All Hail King Joel

It all came down to the Packers versus Vikings game. If the Vikings won, Joel would be crowned King of the Pool. If the Packers won, Jarrett M. would be the champion.

With 2:54 remaining, the Packers scored a touchdown to tie game, and a mighty roar was heard from Fredericton, NB. In East Aurora, NY, Joel jumped to his feet in celebration as Adrian Peterson rushed for a 26-yard gain with only 24 seconds left on the clock, setting up a game-winning field goal.

The field goal was good! All hail King Joel!

After years of seeing his brother and even his father hoisting the Pool Championship Trophy, this victory tastes awfully sweet for Joel. And this championship now makes him a solid candidate for the Football Pool Hall of Fame.

How is Jarrett M. taking the heartbreaking loss? Here's what he had to say during his post-week 17 press conference: "JOEL IS WHO I THOUGHT HE WAS! NOW IF YOU WANT TO CROWN HIM, THEN CROWN HIM! BUT HE IS WHO I THOUGHT HE WAS!!! AND I LET HIM OFF THE HOOK!!!"

Week 15: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

This week:

1. Jarrett R. (11-5 + 1.5 bonus) - 12.5 points

1. Joel (11-5 + 1.5 bonus) - 12.5 points

1. Patrick (11-5 + 1.5 bonus) - 12.5 points

1. Jeremy (11-5 + 1.5 bonus) - 12.5 points

5. Jonathan (10-6) - 10 points

5. Jarrett M. (10-6) - 10 points

5. Roger (10-6) - 10 points

8. Bob (3-13) - 3 points

8. Nathan (3-13) - 3 points

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Christmastime? No, silly. It's the final two weeks of the Football Pool!

Jarrett M. is still in the lead, but he's now less than one point (0.96) ahead of Joel. And Jonathan, Patrick and Jeremy aren't too far behind. Who will make the big move in week 16?

Week 15 notes and ramblings: (1) Everybody probably laughed at Jeremy's pick of the Cardinals...until they won. However, that loner pick was cancelled out by his unsuccessful loner pick of the Ravens. (2) Jarrett M. did everyone a big favor by picking the Jets. It's McElroy time! (3) Your 2013 starting QB for the Jacksonville Jaguars: Tim Tebow! (4) Who's your MVP? Adrian Peterson? Peyton Manning? Tom Brady? (5) I'm never going to figure out the Giants. Maybe they aren't who I thought they were. I wouldn't be disappointed to see them slip out of the playoffs. (6) Same goes for the Steelers. Wouldn't it be nice to see the Bengals win that division? (7) Joel is now leading in bonus points, but he's tied for second (with Jonathan) in wins. Joel also still leads in points for. (8) If the 49ers had not won on Sunday night, Patrick may have raised the white flag in his backyard. 

So far:

1. Jarrett M. (145-78 + 12.83 bonus) - 157.83 points (no change) 

2. Joel (143-80 + 13.87 bonus) - 156.87 points (no change)

3. Jonathan (143-80 + 10.53 bonus) - 153.53 points (no change)

4. Patrick (140-83 + 12.08 bonus) - 152.08 points (no change)

5. Jeremy (141-82 + 9.95 bonus) - 150.95 points (no change)

6. Roger (137-86 + 8.08 bonus) - 145.08 points (no change)

7. Jarrett R. (131-92 + 12.08 bonus) - 143.08 points (+1)

8. Bob (124-99 + 11.03 points) - 135.03 points (-1)

9. Nathan (108-115 + 5.53 bonus) - 113.53 points (no change)

Week 14: Look Out! Here comes Joel!

