Flawed system

Gotta love those Florida Gators, right? Well that is how I feel after winning* one office pool and finishing second in another. One was a large large pool, like 117 entries to be exact. The other was smaller, like 18 or so. So I was actually shocked that I was the only contender in the large pool I participated in to pick Florida. I thought me and just about everyone else and their mothers would have picked Florida. Sure, Greg Oden and Mike Connelly, Jr are awesome players. But ya know what? The Big Ten sucked this year. Sure, Kansas was deep as shit and just about the most athletic team in college hoops. But ya know what? No way they beat UCLA & Florida back to back to win the tournament... and the Big 12 kinda sucked this year too from top to bottom (although they were far superior to the Big 10). UNC? Not with that many freshman. I actually loved Georgetown, they were a lot of fun to watch this year with Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, and after I saw them steam roll thru the Big East tourny and find different ways to win against different teams, I thought they were a show-in for the final four. And all along, there is just no team that could compete with Florida. So they coasted thru a chunk of their season, so what? They returned 4 out of 5 starters from last year's winning team, and had three guys that would have been in the lottery last year had they entered the draft (that number is up to four after this year). And they have Billy Donovan, an amazing coach. And in my mind, they had the easiest road to the final four (Wisconsin was the two seed in their quartile of the bracket, a good but definitely not great team, which says it all about the midwest region this year). So long story short, I am shocked that by making the safe pick in my mind (I am by no means a Florida fan, in fact I'd prefer any Big Ten team or Big East team over ANY SEC team), I ended up as the only person in a position to win with Floriday in that giant pool.

Please note the asterisk* after "winning." This unfortunately needs to be here to qualify me actually winning the pool. Technically, I tied for first. But this is a grave injustice, something along the lines of Gore winning the popular vote and not becoming president.

As any good pool participant will agree, there should be no tying for first. Tie for second? Fine. But there has to be a *winner* in my books. Not for this stupid office pool. The person I tied with had picked UCLA to win the whole damn tournament. But since she and I both finished with 64 points, we split the [nonexistent] big purse.* Bullshit. She didn't even pick the winner, how could we tie? There should be a tie-breaker to determine this sorta thing!! This just ain't right! And just like the electoral college, this office pool is just a stupid and flawed system. From here on out, I'll stick to simple brackets. Check out these convoluted rules (this is straight from the entry form):

You pick 10 teams--this is not a bracket pool (PLEASE PUT SEED # NEXT TO EACH TEAM). To quote someone on the Hart Research NCAA Pool Rules Committee: “Suck it up.” Here are the point values for the main Regular Tournament (10 teams) part of the contest.

#1 to #4 seeded teams receive 1 point for each tournament win

#5 to #8 seeded teams receive 2 points for each tournament win

#9 to #12 seeded teams receive 3 points for each tournament win

#13 to #16 seeded teams receive 4 points for each tournament win

Once a team reaches the Sweet Sixteen point totals double. Apply the following multiplier effect to each team's point value:

X 1 for victories in first and second round games

X 2 for victories in all subsequent rounds (regional semifinals/finals, national semifinals/finals) – for example a #5 seed that reaches the Elite 8 would be worth 8 points (2 points for Round of 64, 2 points for Round of 32, and 4 points for Round of 16)

Special Wild Card bonus round:

In addition to your regular 10 picks for the Regular Tournament contest, select two (2) teams each from the lower seeds: #5-#8, #9-#12, and #13-#16. THESE TEAMS CAN ALSO BE ON YOUR LIST OF TEN TEAMS.

For each game these Wild Card teams win in the tournament, you receive 1 bonus point regardless of round.

Extra bonuses: You receive 4 points for each Final Four team you pick. If you pick the 2007 NCAA champion you receive 4 points times the team's seed number. i.e. someone who picked Jackson State would get 64 points (4 X 16).

