Prediction League RESULTS Thread

[HoosierHoopster 6,024]

4 hours ago, Josh said:

Have you seen the group ahead of me?  That's the suckiest group of sucks that's ever sucked.  I'll be there soon

This suckiest suck gives you a kindly nod, you need the support 

:)

[HoosierAloha 29,887]

4 hours ago, Josh said:

Have you seen the group ahead of me?  That's the suckiest group of sucks that's ever sucked.  I'll be there soon

 

1 minute ago, HoosierHoopster said:

This suckiest suck gives you a kindly nod, you need the support 

:)

Believe he's referencing the other golfers in his foursome. He's afraid to play with decent golfers.

[LIHoosier 24,996]

@Henryville Hoosier wins with 122 pts. @cbp4iu @choosierred1 @coonhounds @Dave from Dayton @HoosierHoopster and @johnsoniu salvaged their loss getting IU's score right.

@BottomLine keeps the overall lead as we head to the NCAA Tournament.

	Overall				Game 33
Rank	2022-23 IUBB	Points		Rank	IU/Penn St	Points
1	BottomLine	3148		1	Henryville Hoosier	122
2	Rico	3123		2	LamarCheeks	114
3	rcs29	3097		3	choosierred1	79
4	tkbbn	3072		4	johnsoniu	77
5	Class of '66 Old Fart	3059		5	coonhounds	76
6	HoosierHoopster	3059		6	HoosierHoopster	76
7	LamarCheeks	3031		7	cbp4iu	76
8	LIHoosier	3029		8	Dave from Dayton	75
9	muttcs66	3025		9	Josh	68
10	WayneFleekHoosier	3016		10	Crazy About IU	67
11	Napleshoosier	3015		11	Rico	66
12	HoosierCoop	3014		12	BottomLine	65
13	Stuhoo	2980		13	Napleshoosier	65
14	IU Scott	2968		14	Naturalhoosier	65
15	Joe_hoopsier	2966		15	rcs29	65
16	Redcamaro	2960		16	thebigweave	65
17	Dave from Dayton	2960		17	tkbbn	65
18	incrediboy	2958		18	incrediboy	64
19	RaceToTheTop	2954		19	Redcamaro	64
20	Naturalhoosier	2947		20	DChoosier	63
21	Josh	2946		21	IU Scott	63
22	johnsoniu	2946		22	muttcs66	63
23	Demo	2938		23	WayneFleekHoosier	63
24	choosierred1	2913		24	TeeterInNJ	62
25	Henryville Hoosier	2907		25	IUHoosier5	62
26	IU - Kaulie	2899		26	Class of '66 Old Fart	59
27	DChoosier	2889		27	RaceToTheTop	59
28	coonhounds	2872		28	IU - Kaulie	57
29	craigyv88	2850		29	LIHoosier	57
30	thebigweave	2829		30	mamasa	57
31	HoosierHoops1	2684		31	Hoosier987	57
32	mamasa	2607		32	Joe_hoopsier	52
33	Crazy About IU	2541
34	DWB	2540
35	hper50	2487
36	ALASKA HOOSIER	2162
37	Honkyman	1409
38	Hovadipo	1341
39	BGVille Hoosierfan	1306
40	IUc2016	1305
41	killerbeezer	1246
42	Schreckbagger	1088
43	HoosierTrav	845
44	Old Friend	838
45	Loaded Chicken Sandwich	802
46	HoosierFan1994	794
47	IUHoosier5	693
48	patrickmorriso9	664
49	Tasmanian Devil	649
50	Hoosierfan1901	534
51	TeeterInNJ	529
52	monskisprodigy	483
53	Str8Hoosiers	469
54	realTomCrean	429
55	OGIUAndy	297
56	IUsafety	217
57	cbp4iu	190
58	Hoosier987	174
59	Southside	157
60	AKHoosier	147
61	DoctorP	116
62	Woodson1980	107
63	bmitch	104
64	jepwatso	104
65	hoosierrebel1620	101
66	cthomas	100
67	TTT	96
68	Hoosierfanyuh	93
69	Barrel Rick	76
70	Kentuckysucks	68
71	IUFootballEndlessMisery	51
72	ray	51
73	bigrod	29
74	Uspshoosier	-10
75	IUCrazy2	-23

[BottomLine 677]

9 hours ago, Josh said:

Have you seen the group ahead of me?  That's the suckiest group of sucks that's ever sucked.  I'll be there soon

Too little and too late sucker.  Maybe you can do better next year.

