Hey, you know, lost in all the election fervor seems to be one very important fact: all we can do is talk. The election is out of our hands. Furthermore, it's my (and the team's... we discussed this) belief that a revote would be wrong, if only because the election has happened. As a friend of mine said when we were running the camp pool tournament and a game ended controversially, "The game has happened. We need to score it." Okay, so a pool tournament and the US Presidential election aren't exactly the same thing, but my point remains. The vote happened. (By the way, the "voter swapping" encouraged by the Democrats, while legal, struck us as *EVIL*. My personal opinion is that John Lennon may have been proven right: instant karma IS gonna get you.) ANYWAY, I promised a new topic, and I deliver. IFT is coming up, and I feel like being bold and stupid. In that order. Division I ---------- Field: Duke, George Washington, Maryland, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Virginia Tech Analysis: All indications are that this will be a double round-robin, and hence 12 games. I like this field right now, as there doesn't appear really to be a team you can call weak. All the teams were highly competitive last year. Modesty prevents me from placing Duke a definite second (behind Virginia, who with John Kenney should steamroll through the division), since I think GW and UMCP have competitive squads. Penn State has lost everyone but Cathy at last count, and Virginia Tech no longer has any of the Fantastic Four. So, if you held a gun to my head and made me pick the results, I'd say Virginia first, us second, and Maryland third, but I could see any of three different teams taking the runner-up spot. Division II ----------- Field: Carnegie Mellon, Delaware A, Delaware B, Duke, George Washington, Georgetown A, Georgetown B, Maryland, North Carolina A, North Carolina B, Penn State, Pittsburgh A, Pittsburgh B Analysis: Let's see, Pitt A and Duke were place and show horses at the Baby Hen, which also featured GW, Mellon, both Delaware teams, and Maryland. Maryland was 6th, Delaware A and GW A finished high, and North Carolina A just played split a pair of matches with our D2 squad. So this field's just a little wide open. By my count, that's six teams (Delaware, Duke, George Washington, Maryland, North Carolina, Pittsburgh) with a shot at the top three. I'd be crazy to bet against either my guys or Pittsburgh, and given the results of the Baby Hen tournament, I gotta go against my guys here. Pitt first, Duke second, and in a bold move, I regretfully give UNC third. Gotta support the South somehow, ya know. Hopefully, a deluge of election tripe will bury this so far that I won't be called on when the picks go dreadfully wrong. :) Andy
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