Make thee prosperous! Send in your check

Dear Sports Fans, 

"God in thy good cause, make thee prosperous! Be swift in the execution, and let thy blows doubly redoubled fall like amazing thunder upon the casques of thy adverse pernicious enemy! Rouse up thy youthful blood, be valiant and advance!"

-- John of Gaunt

[Explanatory note: the term “casques” refers to Elizabethan England’s equivalent of reinforced concussion-mitigating Riddell helmets with double-strap mouth guards.] 

In other words: let the 2012 Catskill Golf & Poker Club NFL Eliminator Pool, sponsored by Miss Margie’s Metuchen Day Care, begin!

Let us state the rules clearly: 

Rule 1. Pick a winner in Week I. Any team. Point spread don’t matter.

Rule 2. Winners move on to Week II.

Rule 3. Players cannot pick the same team more than once. 

Rule 4. Keep going until we have a winner, or a tie.

Rule 5. Ties split the pot. (Last year's $1,260 pot went to Indianapolis-based Jeremiah T. Cunningham.)

Appendix I: Picks must be submitted before the week of competition begins, regardless of the actual time and date of the game played by the player's pick. For instance, when the Cowboys or Giants kick off at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 5, Week I will have officially begun for everyone -- even those players who didn't pick the Cowboys or Giants.

Appendix II: The Administrator is final arbiter of all disputes, including -- but not limited to -- hurricane-delayed games, violations of rule no. 3, and entry-fee controversies.

Addendum: The point spread does NOT play a role in the Catskill Golf & Poker Club NFL Eliminator Pool. (But savvy veterans often refer to the spread for informational purposes.)

# # # AMDINISTRATIVE NOTE: IMPORTANT NEW TWIST # # # 

A new twist this year, the official picks and official results will no longer be broadcast via e-mail. They will be published online, here at this site, www.CatskillEliminator.blogspot.com

You can send your picks to the Administrator’s e-mail, or you can post them to the blog and put the league on notice of your boldness. Or you may wish to lull other Sports Fans into a false sense of comfort with your conservative picks in the early going, and then shock them out of their game in week six or seven. Your call.

# # # BONUS PRE-SEASON PREDICTION # # #

The Administrator predicts that, at least once this season, a desperate team in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter will score a touchdown after successfully executing multiple laterals all over the field!

# # # Participation update # # #

It’s $20 to play. The following sports fans are paid in full:

1) Indianapolis-based Jeremiah T. Cunningham

2) Hawaii-based Dick Webster

3) The Administrator

4) New York-based Steve Dixon, who gave me a 20 spot on the southbound E train just a few moments ago! 
5) Atlanta-based Amy Platter
6) Kingston, N.Y.-based Jim Reynolds
7) Catherine Stephany
8) Catherine Stephany's brother
9) Doylestown, Pa.-based Matthew Weintraub

10) Staten Island-based Jim Lynch

The Administrator's mailing address is 56 Voorhees Place, Metuchen, NJ 08840.

"Now let it work. Mischief thou art afoot. Take thou what course thou wilt."

-- Antony

Good luck to all Sports Fans!