Welcome to the Hopski Final Four!!!

 

Yes - IN HUBIE WE TRUST (From the right honorable gentleman Mark Iantosca) is indeed secure in the #1 position as we enter the FINAL FOUR.  The podium is there for the taking by one of the most upstanding and reputable entrants the Hopski has ever had the privilege of hosting in this Pool, provided anyone but Purdue wins the Men's Final!  

Waiting in the wings in case Hell Freezes Over and Purdue wins.....

 

Shut Up and Drive (semi-retired lil' sis Melissa Rawlings of Indianapolis!) and Baylor Boiler (ex-Warsaw resident Glen Gregory - last seen nomadically wandering Mexico "with his suitcase, bike and guitar" but somehow having the wherewithal to get his picks in and contend for the Hopski Title!).  They are rooting respectively for the Boilers to beat UConn or Alabama in the Final.

To sum it up - either Purdue or Iantosca will win.......

The Hopski Sweet 16 2nd Chance Dance however is pretty wide open with 4 entries still in the running for that title.  Kudos to current leader "What Pick?  There Was No Pick (Rob Babcock, Palo Alto friend, golfer and UC Santa Barbara grad) with the inside track should Jim Valvano's ghost continue to guide NC State to the title!  If You Think UConn, Uconn (Peter Pell, main pool runner-up in 2017 and 2019 as well as the 2022 2nd Chance Dance Champion - Peter is a Long Island resident and perenial Hopski contendahhh) needds UConn to take down NCState, while Addicted to NOFE (Mark Noferi, DC immigration lawyer not just fully recovered but actually vastly improved from a big medical scare in 2018 - thank goodness as the Hopski would not be the same without the NOFE!!!).  Skibidi Toilet Bowler David Putts (friend, Duke/Illini alum and Warsaw entrepreneur) round out the contenders.

A special Hopski shout-out to MAZMAN (entry from Palo Alto friend, investor and assistant coach Bryan Mazlish) for a "special" achievement this year......

Probably not THE Unicorn he was looking for - but Mazman managed to be the only entry to go 0 for 8 on this year's Elite 8 - but he did avoid the Hopski Toilet Bowl!!

BEST ENTRY NAME - THIS WEEKEND IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO VOTE - SO PLEASE EMAIL ME YOUR NOMINATION!!

Also wish to share that I had a great evening last night catching up with long-time friend and Hopski entrant Stan Kwitnieski (It Will Be A Bloodbath) in Boulder!  We played a lot of hoops in the Warsaw 90s and it was just like old times (well - we were not yelling at each other!) last night.   

Finally - this year's Hopski DOH Award Goes to none other than The Commish AND it is FINAL FOUR related!

My favorite points credit card (BILT - and if you rent as I still do - THIS IS A MUST CARD - email me for more info!) has big "rent day" promos on the 1st of each month and March 1st was March Madness with lower level Regional and Final Four tickets available at less than face value.  So - boom - I was clicking away on March 1st at 10am and nabbed 2 Detroit regional tickets (ever optimistic Hoosier that I am) as well as 2 for the Men's Championship game in PHX all lower level.  I was pumped, though returned the DET tickets once IU was out.  So earlier this week they sent me the Final Four tix.  I had already bought my flight as well as arranged to golf and go to the Final with Right Lane Wags (Jeff Wagoner, my roommate from IU, PHX resident and all around good guy unless he is driving!).  However, upon actually looking what I bought they were for the semi-finals and not the final - DOH!  As we (Aerospace Engineering Barbie - my graduating senior Natalia) are finishing up college visits, I had no means to get there in time - ARGHHHHH!  SO - SORRY WAGS!   Tickets ended up going to Jon Rogowski - a Purdue friend that is enjoying PHX as I type!

Enjoy the Final Four weekend (Men's and Women's)!!  And oh BTW - that offensive foul call against UCONN at the end of their semi-final loss was sooooooooo wrong at that time.  Really unfortunate to take away their chance on that one.  Officials blew it!!!

THE COMMISH (reporting live from the Denver airport!)

Don't Be So Gullible McIantosca!

Let's start with a simple request.....

THIS IS THE HOPSKI!  

For 25 years (well less - as blog started recently and back in the day it was just an email chain), anyway - the Commish has attempted to provide SATIRICAL UPDATES of the Hopski International March Madness Pool that typically point out the fallacies of its participants prognostications and also, occasionally lauds their accomplishments therein!!  Any such commentary is not dished out with the intention of attacking any entrant

If One is sensitive in respect of said SATIRICAL commentary.....