[Dave from Dayton 2,581]

I'd like to thank the Btown Bteam for this award.

Wait?!

What?

 

Oh...I would like to seriously congratulate Redcamaro for being so very smart and good at predictions!

[LIHoosier 24,996]

@incrediboy makes an incredible pick just missing perfection by 1 point, getting Kent St's score along with @mamasa. @BottomLine got IU's score right and extends the overall lead to 37 going into the round of 32.

	Overall				Game 34
Rank	2022-23 IUBB	Points		Rank	IU/Kent St	Points
1	BottomLine	3275		1	incrediboy	134
2	Rico	3238		2	mamasa	130
3	rcs29	3213		3	BottomLine	127
4	tkbbn	3194		4	Josh	123
5	Class of '66 Old Fart	3171		5	tkbbn	122
6	HoosierHoopster	3170		6	IU - Kaulie	119
7	LIHoosier	3148		7	LIHoosier	119
8	LamarCheeks	3143		8	Redcamaro	119
9	WayneFleekHoosier	3131		9	Dave from Dayton	117
10	Napleshoosier	3130		10	Naturalhoosier	117
11	HoosierCoop	3126		11	rcs29	116
12	incrediboy	3092		12	johnsoniu	115
13	IU Scott	3081		13	Napleshoosier	115
14	Redcamaro	3079		14	Rico	115
15	Joe_hoopsier	3078		15	WayneFleekHoosier	115
16	Dave from Dayton	3077		16	IUHoosier5	115
17	muttcs66	3071		17	IU Scott	113
18	Josh	3069		18	Class of '66 Old Fart	112
19	Naturalhoosier	3064		19	HoosierCoop	112
20	johnsoniu	3061		20	Joe_hoopsier	112
21	choosierred1	3021		21	LamarCheeks	112
22	IU - Kaulie	3018		22	HoosierHoopster	111
23	Henryville Hoosier	3017		23	DChoosier	110
24	DChoosier	2999		24	Henryville Hoosier	110
25	RaceToTheTop	2997		25	choosierred1	108
26	Stuhoo	2980		26	Crazy About IU	108
27	coonhounds	2976		27	cbp4iu	107
28	Demo	2938		28	thebigweave	106
29	thebigweave	2935		29	coonhounds	104
30	craigyv88	2850		30	ALASKA HOOSIER	81
31	mamasa	2737		31	Banksyrules	-806
32	HoosierHoops1	2684
33	Crazy About IU	2649
34	DWB	2540
35	hper50	2487
36	ALASKA HOOSIER	2243
37	Honkyman	1409
38	Hovadipo	1341
39	BGVille Hoosierfan	1306
40	IUc2016	1305
41	killerbeezer	1246
42	Schreckbagger	1088
43	HoosierTrav	845
44	Old Friend	838
45	IUHoosier5	808
46	Loaded Chicken Sandwich	802
47	HoosierFan1994	794
48	patrickmorriso9	664
49	Tasmanian Devil	649
50	Hoosierfan1901	534
51	TeeterInNJ	529
52	monskisprodigy	483
53	Str8Hoosiers	469
54	realTomCrean	429
55	OGIUAndy	297
56	cbp4iu	297
57	IUsafety	217
58	Hoosier987	174
59	Southside	157
60	AKHoosier	147
61	DoctorP	116
62	Woodson1980	107
63	bmitch	104
64	jepwatso	104
65	hoosierrebel1620	101
66	cthomas	100
67	TTT	96
68	Hoosierfanyuh	93
69	Barrel Rick	76
70	Kentuckysucks	68
71	IUFootballEndlessMisery	51
72	ray	51
73	bigrod	29
74	Uspshoosier	-10
75	IUCrazy2	-23
76	Banksyrules	-806

[LIHoosier 24,996]

And another IU basketball season has come to an end. The only party pooper @Redcamaro picked Miami and won with 104. The '69 crew' @Class of '66 Old Fart and @IU - Kaulie got IU's score right.

