CHRIS FUSCO - CHAMPION AGAIN

2015 Champ

The seemingly impossible happened.  Going into the final four, Kentucky was an even money favorite in Vegas to win two games and take home the title.  In their previous 38 games, they were unblemished.  While they survived a few close calls, they were still batting 1.000.

Naturally, Chris beats me in almost every sporting competition we have, be it physical, professional or fantasy.  He's 3-time defending champ in our fantasy football league.  I've watched his Giants win two Super Bowls.  I've seen his Yankees win numerous World Series, one against the Phils.  I've seen his NY Rangers completely own the Flyers in previous years.  Thank goodness he's not Jewish; it's the only thing that allows me win the occasional beer pong game against Cro and Cutter.  What do kids do when a kid at school constantly picks on them, takes their money, and makes them feel inferior?  They get their mom and dad involved.  Well, I did exactly that this year.  Tasked with teaching Chris a lesson to be nicer to his friends, Dennis and Kathy Atallian went into the final four as the only two who could defeat Chris.  All they needed was their champ to win.  Not Duke.  Not Sparty.  Unfortunately, they would have to decide between themselves who was going to the ultimate bad cop here, as one of Wisconsin or Kentucky would be eliminated going into the championship.  In the end, it was Dennis who lacked the killer instinct.  He cracked under the pressure.

Let's face it.  He has picked Duke every year in recent memory, with the exception of two.  2010 and 2015.  Duke would go on to win both years.  No matter how bad he wanted Wisconsin to win last night, I'm sure there was a piece of him rooting for Duke.  You can't win titles unless you're fully committed to the cause.  Also, having Cro root for you doesn't help matters either.

Below are the final standings for the 2015 Anyone But Cro Invitational.  It must be noted that the top 4 had Duke as their national champ.  Shelby Riff also predicted Duke correctly, but early struggles prevented her from finishing higher.

Nico Tennant also had a late run to the top of the standings.  He was the only bracket to correctly pit Wisconsin against Duke in the championship.  He usually struggles early in the tournament, but he historically preforms well later in the tournament.

Also congrats to Matt Ellner on his third place finish and recent engagement.  Had his East region been a little bit cleaner, he would have had a legit chance at higher finish.  Nonetheless, his bracket was good enough to be in the top 10% and earn his entry fee back.

I hope everyone enjoyed this years Invitational.  It was a crazy 3 weeks with upsets, bachelor and bachelorette parties, wedding showers, Easter, Passover.  All while trying to manage a full time job.  After all that, we ended up with a champ that virtually nobody wanted.  Duke and Chris Fusco.  I eagerly look forward to the 2016 edition.

Name	Total
Chris Fusco	151
Nico Tennant	149
Matt Ellner	135
Jenna Fusco	132
Kathy Atallian	124
Boston Strong	116
Joe Fadule	113
Shelby Riff	113
Tom Moffa	111
Michelle Liller	103
UJ	103
KC Bomber	102
Dosh Whye	102
Kyle Bennett	99
Steve Henderson	99
Chris Woody	94
Sue Henderson	93
Rachael Weissman	88
BG	87
EEB	84
Patrick Henderson	84
Boy Pierce	84
Lauren Zuckerman	84
Pat Shields	83
Drew Fenzel	83
Ben Lobitz	80
Andrew Comenzo	80
Cro	75
Big Meech	74
Rebecca Anzaha	73
Adam Tatz	73
Jim Dallas	71
Ashley Judd Clone	67
BTK	58
AC Billz IV	57
David Weissman	53

Take care everyone,
Matt

STANDINGS - March 29, 2015

Finally, the computer is up and running!  After a whirlwind 48 hours in Philly with the best friends and family a guy could ask for, the standings in the ABC are current.  Check em out.

There are only 3 people left in contention for the 2015 Anyone But Cro title.  Nobody had Michigan State in the Final Four, which surprises me because there are a couple of Tom Izzo lovers in this pool.  Remember, if you haven't paid yet, please do so as soon as possible.

Payouts:
First Place - $300
Second Place - $50
Third Place - $10

Here's the scenarios:
Duke or Michigan State wins Championship - Chris Fusco
Kentucky wins Championship - Kathy Atallian
Wisconsin wins Championship - KC Bomber

Name	Total
Chris Fusco	111
Kathy Atallian	109
Michelle Liller	103
UJ	103
Boston Strong	101
Kyle Bennett	99
Steve Henderson	99
Joe Fadule	98
Tom Moffa	96
Matt Ellner	95
Nico Tennant	94
Jenna Fusco	92
Rachael Weissman	88
BG	87
KC Bomber	87
Dosh Whye	87
EEB	84
Patrick Henderson	84
Boy Pierce	84
Pat Shields	83
Drew Fenzel	83
Ben Lobitz	80
Andrew Comenzo	80
Chris Woody	79
Sue Henderson	78
Cro	75
Big Meech	74
Rebecca Anzaha	73
Shelby Riff	73
Adam Tatz	73
Jim Dallas	71
Lauren Zuckerman	69
Ashley Judd Clone	67
BTK	58
AC Billz IV	57
David Weissman	53

STANDINGS - March 26, 2015

Yay sports.

