2008 NCAA BASKETBALL POOL – “PICK THE FINAL 4” run by JOHN BOVERY (www.jrwinkle.com) – PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE PAGE (ENTRY FORMS CAN BE FOUND AT MY WEBSITE – www.jrwinkle.com ) 2007 was the 2nd year I ran this pool and we had 1830+ entries which was double that of 2006 – so let’s pass the word and try to continue the growth of this pool. I will not even guess how many entries we will have, but I doubt we are ready (yet?) to reach the levels of the now defunct pool run out of Staten Island for many years. Please use my website listed above for all information regarding this pool and read all notes at the website and the message board ( http://p066.ezboard.com/bjrwinklesmessageboard ). Picks are NOT made at the website or message board, ALL picks are made via email to one of the following addresses (based on the first letter of your last name): jrwinkleAF@aol.com (for letters A thru F), jrwinkleGL@aol.com, jrwinkleMR@aol.com, jrwinkleSZ@aol.com or as a backup – jackbovery@aol.com. Please also read the ISSUES topic at www.jrwinkle.com. I am real good with email so use that as the best way to communicate with me. There should be no need to call me, but here are my phone numbers: Home is 732-525-9554 and the Cell is 908-510-3787. Please check my example of an entry form (found at www.jrwinkle.com ) – it really helps me a lot if you use my form, and be sure to provide all information. I need your full name (a real one), full mailing address (home preferably) and as many phone numbers as you have. I never contact you unless there is a problem which requires immediate attention. All picks are sent via email and fees (20 per entry) are sent by check or money order to me at: John Bovery, 1210 Harbour Club Drive, Parlin, NJ 08859. When you enter the pool you will be given an entry number(s) so that you can check that your picks were loaded correctly and a GL message for “good luck”, but it might come after the pool deadline (see below why). All entries can be seen in a spreadsheet at my site ( www.jrwinkle.com ). RULES: This is a pool to pick the Final 4 of the 2008 NCAA Basketball Tourney – March Madness. Step 1: If only 1 entry selects the correct 4 teams to make the Final 4, then the pool ends right there. If no entry selects all 4 regions correctly, then those with 3 correct move on, or if the best is only 2 or even 1, same tiebreakers apply. Step 2: the first tiebreaker is to name the winner of the National Championship and if there is only 1 of these entries, the pool is over. Step 3: the next tiebreaker (assuming someone had the winner correct) is the loser of the Championship game and again if only 1 entry is left, the pool is over. Exception: if no entry selected the correct winner of the final game then Step 3 changes to: those entries that had the correct match-up in the final game move on - not those with the correct loser of the final game. Step 4: the final tiebreaker is the total points (both teams) scored in the final “Championship” Game. All entries (whose total points are closest to the actual total points in the final score of the Championship game) win (or share) the entire purse. It does not matter if you are under or over, it is simply a measure of closest. No entries will be adjusted after the deadline, EXCEPT for the final tiebreaker (final game total points) for which the deadline will be 5:00 PM ET on Monday, April 7. This is a change from last year, because I am not really in love with pools that break ties on points and I want to give the finalists as much time as possible to finalize their point total. The deadline for all entries (team selections) is 12 Noon ET on Saturday March 22 and I suggest you make your total points selection as well (just in case you forget to do so later), knowing that you can change it down the road. Yes, that deadline is after the first round of the tournament is played, but trust me the system works. If you make picks early in the week and then decide to change them Saturday morning, please resend all your entries, not just the ones you are changing. It might just be better to make your picks Saturday morning in the first place, but either way is fine by me. The entry fee is 20 per entry and for the curious, I will be taking 20 entries myself with my selections being loaded at the message board Saturday morning (3/22) and the full spreadsheet for the entire pool will be loaded at the website as soon as possible thereafter. For 2008, this might not be until around 3/26 or 3/27 due to a family vacation (Virginia) for the holiday weekend. My picks will be the first 20 entries in the spreadsheet. If the finalists desire to try and negotiate (cut a deal) with their competitors; the best day to do this (via email preferably) is Sunday April 6. WARNINGS: (1) Regarding $: If I have never met you I strongly suggest getting the $ here before the deadline. I certainly have some flexibility with this but some entries will definitely be rejected / eliminated from the pool if they try to take advantage of this situation. (2) Be careful that your tiebreaker selections for winner and loser of the last game are actually on opposite sides of the bracket, check my entry form example – it will help you! (3) I need all the personal information in the email with your picks, not only in the US mail. Good luck to all and have fun.