Your 2022-23 Prediction Champion is... @BottomLine!!! Your 'prize' is one of two items, depending on how you looked at the season.

Its either TJD dunking on Purdon't.

Or Geronimo staring at who knows what while his guy is having a picnic behind the arc.

Thanks to all who took part this year, even @ALASKA HOOSIER.

	Overall				Game 35
Rank	2022-23 IUBB	Points		Rank	IU/Miami FL	Points
1	BottomLine	3333		1	Redcamaro	104
2	Rico	3290		2	Class of '66 Old Fart	68
3	rcs29	3269		3	IU - Kaulie	68
4	tkbbn	3248		4	BottomLine	58
5	Class of '66 Old Fart	3239		5	Henryville Hoosier	57
6	HoosierHoopster	3225		6	johnsoniu	57
7	LIHoosier	3203		7	Josh	57
8	LamarCheeks	3195		8	thebigweave	57
9	WayneFleekHoosier	3186		9	rcs29	56
10	Napleshoosier	3185		10	HoosierHoopster	55
11	Redcamaro	3183		11	incrediboy	55
12	incrediboy	3147		12	IU Scott	55
13	IU Scott	3136		13	LIHoosier	55
14	Dave from Dayton	3127		14	Napleshoosier	55
15	HoosierCoop	3126		15	WayneFleekHoosier	55
16	Josh	3126		16	IUHoosier5	55
17	Joe_hoopsier	3121		17	choosierred1	54
18	johnsoniu	3118		18	tkbbn	54
19	Naturalhoosier	3115		19	mamasa	53
20	muttcs66	3114		20	cbp4iu	53
21	IU - Kaulie	3086		21	DChoosier	52
22	choosierred1	3075		22	LamarCheeks	52
23	Henryville Hoosier	3074		23	Rico	52
24	DChoosier	3051		24	Naturalhoosier	51
25	RaceToTheTop	3040		25	Dave from Dayton	50
26	coonhounds	3015		26	coonhounds	39
27	thebigweave	2992		27	ALASKA HOOSIER	28
28	Stuhoo	2980		28	Banksyrules	-880
29	Demo	2938
30	craigyv88	2850
31	mamasa	2790
32	HoosierHoops1	2684
33	Crazy About IU	2649
34	DWB	2540
35	hper50	2487
36	ALASKA HOOSIER	2271
37	Honkyman	1409
38	Hovadipo	1341
39	BGVille Hoosierfan	1306
40	IUc2016	1305
41	killerbeezer	1246
42	Schreckbagger	1088
43	IUHoosier5	863
44	HoosierTrav	845
45	Old Friend	838
46	Loaded Chicken Sandwich	802
47	HoosierFan1994	794
48	patrickmorriso9	664
49	Tasmanian Devil	649
50	Hoosierfan1901	534
51	TeeterInNJ	529
52	monskisprodigy	483
53	Str8Hoosiers	469
54	realTomCrean	429
55	cbp4iu	350
56	OGIUAndy	297
57	IUsafety	217
58	Hoosier987	174
59	Southside	157
60	AKHoosier	147
61	DoctorP	116
62	Woodson1980	107
63	bmitch	104
64	jepwatso	104
65	hoosierrebel1620	101
66	cthomas	100
67	TTT	96
68	Hoosierfanyuh	93
69	Barrel Rick	76
70	Kentuckysucks	68
71	IUFootballEndlessMisery	51
72	ray	51
73	bigrod	29
74	Uspshoosier	-10
75	IUCrazy2	-23
76	Banksyrules	-1686

 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,939]

Many thanks to @LIHoosier for his time and effort in running the contest.  I'm ecstatic with a top 5 finish (gloat, gloat) and seeing Josh somewhere in the bottom 61!!

