The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

I know there's probably some folks on here who already participate in this contest on ESPN.com.  I thought maybe it might be fun to create a TDMMC group to make it a bit more interesting.

The goal is to pick as many correct picks in a row as possible.  Each day, ESPN will list 10-15 choices for your picking pleasure across many different sports and events of the day.  For example, some could be "Who will win this macthup?" and the choices will be Suns or Lakers.  Or, they sometimes put ones like this: "Will someone hit a home run in the 3rd inning of the Mets vs Phillies game tonight?" and the choices are yes or no.  You can only make one pick at a time, and you must wait for your current pick to be over before you can make your next pick.  For those of you who participated in the TDMMC Winter Oympics challenge, this is very similar to that.

I have been doing this for a few months and its extremely fun and keeps me entertained throughout the day.  It also makes me realize how terrible I am at picking sports.

The contest resets on the 1st of every month, so everyone starts at ZERO on Tuesday.  Therefore, now is a good time to get in!  If enough people are interested, I can create a TDMMC group, but you can start before the group is formed just by going to:

http://streak.espn.go.com/en/

Just sign in and start making picks.  Its that easy.  The person who picks the most consecutive correct picks by the end of the month wins $100,000.

Tonight's matchups have 3 MMA fights on there, which I'm staying far, far away from.  Except one is going off at a 98% shot so I might take a stab if it opens after my 7:00 baseball game pick is out.

Hope you guys join up, it will be fun to see who can do the best.

What a disappointment....I thought the thread would be something more along the lines of this...

http://www.yesbutnobutyes.com/archives/2005/09/top_ten_female.html  (NSFW)

Now that would be true Fantasy Sports!

i would participate, but i'm ineligible to win :-(

I created a group...

Group name: TDMMC
Password: marino

Join if you want.  Or don't.  I don't care.

Yessir, been doing this one for the Uber since it originally came out and was called "Beat the Streak."  It is harder than ya might think...I haven't gotten a streak past 9 in close to two years of consistent play. The Streakmaster loves to hide the trap matchups in there...be careful of any picks that look "too easy to be true."

Tonight's trap game is the 183-point WNBA over-under.  Let's see if we can't knock out 96% of the active streaks with this one... ;)

Nope...it just smelled like a trap.

I got screwed by the rain delay in Atlanta.  I couldn't get my hands on any of the Rockies/Giants goodness.

I don't understand how this game works.  I've been coming back and making one pick a day, but my record is still 0-0.  Now, I realize that when I make a pick for tomorrow, it erases my pick for today.  What the heck?

Can you pick ahead of time?
Can you have multiple picks queued up?
Can you have more than one pick per day?

You can only have 1 pick at a time.  You must wait until that pick is final before you can make the next pick.  You can pick as many as you want in one day, but of course you have to estimate the ending time and plan accordingly.  If you make a pick today, then make a pick on tomorrow, your today pick will be replaced (by virtue of "only one pick at a time").  I made the same mistake when I first joined also.

For example, lat night I picked a 7:10 start in Atlanta in hopes that it would be over in time to pick the 10:10 start in San Fran.  Well, there was rain in Atlanta and it didn't end until AFTER 10:10, at which time, the San Fran game was locked out because it already started.

(its a good thing, too, cause I woulda picked the Giants and I woulda lost)

Hope I answered your questions...

Thanks for clearing that up, that would explain why when I made a pick a day or so in advance it didn't take it.... ???

I picked the Dodgers to take out the D-Backs today and it should have been over in plenty of time to hit the 7:00 wave, but they're now in the bottom of the 13th still tied at zero.  Jeez!

Edit - now that the Dodgers have finished their marathon 4 1/2 hour baseball epic, I'm open for the next pick, which can be Stanley cup finals game 3, a line of Chris Carpenter (H vs K), and MLS game, or Rockies / Giants.  Or you can pick nothing and wait till tomorrow.  Or you can pick something from tomorrow's list today.

I was in the same boat as Brian with the D-backs. I went with the Flyers for the later pick... they're up at the moment

Flyers into OT knotted at 3.  Nailbiter.

I've been playing this for a bit, but relied on English Ppremier matches to get a streak of 2 before proving that I am inept at predicting those scores too.

When it gets down to baseball and basketball I have no hope so I pick and choose carefully :-)

^^ I try the soccer matches every now and then but I bet I know less about that than you do about baseball/basketball.

Join the group, if you can...

I'm scared of this morning's Friendly.  I want to pick South Korea in the worst way, but Spain scares me.  I think I'm going to skip that game...

Any takers?