IF there are any entrants who understand otherwise......

In a follow-up to today's earlier blog post whereby two entries were in a HOPSKI FIRST booted from the POOL in an attempt to rally an entrant to make payment (which was a bit more direct than such casual attempts made to said entrant in each of the 2001 through 2023 Hopskis - which in fact did result in eventual payment in each of those years), please note.....

The Final Four preview is expected to go out possibly early Saturday morning per the Commissioner’s Office (currently in Boulder but returning to PA Saturday midday).

In the meantime - PLEASE take the time to submit to The Commish by either email or posting on the RYP Hopski Pool website YOUR VOTE FOR BEST ENTRY NAME THIS YEAR!

The Commish

 

What's That Sign Say Mr. Iantosca??!!

Rules are Rules

MOST, like Spicoli, learn this at a young age.

This was covered again in Caddyshack

For "our generation" of most Hopski participants, we live a moral life within the confines of these well known rules that were delivered to us in our formative years by such classic memorable films (and I am ignoring Porky's, the entirety of the Bill Murray collection and many, many other 80s and early 90s films of this genre).

I say most of us Hopski participants as one entrant in particular has flaunted the rules of the Hopski (and any other participation in which money or fees are involved) for well over 20 years now and unfortunately, the Hopski Rules Committee has reached a decision to step in now lest such vulgar activity continue to go unchecked.

Thus, after careful deliberation by the Hopski Rules Committee over the past few days, we regret to inform the pool that IN HUBIE WE TRUST (entry of former Warsaw Expat and point guard to the Commish as well as a Richmond/UNC grad - now a high ranking "original reference to place of employment deleted to protect the guilt by association innocents" in NYC) as well as a 2nd entry, THE RUSSIAN JUDGE, have been removed from the pool.  We are releasing this information as quickly as possible to the Hopski Pool Community, noting that a full pre-FINAL FOUR update is pending from the Commish.

 (Mr. Iantosca, aka The Delinquent)

 

(Mr. Iantosca post suspension?)

This decision was not taken in haste nor in respect of a single or even a few oversights on the part of Mr. Iantosca.  This decision was reached as a result of repeated AND clearly willful violations of the Hopski International Pool Rules which state quite clearly:

• PAYMENT REQUIRED BY THIS THURSDAY 9PM EST if you are a rookie or an unknown commodity to me!! If your payment is not received, you will be booted out of the pool - NO EXCEPTIONS. ALL RETURNING HOPSKI PARTICIPANTS get a 3 day grace period – so payment BY SUNDAY NIGHT! 

It is unfortunate that we have had to take this action, however, we believe that this may ultimately have a positive impact on Mark Iantosca as an individual and as a business leader, ultimately making the world a better place as a result of this gutsy action by the Hopski Rules Committee.

In order to ensure transparency, I share the following exchange with Mr. Iantosca after he was informed of his delinquency.   Clearly there is no hint of regret or even an apology.  This appears to be a delusional response towards shifting the blame and completely without remorse.

 

Of course, as what has become somewhat of an annual tradition now, Mr. Iantosca took immediate action when forced to make payment:

However, even within the bigger picture context of the Hopski in promoting support of a worthy cause in recent years such as the poverty in Burundi and the Polish support of Ukrainian refugees, Mr. Iantosca shows little care except to cover his entry fee in hopes of collecting far more in winnings.

Thus, a tough decision has been taken and a line drawn. Hopefully this will lead to a better future for all of us!

Sincerely -

-THE HOPSKI RULES COMMITTEE

The cloud hosting will be updated shortly, but please note the following updated Hopski Leaderboard.  

ELITE 8 PREVIEW - THE CREAM IS RISING!!

And certainly that is the case over the past two days as whilst the Sweet 16 was filled with top seeds, the Elite 8 has had some surprises.  The result being the tide is going out and we have some exposed entries in the Hopski as 59 entries have lost their champion pick and most likely, any chance of winning the 25th Hopski Title!

Rising highest at this point, The Mix for Six (Don King - a newer Hopski regular that I have NO INFO on - please drop me an email as you are a CONTENDAH!). 

The King of the Ring picked 5 of the Elite 8 (pool average was 2.9) to move from 5th place to the top of the Hopski Leaderboard!  Don has both Alabama and Duke picked into the Final Four - giving this UConn Champion entry some upside unique potential!!!   