Congrats to @BottomLine on winning it all.

Until next year.

[ALASKA HOOSIER 11,169]

Next year is my mantra. suck it everyone!

[BottomLine 677]

Imagine beautiful women and handsome men walking a red carpet while flashbulbs pop and adoring fans cheer.

The time has come to accept my victory as the champion of the 2022-23 Indiana Prediction League.  Thank you for all of your applause, from everyone except Josh, who thinks he won.  I certainly enjoyed this year's contest.

I would like to thank Strt8Hoosiers for running the league in the past and LIHoosier for taking over this year when Str8Hoosiers was unable to continue.  You guys are the tops.  Without your thankless efforts the basketball season would not have been the same.

I would like to congratulate Rico and rcs29 for their excellent seasons.  They are tough competitors and worthy adversaries.  I wish them all the luck in the future.  Super job guys!

 This is my third year as a contestant in the Prediction League.  Two years ago I finished 10th.  Last year I was 5th.  Both years I hovered near the top of the standings until I started to throw in contrary selections at the end of the season in an attempt to make up points.  Alas, in both cases the breaks did not go my way.  I'm sure many of you have tried the same strategy this year and in the past.  This year I just played it straight and emerged victorious.

As for me, how did I put together a championship season.  I wasn't easy.  I managed to put together a consistent year.  I selected the winner in 27 of 35 games.  Luckily most of the losers were losers for almost everyone (Rutgers, Northwestern, Illinois, Purdue x2, Iowa, Penn St, and Miami of Florida).  I won only one week and received 48 points for the effort.  I didn't need to use that number.  As for picking the actual scores, I was terrible.  I received a 10 point bonus for only one game.  That is one win for 70 opportunities.  Not much to be proud of there.

Finally, who is BottomLine and what background enabled him to win this year?  Come on.  Don't we all wonder where those handles come from and what do they mean?

I have been an Indiana basketball fan for almost 70 years and have kept score for almost every game I have ever watched.  I'm originally from Seymour and was graduated from IU in 1969.  Which means I'm 75 going on 76.  I retired as a history teacher in 2013, after 43 years in the classroom.  Aren't all basketball coaches either PE teachers, social studies teachers, or Drivers Ed teachers?  It follows that I was a basketball coach for 18 years.

It doesn't end there.  As a second job I worked as a sportswriter for 30 years covering horse racing in the Chicago area.  For 21 of those years I was the handicapper and racing columnist for the Daily Herald, Chicago's largest suburban paper.  In addition to picking horses every day, I had a mythical bankroll in the paper where I bet the horses in public every day.  The name of that column was The Bottom Line.  Get the connection?  I left the Daily Herald in 1999, I've added a link below for anyone who is interested in that story.  In addition to the Daily Herald I have covered racing for Associated Press, The Illinois Racing News, and was a consultant for NBC Sports and several Las Vegas sportsbooks.  After leaving the Daily Herald I turned down offers to work for several on-line racing touts.  Juggling so many employment hats, my record for consecutive days working without a day off was 187.

I seldom engage in chat sites.  After years and years as Bottom Line on the old Indianapolis Star site, Peegs and here, I learned long ago that it is a waste of time trying to change anyone's opinion about anything.

Hope everyone has a great year waiting for next year's Hoosiers.  I'll be back again to defend my title, if the good Lord is willing and the crick don't rise.  Go Hoosiers!

https://www.angelfire.com/fl/brad61yazell/hallet.html

[LIHoosier 24,996]

20 minutes ago, BottomLine said:

Imagine beautiful women and handsome men walking a red carpet while flashbulbs pop and adoring fans cheer.