This week:

1. Bob (11-5 + 3 bonus) - 14 points

2. Joel (11-5 + 2.5 bonus) - 13.5 points

3. Jarrett M. (10-5 + 0.5 bonus) - 10.5 points

3. Roger (10-5 + 0.5 bonus) - 10.5 points

5. Jonathan (9-7) - 9 points

5. Jeremy (9-7) - 9 points

7. Patrick (8-8) - 8 points

8. Jarrett R. (6-10) - 6 points

9. Nathan (5-11) - 5 points

Back in week 12 I said, "Don't forget about Joel." Whether or not you disgregarded Joel's chances at the championship, he doesn't really care. He now sits in second place, only 3.46 points behind Jarrett M.

The winner of the week was actually Bob by virtue of his Eagles loner pick. Both he and Roger have been closing the gap the last couple of weeks.

Week 14 notes: (1) Joel still leads the pool in points for but is third in wins (behind Jarrett M. and Jonathan). (2) The Seahawks forced 8 turnovers on Sunday. The Colts have forced 8 turnovers for the entire year. (3) Monday's game was Tom Brady's 14th career game with 4+ touchdowns and 0 interceptions, the most such games in NFL history.

So far:

1. Jarrett M. (135-72 + 12.83 bonus) - 147.83 points (no change)

2. Joel (132-75 + 12.37 bonus) - 144.37 points (+2)

3. Jonathan (133-74 + 10.53 bonus) - 143.53 points (-1)

4. Patrick (129-78 +10.58 bonus) - 139.58 points (-1)

5. Jeremy (130-77 + 8.45 bonus) - 138.45 points (no change)

6. Roger (127-80 + 8.08 bonus) - 135.08 points (no change)

7. Bob (121-86 + 11.03 bonus) - 132.03 points (no change)

8. Jarrett R. (120-87 + 10.58 bonus) - 130.58 points (no change)

9. Nathan (105 - 102 + 8.45 bonus) - 110.53 points (no change)

Week 12: Don't Forget About Joel

This week:

1. Joel (12-4 + 3 bonus) - 15 points

2. Bob (11-5 + 2 bonus) - 13 points

3. Jonathan (10-6 + 0.25 bonus) - 10.25 points

3. Patrick (10-6 + 0.25 bonus) - 10.25 points

3. Jarrett M. (10-6 + 0.25 bonus) - 10.25 points

3. Roger (10-6 + 0.25 bonus) - 10.25 points

7. Jeremy (9-7) - 9 points

8. Jarrett R. (4-12) - 4 points

8. Nathan (4-12) - 4 points

"Joel ... is so money, he should be printed on money."--Joel McHale

For most of this season, Joel has been stuck in the middle of the Football Pool standings--behind the leaders and ahead of the guys who forget to make their picks. But with a first place finish in week 12, "The Prophet" has positioned himself for a run at the championship. 

Joel started the week impressively with a perfect Thanksgiving and then got some help from Ray Rice on Sunday. Still, Bob could have been the week's winner if the Eagles had defeated the Panthers. But, of course, that didn't happen. 

Joel now sits only 0.08 points behind his little brother. But he's not content to settle for Kuehner bragging rights. He's aiming for the rare commissioner-championship bi-fecta.

Week 12 notes: (1) Joel now leads the pool in points for. (2) Was Ray Rice's 4th and 29 catch and run a case of Rice being awesome or the Chargers being incompetent? (3) The Patriots scored 3 touchdowns in only 52 seconds against the Jets. (See one of the touchdowns in the video below.) (4) The Steelers were the first team with 8 turnovers since the 2001 Rams. (5) Jamaal Charles asked for Peyton Manning's autograph after the Chiefs' loss. (6) What is the Football Pool commissioner going to do to solve the pick-forgetting epidemic? (7) Q-U-I-T. Quit! Quit! Quit! Fireman Ed has hung up his helmet.