I. REGULAR TOURNAMENT PICKS

	TEAM/SEED #
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)

II. WILD CARD PICKS

SEEDING	TEAM #1		TEAM #2
#5-#8
#9-#12
#13-#16

III. 2007 FINAL FOUR TEAMS

MIDWEST:	EAST:
WEST:	SOUTH:

IV. 2007 NCAA CHAMPION

[Editor's note: Please note no condition for TIE-BREAKING! Bullshit!!]

That said, I finished 2nd in the bracket pool I participated in. I had a dream that I cleared $200 in combined winnings, but it was just a dream, there was actually no prize money at all (see footnote).

* It is nonexistent because gambling on college sports is illegal and this pool was done in good clean fun, no money changed hands and there is no big purse to split. This footnote is here at the behest of my attorney.

DC Utd Match Report

VS.

Tuesday night's match: DC United 1; Chivas de Guadalajara 2
Aggregate: DC United 2; Chivas 3

Instead of trying to watch this game with a bunch of rowdy white people with varying levels of knowledge and interest in footy, my boy Max and I decided to check this out in a bit more hostile territory. We had this vision of being the only two gringos in a see of red and white striped jerseys at this neighborhood Salvadoran/Mexican restaurant just down the road from my place. Instead, we get there and find the place nearly empty and watching some random Mexican soap-opera comedy/drama thing (I am sure you have seen these before, wildly popular on Telemundo y Univision, big breasted beautiful women traipsing around with douchebag quality men.) When we asked if they were going to turn on the game, the bartender shrugged and said why not. So we bellied up to the bar and ordered some Tecate's while we waited for the game to start (which came in amazingly cold frosted glasses, nice touch).

The game was sloppy and unattractive for much of the time, with the occasional flashes of true quality that seem to allude both MLS and Mexican teams for any sustained length of time. These leagues play more physical football than beautiful football. And yes, Chivas displayed more flair and grace with the ball then DC, but not by much folks. The gap between these two leagues in terms of quality is minimal, at least as best as I can tell from the matches I have seen between the two leagues. Given the slow nature of the match, Max and I started downing the cold Tecate's rather quickly to compensate, and soon enough we'd have some company.

At some point pretty early in the first half still, three other blokes stumbled into the bar. Three loud drunk gay guys from Mexico City. So while Chivas wasn't their team, per se, they were definitely not cheering for DC. They were loud, did I mention that? And funny. And gregarious. And ... a little odd. I can't say I have ever come across three gay guys from Mexico City. At least we think they were gay. They were awful affectionate with one another. And yet, they looked like beer-swilling Redskins fans or something, to be honest. Beer bellies, unkempt, loud, drunks. Soon enough however, we were fast friends. They were eager to speak English (or flirt, hard to tell, there was a language barrier) so they were chattin' us up a bit, calling us gringos, saying random things to each other in Spanish and laughing a lot. At first this was a bit awkward. Then after a while, the effect of the beers started to kick in and I got more into the footy match and they were yelling and screaming at the TV too, and the awkwardness was erased by drunkenness and a good time was had by all. We had a bit of a rivalry going in the bar, which amused the Salvadoran staff to no end (they were cheering for Utd, too... cuz F those dudes from Guadalajara, right?).

For a real match report, check this out. All I will say is this, the DC keeper, Troy Perkins, played an amazing game, and had he not let the game winning shot go right through his hands, that game probably would have gone to overtime, or United might have even stolen a winner. They had the momentum, and then Perkins just shat his shorts and the team pretty much folded. Shame too, he was probably their best player and kept them in the game throughout. Being a goalie is hard for that exact reason: one slip up could cost you the game. In this case it did. Jaime Moreno, who I generally dislike and wish would retire already, had an amazing goal. So amazing, i need to post it here on my site (thanks YouTube). Sorry it's so choppy, but wait the replay around the 45 second mark, you'll see what a magnificent goal it was.

The real shame is that no MLS has EVER won in Mexico before. I imagine it is hard to adjust. Instead of maybe 20,000 moderately enthusiastic fans, you are playing in stadiums meant to handle 100-200,000 riotous lunatics. On top of that, most of these games are played at some serious altitude. And some seriously polluted altitude at that. But hey, I don't want to make excuses, fact is MLS teams just aren't any better than Mexican teams. They are not any worse, as evidenced by the good results on home turf, but they not any better. If they were, they wouldn't be a collective 0-10 in games played South of the border (i think that is right, someone can double-check that stat if they are so inclined, the goose-egg is definitely right, just not positive on the number of losses).

