw I always thought their mascot was a snake, but it is actually a thoroughbread – that was news of the day for the Commish).  I prefer the Blue Racers!

The Homer Simpson DOH of Day 1 goes to ButlerDawgs – picking 15 out of the 16 winners, tops for the pool.  On the other hand – the one miss was their champion pick – Kentucky.  The Russian Judge also gets a shoutout with a 14 for 16 day.  In all – 16 entries lost their Champion pick on Day 1 (Kentucky, Iowa and Marquette – seriously – without looking I can venture a guess this was one Mr. Szczerba!).

Those of you that can look on the Leaderboard and see your name or last name or your name with a #1, #2, #3…….  SHAME ON YOU!!!  Creative entry names are a REQUIREMENT of the Hopski.  Get these entry names FIXED (click on my entries, click on the dots at the far right, click on entry name) over the weekend or face commissioner assigned names that you may not enjoy (or even expulsion as per the published Hopski Rules - Eric Gates – you are biggest violator of this rule and it will not be tolerated!!!).

The pool hosting platform (RYP) is delivering well (certainly my life was easier this week not downloading and uploading Turbo Touney – RIP – on a daily basis.  I do miss our Leaderboard with not only entry names – but entrants too!  We’ll try to whip RYP in shape for next year with a letter of improvement requests post-tourney (a thread for this is set-up on the pool message board – which is kind of a nice addition!).

Upon landing I will be taking my 10 year-old Sophie (of the near bottom dwelling Chicken Life entry) to her AAU basketball tournament, so further updates this weekend may be limited but as always – I will try and do my best to keep you entertained!!!  Get those entry fees in (or donations) as I will hunt you down when the dust settles for me on Monday.

Enjoy the hoops!!!

**Actually finished this off in the past 30 minutes from home - gotta hit the road for Pismo Beach!!

Let's Get Ready to Rumble - the 23rd Annual Hopski International March Madness Pool

Yessssss - indeed!!!  

The 23rd Annual Hopski International March Madness Pool is ready!!

TO ENTER THIS YEAR'S POOL - CLICK HERE!!!

AND GUESS WHO IS DANCING AGAIN??!!!

Mike Woodsen has taken the Hoosiers back to March Madness in his first year at the helm and for the Hoosiers here amongst us - let's just say WHEWWWWWWW!!!  The NCAA did us no favors by dropping us below the 17-14 Michigan team we beat 3 days ago and sending IU to Dayton (read - we'd really like to sellout the play-in game, so....let's send Indiana over there) for a Tuesday game and then if IU wins, out to Portland for a Thursday match with St. Mary's.  WE DON'T CARE - WE'RE BACK!!!  

Or as the just unretired Tom Brady would say - 

Back to this year's Hopski...... as there is a BIG change......

The man behind TurboTourney has announced his retirement and unlike Brady - he seems serious!  Serious enough that he has even suggested long-time users like the Hopski should consider switching now to RunYourPool.com for hosting and managing a March Madness Pool.  After careful evaluation by the Committee - a decision has been made to make the switch NOW!!!

TO ENTER THIS YEAR'S POOL - CLICK HERE!!!

(password - TheGeneral)

If anyone discovers any dealbreakers - call or email me asap.  

From what I can see:

1) the Hopski Underdog Scoring will continue, 

2) the hosting is online (Turbotourney I had to run from windows and create a website with each update) - so more time for Commish Blogs, 

3) pool reports look pretty good, 

4) there is a MESSAGE BOARD!!!  YES - A MESSAGE BOARD!!!! and,

5) the online platform will update itself!!  No more waiting for me to get to a computer and update the standings, etc.....  It is all automated :)

On the downside - the platform will cost a bit more than Turbo Tourney - but aside from that - all looks good - so LET'S DANCE!!!

That is all for now.  Go check out the new site.  The rules are there. I believe that you can change your entries yourself right up until the deadline (another big positive!!) - so get those entries going.  Feel free to share the link with anyone that you like - as always the more the merrier!!

Happy Dancing!!

The Commish

Yes, yes, yes....INDEED IT WILL HAPPEN - THE 23RD ANNUAL HOPSKI MARCH MADNESS INTERNATIONAL POOL!!!!

I am just back from golfing in AZ with college roommates (those that still have a pair) and am departing for Poland tomorrow.  A big pressed to say the least for time -but this will happen and info will go out within the next 24 hours.....

Please be patient with me!!!