Caitlin's Court (Josh Bailey) has slipped to #2 in the standings with 122 points (pool ave is 87) but will be falling like a rock now that AZ is knocked out.

Rising up with a start to 3rd on the podium is BAYLOR BOILER (Glen Gregory, long-time American in Warsaw and cyclist)

Glen (btw love the "CLASSY" mask - surprised he survived that "gathering" wearing one!) nabbed 5 of the Elite 8 and is the highest placed Purdue champion (Glen is MUCH SMARTER than this in person - not sure what the heck he was thinking).

BTW - click on reports and Who To Root For to see seriously who you should be rooting most for in terms of your entry's best finish!!  Scenario Generator also under reports will hint at what is in store (e.g. do you have a chance to finish in da money??  Or at least the Top 10 - something that has eluded GONE ZAGGING (Matt Powell of Cincinnati, one of my Hoosiers of '89 friends and HUGE Mike Woodson fan and bourbon afficianado) for 22 years now.  Seriously - 22 years of Hopski entries and NOT A SINGLE TOP TEN FINISH (best is 15th).  Keep on trying Matty!!

A special shout out to Moist (from Darren Kenney - such a long-time entrant but I am at a loss - and am short on time - for background info - PROLOGIS MAYBE??!!), this entry was tops in the pool, picking 6 of the Elite 8, thus racing up the standings to #5!

THE TOILET BOWL

THE TOILET BOWL competition has quickly narrowed to just two entries as Hopski?  No - Hop, Skip and a Jump (Mark Horgan) is sitting in pole position at the moment wiht 42 points, however, NHSJ is simply a hanging turd at the moment and Mark can avoid last place with a victory today by UCONN - which would then drop Niparoo10 (Amy Kenney -  now I do recall that she IS a USC grad - but further Kenney info across the board would be appreciated folks), into the hot seat for the remainder as she managed to not pick just 1 of the Elite 8 teams and her Final Four is eliminated!!  FIGHT ON INDEED!!

HISTORICAL STATS AS A POOL

2023 was basically the worst year in Hopski History in terms of scoring and picking accuracy!   2024 so far is lining up to be slightly below average - but the Sweet 16 average of 10/16 was actually the 4th highest in our history!  Average Dawg Points are pretty strong and certainly if UConn wins the title - the % picking champ will be one fo the highest as well!

ALL-TIME HOPSKI RECORDS

None of these look to be touched this year - on the high side or the low side!!

A FRIENDLY PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:

YO - DO NOT CHANGE YOUR MAIN POOL ENTRY NAMES!!!  

IT COMPLICATES THE HEAD OFFICE REPORTING PROCESS AND DELAYS THESE AMAZING BUT INFREQUENT UPDATES EVEN MORE!!! 

YOUR FREE ENTRY FOR THE SWEET 16 HOPSKI SECOND CHANCE DANCE POOL - DEADLINE TODAY 7PM ET!

 

THE HOPSKI AINT GILMORE GIRLS!!!!!

THAT'S RIGHT - YOU GET A 2ND CHANCE HERE!!!!

YEAHHHHH INDEEED!!

After a first weekend of falling off the Leaderboard and even worse, off of the first page of the standings, you have a 2nd Chance in the Hopski to show your increased picking skills....... AND IT IS FREE!!!!

FREE - AS IN NO COST!!!!!  ZIP, ZERO, ZILCH!!!

SO...... all you have to do is to go to your RunYourPool account and enter the Hopski 2nd Chance Dance Sweet 16 Pool by 7pm ET today.

***If you are having trouble getting entries into the 2nd Chance Dance Pool (e.g. – IF you have multiple entries in the main pool) – follow these instructions:

1. Log into your RunYourPool account;

2. Click on the top right – your Display Name;

3. In dropdown menu, click on Hopski 2nd Chance Dance;

4. Click on “Your Brackets” (top left after Overview);

5. Click on “Create Another Bracket Entry”;

You are limited to 1 entry for each paid entry in this year's Hopski Main Pool.

A Complete Blur Those First Two Rounds Were for Me

THE HOPSKI TOP 20

The dust has settled on a seemingly upset filled weekend, however, once I came to this morning (see below Madness Senior Moments), I realized that we are left with as Blue Blooded Power 5 Conference Sweet 16 as we have ever had!

Leading the way are The Magical Magyars (Bill Lyon of Budapest) and Caitlin's Court (Josh Bailey of NYC), both long-time Hopski entrants (18 and 16 years respectively) who have cracked the top ten (Bill 9th in 2016 and Josh 5th back in 2009), but have not taken home any money.  Maybe that luck can change this year!