Anyways, check out this goal, it was sweet...

"We're not just doing this for money! We're doing it for a shitload of money!"

Thank you, Spaceballs.

The WaPo reports:

Sen. Barack Obama raised at least $25 million for his presidential campaign in the first quarter of the year, putting him just shy of Sen. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner, who made a splash with her announcement Sunday that she had drawn a record-breaking $26 million.

Obama (D-Ill.) appears to have surpassed Clinton in several ways: He raised $6.9 million through donations over the Internet, more than the $4.2 million than Clinton (N.Y.) raised online. He reported donations from 100,000 people, double the 50,000 people who gave to Clinton.

Wow. This really is a shitload of money. Look for the billion dollars spent in 2004 to be demolished this time around. I don't have any interesting analysis of this fundraising that isn't already being said. Barack's camp and supporters are visibly happy, his detractors say he didn't raise enough to steal the spotlight from Hillary. Meanwhile, Hillary's camp was visibly happy, too... right up until they saw how much Obama raised, that is. Thew big question mark surround her is how much of her money is for the primary and how much for the general? Obama has 23.5 million for the primary, almost all of his current warchest, while many believe that Rodham Clinton raised a good chunk of her change for the general. That's not to say she can't catch up in primary fundraising, but it suggests that Obama is eating up much of the early primary money, people he can go back to again in the general and ask for more... leading one to believe his source of funds is more sustainable. But who knows? I don't think either one, or whomever the nominee becomes, will have trouble raising money against Bush's Republican party. So maybe primary money is all that matters...

Interestingly, Obama released a day after the rest of the Dem field of 08ers. Now I have not heard if this was because he couldn't get his shit together in time to release with everyone else yesterday, OR if this was some strategic decision to wait a day and make a big splash. If the latter, it's a pretty big gamble considering any figure less than Hillary's would have made the wrong kind of news. Especially on the heals of this article yesterday highlighting the rest of the field's 1st Q fundraising, titled: Clinton Shatters Record For Fundraising. I think it worked out well and he'll get a favorable spin in the news since he scraped past her in a few areas and was damn near her record breaking total, and because he presumably has an advantage in primary $$, but it was a gamble for sure (you have to imagine the camp's keep this type of info pretty close to the vest, and while Team Obama may have had a hunch they raised more than Team Clinton, they couldn't have known before making the decision on when to release that info publicly).

mmmmm, coffffeeee

Wouldn't ya know it, I spent 5 days in Seattle and only got rained on once!! As you can well imagine, my trip was awesome. The school, aside from the occasional murder-suicide, is incredible. Right on the water, amazing views, cool neighborhoods close by, and above all else, has really cool profs and students doing a wide range of really interesting things. In the verdict of Dub vs 'Sota, Dub wins in a landslide. Sorry Goldy. It's just that the program at U-Dub was such a good fit, and the program at Minnesota was just so-so.

So now the choice is boiled down to go back to school, or do not go back to school. At least it's a simple choice.

Seattle is a cool city, too. Loads of bikers (the cycling kind, not the leather wearing kind), the first cool thing I noticed. AMAZING coffee! I mean just mind-blowing. If you like coffee -- and I LOVE coffee -- this is the place for you. So many cool little coffee shacks and shops and whatnot, and it all tastes so good! I am even convinced that Starbucks tasted better in Seattle than it does here, if such a thing is possible (hint: it's not). ANYWAY, the coffee is the second cool thing. The third cool thing: have you SEEN Seattle? Holy Shit are there some incredible landscapes! You've got water, hills, mountains, and green as far as the eye can see. Sure, it rains and often even when its not raining, it's cloudy (just not when I am there). But it is a very pretty place with numerous picturesque views. In fact, I'll post some of those shots tonight or tomorrow. Fourth cool thing: the people. I dunno if you knew this, but it's a really liberal place. And since you all know how I hate getting my worldview challenged, that is a plus for me. Granted, the rest of the state is a conservative libertarian death trap... but what rural part of any state isn't? And, I have some friends there already... including Billy/Heather, Peter/Megan, and the other prospective student types I met while visiting.