919 PM - Cro's out.  It was discovered late this afternoon that he could not pass midwest entry Drew Fenzel, as they had all the same picks remaining.  It was a crushing blow for Cro, and not one I wanted to deliver.  I had taken the wind from his sails at a time he should be flying high.  To make matter worse, rooting for Wichita blew up on him as well, as Notre Dame cruised in the second half.

Standings are below.  Lots of movement now that games are worth 5!  Stay tuned as UNC v Wisconsin appear to be coming in hot.

951 PM - Wisconsin has been called!  Did anyone else see that quick cameo of Tan Aaron Rodgers?  No chance he spent all winter in Wisconsin.  Everyone has Kentucky in the Elite 8 except David Weissman, who has Maryland.  Nobody gets points with a West Virginia win.  Everyone But David gets points with a Kentucky win.  Obviously the effects of a Kentucky loss would be felt in the later rounds.

810 AM - I called the Kentucky game at 30-10.  No need to stay up and watch that disaster.  West Virginia lost in the most hilarious way possible.  Couldn't have happened to a classier guy in Bob Huggins either.  Most current standings are below.

Note: I will be out in Philly tonight and tomorrow night for the bachelor party of the century.  I will have my blogging materials with me, but most likely will not have the live blogging feature until Sunday.  I'll definitely update the standings each morning though.  It's a very close race at the top.  It's still anyone's game.  We will know more after the Boomer Sooner v Sparty match up is over. The race at the bottom is arguably just as intriguing as the race at the top.  It works in the English Premier League, so that same concept can easily transfer over to the ABC.  AC Billz IV has been relentless in his pursuit of last.  A Louisville final four showing may be his only life line at this point.

Enjoy the games tonight.  Go Utah.

Name Total Kyle Bennett 74 Michelle Liller 68 Chris Fusco 66 Nico Tennant 64 Kathy Atallian 64 Joe Fadule 63 UJ 63 Jenna Fusco 62 Tom Moffa 61 Boston Strong 61 Matt Ellner 60 Ben Lobitz 60 EEB 59 Rebecca Anzaha 58 Rachael Weissman 58 Pat Shields 58 Drew Fenzel 58 BG 57 KC Bomber 57 Ashley Judd Clone 57 Dosh Whye 57 Jim Dallas 56 Cro 55 Lauren Zuckerman 54 Steve Henderson 54 Chris Woody 54 Patrick Henderson 54 Boy Pierce 49 Big Meech 49 David Weissman 48 Shelby Riff 48 Sue Henderson 48 Andrew Comenzo 45 BTK 43 Adam Tatz 43 AC Billz IV 42

STANDINGS - March 22, 2015

Apologies for the such late posting of the current standings.  Had an action packed day yesterday and wasn't able to to grade until this afternoon.  After racing out to an unprecedented 28 from 32, Joe Fadule has really taken his foot off the gas in round 2.  Another rookie Kyle Bennett has over taken him for sole possession of first place.  What's up with these rookies coming in here trying to take everyone's money?  The Anyone But Cro Players Association (ABCPA) needs to get together in the off season and propose some sort of rookie hazing.  Here I am grading 36 brackets, while these new guys come in here and act like they run things.  I got news.  That rookie wall is coming.  You don't ever want to see the likes of Boy Pierce lurking only 5 points back.

The good news is it appears two time defending champ AC Billz IV didn't get the ABC the attention it deserves this year, and a new champ is almost guaranteed to be crowned.  Would it surprise anyone to know that he submitted his bracket at 11:43 AM EDT Thursday morning?  No.

449 PM:  Duke has been called.  Everyone had them in the Sweet 16 except for David Weissman, AC Billz IV and Tatz.  What an exclusive group that is.  Next game up, the REAL Sunflower State Showdown, Kansas v Wichita State.  There's a good mix of winners in the pool so we'll see some juggling.  I've picked Kansas to win it all 8 years in a row or something like that.  This is the first game I've picked them to lose since like 2007.  It's an awkward feeling, but I'm rooting for them anyway since my pool sucks.  Wichita has wanted this game for such a long time.  KU wins ugly.  It's going to be a tremendous game.

