As We Were Saying...

We beg your forgiveness for the lack of feedback in recent days. Incapacitated by sleep deprivation brought on by the NCAA hockey tournament, the Administration temporarily misplaced some or all of the TPP brackets -- not once, but twice. Don’t ask.

Now in hand are 19 brackets (a comfortable number that reminds us of kinder, gentler TPP times, circa 1993). Standings are below; please don’t hesitate to question or recalculate your point totals.

For the first time in pool history, TPP welcomes a third generation: young MADDY BRUMBERG (daughter of TPP veteran ADAM BRUMBERG and granddaughter of DAVID & JOAN BRUMBERG). Maddy, a lacrosse player who paid an enormous price for her bold picks, becomes the first underaged TPP participant, no doubt adding to the long list of TPP’s legally inadvisable practices.

Our leader, for now, is MIKE MITCHELL, who built his ten-plus-point cushion over BORIS WEINTRAUB, KAREN GIBBS, and JOSH WYNER with the help of TPP-high picking percentages in the second and third rounds (11 out of 16 right and 6 out of 8 right, respectively). Mike nailed the Chicago region (with the exception of one first-round game), and he was one of few TPP participants to pick Louisville into the Final Four.

But before you give up on your bracket, be advised that Mike’s national runner-up, Syracuse, has been eliminated … and many TPP participants share his choice of Illinois as a national champion. This race is wide open. Stay tuned for updates in the weekend leading up to the Final Four. Check in every day this week for essential tidbits, including participants’ Final Four picks to help you determine your rooting interests this weekend.

Current standings
Mitchell 86
Weintraub 76
Gibbs 75
Wyner 74
Webber 71
Hopps 70
Borenzweig 69
Leonard 66
Brumberg, D & J 65
Henry 65
Hoffmann 65
Seldin 60
Frost 58
Swartwout 57
Lazur 56
Tait 56
Brumberg, A 55
Miller 46
Brumberg, M 28