So far:

1. Jarrett M. (116-59 + 12.33 bonus) - 128.33 points (no change)

2. Jonathan (114-61 + 10.03 bonus) - 124.03 points (no change)

3. Patrick (112-63 + 10.58 bonus) - 122.58 points (+1)

4. Jeremy (113-62 + 8.45 bonus) - 121.45 points (-1)

5. Joel (112-63 + 9.37 bonus) - 121.37 points (+1)

6. Jarrett R. (104-71 + 9.58 bonus) - 113.58 points (-1)

7. Roger (106-69 + 5.08 bonus) - 111.08 points (no change)

8. Bob (99-76 + 5.53 bonus) - 104.53 points (+1)

9. Nathan (93-82 + 5.53 bonus) - 98.53 points (-1)

Week 2 - Jeremy the Prophet Speaketh

This week:

1. Jeremy (11-5 + 3.5 bonus) - 14.5 points
2. Jarrett R. (9-7 + 1.5 bonus) - 10.5 points
2. Joel (9-7 + 1.5 bonus) - 10.5 points
4. Jarrett M. (8-8 + 0.5 bonus) - 8.5 points
5. Bob (8-8) - 8 points
5. Jonathan (8-8) - 8 points
7. Patrick (7-9) - 7 points
7. Nathan (7-9) - 7 points
8. Roger (5-11) - 5 points

"Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet..." (Matthew 27:9, KJV).

After surveying the 16 games of the NFL's second week, Jeremy declared, "The Panthers shall smite the Saints." No one in the pool agreed, but, of course, Jeremy was right. The prophet announced, "Give me the Colts against the Vikings." Again, he was correct. And then in a mighty voice he shouted, "The Broncos shall fall prey to the Falcons." Right again. The four-time champ is back!

Week 2 notes: (1) For the second straight week, Jarrett M. had a loner pick. This week he correctly picked the Rams to beat the Redskins. (2) There was one unsuccessful loner pick this week: Jarrett R. incorrectly picked the Browns to defeat the Bengals. (3) Jarrett R. forgot to submit a pick for the Thursday night game. Sources indicate that he would have picked the Packers.

So far:

1. Jarrett R. (21-11 + 4.5 bonus) - 25.5 points
2. Jeremy (20-12 + 3.5 bonus) - 23.5 points
3. Jonathan (20-12 + 2.5 bonus) - 22.5 points
4. Joel (19-13 + 1.83 bonus) - 20.83 points
5. Jarrett M. (17-15 + 1 bonus) - 18 points
6. Patrick (17-15 + 0.33 bonus) - 17.33 points
7. Roger (15-17 + 0.33 bonus) - 15.33 points
8. Nathan (15-17) - 15 points
9. Bob (8-24) - 8 points

Week 1 - Beginner's Luck?

This week:

1. Jarrett R. (12-4 + 3 bonus) - 15 points
2. Jonathan (12-4 + 2.5 bonus) - 14.5 points
3. Joel (10-6 + 0.33 bonus) - 10.33 points
3. Patrick (10-6 + 0.33 bonus) - 10.33 points
3. Roger (10-6 + 0.33 bonus) - 10.33 points
6. Jarrett M. (9-7 + 0.5 bonus) - 9.5 points
7. Jeremy (9-7) - 9 points
8. Nathan (8-8) - 8 points
9. Bob (0-1) - 0 points

For the second straight year, Jonathan invited a Jarrett to join the Football Pool. Last year's Jarrett finished last. The new Jarrett is off to a quick start, taking top spot in week 1. Is this a case of beginner's luck, or will Jarrett R. be a Football Pool powerhouse? Time will tell.

Week 1 notes: (1) There were two successful loner picks, both by Jarretts: Jarrett R. picked the Cowboys to beat the Giants, and Jarrett M. picked the 49ers to beat the Packers. (2) There were two unsuccessful loner picks: Patrick picked the Chiefs to beat the Falcons, and Jeremy picked the Browns to beat the Eagles. (3) Bob may have forgotten to send in his picks. If so, Joel might give him credit for all the games we were unanimous on, which would give him a 5-9 record.

Who's In?

