Post by: NeilT on March 28, 2006, 04:46:34 pm
Contest Rules:
1. Whatever the rules are, I can change them any time for any reason, including whim. The purpose of this rule is not to promote chaos, but to preempt wailing, moaning, whining, and griping. Particularly griping.
2. Last year?s Grand Prize winner, Drew Corleone, gets the first pick. He will have until the Official Commencement Time (hereinafter defined) to announce his pick. He will have to pick it outside this thread, because HH is supposed to sticky this and lock it until the Official Commencement Time. I don't know what HH does to sticky things, and I don't want to know.
Last year?s co-ards, Hurricane David, Phil in CS, and David in Jackson, get nothing but glory.
3. Picks below 80 can?t win. Even if they?re right they?re wrong.
4. All posts are in this thread. Posts out of this thread are DQ?d unless I change the rules.
V. Just like last year. The first chooser of the correct number gets the Grand Prize. No one is thereafter precluded from choosing that number, and each other person choosing that number will get Second Prize (hereinafter defined). Obviously, Second Prize is a big step down in glory, honor, and value. Last year, though, the largest cluster of choices was on the winning number. I don?t know whether that was dumb luck or superior knowledge, but I sure liked it.
6. One choice per person.
7. If there are gaps in the high picks, say, between 95 and 162, the high pick gets the gaps down to the next highest pick. This does not work in reverse, i.e., below 95. We all lose if the Astros win fewer than the low pick.
8. The grand prize, of course, is an Astros cap of your choosing from the Shed, and the coveted Derrick Bell, New York Met, baseball card (which must be returned in time for next year's contest) (the ?Grand Prize?). What could be better? Second Prize is an Astros pencil, a gift certificate for a Jame?s Coney Island Chili Pie (small size), or whatever cheap junk at the Shed strikes my fancy (?Second Prize?). I thought the stuff last year was particularly useless, and altogether very cool.
9. NO POSTINGS (OTHER THAN DREW CORLEONE?S) WILL BE ACCEPTED UNTIL THE OFFICIAL COMMENCEMENT TIME, WHICH IN THIS CIRCULAR DEFINITION WILL BE ON OR ABOUT 11:00 A.M., THURSDAY, MARCH 30 (the ?Official Commencement Time?). HH is supposed to open the thread, so get your send button ready.
10. No entries will be accepted after the first pitch on Opening Day. Or thereabouts.
11. Here?s the list of past winners:
2005 Drew Corleone (with Co-Ards Hurricane David, Phil in CS, and David in Jackson)
2004 Andy Zipp
2003 Jim R
2002 no winner
2001 Neil T (See how arbitrary and capricious my rulemaking can be? I didn?t even enter the contest until the 161st game, right after I disqualified the real winner.)
2000 no winner, but one heck of a whiner
1999 Astrobabe
Good Luck!
Post by: HudsonHawk on March 28, 2006, 09:17:50 pm
90
Post by: HurricaneDavid on March 30, 2006, 01:04:09 pm
Post by: Phil_in_CS on March 30, 2006, 01:04:30 pm
Post by: Golden Sombrero on March 30, 2006, 01:04:35 pm
Post by: xxx on March 30, 2006, 01:04:56 pm
Post by: LonghornCDR on March 30, 2006, 01:05:41 pm
Post by: Tralfaz on March 30, 2006, 01:06:42 pm
Post by: BudGirl on March 30, 2006, 01:07:18 pm
Post by: Lefty on March 30, 2006, 01:09:52 pm
Post by: Ty in Tampa on March 30, 2006, 01:11:12 pm
Post by: toddthebod on March 30, 2006, 01:11:37 pm
Post by: Jacksonian on March 30, 2006, 01:14:26 pm
Post by: homer on March 30, 2006, 01:17:14 pm
Post by: MusicMan on March 30, 2006, 01:18:52 pm
Post by: EasTexAstro on March 30, 2006, 01:19:41 pm
Post by: lc_db on March 30, 2006, 01:37:02 pm
84 shall be the number thy shalt win, and the number of the winning shalt be 84.
85 shalt thou not be, nor either win thou 83, excepting that thou then proceed to 84.
Once the number 84, being the 84th number reached, the lid shall be mynith.
Post by: Andyzipp on March 30, 2006, 01:40:28 pm
Post by: Rebel Jew on March 30, 2006, 01:41:04 pm
Post by: BizidyDizidy on March 30, 2006, 01:42:03 pm
Edit: Shoot, missed PTAF.