The time has come to accept my victory as the champion of the 2022-23 Indiana Prediction League.  Thank you for all of your applause, from everyone except Josh, who thinks he won.  I certainly enjoyed this year's contest.

I would like to thank Strt8Hoosiers for running the league in the past and LIHoosier for taking over this year when Str8Hoosiers was unable to continue.  You guys are the tops.  Without your thankless efforts the basketball season would not have been the same.

I would like to congratulate Rico and rcs29 for their excellent seasons.  They are tough competitors and worthy adversaries.  I wish them all the luck in the future.  Super job guys!

 This is my third year as a contestant in the Prediction League.  Two years ago I finished 10th.  Last year I was 5th.  Both years I hovered near the top of the standings until I started to throw in contrary selections at the end of the season in an attempt to make up points.  Alas, in both cases the breaks did not go my way.  I'm sure many of you have tried the same strategy this year and in the past.  This year I just played it straight and emerged victorious.

As for me, how did I put together a championship season.  I wasn't easy.  I managed to put together a consistent year.  I selected the winner in 27 of 35 games.  Luckily most of the losers were losers for almost everyone (Rutgers, Northwestern, Illinois, Purdue x2, Iowa, Penn St, and Miami of Florida).  I won only one week and received 48 points for the effort.  I didn't need to use that number.  As for picking the actual scores, I was terrible.  I received a 10 point bonus for only one game.  That is one win for 70 opportunities.  Not much to be proud of there.

Finally, who is BottomLine and what background enabled him to win this year?  Come on.  Don't we all wonder where those handles come from and what do they mean?

I have been an Indiana basketball fan for almost 70 years and have kept score for almost every game I have ever watched.  I'm originally from Seymour and was graduated from IU in 1969.  Which means I'm 75 going on 76.  I retired as a history teacher in 2013, after 43 years in the classroom.  Aren't all basketball coaches either PE teachers, social studies teachers, or Drivers Ed teachers?  It follows that I was a basketball coach for 18 years.

It doesn't end there.  As a second job I worked as a sportswriter for 30 years covering horse racing in the Chicago area.  For 21 of those years I was the handicapper and racing columnist for the Daily Herald, Chicago's largest suburban paper.  In addition to picking horses every day, I had a mythical bankroll in the paper where I bet the horses in public every day.  The name of that column was The Bottom Line.  Get the connection?  I left the Daily Herald in 1999, I've added a link below for anyone who is interested in that story.  In addition to the Daily Herald I have covered racing for Associated Press, The Illinois Racing News, and was a consultant for NBC Sports and several Las Vegas sportsbooks.  After leaving the Daily Herald I turned down offers to work for several on-line racing touts.  Juggling so many employment hats, my record for consecutive days working without a day off was 187. 

 

 

I seldom engage in chat sites.  After years and years as Bottom Line on the old Indianapolis Star site, Peegs and here, I learned long ago that it is a waste of time trying to change anyone's opinion about anything.

Hope everyone has a great year waiting for next year's Hoosiers.  I'll be back again to defend my title, if the good Lord is willing and the crick don't rise.  Go Hoosiers!

https://www.angelfire.com/fl/brad61yazell/hallet.html

 

[IU - Kaulie 1,866]

31 minutes ago, BottomLine said:

Imagine beautiful women and handsome men walking a red carpet while flashbulbs pop and adoring fans cheer.

The time has come to accept my victory as the champion of the 2022-23 Indiana Prediction League.  Thank you for all of your applause, from everyone except Josh, who thinks he won.  I certainly enjoyed this year's contest.

I would like to thank Strt8Hoosiers for running the league in the past and LIHoosier for taking over this year when Str8Hoosiers was unable to continue.  You guys are the tops.  Without your thankless efforts the basketball season would not have been the same.

I would like to congratulate Rico and rcs29 for their excellent seasons.  They are tough competitors and worthy adversaries.  I wish them all the luck in the future.  Super job guys!