Pre-season football has already begun. Soon the start of the NFL season will be here. One question: Who's in?

Sources have confirmed that John Couch, last year's champion, is leaning toward a one-year hiatus. The reason given was busyness due to university courses and Halifax Mooseheads season tickets. However, one source suggests John is looking for the "Favre treatment."

If John does not join the pool this year, it would be the second straight year that the pool champion did not defend his crown. (Word is that Bert is enjoying his time away from the pool but could possibly be coaxed out of retirement if Joel issued an apology for not officially recognizing his championship title.)

There were rumors that Commissioner Joel, more elusive than Bigfoot, was in Atlantic Canada recently. This writer did not see him and is starting to wonder if he's still alive. Probably, though, we'll finally hear from Joel two minutes before kickoff.

Questions

Throughout the ages, men have wrestled with many perplexing questions. For example, "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"

A new question has entered into the minds of men--especially two men: Bert Kuehner and John Couch.

"If Commissioner Joel doesn't announce the winner of the Football Pool, does anyone actually win?"

For two years in a row, no one has heard from the reclusive Joel after week 17 of the NFL season. What are we to think of this? Is the Commissioner shirking his duties? Is this the real reason for Bert's retirement? Ah, questions, questions, questions.

***UPDATE***

Bert responded via his Facebook page.

"I think you've done a good job bringing much needed attention to a serious defect in the pool's management system. I don't understand why we go through the stress of competing for 17 grueling weeks only to have things end as though they didn't even transpire."

Pool Participant Profile: Joel Kuehner

Eleven years serving as Commissioner and all he got was this lousy hat!

Birthplace: Fredericton, NB.

Current residence: Buffalo, NY.

Profession: Engineer.

Wife: 1 (Karen).

Children: 4 (Laura, Nicole, Lucas, William).

Church: First Baptist Church of Marilla.

Nickname: The coolest guy on the planet. [Editor's note: I knew it got cold in Buffalo, but not that cold.] 

Favorite NFL team: Detroit Lions.

Most hated NFL team: New York Jets.

Favorite NFL analyst: Chris Collinsworth (if John Madden is not acceptable). Chris has grown on me. I like Dungy too.

Least favorite NFL analyst: Terry Bradshaw.

Favorite sport: Football.

Favorite athlete: Maybe Tebow. I respect him at least.

Christmas wishlist: Pants, farm tractor.

Favorite movie: The Princess Bride. [Editor's note: Inconceivable!]

Favorite (Current) TV show: Person of Interest.

What three items would you want if you were stranded on a deserted island? Bible, boat, airplane.

What would you do if you won this year's pool championship? Buy a lottery ticket; odds are about the same.

Week 15 - False Prophet?

Week 15 Results

Bob - 10-6 (+2.5)
Joel - 10-6 (+2.5)
Jarrett - 9-7 (+0.33)
Jonathan - 9-7 (+0.33)
Patrick - 9-7 (+0.33)
Jeremy - 7-9
John - 7-9
Roger - 6-10

We're about half-way done the pool now, and John has broken 100 points. I'm not sure he's catchable, even for you guys who think you're close. He's just statistically too consistent. [...] Sorry to burst everyone's bubbles (except for John's).--Joel, week 8

Well, it's now week 15 and Patrick's bubble is alive and well. The Mighty Morand has surprisingly managed to pull within 2.34 points of John. Certainly, the PIT/SF game was the most critical of the week. If the Steelers had won on Monday night, there would be a virtual tie for first. It seems Commander Couch is getting a bit reckless, admitting that he picked Denver to make watching the game with Jonathan more interesting. (Or was that an excuse for a foolish pick?)

