The the Run of the Black Eyed Analysts is now a bruising title bout that requires 5 Legs. Leg 2 featured more Head-to-Head competitions (5) than Player Hater opportunities. There was no safe lane for the Analysts to Pick Three!
Despite the treacherous track, four Analysts notched a second *base* Trifecta to draw even with Roxy Trot at 12 Trifecta points. Sponge Mom and Mo Money (2 Correct Home Team Picks each) move to the front of the field on second tiebreaker, with Sponge Mom leading by a nose on third tiebreaker (3.0 turnovers per game vs. 1.5 turnovers per game). Roxy Trot falls to third place with 1 Correct Home Team Pick and 2.5 turnovers per game (third tiebreaker), a nose ahead of Craft Brew and Jimmy V (1 Correct Home Team Pick and 2.0 turnovers per game) tied for fourth place.
In the middle of the field at 9 Trifecta points each, The Strategist, Atwork, Big Tuna, and Little Tuna remain in close contention. Big Tuna and Little Tuna share sixth position (1 Correct Home Team Pick and 1.5 turnovers per game each). The Strategist is in eighth position (0 Correct Home Team Picks and 2.5 turnovers per game), a smidgen ahead of Atwork (0 Correct Home Team Picks and 2.0 turnovers per game).
At the back of the field with 6 Trifecta points, we find Wise Orangutan, Woody, B-Reezy, and KateTDid! Wise Orangutan heads that set with 2 Correct Home Team Picks, followed by KateTDid (1 Correct Home Team Pick), and Woody and B-Reezy (0 Correct Home Team Picks). Bookie brings up the rear — regretting her decision to give up the opportunity for Shenanigans!
Trifecta Points
Standings after Leg 2 of Player Haters Preakness VIII
Tiebreakers
Tiebreakers after Leg 2 of Player Haters Preakness VIII
Eight Analysts earn a Trifecta in a single week, the most this season, but two front-runners continue to set a blistering pace down the back stretch!
Sponge Mom gets her groove back with her 4th Trifecta of Season VIII to stay a head in front of Jimmy V quietly registers his 4th Trifecta in a row. Sponge continues to hold the edge on Correct Picks, 14 vs. 13. The Strategist takes sole possession of third place with a 3rd Trifecta and 13th Correct Pick.
B-Reezy, Little Tuna, Roxy Trot, and Mo Money contest fourth position at 2 Trifectas each. Roxy Trot’s 12 Correct Picks gives her the slight lead over B-Reezy (11), Little Tuna (11) and Mo Money (9).
The back of the field trails with 1 Trifecta each: Wise Orangutan, Craft Brew,Atwork, Woody, Big Tuna, Bookie and KateTDid. KateTDid and Craft Brew have 11 Correct Picks to hold an edge over the rest of the backfield.
Trifectas
Standings after Week 5 of Analyst of the Year VIII
Correct Picks
Tiebreakers after Week 5 of Analyst of the Year VIII
The eighth running of the Black Eyed Analysts starts with a punch!
Roxy Trot (12 points) jumps out of the gates with a rock’em sock’em Trifecta that included the only two possible Player Haters Picks!
In the middle of the field at 6 points each, Craft Brew, The Strategist, Jimmy V, Atwork, B-Reezy, Little Tuna, Sponge Mom, and Mo Money seek the inside rail for second place. Jimmy V, Sponge Mom, and Mo Money have the edge with 1 Correct Home Team Pick each. Forced turnovers per game give the edge to Sponge Mom and Mo Money!
At the back of the field, Big Tuna and KateTDid (3 points each) leave the gate, but Wise Orangutan, Woody, and Bookie hit the stalls with 0 points each!
Trifecta Points
Standings after Leg 1 of Player Haters Preakness VIII
Tiebreakers
Tiebreakers after Leg 1 of Player Haters Preakness VIII
The Analysts have submitted their papers and claimed their Home Teams. Craft Brew has elected to Release the Steelers and Claims the Cowboys before the start of the next Crown Race.