Also deserving of a shout out is 3rd place Alma Matters (David Putts, long-time American in Warsaw, a Duke grad and one of my old Oktoberfest Warsaw group that would send Jack Bell into a frenzy yearly with a crashing of his exquisitely planned Oktoberfest table!).  Dave is looking for his first Hopski Top Ten finish in 13 tries (previously finishing as high as 13th in 2012).  David has picked 79.2% of the games to date - leaving him tied with.......Melissa Rawlings (see below) as most accurate so far!

Not to be overlooked is Shut Up and Drive from my sister Melissa Rawlings!!!  Sis jumped up the standings by picking a pool high 14 out of the Sweet 16.  Melissa is Indy resident but a Maui snowbird where she works on her golf game in the winter.  This is her 14th Hopski, but her first after a 10 year sabatical - welcome back!!

Look out for Udaman (2022 Hopski Champion Mike Ching of Honolulu - lurking there in 5th position along side the previously mentioned 2008 and 2018 Hopski Champion Noferis Irresistible (Mark Noferi of NYC)!

That sums up the leaderboard for now, however, not to be overlooked is the other end of the spectrum - our Toilet Bowl Competitors!!!  

There we find Hopski?!  No, Hop, Skip & a Jump (Mark Horgan - this being his 3rd Hopski - but I have no info on the man - so please serve up something juicy someone!).  Mark has raced out to a pretty significant lead, being one of only 10 entrants to have already lost their Champion Pick (Baylor - really?!) and more, as his best case point total of 61 is not even half of his next closest competitor (Niparoo10 from USC Trojan Amy Kenney).

Madness Senior Moments?:  I watched a few games live, I watched a few recorded (well - actually a LOT more than a few) and then I go to talk with someone about the games and it is all like "that game between Grand Canyon and, uh, that other team, red one, or no - wait - it was the Oregon Game and, uh, well.....  what a great game that was!!".  I become completely incoherent.  This short term memory thing may be a real issue as there was little or no alcohol involved in any of these "moments".

Best Game that I Did Not Watch:  Colorado's 102-100 game over Florida  

Middle of the day Friday game for me, so I was off to a special "pre-semi-finals" end of season girls' basketball practice.  Came home and saw the last minute and was like, darn, that had to have been entertaining as hell!

Best Game that I Watched (Most of Anyway):  Alabama beating Grand Canyon 72-61.  

The refs sat back and used the whistles rarely in this one while the teams took turns bludgeoning each other at the rim!  This was athletic up and down power hoops at its best and fully uninterupted by replay checks of 10 minutes to identify that .2 second clock adjustment (my LEAST FAVORITE in-game thing).  

Biggest Surprise:  Mid Major Talent

So surprising to me that a lot of these "mid major" teams are able to get great players through the portal that somehow were languishing on someone else's bench.  Take Grand Canyon's Tyon Grant-Foster - 6'7 210lbs of lean slashing powerballin' muscle that can also shoot the 3!  He played 15 minutes a game at Depaul last year but went off on Saint Marys and Alabama in 2 tournament games this year and averaged 20 points, 6 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals/blocks per game this year!!  WOW!  How does this guy seemingly slip through the cracks (no offense Grand Canyon) when he is seemingly the protypical G/SF everyone wants/needs?!  He overcame a heart issue I understand - but still - WOW!

Where Is Cinderella??  

 

Seemingly an upset filled weekend, but despite a great effort by some double digit seeds, the dust has settled and we are left with a Sweet 16 of largely top seeds and NO MID-MAJORS!  14 of the 16 teams remaining have been picked by a Hopski entrant (or two) to win the Championship! and 15 of the top 16 teams have been picked to the Final Game on at least one entry:

GET THOSE PAYMENTS IN - AS I WILL BE UPDATING THE ACCOUNTS IN A COUPLE OF DAYS (THOUGH I PRESUME ANY OF YOU SO AIMLESS AS TO NOT HAVE ALREADY MADE PAYMENT WOULD NOT HAVE READ THIS FAR!!!

THE COMMISH!

*VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE ENTRY NAME (WINNER GETS FREE ENTRY NEXT YEAR) BY EMAILING ME OR USING THE MESSAGE BOARD.  ONE CANNOT VOTE FOR THEIR OWN ENTRY.

*ALSO GET YOUR PICKS IN FOR THE 2ND CHANCE DANCE!!!