But let's not forget this week's winners: Bob and Joel. "Big Herm" is now in third and determined to prevent the Forest Hills Boys from keeping all the medals in Dartmouth/Eastern Passage. "The Prophet" Joel also has visions of third place dancing in his head. Too bad his head has also been full of many bad picks. Question for Joel: If anyone had correctly picked the Colts to win in week 15, would they still have been given worst pick of the week? Word is that Jonathan, "The Minister of Prognostication," is not only aiming for third spot, but also first place in points for (now second behind Patrick). This would allow him to take home the (uncoveted) "Tough Luck" award.

"Golden Boy" Jeremy didn't have a very golden week. But Kuehner clan bragging rights are still in reach as he's only 2.23 points behind Joel. And what can be said about Roger "Ace" Fenton? Not much good can be said when you get beat by both "participants-in-training." "Moody" Jarrett (a.k.a., the human 10-second delay), could still escape the basement with two strong closing weeks.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

--Jonathan

Week 15 has come and gone, and the jockeying continues. The leader board looks roughly as follows, with point differentials relative to the person ahead, and rounded to the nearest 0.5:

1. John
2. Patrick -2.5
3. Bob -10.5
4. Jonathan -3
5. Joel -4.5
6. Jeremy -2.5
7. Roger -7
8. Jarrett -10.5

What does this mean? This means that: John has a chance of being caught. Patrick has a chance of catching someone. Bob has a chance of being caught. Jonathan has a chance of catching someone, and of being caught. Joel has a chance of catching someone, and of being caught. Jeremy has a chance of catching someone, and of being caught. Roger has a chance of catching someone. Jarrett should submit picks more often.

I'll qualify all of that with the fact that really, John is sitting pretty and Patrick has no chance of catching anyone, due to the email I sent out around week 8.

Best pick of the week: Seahawks over Bears.

Worst pick of the week: Jets over Eagles.

Critical game of the week: Steelers @ Niners.

Too bad no one picked the Colts. They would have, for the first time ever, received best pick of the week (because it would have been, unless someone had also picked KC) and worst pick of the week (because I'm a man of my word).

Sorry, Roger, about Oakland. That one had me worried as soon as I saw you'd picked them. I knew Oakland could very well win that, and I thought you had a pretty decent loner.

--Joel

Week 14 - Kuehner Fever

Week 14 Results

Jeremy - 15-1 (+3)
Joel - 13-3 (+1.5)
Patrick - 13-3 (+1.5)
Jarrett - 12-4
Jonathan - 12-4
John - 12-4
Roger - 12-4
Bob - 11-5

Did the rumored tongue-lashing from Bert "Double Crown" Kuehner actually take place? If so, it was effective as both Kuehner boys posted good weeks. But it was the Golden Boy, Jeremy, who took top spot. The only pick he got wrong (SF) was also picked wrong by everyone else.

"Tacos in the wild?! I haven't been this excited since that one time I thought I might actually have a chance to win the pool!! Hey, anyone know if there's a bathroom close by?"--Joel Kuehner (Jeremy, less excited, is on the right.)

For the second week in a row, the Mighty Morand narrowed the gap between him and Commander Couch.   But if Patrick would have put a little faith in his Jaguars, he would be 1.5 points closer! The importance of each point is now magnified.

Week 14 notes: (1) Patrick is now 4.67 points behind John. (2) If Patrick had picked the Jaguars, he would only be 3.17 points behind. (3) Jonathan has now passed Bob for third, which means that the Forest Hills Boys are now 1-2-3.

It's said, "Bad company spoils ruins good morals" (1 Cor. 15:33 ESV). Perhaps it should also be said, "Bad company spoils good football sense." (Jarrett is front row center.)

--Jonathan

Well, week 14 is in, and Jeremy is the big winner, with a stellar 15-1 record. Fortunately for him, he did 2 better than everyone else. Otherwise, there would have been some controversy. Why? Well, his Thursday pick was a consensus pick. And my policy is to allow consensus picks, especially for pretty one-sided games. However, I don't (intentionally, at least) allow consensus picks to give you bonus points. So, in other words, the bonus points are based on Jeremy going 14-2. Since 14-2 is still better than everyone else, he gets full bonus. Actually, on a week with only 4 games that matter, getting 2 better than everyone else is pretty good.