Drawbacks: I don't love the seattle dress code. I can't even put my finger on it. Post-grunge? Post-punk? (or are we at post post-punk at this point?) Some combination? Like I said, can't quite articulate the code, but there is definitely something at work there... an aesthetic if you will (and boy do I ever) that has become the sort of agreed upon "cool kids gear." So I might need some new (or vintage, rather) clothes. Oh, and lots of peircings and tatoos.

So there you have it, folks. Now we just need to figure out if we are going to move or not.

Cat people and Dog people

Because we love controversy here at the Domestique, I've decided it's high time to wade waste deep into the greatest controversy of them all: are you a cat person or a dog person, and why?

This needs to be qualified a bit. Obviously, there are those who hate all animals. These people need to be dismissed from the conversation right away. Truth is, you can't trust a person who doesn't like animals. People who hate animals irk me. They always come across as self-righteous counterculturalists, who are just soooo cool for not like cats OR dogs. Here is what I have to say to those people: you're dumb and I probably don't like you. So be quiet.

And then there are people who like both cats and dogs, and I think to some extent if you like one you probably don't hate the other (although some dog people definitely hate cats, which makes zero sense to me: how can you like one stupid inbred animal but not the other? Answer: you can't, this is actually a self-contradictory point of view of someone trying to have it both ways, being a player AND a hater... and the Domestique hates nothing, if not player haters).

So which am I? Cat person, obviously. You can probably tell this by my scintillating vocab, my provoking thoughtfulness, and my sporadic nature. That's right, I am basically saying smart people are cat people, simpletons are dog people. Why do I say that? Ask a cat person why they like cats and they will probably say something on the order of: "Oh, they are so independent; they can be trained to pizz/shat in a bucket of sand in the corner of my laundry room; they don't need my attention all the time and yet they still love it some of the time; they are smart, wily, fun, sassy, and all other things cat-like." Cats are complex, deep, mysterious, and yet still awful darn cute and playful. These are the people who voted for Gore/Kerry. Ask a dog person why they like dogs, and you get some generally long, drawn-out, overly verbose (like this blog) response synonymous with: "Dogs are loyal; they are personable; and they can scare away the neighbors in times of imminent danger." These people voted for W. Bush... TWICE!!!

There, controversial enough?

This joke basically illustrates my point (hat-tip to max's mom)...

Excerpts from a Dog's Diary

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Excerpts from a Cat's Diary

Day 983 of my captivity. My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Bastards! There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now...

Book review

OK, I haven't actually read it, so I can't review it. But you should definitely buy this great new book: The Sex of Class. From the book's website:

Women now comprise the majority of the working class. Yet this fundamental transformation has gone largely unnoticed. This book is about how the sex of workers matters in understanding the jobs they do, the problems they face at work, and the new labor movements they are creating in the United States and globally. In The Sex of Class, twenty prominent scholars, labor leaders, and policy analysts look at the implication of this “sexual revolution” for labor policy and practice.

In clear, crisp prose, The Sex of Class introduces readers to some of the most vibrant and forward-thinking social movements of our era: the clerical worker protests of the 1970s; the emergence of gay rights on the auto shop floor; the upsurge of union organizing in service jobs; worker centers and community unions of immigrant women; successful campaigns for paid family leave and work redesign; and innovative labor NGOs, cross-border alliances, and global labor federations. The Sex of Class reveals the animating ideas and the innovative strategies put into practice by the female leaders of the twenty-first-century social justice movement.

The contributors to this book offer new ideas for how government can help reduce class and sex inequalities; they assess the status of women and sexual minorities within the traditional labor movement; and they provide inspiring case studies of how women workers and their allies are inventing new forms of worker representation and power.

