There were a lot of ups and downs in the 2013 Picks. Okay, that's not true. After the first four weeks, Rich and Chris had separated off into an upper strata at 12-5 and 11-6, while David and Alex settled into the lower tier at 7-10 and 6-11, respectively. Within the two groups, however, there was a fair share of give and take, ebb and flow, applying of pressure, and the occasional lead change within the two groups.
Week 5 saw the introduction of the "Lock of the Week," which counted for double, and allowed for more impact in those little movements. At 6-3 on the season, Chris had the most success playing his lock. Alex was tied with a .667 percentage, however, his 2-1 did not quite have as impressive of legs. To be fair, he did try to play a fourth lock on the season during week 7, but the pick was excluded due to a dog bite injury incurred by Sessions. That alone may be the best summary for Alex's season with the Picks. Finally, both Rich and David went 4-5 with their locks. David finished the year strong, going 4-0 on his lock during July; he was also the only Picker who dared to lock down anything from the two Ohio tournaments in week 13. Unfortunately for David, you cannot help but notice how that means he went 0-5 on his lock to start the season. For Rich, the lock is the only thing in which he performed under .500 on the season. If he had it to do over, a smart wager would be that he'd never use the lock again - unless he said with complete confidence, "no way I use the lock," at this point.
As alluded, Rich put together winning week after winning week and led the way most of the season. Until week 11 to be exact. That was when Rich put up a 2-4 record, just his second losing week of the season, and Chris posted his second consecutive 5-1 week to make him 14-1 over the previous three weeks. That put the two in a deadlock for the first time since week 6. Then, week 12 saw Rich drop back-to-back losing weeks for the first time all year. Chris put together a 3-2 week and took his first outright lead of the season. He then padded his advantage in the win column by 1 during the Ohio tournaments (or .02 percentage points). It all came down to the "Final Jeopardy" of Week 14; a format that gave anyone a shot.
Leading the way, Chris played it safe on his wager: putting just 5 points on his team to score 30 runs. Behind him, Rich wagered a little bit steeper: 13 points on Mundel and the Aces pitchers to rack up a ton of Ks, which they easily did with extra innings involved. As should be expected from those trailing, David and the Mayor, standing in for Alex, put up all the points they had - 27 and 25, respectively. The Mayor lost all of his betting on Belgian to quiet the Balls bats; something Alex later lamented, "Oh man. Sounds like a mayor..." On the other hand, David doubled up his number with the correct pick of Ks in the Aces/Isles series.
Final results on the season: Obviously, Alex - assisted by the Mayor - came in fourth place. His final record: 26-92 (.295). Despite the big boom in the final week, David still finished third with a 58-43 (.574) record. Second place goes to Chris, bitten by his safe play in the final week, with a 51-29 (.638) record. Thus, your 2013 season WSEM Pickers champion is Rich with a 56-31 (.644) record!
Why end there, though? The WSEM Championship is kind of a big deal. We figured let's get these guys involved with it and give three of them a shot at redemption, while letting Rich have a chance to strut his stuff. Just three picks. Quick and simple. For the first all year, though, the picks feature odds. So, the balance of playing the favorite and looking for a good payout becomes key. Here are the guys picks, and below them a breakdown of how they appear to be playing it.
Week 5 saw the introduction of the "Lock of the Week," which counted for double, and allowed for more impact in those little movements. At 6-3 on the season, Chris had the most success playing his lock. Alex was tied with a .667 percentage, however, his 2-1 did not quite have as impressive of legs. To be fair, he did try to play a fourth lock on the season during week 7, but the pick was excluded due to a dog bite injury incurred by Sessions. That alone may be the best summary for Alex's season with the Picks. Finally, both Rich and David went 4-5 with their locks. David finished the year strong, going 4-0 on his lock during July; he was also the only Picker who dared to lock down anything from the two Ohio tournaments in week 13. Unfortunately for David, you cannot help but notice how that means he went 0-5 on his lock to start the season. For Rich, the lock is the only thing in which he performed under .500 on the season. If he had it to do over, a smart wager would be that he'd never use the lock again - unless he said with complete confidence, "no way I use the lock," at this point.
As alluded, Rich put together winning week after winning week and led the way most of the season. Until week 11 to be exact. That was when Rich put up a 2-4 record, just his second losing week of the season, and Chris posted his second consecutive 5-1 week to make him 14-1 over the previous three weeks. That put the two in a deadlock for the first time since week 6. Then, week 12 saw Rich drop back-to-back losing weeks for the first time all year. Chris put together a 3-2 week and took his first outright lead of the season. He then padded his advantage in the win column by 1 during the Ohio tournaments (or .02 percentage points). It all came down to the "Final Jeopardy" of Week 14; a format that gave anyone a shot.Leading the way, Chris played it safe on his wager: putting just 5 points on his team to score 30 runs. Behind him, Rich wagered a little bit steeper: 13 points on Mundel and the Aces pitchers to rack up a ton of Ks, which they easily did with extra innings involved. As should be expected from those trailing, David and the Mayor, standing in for Alex, put up all the points they had - 27 and 25, respectively. The Mayor lost all of his betting on Belgian to quiet the Balls bats; something Alex later lamented, "Oh man. Sounds like a mayor..." On the other hand, David doubled up his number with the correct pick of Ks in the Aces/Isles series.