735 PM:  No drive.  No hustle.  No leadership.  No difference maker.  Against a team who wanted it more.  Who wanted to play you for years.  Whose players felt slighted by not being recruited hard enough by their opponent.  Add all that together and you get an easy Wichita State win.  It was evident as soon as the brackets came out.  National champions don't get their ass kicked by Temple by 30 points because they went on Christmas Break early.  KU losing in March Madness is far and away one of the worst of my year, but this one has been the easiest in quite some time.  More than expected.  In fact, predicted.  Score 2 for your boy.  In other news, I need more Shaq tweets and Barles Charkley.

833 PM:  Boomer Sooner to the Sweet 16 is one the most awkward things ever said in sports.  The top 4 all had OU in the Sweet 16 and distanced themselves from Cro a little further.  The Kyle Bennett is in impeccable shape.  Also new mother Michelle Liller has OU in Final Four and is still a severe threat to the ABC crown.

914 PM:  Only 3 without Gonzaga in the Sweet 16.  Boy Pierce, Lobitz and EEB are the odd men out.  Nothing to report really.  Only news is that if I keep this pace up through out the Louisville UNI game, tomorrow morning will be a struggle.  Cro 12 off the pace as of now, keep up the good work everyone.  He's hanging on the mathematical improbabilities, but I think deep down he knows 0 for 12 is real.

1007 PM:  Everyone except Boy Pierce had Wisconsin to the Sweet 16.  Roll the dice and get spiced!!  Will probably shut 'er down for the night.  I'll update standings to include WVU/MD and UL/UNI first thing in the morning.

923 AM:  A lot of people took a knock with the late games on Sunday.  Despite all the Louisville's out there, only 4 prognosticators had both Louisville and West Virginia in the Sweet 16.  One of those 4 was Adam Bartholomew Tatz, who had pulled himself out of the cellar!  Two time defending champ AC Billz IV has hit rock bottom.  It's quite evident how heavily he abused alcohol prior to submitting his bracket.  Future Mrs. Adam Cutter is leading him by 11 and appears to have the house title on lockdown.

Here are the standings at the completion of Round 2.  If you haven't sent over payment yet, remember its $10.  PayPal is the easiest way to go.  If I'm going to see you in person between now and the end of the tournament, obviously cash is acceptable also.  Point of note:  Games on Thursday and Friday are worth 5 points.  Hope everyone has a good week.  Talk on Thursday night.

Name	Total
Kyle Bennett	54
Michelle Liller	48
Joe Fadule	48
Chris Fusco	46
Nico Tennant	44
Kathy Atallian	44
Rachael Weissman	43
Rebecca Anzaha	43
Pat Shields	43
Drew Fenzel	43
UJ	43
Ashley Judd Clone	42
BG	42
Jenna Fusco	42
Dosh Whye	42
KC Bomber	42
Tom Moffa	41
Jim Dallas	41
Boston Strong	41
Matt Ellner	40
Ben Lobitz	40
Andrew Comenzo	40
Cro	40
Boy Pierce	39
EEB	39
Steve Henderson	39
Lauren Zuckerman	39
Chris Woody	39
Shelby Riff	38
BTK	38
David Weissman	38
Sue Henderson	38
Patrick Henderson	34
Big Meech	34
Adam Tatz	33
AC Billz IV	32

Notable Nidges - Virgina

Wahoos everywhere are in disbelief this afternoon. 

The east bracket was rocked to it's core again this afternoon when only hours after losing its 1 seed, its 2 seed followed suit.  Sparty must be the bain of everyone's existence, except Boy Pierce.  He rides Izzo hard every year.  A tremendous strategy.  Obviously, this loss helps anyone who had Nova coming out of the east.  There are quite a few Louisville's out there still, so not everyone's east is killed off yet.

National Champion: Jim Dallas

National Runner-up: Ashley Judd Clone, Rachael Weissman, Drew Fenzel, Meech, Tatz

Final Four: Joe Fadule (finally), Jenna Fusco, Tom Moffa, Sue Henderson, Matt Ellner, Dosh Whye

Notable Nidges - Villanova

In a true shocker, Villanova became the first one seed to go down in the tournament.  And with that, down went Cro. He made it all of 3 days this year.  Best part about watching teams like Villanova or Notre Dame is watching the priest they always have on the bench.  I love seeing them pop off the bench after a timeout like they are about the draw up a play in the huddle.