I went with the under on the womens tennis to get my streak to 5... Once I get to 5, I tend to start getting conservative with my picks. My goal isn't the cash so much...I just want to land a streak of 10 so I can notch a 99%+ for the game on this year's fantasy ranking.

I went with Texas tonight to try stretching it to 6... I have a decent level of confidence that they should beat the ChiSox.

Went for South Korea, it's a friendly after all....and I'll probably take Germany later too.

Interesting side note about the streak game... When I got my best streak to date...eight, I got it by going against the popular pick. In 6 of the 8 picks during that streak, I had the side of the pick with 15% or less.

modified to add:  Of my current 5-streak, 3 of the picks have been 20% or less options.

Dropped the Texas pick at the last minute...gut felt funky about it, so switched to the Lakers winning margin. Figured they'd kick the Celtics butts well enough at home. Lucky call, and the streak goes to 6. Looking at the Rays over the Rangers Friday night to try for seven.

I've gone for less than 28 games in the Nadal vs Meltzer match, I'm banking on stright sets and one of them being a rout.

^^^ I went with the "28 games or fewer" pick this morning as well.

Nadal is looking good so far... 6-2, 6-3 in the first two sets means that as long as Nadal wins the third set without it going extra (up 3-1 currently), we should be good to go.

^^^

I'm sitting watching it with a beer in my hand having finished work for the day, and therefore the week :)

That was not a happy ending to that match...I thought for sure that the 28 game or less pick was safe.

Time to start a new streak...going with 3 goals or more in the Kiwi-Slovenia friendly.

Started off with 5 straight and went with the Sox for #6 and now I'm in a tailspin to recover.  I swore I went with the over on the Nadal match but alas, it appears not.

Next up, Yanks / Jays

I suck at this.

^^^ harder than it seems, huh?

Not really hard, but I don't follow enough sports to intelligently make choices.  Then, the ones I do follow, I just pick the teams I like.

I do like how it's not just picking winners, but it's picking number of rebounds vs. winning margin, or something equally weird.

It is hard...at least to do well at.

I had to dig it up because it's from an email that's over a year old, but the current #1 ranked fantasy player on ESPN made this comment about the game:

"I almost dont want to play the Streak any more. Im tired of feeling stupid."

^ I don't consider that difficultly, though.

There seems to be a randomness to it.  ...same with the Olympic pick'em.  It's "hard" in the same sense that flipping a coin and coming up heads a bunch of times is hard.  Yes, it's rare, but I don't think that it's very skill-based.

Pretty much, it is like sportsbetting in vegas.  The best of the best can get maybe a 1-2% advantage. Which means winning no more than 60% of their bets.

I think the key to this game is spotting the individual elements on each side of the bet that aren't readily noticeable by the surface stats but could have a pronounced effect on the outcome. I think the "sense of randomness" you feel could be a result of not taking the time to research the pick and see those elements. According to the streakmaster when the game first started, each prop bet is specifically designed to give roughly a 50/50 shot to either side of the bet. When you see one that looks really lopsided...it probably isn't.


...and if you can pick right on between 20-25 straight prop bets, you've got a legit shot at $100,000.

Follow up post... Going with an "unpopular" pick to get back to W2, taking the Jays (9%) at home over the Yankees (91%). Burnett's home/road ERA splits are pretty clear (2.27 home, 4.29 road), and while Cecil's home numbers look bad, they're overinflated by one atrocious 2 inning, 8 run atrocity when he was suffering from the flu bug. Take that out, and his other two home starts have been very good.

^^ I took the Jays too, based on Cecil's stats and matchups.  For the record, I also picked up Cecil for a spot-start against you in fantasy tonight.

I think this is the little "elements" you're discussing.  If the Mariners are playing against the Yankees, it seems like a no brainer.  But it could be Seattle's ace vs the Yankees' fifth starter, and Seattle pulls it out.  These are the things you gotta keep an eye out for.

Now I'm nervous, The game Stroke had a bad feeling about caught my happy ass in it's sling,We're all liking the Jays over the Yankees.......I was glad to see I wasn't the only one who took The over on Phil.....I could care less about the Cash part, I do like playing and competing in the group though.... ;D

I have a wonderful pattern going. win two, lose 4, win two lose ____ I can't get past 2. I'm at 1 right now so lets see if the Blackhawks game goes the right way

Jays up 1-0 in the 4th!  Woo!

^^^Yeah even when I was watching and saw it was 6-1, I knew Toronto has Kevin Gregg,and if he gets anywhere near it, it can be easily blown..... :D Thankfully it ended just intime for me to go 2-1 (I have a bad feeling about the Angels in Seattle) but what the hey....

