Better Cred Than Red

The pucks drops in less than an hour to open the first Frozen Four semifinal in Chicago. As usual, I organized a pool to allow great college hockey minds to predict the results of the NCAA tourney. And this year I’m in good shape heading into the last three games of the season.

I missed two games in the regionals and both involved the Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish. I thought the Gophers would defeat the Irish before losing to U Mass Lowell in the regional final. For thirty-some minutes my pick looked golden as the Gophers controlled the play and held a 2-0 advantage. Then two quick Irish tallies evened the contest which Notre Dame won in the third on a power play goal. Overall, I thought the Gopher performance was lackluster which was all too similar to how they looked in the Big 10 tourney semifinal against Penn State. The Gophers are bringing back a lot of talent and will get an added infusion with next year’s freshman class so their future looks bright. Still a disappointing way to end the campaign.

I was not the only one surprised that Notre Dame reached the Frozen Four. In fact, the only one in our group who picked them to do that was the Nihilist in Golf Pants, a noted Golden Domer. In addition to the Irish, he also correctly tabbed Denver and UMD as Frozen Four finalists. But the brilliance of his Notre Dame pick was tarnished by the fact the he neglected to pick in winner in today’s first semi-final contest. So even if his eventual winner Denver does come through it won’t be enough to secure bragging rights. Shame that.

While missing on Notre Dame, I did correctly predict that Denver, Harvard, and UMD would reach Chicago. And if Denver and UMD win their semis and the Bulldogs take the national championship, I will emerge as the group winner. Well, technically I would be tied with King Banaian who somehow ended up with the exact same bracket as me (I suspect Armenian hackers). Then it will come down to total goals to determine the champion (thanks to Penn State for netting ten against Union).

The other contestant currently tied with King Banaian and I at the top of the standings is my eight-year-old son William. He has a Denver-Harvard final with the Pioneers as national champs. If that does come to pass he will be the winner of the group and lay claim to a lot of college hockey cred for a youngster.

Even if I didn’t have a stake in UMD winning a championship I would be rooting for them. And if not them, then Denver a former WCHA team with a great hockey history. Then, Notre Dame I guess. I don’t really have strong feelings on the Irish one way or another. But the team that must lose is Harvard. Not because they’re Ivy League blue bloods cheered on by precious coastal elites. No, because Harvard’s only NCAA hockey championship came in 1989. In St. Paul. In overtime. Against the Gophers. Go Bulldogs.

Put Your Marker Down

The Homeschool Wager:

We wagered a second income on the notion that we could educate our children more effectively than the public school system. We wagered the need to fit into the outside world’s social expectations on the belief that our children should look to us for social and moral guidance. We wagered the ease and comfort of kid-free time on the belief that kids need family more than peers, love more than affirmation, and encouragement more than conformity.

That's one of the best explanations of the trade-offs of homeschooling that I've yet to come across. It's a high stakes gamble with a payoff that you won't see come to fruition until years in the future.

2017 Ricochet Academy Award Politicization Fantasy League

The big announcement for the 2017 Ricochet Academy Award Politicization Fantasy League happened on this week’s HWX.  Full rules, player rosters and scoring categories are below.

Please enter your selections in the comments section, or them via email at:  Saintpaul777@gmail.com

PRIZES

*  Highest Score: Ricochet t-shirt and appearance on HWX

*  Second and Third Highest Score: Ricochet Coffee mugs

(Ties to be broken by random draw.)

RULES

Review the list of presenters and nominees and pick the 5 individuals you think are most likely to deliver politicized content during the 2017 Oscars broadcast.   That is YOUR fantasy team.  At least 1 selection must be a nominee and at least 1 must be a presenter.  *Emma Stone is presenting and a nominee, for purposes of selection she will be considered a nominee, but points awarded for political speech in either role.

Submit your list of FIVE in the comments section, or send via email to:  SaintPaul777@gmail.com

Points awarded for scoring categories, for explicit mention or clear allusion- via comment, gesture, symbol, or text.    Official scoring to be done by judges panel.  All decisions are final.

