I've talked about ESPN's Streak For The Cash, now known as Streak, before here on WAF, right?
My record win total is eight in a row. I matched that last night while I was picking the network's scenarios for the NFL Draft's first round, and I was doin' good, real good!
They had seven, uh, situations in which you could choose one of two options. For example, the first situation was, "Will Joe Burrow, Chase Young, and Jeff Okudah be selected 1-2-3 in the draft, yes or no?" And you pick one and you hope you win. Theoretically, the person with the longest streak for the month gets money. The longest streak usually is in the low twenties, and so I've never been close, but that hasn't stopped me from trying.
Anyway, I had a two thing-of-a-bobber winning streak going into the first scenario. They show percentages of how many people chose one choice or the other. Despite most of the mock drafts I saw saying it would be Burrow/Young/Okudah first through third, only 39% of the people picking said yes. That included me ... and I and that 39% was right!
I was more psyched about this NFL Draft than probably any one before it, probably because this is the first sports-related thing that was not postponed or cancelled because of the pandemic. (These "e" sports don't count.) Ratings were at an all-time high. And since I had nothing else to watch -- no, I take that back; the series finale of Will & Grace and the season finale of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit were on, I was going to watch them, then I realized that I also wanted to listen to the draft and it was on at the same night, so I stuck with sports -- I thought I might as pick each scenario while listening to the draft.
And I was on a freakin' roll:
Only twice did I buck conventional wisdom. And looking at one mock draft (from Mel Kiper, Jr. on ESPN.com) and one "Big Board," ranking the best players without thinking which teams might draft them where (via The Athletic), it appeared as if there were more defensive players than offensive players who were most likely to be drafted. Finally, the Kansas City Chiefs (the defending Super Bowl champion; that's why they were drafted 32nd) had the pick, and I thought they would be going defense, even though I was cognizant that the franchise certainly could trade out of the pick and swap it to a team that needed offense. So, I went with the wisdom of the crowd and choose D/ST.
But just in case, I went on Twitter. It is usually the case that a reporter, such as ESPN's Adam Schefter, would be tipped as to who would be picked. I figured that a reporter on the Chiefs beat would know beforehand, too, so I searched for "Kansas City Chiefs." And I found a reporter who tweeted that the Chiefs would not trade out of the pick and would select ... a Running Back.
I tried to cheat and change my answer, but it was locked in. (Each scenario has a time stamp, after which your choice is locked in. That time changes all the time, however, because you never know when, for example, that 18th pick will actually get picked.) Kansas City chose an RB different from the one that Chiefs beat reporter tweeted would be selected, but it's still an offensive player. And my streak went kerflooey. And I am sad because everything is ruined and sucks.
I'm starting from the bottom. Again. I'm concentrating on the draft, again. I'm choosing which of two conferences will have its players selected more in picks, like, 33 through 45. But I just lost an eight-thingy winning streak. Why should I care?
My record win total is eight in a row. I matched that last night while I was picking the network's scenarios for the NFL Draft's first round, and I was doin' good, real good!
They had seven, uh, situations in which you could choose one of two options. For example, the first situation was, "Will Joe Burrow, Chase Young, and Jeff Okudah be selected 1-2-3 in the draft, yes or no?" And you pick one and you hope you win. Theoretically, the person with the longest streak for the month gets money. The longest streak usually is in the low twenties, and so I've never been close, but that hasn't stopped me from trying.
Anyway, I had a two thing-of-a-bobber winning streak going into the first scenario. They show percentages of how many people chose one choice or the other. Despite most of the mock drafts I saw saying it would be Burrow/Young/Okudah first through third, only 39% of the people picking said yes. That included me ... and I and that 39% was right!
I was more psyched about this NFL Draft than probably any one before it, probably because this is the first sports-related thing that was not postponed or cancelled because of the pandemic. (These "e" sports don't count.) Ratings were at an all-time high. And since I had nothing else to watch -- no, I take that back; the series finale of Will & Grace and the season finale of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit were on, I was going to watch them, then I realized that I also wanted to listen to the draft and it was on at the same night, so I stuck with sports -- I thought I might as pick each scenario while listening to the draft.
And I was on a freakin' roll:
- Tua Tagovailoa did get drafted before Justin Herbert!
- At least two Wide Receivers did get picked in picks 12 through 15! (This is where I thought I would lose, but as usual, I wasn't paying attention. The now-Las Vegas Raiders picked up a WR at 12, as did Denver at 15.)
- The conference the 18th pick hails from was either the SEC or, as it turns out, the Pac-12! (Austin Jackson, my alma mater. Only 18.7% of those picking picked those two conferences over the field.)
- No Running Backs would be selected from the 21st through the 26th picks!
- The state of the college of the player picked 29th overall would not be Texas, Ohio or Alabama! (Answer: Isaiah Wilson, Georgia.)
Only twice did I buck conventional wisdom. And looking at one mock draft (from Mel Kiper, Jr. on ESPN.com) and one "Big Board," ranking the best players without thinking which teams might draft them where (via The Athletic), it appeared as if there were more defensive players than offensive players who were most likely to be drafted. Finally, the Kansas City Chiefs (the defending Super Bowl champion; that's why they were drafted 32nd) had the pick, and I thought they would be going defense, even though I was cognizant that the franchise certainly could trade out of the pick and swap it to a team that needed offense. So, I went with the wisdom of the crowd and choose D/ST.
But just in case, I went on Twitter. It is usually the case that a reporter, such as ESPN's Adam Schefter, would be tipped as to who would be picked. I figured that a reporter on the Chiefs beat would know beforehand, too, so I searched for "Kansas City Chiefs." And I found a reporter who tweeted that the Chiefs would not trade out of the pick and would select ... a Running Back.
I tried to cheat and change my answer, but it was locked in. (Each scenario has a time stamp, after which your choice is locked in. That time changes all the time, however, because you never know when, for example, that 18th pick will actually get picked.) Kansas City chose an RB different from the one that Chiefs beat reporter tweeted would be selected, but it's still an offensive player. And my streak went kerflooey. And I am sad because everything is ruined and sucks.
I'm starting from the bottom. Again. I'm concentrating on the draft, again. I'm choosing which of two conferences will have its players selected more in picks, like, 33 through 45. But I just lost an eight-thingy winning streak. Why should I care?
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