101
Post by: Fredia on March 30, 2006, 01:54:35 pm
Post by: Craig on March 30, 2006, 02:10:06 pm
Post by: JimR on March 30, 2006, 02:18:29 pm
Post by: toddthebod on March 30, 2006, 02:23:13 pm
Ok, I'll take 100 -- optimist that I am.
Post by: David in Jackson on March 30, 2006, 02:42:25 pm
Post by: No? in Austin on March 30, 2006, 02:42:26 pm
Post by: T. J. on March 30, 2006, 02:44:57 pm
Post by: Bill McLuggage on March 30, 2006, 02:55:23 pm
Post by: Bench on March 30, 2006, 02:58:42 pm
Damn early birds.
Post by: MikeyBoy on March 30, 2006, 03:03:09 pm
Post by: Greg D on March 30, 2006, 03:04:46 pm
Post by: JaneDoe on March 30, 2006, 03:06:12 pm
Quote:
88
Damn early birds.
I pick 88 also. Where is Fredia and her shotgun? Shoot the damn early birds.
Post by: Foghorn on March 30, 2006, 03:13:27 pm
Post by: Mr. Happy on March 30, 2006, 03:38:01 pm
Post by: chuck on March 30, 2006, 04:23:02 pm
Post by: Waldo on March 30, 2006, 04:27:46 pm
Post by: Alkie on March 30, 2006, 04:32:17 pm
Bastards. Don't you all have JOBS?
Post by: T. J. on March 30, 2006, 04:34:21 pm
Quote:
79.
3. Picks below 80 can?t win. Even if they?re right they?re wrong.
Quote:
Bastards. Don't you all have JOBS?
Yes. And?
Post by: Tralfaz on March 30, 2006, 04:42:31 pm
Quote:
79.
Bastards. Don't you all have JOBS?
Yes. It's my life that's in question.
Post by: Alkie on March 30, 2006, 04:51:39 pm
The rules were created by one of the in-house attorneys. Therefore, they're unenforceable.
That's the only thing I've learned from contract law. Whatever-you-do, don't use a contract from a lawyer.
Post by: astrojo on March 30, 2006, 05:06:49 pm
I was going to choose 93, so I guess while Longhorn is livin' it up and gettin' a faincy hat from the shed, I'll be sharin' my frito pie with all the other latecomers of this competition!
I wanted that Derek Bell card!
Post by: Trey on March 30, 2006, 06:02:36 pm
Post by: mihoba on March 30, 2006, 07:08:56 pm
Rajah will return for the stretch run. Astros will go 60-21 after the mid-way pole. You read it hear first.
Post by: BudGirl on March 30, 2006, 07:33:55 pm
Quote:
You read it hear first.
Yeah, I hear you.
Post by: seib22 on March 30, 2006, 07:51:51 pm
Post by: otterj on March 30, 2006, 10:22:17 pm
Post by: jasonact on March 31, 2006, 12:14:43 am
95.
Put me down for a big nine-fiver.
Post by: mihoba on March 31, 2006, 09:21:51 am
Quote:Quote:
You read it hear first.
Yeah, I hear you.
Good. You heard what I wrote, so you see what I'm saying.
Post by: Phil_in_CS on March 31, 2006, 09:26:51 am
Quote:
Dang. I forgot all about this until 10 minutes ago. Without looing, it's probably safe to assume that all of the reasonable numbers have at least one or two picks on them. So instead of attempting to be unique, I'll just choose my number:
95.
Put me down for a big nine-fiver.
Don't feel back about being a co-winner. That baseball bat pen thing NeilT sent is not only cool to sign things with, its also good for thumping my staff on the head when they waste time on the internet.
Post by: rifraft on March 31, 2006, 05:03:34 pm
89.
thanks.
Post by: NeilT on April 01, 2006, 04:24:35 pm
3 Foghorn
***
79 Alkie
80 Greg D
81 T.J.
82 Fredia (Paul Hood)
83 AndyZipp
84 lc_db
85 Hurricane David (JimR)
86 Jacksonian (Chuck)
87 XXX
88 Ty in Tampa (Bench, Jane Doe)
89 Tralfaz (rifraft)
90 Drew Corleone
91 PineTarredNFeathered
92 Phil in CS (David in Jackson)
93 LonghornLCDR (astrojo)
94 BudGirl
95 Lefty (jasonact)
96 Homer
97 MusicMan
98 EasTexAstro
99 Craig the Bastard
100 JoeyTrum (ToddtheBod)
101 BizidyDizidy
102 Noe in Austin
103 MikeyBoy
104 Waldo
105 Trey
106 Mihoba
107 seib22
***
137 TheWalrusIsAl
***
163.14 1 otterj
Post by: HudsonHawk on April 03, 2006, 02:44:05 pm
136.