The Claim Box for Player Haters Preakness VIII is:
Player Haters Preakness VIII | Entrants
Slate of Games
Player Haters Preakness VIII | Slate of Games
The Slate of Games for Player Haters Preakness VIII includes thirteen head-to-head competitions during the month (the first tiebreaker in the race). In addition, six Home Teams will enjoy a bye week during the Preakness. This limits the number of games involving un-Claimed teams each week, particularly in Legs 2, Leg 3, and Leg 5. Leg 1 and Leg 4 entail the most games featuring Player Haters’ choicest opportunities!
Home Teams owned by an Analyst are in bold. The team at the left is the visiting team; the team at the right is the host (playing at home). There are many featured games: four Thursday nights (TNF), four Sunday nights (SNF), and five Monday nights (MNF). SNF flex scheduling begins this month, so the kickoff time may change for some Sunday games.
Picks
Remember: Every Analyst has a bias for his or her Home Team and may NOT pick their Claimed team to lose. Analysts do not have to pick his or her Home Team to win, but *bonus* trifecta points are won only if Analysts include the Home Team in a *base* or *lame* Trifecta. Analysts must Pick Three games from the official Slate of Games. See the Preakness Rules for more.
Email picks in private to The Bookie before each Leg (week) of the Race. Thursday games are due by 4pm EST on Thursdays. All Sunday and Monday Picks are due on Saturdays at 5pm EST. Both deadlines may be extended at the discretion of The Bookie. No Picks for games after kickoffs are accepted.
No revisions (Re-Picks) are possible after the Picks have been released to all Analysts by The Bookie.
Four Analysts earn a first Trifecta in Season VIII…the same week that the Jets, Giants and Colts win their first games…coincidence or cosmic design?
Sponge Mom suffers her first setback of the Season (due to the Jets!), but remains in first place with 3 Trifectas and 11 Correct Picks. She gives up ground, however, to Jimmy V who registers his 3rd Trifecta and 10th Correct Pick. With 2 Trifectas each, The Strategist holds third place with 10 Correct Picks over Little Tuna in fourth place with 9 Correct Picks.
An enlarged field now trails the early leaders with 1 Trifecta each: Wise Orangutan, Woody, Roxy Trot , Bookie and KateTDid contend for fifth position with 9 Correct Picks each. Also with 1 Trifecta each, Big Tuna and B-Reezy vie for tenth place with 8 Correct Picks, while Mo Money finds her legs to move into twelfth place with 6 Correct Picks.
Searching for predictive gold in Pennsylvania, Craft Brew (0 Trifectas, 8 Correct Picks) and Atwork (0 Trifectas, 6 Correct Picks) find only hay.
Trifectas
Standings after Week 4 of Analyst of the Year VIII
Correct Picks
Tiebreakers after Week 4 of Analyst of the Year VIII
The Fastest Four Weeks in Sports Analysis (is it already four weeks into Season VIII!) the PC-Fecta Derby had a single leader out of the gates and around the near turn! Could she hold onto her lead for her first Crown Win ever?!!?
And the Winner is…
Sponge Mom (34 points)! She earned three *base* Trifectas and twelve *bonus* points in the first three Legs of the Race. It looked a little sketchy in the home stretch, but Sponge Mom nabbed a *lame* Trifecta to close out her first ever Crown!
Roxy Trot (31 points) poured on the PC-Fecta *bonus* points in the final three Legs. She earned one *base* Trifecta and three *lame* Trifectas in four weeks. Her League-leading sixteen *bonus* points secured her the Place. Wise Orangutan (25 points) Shows with one *base* Trifecta, three *lame* Trifectas, and ten *bonus* points.
Heading the middle of the field, KateTDid (24 points) closes strong in fourth place after her Home Team corrects its errant ways. Woody (21 points) finds her stride with her first *base* Trifecta to claim fifth place. Jimmy V (20 points) finishes in sixth place on the strength of three *base* Trifectas. Playing the long game in Week 4, The Strategist (19 points) slipped into seventh place. Little Tuna and Bookie finish with 17 points each, Little Tuna taking eighth place on first tiebreaker (Titans defeated Seahawks).