Here's who took Villanova's loss the hardest.  But let it be known that nobody took it harder than Nova's lead piccolo.

National Champion: Pat Shields, Patrick Henderson.

National Runner-up: Rebecca Anzaha, CRO, Ben Lobitz, UJ, Steve Henderson, Lauren Zuckerman.

Final Four: Kyle Bennett, Chris Fusco, Shelby Riff, Chris Woody, Boston Strong.

STANDINGS - March 20, 2015

Papa John survives UC Irvine. Free brownies for everyone tomorrow.

We all had Kansas over New Mexico State.  Rock Chalk.  Carry on.

258 PM:  Lobitz had Georgia +6.5.  He's distraught.  Izzo continues his March magic.  Joe Fadule continues to impress, going 16 for the first 18.  His only misses were SMU and Iowa State so far.

352 PM: 7 people take a knock with Wyoming over Northern Iowa.  You can see people trying to convince themselves that a 12 over 5 is an absolute must.  They are 0-3 with only Buffalo left!

441 PM: F*ck West Virginia from Meech.  He, along with 10 others, had Buffalo as their 12 over 5 upset.  The 2015 edition finishes with all 5 seeds surviving.  Big 12 starting to turn things around, 2-0 on the day so far.  Cro thinks he has his Crojo back.  Foolish.  Last update for a bit.  Gotta commute home in the snow.

630 PM: Got home just in time to see the ending of Louisville and UC Irvine.  Pitino was bailed out at the end on that loose ball foul.  I love the Big West, they are always a sexy upset pick come tournament time, but they rarely get it done.  Every single time Long Beach State makes the tourney I have them in the Sweet 16.  Never fails.  Fadule still the pace car coming out of turn 3 in the first lap.

740 PM: Ladies and Gentlemen, breaking news this hour. Let's go live to Columbus, OH where we have Reg Chapman on the scene.  Reg.  That's right UJ,  I'm here at Nationwide Arena where I have the first Cro nidge of the day.  He had Valpo beating Maryland.  He could not be reached for comment.  Earlier in the day, Cro was seen bragging about how clean his bracket was.  Now it appears Cro is in dire straights.  Back to you UJ.

903 PM:  I finally pull one over on old Cro with Maryland Valpo and give it right back to him with Oregon.  I'm now 0 for 3 on the 8 v 9 games.  I hope San Diego State clowns St. John's and makes me 0 for 4.  What the hell.  I'd have better luck calling red or black on the roulette table, and those are worse than 50/50 odds.  Delaware Park is open  24 hours.  May venture out.  This game was a toss up both in Vegas and in the ABC.  20 people had Oregon to 16 OK State.  Also Duke has been called.

934 PM:  I spent two days bitching about Davidson being seeded 10.  I griped how could a team be ranked 24th in both polls going into their conference tournament, and then be handed a 10 seed, seemingly 13-16 spots worse than what the polls said.  I just couldn't justify it.  I felt that if the rankings were to exist, they should at least somewhat reflect where they would be seeded.  I was wrong.  Iowa beat the pants off them.

1024 PM:  Everyone had Oklahoma except Andrew Comenzo.  That's probably a result of the week long bender he just wrapped up.  It's the only explanation.  Only 4 games left in the first round.  Not sure I'm gonna be able to update the standings for those games before I pass out.  Starting a game at 11 o'clock in Columbus OH is just ridiculous.  I can only imagine how Reg Chapman feels.  I have the option of turning in.  He's there still looking for another Cro nidge.  Everyone obviously has Wisconsin over Chauncey, and Gonzaga over North Dakota State.  Standings will remain the same regardless of the outcome of those two games.  It's been a pleasure blogging today.  Hope you've enjoyed it.

Score after First Round are below,

Name	Total
Joe Fadule	28
Ashley Judd Clone	26
Kyle Bennett	26
Chris Fusco	26
Rebecca Anzaha	25
Pat Shields	25
Michelle Liller	24
Kathy Atallian	24
BG	24
Jenna Fusco	24
Nico Tennant	24
Rachael Weissman	23
Drew Fenzel	23
Jim Dallas	23
Tom Moffa	23
Boy Pierce	23
David Weissman	22
Dosh Whye	22
Cro	22
Shelby Riff	22
Matt Ellner	22
Sue Henderson	22
BTK	22
Andrew Comenzo	22
Ben Lobitz	22
Lauren Zuckerman	21
UJ	21
Steve Henderson	21
Boston Strong	21
EEB	21
Chris Woody	21
Big Meech	20
KC Bomber	20
AC Billz IV	20
Patrick Henderson	18
Adam Tatz	17

Notable Nidges - Baylor

Bad day to be from the Big 12!  Notable nidges for Baylor are below.

