If You Don’t Know Who the Patsy Is, You’re the Patsy

Blogging, humor, lessons learned, rankings, sports, Teaching and Education 2 Minutes

It’s that time of the year where I play the patsy.

It’s March Madness here in the U.S., the annual tournament to determine the men’s and women’s national collegiate basketball champions.

There’s lots of betting during March Madness, and it’s the only time of year I bet on sports.

I participate in two pools, or a better way to put it – I donate my money to the eventual winner of the pools.

Most years I have a little bit of knowledge as to who the top teams are, but that knowledge is nothing compared to some other people who play in these pools. Some people seem to know the scoring average of every player in the tournament – that’s close to one thousand people. They know the win-loss percentage of each team, the number of road losses each team has, the free-throw shooting percentage of each player in the last five minutes of a game, etc.

I guess some people spend their spare time studying college hoops, I spend mine blogging and snacking.

This year, though, it’s even worse.

I know Gonzaga is undefeated and ranked number one, but I can’t name a single player on its team. And I don’t know what team is ranked number two. I was following the season a bit more closely when Villanova was in the top five, but once we lost one of our star players was out for the season with an injury, our fortunes have dropped, and I’ve lost a bit of interest.

But despite my lack of knowledge, I’ll still participate in the pool.

There is a good deal of luck involved in winning these pool, and you never know when it’s your turn for some good luck.

But the odds are quite high that I’ll have eliminated myself from any chance of winning by the end of the first weekend.

I hope to watch as many games as I can. It is one of the highlights of the sports year for me, even when I don’t know much about the teams participating. And I’ll probably pick my teams based on how good they were ten years ago.

So yes, I am at the sucker at the proverbial poker table.

But as long as there’s food, I’m OK with that…

Published by Jim Borden

A 60-something guy trying to figure out the world, and his place in it. Happily married for 40-plus years, three wonderful sons. Accounting teacher, fitness enthusiast, blogger, reader.

Published

36 thoughts on “If You Don’t Know Who the Patsy Is, You’re the Patsy”

  4. I always fill out a few picks for the free contests during the NCAA tourney. I did win $1,500 in a contest one year, but that was more of a fluke than anything. I know that sports betting is big business, and I will admit I’ve made a few bets over the years, but I enjoy sports for the pure joy of competition. I don’t think I’ve watched more than five minutes of college basketball this year.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. wow – $1,500 – that would pay for a lifetime of playing in pools! and the pools I am in are more for the camaraderie and bragging rights. And I’m with you, for some reason, I did not watch much basketball this year, even Villanova’s game. I would read about it online the next day…

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  5. What prowess you may lack in picking the winners of a sporting event is balanced by your expertise in blogging and snacking. Okay, maybe just snacking, but still that is pretty good. Sports winners are a difficult forecast in this pandemic-laced season. Best of luck with your picks!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. I’m on your same level. I’m going with the wolverines all the way because I have a personal connection. I also love Gonzaga because of their name and I remember when they were a cinderella team. fun to see how it all plays out regardless of the fact that I could lose my 5$ investment.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      4. three points are scored when the player makes a basket when shooting beyond a specified distance (it varies depending on the league – pro vs college, men, women)

        1 point is scored when you make a “free throw”, which is what a player gets if they have been fouled by another player.

        I’m surprised you don’t like the game, since it is played with a round ball… 🙂

        Like

      7. Yes, he Tuesday morning he said he was leaving on a roadtrip in a comment on my post. I don’t think it is a long one and I don’t remember giving him permission to go but…. LOL!

        Liked by 1 person

      11. You know we bloggers could be good investigators. If someone doesn’t post for a few days, we will track them down. LOL! It is funny how you come to expect hearing from people on a daily basis and when you don’t, you begin to wonder….!

        Liked by 1 person

  9. Hey Jim, save some food for the rest of us. All kidding aside, I might do better buying a lottery ticket or two than filling out a bracket or two. At least I can cheer for Ohio State in the men’s tournament.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a reply to Jim Borden Cancel reply