In the back half of the field, B-Reezy and Big Tuna net 14 points each, with Big Tuna finishing in tenth position on third tiebreaker (-1.3 point differential per game vs. -6.8 pdpg). Craft Brew (12 points) struggles (unusually!) in twelfth place despite his steel-y disposition to start the season. With her can-do attitude, Mo Money (7 points each) outpaces Atwork (3 points) to take the penultimate position!
Trifecta Points
Trifecta Points after Final Results of PC-Fecta Derby VIII
Tiebreakers
Tiebreakers after Final Results of PC-Fecta Derby VIII
Trifecta Points after Leg 3 of PC-Fecta Derby VIII
Headed into the homestretch, half of the field has been eliminated by the front-runner, Sponge Mom! But, her path to her first Win is not written in hoof prints…She must fend off her final challengers to the wire!!!
Scenarios
Seventeen points are the maximum possible in a Leg of the PC-Fecta Derby — a *base* Trifecta (6), an *extra* point (1) for including the Home Team, defensive *PC-Fecta* points (3) for the best Home Team points allowed, and offensive *PC-Fecta* points (7) for the best Home Team points scored.
All references to an *extra* point infers the Analyst Picked his or her Home Team to Win! There are NO scenarios in which an Analyst currently trailing Sponge Mom can Win PC-Fecta Derby VIII without Picking his or her Home Team to Win.
Scenarios cannot take into account all situations in which two or more Analysts earn the same PC-Fecta *bonus* points (defensive or offensive). This does not happen too often, but please see the Disclaimer below!
For The Win:
Sponge Mom leads by 7 points over her closest challenger, Roxy Trot. If she earns a *base* Trifecta, *extra* point, and either *PC-Fecta* points (+3 or +7), she Wins the Race going away at 41 to 48 points. Roxy Trot could at best tie her at 41 points with a *base* Trifecta, *extra* point, and both *PC-Fectas* but Sponge Mom would Win on second tiebreaker (4 Correct Home Team Picks).
If Sponge Mom earns a *lame* Trifecta, *extra* point, and the offensive *PC-Fecta* points (+7) to reach 42 points, she Wins. If she earns a *lame* Trifecta, *extra* point, and the defensive *PC-Fecta* points (+3) to reach 38 points, Roxy Trot can Win with all 17 points — which means the Bills and Rams both would have to hold their opponents to the lowest points allowed (an unlikely situation). If Roxy Trot ties her at 38 with a *base* Trifecta and the offensive *PC-Fecta*, Sponge Mom would again Win on second tiebreaker (4 Correct Home Team Picks).
If Sponge Mom earns a *base* Trifecta, an *extra* point and NO *PC-Fectas to reach 38 points, only Roxy Trot can challenge for the Win by earning a *base* Trifecta, an *extra* point, and both *PC-Fectas* (+10) to reach 41 points. Offensive *PC-Fecta* alone is not enough for Roxy Trot because she will again reach 38 points and lose on second tiebreaker. Likewise, Wise Orangutan loses on second tiebreaker to Sponge Mom if he also reaches 38 points with the full +17 points possible in a single week.
If Sponge Mom earns a *base* Trifecta with NO *extra* point, she reaches 37 points. OR, if Sponge Mom earns a *lame* Trifecta with an *extra* point, she reaches 35 points. In both cases, Roxy Trot must have a *base* Trifecta, an *extra* point, and offensive *PC-Fecta* (+7) at 38 points. Wise Orangutan can Win by earning a *base* Trifecta, an *extra* point, and both *PC-Fectas* (+10) to total 38 points.