Final results on the season: Obviously, Alex - assisted by the Mayor - came in fourth place. His final record: 26-92 (.295). Despite the big boom in the final week, David still finished third with a 58-43 (.574) record. Second place goes to Chris, bitten by his safe play in the final week, with a 51-29 (.638) record. Thus, your 2013 season WSEM Pickers champion is Rich with a 56-31 (.644) record!
Why end there, though? The WSEM Championship is kind of a big deal. We figured let's get these guys involved with it and give three of them a shot at redemption, while letting Rich have a chance to strut his stuff. Just three picks. Quick and simple. For the first all year, though, the picks feature odds. So, the balance of playing the favorite and looking for a good payout becomes key. Here are the guys picks, and below them a breakdown of how they appear to be playing it.
 |
 David (58 - 43, .574) |
 Richard (56 - 30, .651) |
 Alex (26 - 62, .295) |
 Chris (51 - 29, .638) |
Who will win the 2013 WSEM Championship, and in how many games? |
 Aces in 5 4:1 |
 El Diablos in 5 9:2 |
Aces in 5 4:1 |
Aces in 4 3:1 |
Who will throw the most strike outs in the series? |
 Skinner 4:1 |
Skinner 4:1 |
 C. Phillips 50:1 coming in because Skinner can't go on after he falls into the moat (you guys have one of those right?) |
 A. Bischoff 3:2 |
Who will lead the series in batting average? |
 Ladouceur 6:1 |
 Lollio 10:1 |
 M. Phillips 1,000:1 |
 Bortmas 3:2 |
Boom. Let's jump in with the two guys employing polar opposite strategies. On the wild side, Alex is essentially saying, 'I'm gonna fucking go for it!' At 1,000:1 if he hits on Mark Phillips leading in average, this competition is over and Alex looks like a genius. I'm not sure how Austin feels about Pete Rose, but there could be a nice payday in here for him if he let Mark go 1 for 1 and retire. Just saying. Also, Alex picks another darkhorse in the younger Phillips to lead in Ks, as Chandler is slated to pitch in at most two games and has a KpI 0.3 below the favorite. Still, the possibility of extra innings always looms and makes the 50:1 payout enticing. By comparison to those two, Alex's pick of the Aces to win in 5 is tame; it has the second highest odds on the book, in between Aces in 4 and El Diablos in 5.
On the "tea and crumpets" side, Chris apparently has no problem with the results of his safe play in week 14. He has taken the favorites across the board in the Championship Series. Aces in 4 (3:2), Austin to have the most Ks (3:2), and Bortmas to lead in batting average (3:1). Questioned about not learning his lesson, Chris responded, "Maybe so, but that's what's going to happen. Can't pick against logic." He's right; if each of those hits, he wins. However, if just one misses it will be hard to amass enough points to have a shot.
David and Rich both pick Skinner, the second favorite at 4:1, to lead the series in Ks. Not a bad pick at all, and one that could pay off big. Both Pickers also choose a Diablo down the list to lead in average, too. Rich has Lollio, the 2013 batting champion, taking it; the reason Lollio is at 10:1 odds is the uncertainty of his playing time. David takes Ladouceur at 6:1, who has struggled these playoffs, but is a hitter capable of a breakout series at any time. Finally, for the big one, David echoes Alex in picking the Aces in 5 (4:1). Rich is much more unique on this one, as the only Picker having El Diablos to win the series. He has them going the distance and winning in 5, 9:2 odds. Hitting this would not only give him a big edge in this round, but give him a bold pick to gloat about all offseason.
There are some patterns on the board that might possibly help us foresee the winner. Rich won the 2013 season picks challenge, and his entire lineup features El Diablos. David and Alex have Whiteford winning, but then give both other picks to El Diablos. Chris, runner up on the season, is the only one to have an Ace for every pick. Just saying.
| Odds to Win | |
| WA in 4 | 3:1 |
| WA in 5 | 4:1 |
| EL in 5 | 9:2 |
| EL in 4 | 7:1 |
| WA in 3 | 18:1 |
| EL in 3 | 25:1 |
David and Rich both pick Skinner, the second favorite at 4:1, to lead the series in Ks. Not a bad pick at all, and one that could pay off big. Both Pickers also choose a Diablo down the list to lead in average, too. Rich has Lollio, the 2013 batting champion, taking it; the reason Lollio is at 10:1 odds is the uncertainty of his playing time. David takes Ladouceur at 6:1, who has struggled these playoffs, but is a hitter capable of a breakout series at any time. Finally, for the big one, David echoes Alex in picking the Aces in 5 (4:1). Rich is much more unique on this one, as the only Picker having El Diablos to win the series. He has them going the distance and winning in 5, 9:2 odds. Hitting this would not only give him a big edge in this round, but give him a bold pick to gloat about all offseason.
There are some patterns on the board that might possibly help us foresee the winner. Rich won the 2013 season picks challenge, and his entire lineup features El Diablos. David and Alex have Whiteford winning, but then give both other picks to El Diablos. Chris, runner up on the season, is the only one to have an Ace for every pick. Just saying.