National Runner-Up: David Weissman

Final Four:  BTK, Shelby Riff

Elite 8: AB Tatz, BG

Sweet 16: 22 of us fools.

Mad props to Joe Fadule and Pat Shields for correctly picking Georgia State.

Notable Nidges - Iowa State

Here's a list of people who had Iowa State going way, way, way too far.

National Runner-up: KC Bomber, BTK

Final Four: Rebecca Anzaha, Jim Dallas, EEB, David Weissman, Ben Lobitz

Elite 8: Tom Moffa, Shelby Riff, Pat Shields, Nico Tennant, Meech, Matt Ellner, D-Weeze, Chris Woody, Ashley Judd Clone, AC Billz IV

Sweet 16: Steve Henderson, Kathy Atallian, Michelle Liller, Jenna Fusco, Drew Fenzel, CRO, Chris Fusco, Boston Strong, BG

Shout out to Boy Pierce and Tatz for picking UAB!

STANDINGS - March 19, 2015

Here's the live standings so you can keep track wherever you are located.

Looks like everyone had Notre Dame.  They should be counting their lucky charms.

At 245 PM, UAB knocked out Iowa State and the Mayor Fred Hoiberg.  I absolutely LOVE it.

At 350 PM, the Big 12 suffered its second casualty in as many outings.  Two #3 seeds out in the first 3 games.  I'm not sure how that's possible.

Should not have picked anyone from Texas.

At 830 PM, Nova has been called.  Everyone had them.  Who cares?

Can Stephen F Austin save face for the great state of Texas?  I think this is the ABC's way of telling Yashar he should have been in this.

WOW.  Two games down to the wire in a matter of seconds.  Everyone had North Carolina beating Harvard with the unfortunate exception of EEB.  He took a shot only to be outdone by Roy "I don't give a shit about Carolina" Williams.  (Would have also accepted Roy "I knew nothing of academic fraud" Williams)

8 v 9 games are the absolute worst.  I had a solid point with Purdue but there was 0.1 seconds too many.  That 0.1 was is the only thing separating Joe Fadule and Boy Pierce at the moment.  It's as close as it could be at the top.  Not sure Cincinnati was deserving, but neither team has a chance against Kentucky.

State of Texas improves to an impressive 0-5 on the day.  That must be some sort of tournament record.  A shocking 16 people had Stephen F Austin winning at least 1 game.  That was a very popular pick for the 5-12 upset.  Also should note, at 10:30PM on the opening day, Chris Woody finds himself in sole possession of last place.  First day of spring must be tomorrow,

Updated through the Utah game.  Will update standings to reflect the 4 night caps tomorrow.  Not staying up until 1230 to give everyone 1 point Kentucky.

In all seriousness, 8 v 9 games need to just go away.  It's always teams from the large, power conferences that go 12-2 over the first two months, playing 9 home games against tiny schools that need money to fund their program, and then have a get away to the Bahamas or Cancun to play a few games at a neutral site.  Then they go 8-8 in conference, get lucky and beat a ranked team at home, only because they are lucky enough to be in the same league as a good team and it's mandatory they play each other.  So these teams finish 20-12, have a 1 good win over a decent team, and get seeded an 8 or 9.  Then the spread comes out in Vegas, one of them is favored by 1 or 2, and i ALWAYS pick the wrong one.  ALWAYS.  Costs me 4 points a year.  So far, I'm 0-2, having with my team losing by 1 each time.

Standings through the first day are below.  Newcomer Joe Fadule is pacing everyone with an remarkable 14 from 16.  Cro is already buried at 9 and down 3 Sweet 16 teams.  Things are looking promising.

Name	Total
Joe Fadule	14
Kyle Bennett	13
Ashley Judd Clone	13
Sue Henderson	12
Drew Fenzel	11
Dosh Whye	11
Jenna Fusco	11
Michelle Liller	11
Pat Shields	11
Rebecca Anzaha	11
Lauren Zuckerman	11
Nico Tennant	11
Boy Pierce	10
BG	10
Chris Fusco	10
Boston Strong	10
David Weissman	10
Kathy Atallian	10
Rachael Weissman	10
AC Billz IV	9
KC Bomber	9
Andrew Comenzo	9
UJ	9
EEB	9
Ben Lobitz	9
Cro	9
Big Meech	9
BTK	9
Steve Henderson	9
Tom Moffa	9
Matt Ellner	9
Jim Dallas	9
Shelby Riff	9
Chris Woody	8
Adam Tatz	7
Patrick Henderson	7