 This is my third year as a contestant in the Prediction League.  Two years ago I finished 10th.  Last year I was 5th.  Both years I hovered near the top of the standings until I started to throw in contrary selections at the end of the season in an attempt to make up points.  Alas, in both cases the breaks did not go my way.  I'm sure many of you have tried the same strategy this year and in the past.  This year I just played it straight and emerged victorious.

As for me, how did I put together a championship season.  I wasn't easy.  I managed to put together a consistent year.  I selected the winner in 27 of 35 games.  Luckily most of the losers were losers for almost everyone (Rutgers, Northwestern, Illinois, Purdue x2, Iowa, Penn St, and Miami of Florida).  I won only one week and received 48 points for the effort.  I didn't need to use that number.  As for picking the actual scores, I was terrible.  I received a 10 point bonus for only one game.  That is one win for 70 opportunities.  Not much to be proud of there.

Finally, who is BottomLine and what background enabled him to win this year?  Come on.  Don't we all wonder where those handles come from and what do they mean?

I have been an Indiana basketball fan for almost 70 years and have kept score for almost every game I have ever watched.  I'm originally from Seymour and was graduated from IU in 1969.  Which means I'm 75 going on 76.  I retired as a history teacher in 2013, after 43 years in the classroom.  Aren't all basketball coaches either PE teachers, social studies teachers, or Drivers Ed teachers?  It follows that I was a basketball coach for 18 years.

It doesn't end there.  As a second job I worked as a sportswriter for 30 years covering horse racing in the Chicago area.  For 21 of those years I was the handicapper and racing columnist for the Daily Herald, Chicago's largest suburban paper.  In addition to picking horses every day, I had a mythical bankroll in the paper where I bet the horses in public every day.  The name of that column was The Bottom Line.  Get the connection?  I left the Daily Herald in 1999, I've added a link below for anyone who is interested in that story.  In addition to the Daily Herald I have covered racing for Associated Press, The Illinois Racing News, and was a consultant for NBC Sports and several Las Vegas sportsbooks.  After leaving the Daily Herald I turned down offers to work for several on-line racing touts.  Juggling so many employment hats, my record for consecutive days working without a day off was 187.

I seldom engage in chat sites.  After years and years as Bottom Line on the old Indianapolis Star site, Peegs and here, I learned long ago that it is a waste of time trying to change anyone's opinion about anything.

Hope everyone has a great year waiting for next year's Hoosiers.  I'll be back again to defend my title, if the good Lord is willing and the crick don't rise.  Go Hoosiers!

https://www.angelfire.com/fl/brad61yazell/hallet.html

Congratulations!  It’s nice that someone who hasn’t won before came out on top.  It was also nice to hear a bit about yourself.  Maybe we need to do a who’s who but then again maybe not lol.  I hope to play again next year and do a little better to challenge you.  It was fun.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,939]

Well done @BottomLine; well done.

[HoosierHoopster 6,024]

Don’t worry @Joe_hoopsier there’s always next year

:)

Just not for Josh!

[HoosierAloha 29,887]

Congrats BottomLine and thank you for the reminder to update my signature.

[HoosierAloha 29,887]

2 minutes ago, HoosierHoopster said:

Don’t worry @Joe_hoopsier there’s always next year

:)

Just not for Josh!

I have a feeling Alaska might be the winner next year...

[WayneFleekHoosier 46,725]

The BottomLine was that BottomLine was able to mind read these erratic Hoosiers this season whom I’d diagnose as having some dissociative personality disorder.

WayneFleek, viewed likely as the eternal pessimist, was a huge believer in these here Hoosiers at multiple different times (after Xavier, after both Purdue games, after UNC, kinda) and a disbeliever some equal or greater amount of time. That lead me to a disappointing #9 finish this season.

Congrats BottomLine you earned this victory!


Sent from my iPad using BtownBanners

[Dave from Dayton 2,581]

Congratulations to Bottom Line.  

Also, a tip of the ole toupee to Btown Banners and those that manage this site.  It is great to have a well-moderated site to learn and chat about Indiana Hoosiers athletics.