Eligible mentions occur during broadcast of awards ceremony only (not red carpet or after party/interviews)

Multiple mentions of same category scores multiple times.

Contestants for best film are inclusive of all producers (or whomever) may accept award

Host (Jimmy Kimmel) not included in the Field category.

PLAYERS

-------------- PICK 5 TOTAL ---------------
Presenters (Pick at least 1)	Nominees (Pick at Least 1)
Halle Berry	Denis Villeneuve
Jamie Dornan	Mel Gibson
Chris Evans	Damien Chazelle
Gael Garcia Bernal	Kenneth Lonergan
Samuel L. Jackson	Barry Jenkins
Scarlett Johansson	Casey Affleck
Dakota Johnson	Andrew Garfield
Kate McKinnon	Ryan Gosling
Shirley MacLaine	Viggo Mortensen
Hailee Steinfeld	Denzel Washington
Leonardo DiCaprio	Isabelle Huppert
Brie Larson	Ruth Negga
Mark Rylance	Natalie Portman
Alicia Vikander	Emma Stone*
Amy Adams	Meryl Streep
Riz Ahmed	Mahershala Ali
Javier Bardem	Jeff Bridges
John Cho	Lucas Hedges
Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson	Dev Patel
Felicity Jones	Michael Shannon
Leslie Mann	Viola Davis
Janelle Monáe	Naomie Harris
David Oyelowo	Nicole Kidman
Charlize Theron	Octavia Spencer
	Michelle Williams
	Arrival – Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, Aaron Ryder, and David Linde
	Fences – Scott Rudin, Denzel Washington, and Todd Black
	Hacksaw Ridge – Bill Mechanic and David Permut
	Hell or High Water – Carla Hacken and Julie Yorn
	Hidden Figures – Donna Gigliotti, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Pharrell Williams, and Theodore Melfi
	La La Land – Fred Berger, Jordan Horowitz, and Marc Platt
	Lion – Emile Sherman, Iain Canning, and Angie Fielder
	Manchester by the Sea – Matt Damon, Kimberly Steward, Chris Moore, Lauren Beck, and Kevin J. Walsh
	Moonlight – Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner
	Field (any others)

SCORING CATEGORIES:

People	Points
Adolph Hitler	10
Vladmir Putin	7
Joe McCarthy	7
Donald Trump	5
Hillary Clinton	5
Barack Obama	5
Michelle Obama	5
Bernie Sanders	5
Elizabeth Warren	5
Ruth Bader Ginsberg	5
Al Gore	5
Beyonce	5
Mike Pence	3
Steve Bannon	3
Stephen Miller	3
Kelly Anne Conway	3
Jeff Sessions	3
Neil Gorsuch	3
Other cabinet member/administration official	2

Isms/Phobias/Accusations	Points
Nazism	5
Fascism	5
Orange/Cheetos (Trump)	4
Un-American	3
Deplorable	3
Evil	3
Lies	3
Racism	2
Homophobia	2
Transgenderism	2
Islamaphobia	2
Sexism	2
Intolerance	2
Ignorance	2
Xenophobia	2
Nativism	2
Close-minded	2
Arrogant	2
Corrupt	2
Hate (general)	1

Issues/Actions	Points
Alternative facts	4
Russian Hacking	4
DAPL (Dakota Access Pipeline)	4
Black Lives Matter	4
Make America Great Again (Derisive)	4
The Wall (with Mexico)	4
Impeachment	4
call for military coup	4
Call for violence (genenral)	4
"Resistence"	4
"Persist"	4
Global Warming/Climate Change	3
Muslim Ban	3
Women oppressed in Hollywood	3
Women wage gap (general)	3
Planned Parenthood/Choice/"Women's Health"	3
Privilidge	3
Unconstitutional	3
Censorhip	3
Guns	3

Wild Cards	Points
All Lives Matter	15
Make America Great Again (earnest)	15
Trump complimented (general)	15

Again, Enter your team in the comments, or email to: Saintpaul777@gmail.com.   Good luck!