If Sponge Mom earns a *lame* Trifecta without an *extra* point, she reaches 34 points. In that case, Roxy Trot can Win with a *base* Trifecta, an *extra* point, and offensive *PC-Fecta* (+7) at 38 points OR Roxy Trot can Win with a *base* Trifecta, an *extra* point, and defensive *PC-Fecta* (+3) at 34 points on third tiebreaker (Bills currently have the better point differential per game over the Rams). Wise Orangutan can Win by earning a *base* Trifecta, an *extra* point, and offensive *PC-Fecta* (+7) to total 35 points (note: at best, Roxy Trot could reach 34 points with the defensive PC-Fecta).
If Sponge Mom fails to earn a *lame* Trifecta in Leg 4 (+0 points), she ends with 31 points and things get really interesting!!! Again, every remaining Win Scenario implies the listed Analyst (Correctly!) Picked his or her Home Team to Win. So, the Scenario for each contending Analyst is…
Roxy Trot has the inside rail. She needs the offensive *PC-Fecta* to Win going away, or the defensive *PC-Fecta* to eliminate every Analyst but Wise Orangutan (see below). If she earns the *base* Trifecta and *extra* point to tie Sponge Mom at 31 points, then Wise Orangutan or The Strategist can Win outright with a better total, or tiebreakers may determine the outcome between Sponge Mom, Roxy Trot, Wise Orangutan, or Jimmy V (see below). The Bills currently have the best point differential per game (+16.7).
Wise Orangutan can best both Sponge Mom and Roxy Trot with a *base* Trifecta, *extra* point, and offensive *PC-Fecta* at 35 points. If he reaches 31 points with a *base* Trifecta, *extra* point, and defensive *PC-Fecta*, he will likely lose to at least one other Analyst at 31 points based on third tiebreaker (Ravens have a -1.0 point differential per game).
The Strategist needs a *base* Trifecta, *extra* point, and both *PC-Fectas* to reach 33 points. The Strategist can not tie any leader to send the outcome to tiebreakers so she needs all 17 points to remain in contention.
Jimmy V is the wildcard in the final stretch. His Cardinals face Sponge Mom‘s Rams, so his Home Team can block Sponge Mom from earning one Correct Pick and any *bonus* points, plus he also nets 3 Correct Home Team Picks to equal Sponge Mom on second tiebreaker. So, if he earns a *base* Trifecta, *extra* point, and both *PC-Fectas* to reach 31 points, the Derby can end in a tie with Sponge Mom and and (possibly) Roxy Trot. The Cardinals currently have the second best point differential per game (+12.7) and will have stopped the Rams from improving — only the Bills could best the Cardinals’ point differential per game in that scenario! (See Disclaimer!)
Woody can earn a *base* Trifecta, *extra* point, and both *PC-Fectas* to reach 31 points, ending the Derby in a tie with Sponge Mom and (possibly) Roxy Trot. The Browns (+8.7) currently trail both the Bills and Rams in point differential per game, but anything can happen on any give Sunday! (See Disclaimer!)
Little Tuna can earn a *base* Trifecta, *extra* point, and both *PC-Fectas* to reach 31 points, ending the Derby in a tie with Sponge Mom and (possibly) Roxy Trot. The Titans (-4.3) currently trail both the Bills and Rams in point differential per game, so they have to erase a 15 to 20 point per game deficit for her to Win on tiebreakers — that does not happen on many given Sundays! (See Disclaimer!)
Disclaimer For the Win:
There is a scenario in which no Analyst does better than 31 points and the Derby ends in a four-to-six way tie. Roxy Trot, Wise Orangutan, Jimmy V, Woody, and Little Tuna can all reach 31 points to tie Sponge Mom if every one of their Home Teams Wins and two or more of those Analysts share the PC-Fecta *bonus* points in certain ways. We cannot really project those scenarios, so the order of the For the Win Scenarios reflects the relative strength of the Analysts’ current positions!
For The Place:
There are far too many possibilities to go into detail. However, an Analyst must be within 17 points of Roxy Trot at 24 points to be in contention. This means that Atwork and Mo Money have been eliminated from Purse. All Analysts mentioned above For the Win have a variety of scenarios. All Analysts heretofore unmentioned will need the offensive or both *PC-Fecta* points to Place.