However, Bottom Line is a professional sports handicapper.  That just might be considered by some to be totally unfair. Except for one thing to be discussed later.*

For those of us that cannot ever say that certain other University sports teams just might beat our Hoosiers..there should be a category.  And no, it's not a participation trophy.

Maybe, it just might be a red and white striped box of peppermint candies.  

So for those contestants that suported and predicted a Hoosier win regardless of the metrics and other insider information...enjoy your candy stripes.

* Rules are rules and they are clear.  Sometimes one has to pick against the Hoosiers to win this Prediction League challenge.  But some of us will never, ever grow up to do just that.  

PS  I will bet a beer with some people when discussing Indiana or other team sports.  But I do not bet $.  Not ever. There are bigger issues that we make our choices and have to live with the consequences every day. Those choices are big enough bets for me.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised with a 14 and that I beat Alaska Hoosier and Barrell Rick.  Not to mention Josh..so I won't.  Whew!  I probably will never do better than that.  Until next year when IU wins every. Single. Game.  And that is what I will predict.  And I just might get two scores right out of about 36.

And a huge tip of the ole toupee to the team and coaches.   Indiana basketball is back!

PPS   As an aside...I grew up within walking distance of Ellis Park in Evansville.  It was interesting when reading the racing form how one could see some excellent background on each and every horse and jockey and trainer and owner and the condition of the track, etc.  I can still pick horses but always insist on having the racing form to do it. One would also have to watch the horse and jockey before picking.   My younger sister had a knack.  She 'knew' horses.  She picked 7 of 8 horses on the nose one day.  My father put a $2 bet down on each race pick by her.  Bought her a 10-speed bike with part of the winnings.  I kid you not.

[BottomLine 677]

6 hours ago, Dave from Dayton said:

Congratulations to Bottom Line.  

Also, a tip of the ole toupee to Btown Banners and those that manage this site.  It is great to have a well-moderated site to learn and chat about Indiana Hoosiers athletics.

However, Bottom Line is a professional sports handicapper.  That just might be considered by some to be totally unfair. Except for one thing to be discussed later.*

For those of us that cannot ever say that certain other University sports teams just might beat our Hoosiers..there should be a category.  And no, it's not a participation trophy.

Maybe, it just might be a red and white striped box of peppermint candies.  

So for those contestants that suported and predicted a Hoosier win regardless of the metrics and other insider information...enjoy your candy stripes.

* Rules are rules and they are clear.  Sometimes one has to pick against the Hoosiers to win this Prediction League challenge.  But some of us will never, ever grow up to do just that.  

PS  I will bet a beer with some people when discussing Indiana or other team sports.  But I do not bet $.  Not ever. There are bigger issues that we make our choices and have to live with the consequences every day. Those choices are big enough bets for me.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised with a 14 and that I beat Alaska Hoosier and Barrell Rick.  Not to mention Josh..so I won't.  Whew!  I probably will never do better than that.  Until next year when IU wins every. Single. Game.  And that is what I will predict.  And I just might get two scores right out of about 36.

And a huge tip of the ole toupee to the team and coaches.   Indiana basketball is back!

PPS   As an aside...I grew up within walking distance of Ellis Park in Evansville.  It was interesting when reading the racing form how one could see some excellent background on each and every horse and jockey and trainer and owner and the condition of the track, etc.  I can still pick horses but always insist on having the racing form to do it. One would also have to watch the horse and jockey before picking.   My younger sister had a knack.  She 'knew' horses.  She picked 7 of 8 horses on the nose one day.  My father put a $2 bet down on each race pick by her.  Bought her a 10-speed bike with part of the winnings.  I kid you not.

Sorry if I gave a false impression.  I am not a professional gambler.  I am not a casino gambler.  I have never placed a bet on any sporting event in my life except the outcome of thoroughbred races.  Since I'm retired I go to the track maybe once a year and only use my on line account to bet the Breeders' Cup and the Triple Crown.  Why so little action?  I love chocolate but If you eat chocolate as a meal three times a day for years and years it looses its appeal.  