And the real reason to buy it? Well my very own dear rommie, pardner, and lover Misha is a contributor. Pretty awesome, eh? How many of you can say you live with published authors?

Holy crap!

Dear Loyal Reader,

I apologize for my inability to post regularly. I have been pretty busy at work these days (bastards) which really cuts into my cyber-bullshitting time. Alas, I am stealing away for the next 30 mins to update you on something wonderful and important and profound, profoundly wonderfully important, even.

Tubby Smith is going to be the new men's hoops coach for the Gophers. This is huge. Sure, some out there were really pulling for Flip Saunders' return to Minnesota. But ya know what, I'm not convinced Flip will get fired (have you seen the East? I'll be shocked if Pistons don't reach the finals)... so you can't pass up a great coach with a proven record like Tubby's in the hopes that you MAY land a former Gopher stud who already has a high-paying, high profile gig. That's not to say Flip wasn't enticed by the offer. Think about it: WAAAAaaaaay less pressure in college hoops, especially when you are coming in on the coattails of Don "The Disaster" Monson, and nearly as good of pay (Smith's contract reported $1.8 million per year). Not to mention, your players might actually listen to you!! But seriously, recruiting for next year has already come and gone, and we really can't waste any time getting a head start on the 08-09 season. Go Tubby. I can't wait until they rename some dive bar in Dinkytown "Tubby's."

Since we're on the topic of Gophers, let me give you the quick update. This past weekend I was in Minny to check out the school and party down with the fam for my nephew's first b-day party. Good times had by all. I also should give a shoutout (in no particular order) to everyone who took time out of their busy lives to see little ole me: brian, ryan, chris, tom, mike g (that's international dj mike G to you ravers out there), erik, bob, wyn, dan, dan, jill, sam, and last, but certainly not least (most even?) james. James, you get the bottom of the order for two reasons: perpetually snarky comments on my blog, and screening my calls on saturday (Kidding about the saturday thing).

News and insights from the weekend:

• My buddy Brian is going to be a world-renowned brew master in 10 years time, you just watch. He'll go to Germany with nothing but the shirt on his back and a taste for good beer (not to mention the desire to drink lots of it) and come back with some amazing secret recipe and in no time at all will take over the market for domestic brew.
• I have all these friends becoming homeowners, and while I feign happiness for them, I am actually overwrought with jealousy. I [figuratively, of course] piss away $750 per month to my mediocre landlords for my nice, but certainly not owned, apartment... all the while my new homeowner friends are building equity and generally doing very good adult-like things. Big Sigh.
  
• I fugging HATE people who recline their seatbacks on flights of 4 hours or less. Why? Because I am 6'2" (read: leggy) and its already close-quarters as it is. The last thing I want is some 65 year old business exec who is pissed he didnt get on first class standbye putting his weird jerry curled hairdo in my lap while he tries to nap and I try to read. To make matters worse, he looked like he got dressed in the dark: cheap black suit with CHEESY tie and a pair of FUGLY brown wingtips (hat-tip to my boy max for the use of the word "fugly"). Not that I am against cheap or people who wear cheap cloths, I am just against this certain ass fuck in seat 18c.
  
• I am sick and tired of shitting the bed every singly March in my brackets. Big sigh, again.
  
• Speaking of NCAA, hard to fathom how the officiating could be worse than anyone in the NBA, but it honest to goodness is. By a factor of about a billion.
  
• In other sports news, Cris Ronaldo is a P-I-M-P and is going to carry United to their second treble. Awesome. Seriously, not only best footballer in the world, he is also laying more pipe [I reckon] than Wilt or Magic in their primes. Seriously. The guy is a pimp.
  
• Ever notice just how many blonde people live in Minnesota? Probably not if you are from there, but shit, leave, come back, and its the first thing you notice. Blondes everywhere. Well, blondes and fat people. But fat people are everywhere.
  
• Sometimes blogging is really hard work. Hence, sometimes you get posts that are about 99.99% bullshit, but you gotta keep the readers happy, gotta give 'em what they want. And that, my friends, is exactly the same thing I want: an avenue for procrastination.