Jeremy blew by me, Jonathan has squeaked by Bob, and Patrick is continuing his mission to squeeze by John.

Best pick of the week: Jaguars over Buccaneers.

Worst pick of the week: Dolphins over Eagles. (Come on, all you Dolphin bandwagoners. Philly's badness and Miami's goodness are relative.)

Critical game of the week: Giants at Cowboys (ridiculous).

Three weeks left, with one of them being a free-for-all.

--Joel

Week 12 - John Sails to Victory Once Again

Week 12 Results

This week's winners:

  

John - 14-2 (+3)
Bob - 13-3 (+1)
Joel - 13-3 (+1)
Roger - 13-3 (+1)
Jarrett - 12-4
Jeremy - 11-5
Jonathan - 10-6
Patrick - 10-6

See what I did there? John...sailing...he's in the navy. Pretty clever, huh?

Following a couple of poor weeks earlier in November, John had been complaining that his navy duties were affecting his picks. But now after a strong week by Commander Couch and a poor week by Patrick, John is once again comfortably in first. It was thought that Patrick might pose a challenge to John, but, as Dennis Green might say, it seems he is who we thought he was.

A few notes: (1) Bob is now only 3.33 points behind Patrick. (2) Joel has surpassed Jeremy for Kuehner family bragging rights. (3) Roger is now tied with Jeremy in sixth place. (4) When interviewed, Jarrett thought he had missed only one week of picks instead of two.

The McLeod brothers might not be doing too well in the pool, but at least their Patriots are having another fine season. (Hey, wasn't there someone in this pool who kept saying the Jets were going to win the AFC East?) Unfortunately, the other favorite teams of the pool participants aren't doing so well (Jaguars, Bills, Browns, Eagles). And what's going on with Joel's Lions? After a Suh-weet start, their season is turning sour.

Here's a question for you: would you rather have your favorite team with the Super Bowl or you win the pool?

If John puts as much thought into his weekly picks as he did to construct the above apparatus, it's no wonder he's doing so well this season!

--Jonathan

Mr. Complacency no more. John pounds the mouse and thumps the keys to take solo first place in week 12. John's picks were the same as mine, except he picked BAL over SF. His picks were the same as Bob's, except he picked NYJ over BUF. John was right on both accounts.

In case no one noticed, Bob is now in second place in terms of Right-Wrong picks, with 118 to Pat's 117.  Roger also pulled off another strong week. Jarrett had a pretty good week as well, but will it be too little too late?

Best pick of the week: Broncos over Chargers. Kudos to the Tebow believers.

Worst pick of the week: Colts over Panthers. I said before that any Indy pick automatically gets worst pick of the week.

Critical game of the week: Niners at Ravens.

--Joel

Current Standings

Week 11 - A Creature Is Stirring in the Basement

Week 11 Results

This week's winners:

Jarrett - 12-2 (+2.5)
Bob - 12-2 (+2)
Joel - 12-2 (+2)
John - 11-3
Jonathan - 10-4
Roger - 10-4
Patrick - 9-5
Jeremy - 8-6

If Jarrett were writing this post, he might say, "Allow me to crack the bubbly!" (inside joke).

Back when Jarrett was living at home (which wasn't too long ago), he often remained asleep in his basement bedroom until sometime in the afternoon. Perhaps he was still asleep at 2:00 on those two Sunday afternoons that he didn't submit any picks.

Either way, the following question must be asked: Has Jarrett now awoken from his Football Pool slumber? The answer: It appears so. And that answer leads to another question: Is it too late for Jarrett? The answer: Yes. But an additional question comes to mind: Can Jarrett escape the basement? The answer: Perhaps. But who can he catch? The obvious answer: The free-falling Jeremy. And what is the probability of that happening? The answer: According to our calculations: He has a 16.7% chance of catching Jeremy. And one final question: How ashamed would anyone be if Jarrett caught them? The answer: Very.