I use no information that isn't available to anyone with access to the Internet.  I do what I suspect many on here do.  I start with the published point spread and over/under for the game and go from there.  I adjust up and down from there depending on my perceptions of the game.  Admittedly I have a lot of experience in splitting hairs and making choices based upon known and unknown factors.  No big secrets.  I usually go into some detail explaining why I made the selection I made.  Sometimes I'm right and sometimes I'm wrong but there is no secret.  Nothing is hidden.  I love when other people explain their reasoning too.

There may be no inside information but I can give some tips to anyone that wants to bet real money.

1.  You can never will the outcome of an event.  The fact that you want something to happen or need something to happen does not alter what actually happens in any way.  You need to divorce you personal feelings from the prediction process.  If I think the Hoosiers are going to lose, I pick against them, and then do the fan thing and root for an upset.  PICK WITH YOUR HEAD AND THEN ROOT WITH YOUR HEART.

2.  Accept that sometimes you are right and sometimes you are wrong.  Win or lose, always go back after the event and analyze what went right and what went wrong.  LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES.  Sometimes you are right but still lose.  Sometimes the ball will just takes a funny bounce.

3.  Never bet on anything that you don't understand.  After spending years as a basketball coach, I watch games like a coach.  THERE ARE NO SUBSTITUTES FOR EXPERIENCE.  Still on any give day the little old lady from Peoria, who only bets on gray horses and jockeys with pink silks. might sweep the card.  It happens.

Loved the story about the girl and the bike.  I'm finish up with a true story of my own.

This take place back in the 1980s or1990s.  It is a Teachers' Institute Day.  You know, one of those days when the kids stay home from school and get in trouble and the teachers become the students.  I'm in a large group of social studies and language arts teachers and we are listening to a "reading expert" that is teaching us how to teach our students to be better readers by using anticipation.

The exercise consists of a series of picture boards that show a story.  As the expert unveils each board. we are suppose to guess what is on the next story board.  I'm half paying attention in the back of the room, when suddenly she calls on me instead of one of the suck-ups with their hand in air.  Teachers do things like that in order to remind their students that everyone should be paying attention.

EXPERT - "What do you think is going to happen next?"

ME - I quickly think back to what has gone before, gather what information I can, and respond.  "I think this is going to happen and then such and such is going to happen, and then that causes something else to happen, and so on."  I gave her the story as covered by the next half dozen story boards.

EXPERT - Mouth hanging open looks at me, then back at the stack of story boards, then back at me, then back at the story boards again.  I have just blown up the rest of her whole presentation.   "Sir, have you done this exercise before?"  She obviously isn't happy.

ME - No

EXPERT - "How did you know what was on the other boards?  Did you peak or something.  You got all of them right."

ME - Not happy being called a possible cheat.  "No, I took the information from the cards that you had revealed and imagined what might be next.  Added that information to what I already knew and then projected that onto the next board, and so forth"

EXPERT - Stunned, flustered and obviously not knowing what to do for the next hour.  "I've never had anyone do that before.  Do you know what that is called?"

ME - Thinking she is going to call me a jerk or a**hole.  "No"

EXPERT - "That is called gambler's instinct."

THE WHOLE ROOM FULL OF TEACHERS - Since they know what I did on the side. "Roars of shouting and laughter!"  There were even some on their feet jumping around and giving high fives.  Meanwhile the expert just stared at the class.  She had no idea what was going on.

Did I mention that teachers HATE institute days.  That was the only time I can remember getting out of one early.  In one day I had become a legend and a hero.

True story!

[Dave from Dayton 2,581]

Wow! Great story, BL. 

I probably used the wrong terminology. Did not intend to imply that you were a professional gambler. Was somewhat trying to point out my own inability to be objective. And emphasizing your ability, and those at the top, to be objective.

As you said...vote with your head; cheer with your heart.

Uh...nevah!