Prediction Game Trial Run Winner: Team Spidershark

There we have it. Our prediction game’s trial run has ended just as it began: with Team Spidershark doing a little of what Paul Williams trainer George Peterson would (creepily) call the “spank butt business.”

I promised the winner of the trial run a (very) small prize. Besides the big name in the headline, I’ve decided to make that prize one of the highest honors one can obtain at TQBR: The picture below, which also happens to have a tie-in to TSS’ team name.

So everyone congratulate Team Spidershark.

Also, everyone ought to throw some congrats out to the man who won 2nd place — Alexmac, who came within 100 points of tying for the #1 spot. By my tally, only TSS and AM went six for six in their predictions.

A “congrats of the week” ought to go to The Queensberry Fools, as team captain Eugene Dammrod got the maximum possible points — 1300 — for accurately calling the precise manner in which bantamweight Eric Morel and featherweight Bernabe Concepcion would defeat Gerry Penalosa and Mario Santiago, respectively, PLUS he got the upset call for picking Concepcion.

I went with Graham Houston’s numbers on who the underdogs were, and this was a good week to pick up upset bonus points, since both fights were very evenly matched. Nineteen people picked Concepcion for the successful bonus points hookup; only four people got the exact results right for either of the fights, though.

So here’s the deal going forward: The prediction league idea was enough of a success that we’ll do it again — although from the standpoint of ongoing viability, it was worrisome to me that some people made predictions sometimes and not others — only we’ll do it for 12 fights instead of six. That’ll give everyone more time to play catch-up if they get behind, or to screw up if they’re one of the geniuses who got every call right this time ’round.

We’ll also modify the points structure just a little, to give, say, 50 points to anyone who accurately calls whether it’ll be a KO or a decision. And I expect the winner of the 12-rounder will get an actual, real, substantial prize. (Chris, I ain’t forgot you on that Ali poster from the contest you won — I just am slow in delivering.)

When things start up again — probably for the Feb. 27 Marvin Sonsona-Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr. junior featherweight bout — I’ll remind you of all this stuff. Any other suggestions on how we can make this all more fun?

For now, here are your final standings; alert me to any errors, please, and I’ll adjudicate:

FINAL STANDINGS

Spidershark (Team Spidershark) – 3400

Alexmac – 3300

Angrypeople – 2600

Dobbler (Knees Up Neville Brown) – 2600

CardScott5 – 2600

Scott Kraus (Bridgewater Slaughterhouse) – 2500

Andrew Harrison (Geordie Dancer) – 2500