Seriously, one can only wonder what position Jarrett would be in now if he had simply remembered to submit picks for all of the games. (Keep in mind that his forgetfulness also led to several desperation picks.)

"Let me tell you right now, there are two Canadian brothers--I think their last name is McLeod--that probably could be linebackers on this team. Why haven't we signed them? Well, I'll tell you why. They're Patriots fans, and I can't convince them to play for the Jets."--Jets coach Rex Ryan

--Jonathan

Look out! Here comes Jarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrretttttttttttttttttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!! Jarett went with the dream team, and he gets rewarded with a successful loner pick, and a tie for first! If he'd submitted his Thursday pick, maybe he'd have taken the week by himself.

It was a fine start this week for Bob and Roger. The rest of us now all wish we'd had the guts to do what they did. We wanted Denver to win. We knew Denver could win. But we were scared that other people would pick the Jets and get it right. Well, they had the guts, and they got off to a head start.

Bob used that head start to grab part of the 3-way tie for first. Too bad he didn't have enough confidence in his own Eagles; if he had, he'd have had sole possession of first place.

Best pick of the week: Eagles over Giants.

Worst pick of the week: Bills over Dolphins.

Critical game of the week: Seahawks at Rams.

--Joel

Current Standings

Week 9 - Impossible Is Nothing

Week 9 Results

This week's winners:

  

  

Patrick - 8-6 (+1.5)
Jonathan - 8-6 (+1.5)
Jarrett - 8-6 (+1)
Bob - 8-6 (+1)
Joel - 8-6 (+1)
Roger - 8-6 (+1)
Jeremy - 7-7
John - 7-7

Joel says John can't be caught, but Patrick has been gaining ground the last two weeks. He's now only 6.67 points behind. Has John grown complacent (according to Joel, another impossibility--see last week's comments)? Probably not. But, suddenly, the race for first has became a whole lot more interesting.

Speaking of Joel, our mighty commissioner finally tasted the sweet nectar of victory (albeit it was a six-way tie, and technically Patrick and Jonathan led the weak due to their loner picks--but we won't mention that). To Joel's great satisfaction, his correct pick of Arizona was critical to his first place finish. Had St. Louis won, it would have been only Patrick and Jonathan in first (most critical game of the week?).

Both Patrick and Jonathan made last-minute changes to their picks, each deciding to go with a New York team. Patrick picked the Giants, and Jonathan picked the Jets. Both picks turned out to be successful loner picks, enabling them to gain the most points in week 9.

The only change of position this week was Bob surpassing Jeremy for third. In the past two weeks, Bob has gained 6.5 more points than Jeremy. Now only 0.42 points separate Bob, Jeremy, and Jonathan. Would any of them be content with the bronze medal? Does Joel send out punctual recap emails? In other words, NO! (Sorry, Joel.)

Roger, Joel, and Jarrett are all battling to avoid the basement. Jarrett's strategy seems to have shifted. He's now flinging less hail Marys and throwing more solid short-range passes. Perhaps his goal is no longer to capture the glory of first, but to escape the shame of last.

One reason for hope for those who are trying to catch John: take a look at his points for/against differential. It's fourth best in the pool. This means that a lot of the close games have been going John's way. Perhaps the second half of the season won't be so kind to him.

"In our opinion, Joel Kuehner resembles an old Barry Sanders. Our scouts have their eyes on him. And there's a very real possibility that if Jackson can't go this Sunday, you could see Joel in a Bills uniform. However, the league has advised us that a conflict of interest might exist due to Joel's position as an NFL football pool commissioner."--Buffalo Bills coach Chan Gailey

Joel is so fast, he makes other guys seem like they're standing still!

--Jonathan

Current Standings