One last rundown, and it should be a quick one with only four players...
One Away: unanimously chosen, Wayo earns 2 MP, everyone else gets 4 MP
Side by Side: SANDBAG (although Torgo picked it correctly)
Cliff Hangers: only Flerbie had it, he nets 2/4 for it
Clock Game: Kev gets 4 MP, Wayo takes 2 MP
Stack the Deck: both Wayo and Kev get 4 MP
Most Expen$ive: only Kev picked it, he gets 2 MP for it
Before we go to the results, I mentioned Torgo sent picks, so here they are:
He ended up with 4/18 on two games, which would have been good enough only for 4th out of the five lineups submitted. And now, without further ado, your FPG champion and holder of the Goodson-Dobkowitz Cup is...
KEV!It's a little bit of redemption for Mr. 347, who was knocked out a round short of the finals last season but takes the title here by a comfortable margin. Our defending champ, Wayo, made a valiant effort as the runner-up but Kev just would not be denied.
That brings us to the end of the 2016-17 FPG season, which I'd like to close out with a few remarks, if I may.
I've been involved with FPG for four seasons now (since 2013-14), going from just a random player, to player/unofficial statskeeper, then to player/interim host, and finally to full-time hosting this season. I know Fireball didn't leave the game on the best of terms, and I don't intend to dwell on that much more than this brief mention, but I do want to express my appreciation to him for inviting me to assist him with the game back that long time ago.
Hosting the FPG is a labor of love which I have been happy to sustain during my season and a half as host. However, labor is always constrained by time, that one resource we never seem to have enough of. Even with the technical advancements I've put into place during my tenure with the automatic scoring and records-keeping spreadsheet, it still takes multiple hours every week to verify the schedule's accuracy, check for spoilers, collect the picks, and make any necessary postings. I've been ready and willing to handle that workload throughout my tenure, but recent life events have created the need for me to re-evaluate my ability to fulfill the demands of the hosting position.
I've loved every minute of my involvement with the Friday Prediction Game, but as Chaucer wrote and is often quoted, "All good things must come to an end." Or to put it another way,
I am officially stepping down as FPG host with the close of the season.Now before anyone starts thinking that this is something out of left field, know that I hope to leave the game in a little bit better fashion than my predecessor. Rather than disappearing mid-season and without warning, I previously informed Prizes and cu2010 of my decision via PM about two months ago in the hopes they they might be able to find a successor to the job in that time. I haven't been in contact with them as much as I'd have liked lately, due to some of the life events previously mentioned, but I'm sure that they've done all due diligence in a hosting search and should be able to report back to you with the results shortly. If they have been successful in finding a new host, I want to wish that person all the best of luck and offer any assistance that they might like with getting their records-keeping up and running.
I'm sorry to be leaving after so short a time as host, and I wish that I were able to carry on for at least another season or two, but life doesn't always work out the way we want it to. Till next we meet around the boards, this is Scott Bond hoping that that you can all stay off the bagel bus, that all your key games show up, and that you may always find a way to stop the Dob. So long...