I snuck in the Angels for the nightcap pick, just to try to get a running start on the weekend...and since this IS the Streak, I suppose that would be a naked running start.

Woohoo 3 wins today,I'll probably take a couple of sucker bets tomorrow,get a little luck.... :D

Anyone else streaking the Belmont tonight? 

Crap, the Belmont?  what was I thinking?

Nah...skipped the ponies, as I was too busy gacking a chicken bone on the team sports side of things. L-3 and counting...maybe some chick hoops tonight will help cheer up the streak.

I'm in for chick hoops as well.  Seems like a slam dunk. 

pun intended.

Seems more like a dorky 3rd grade layup off the glass than a slam dunk, but at least they have breasts...

Last night I was all for I'm gonna take the Soccer in the Morning (made the pick), then the Ponies in the evening,then a baseball game in the evening...Have a good chance on one of them there fancy little stars next to my name....Then started thinking about WTF do I know about soccer? and started over analyzing the pick, realized I'm not thinking straight at 1 am....canceled the pick...Woke up the next morning,picked the Rockies over the D'backs..I was right about the soccer,and the ponies....Lost the one pick I made........Sigh......Start all over again tomorrow.... :D

I had a bad feeling about the Rockies today, going up against Dontrelle's first start back in the NL.  So I stayed away from that.  Picked the Padres over the Phillies instead.  See where that got me...

^^ I thought Dontrelle would be pretty good,but not good enough to totally shut down the Rockies,and then the AZ Bullpen has been atrocious....I have absolutely no business trying to pick Tennis.... :D

I am old school.  I prefer women's basketball over the NBA, because the game is played under the rim instead of being a bunch slam dunks.  Also it is more about finesse and less about overpowering someone.  Womens basketball is played as Naismith designed the game to be played. 

I had a good thing going, then the Celtics effed me all up tonight.  No one ever loses the first home game.

Meh.

Except the Celtics.

Now I gotta start all over.

I'd rather spend an hour watching my neighbor's dog meticulously lick its own ass than spend two minutes watching women's basketball...

^ Seriously, man.

I wish I could not be a sexist pig and like women's basketball, but it's the most God awful, boring thing I've ever seen.  Even in terms of women's sports, it's at the bottom of the list of things I'd want to watch.

***Hijack***My whole area LOVES women's college basketball....I'm surrounded in it....My Ex Girlfriend,used to drag me to the games,because she was a big fan.... /end hijack***

Yeah, I've never heard of the league these soccer teams are in,I need to get back on the horse....My fantasy team loved the A's ass kicking of the Angels,my streaking....Not so much....

4 of us are going to be on 2 game winning streak, or a 1 game losing streak, we all picked the Rays to beat the Jays :D

Rays over Jays was about as close to a lock as I've seen on this game in a while

I really dislike ESPN's choice of games for this. If you don't like baseball (and don't know crap about it), there are very few options. Ahh, well, maybe there's just not much else going on right now, I don't know.

Anyway, to my fellow 2-win-streakers, we'll all be at 3 wins shortly, having all picked Ben Crane. He's currently 3 under par, 8 shots ahead of Flesch (sorry Tepop), with only 2 holes to go.

Going with the Los Angeless of Anaheim in Orange County California Angels to try Stretching my Armstrong to 4...

You're right, the problem is there's nothing else happening right now.  The summer sports drought is upon us...  But, World Cup fires up soon and I'm 6-0 this month in soccer!

By the way, I thought I was the onlt one going with Crane.  I was disappointed to see everyone else picked him too.

I think Rory McIlroy is a lock for the afternoon session, but I'm chasing the Mets/Padres game instead.

I've got the Mets on the early one

If it helps, you would've lost on McIlroy as well. I had a bad feeling about it and decided to just stay put.

glad i woulda lost both...  Now I don't feel bad about wasting my pick on Johan Santana and the "unbeatable at home" Mets.

That's what you get for picking against the mighty-mighty Padres!! ;D

eff'n Mexico....

Why on earth would you pick Mexico?  First game of the world cup, in the teams home country, the crowd is amped up for home field advantage, no doubt.  That's big in soccer.  Plus they had the "win or draw" pick

Because some of us don't know Jack Didliy squat about Soccer!  :D

I don't know jack about soccer either but I seem to be really good at picking it this month.

As soon as I say that, France plays Uruguay to a draw.  WTF?  URUGUAY?  Do people actually live there?

Uruguay has some real quality players like Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez. And South American teams always seem to be solid. Considering how France squeaked into the World Cup this time, this was one match I was staying very far away from.

oooooh, after a week on holiday, I'm back with Germany >=2 than Australia....boom :)

^^ I was scared of that one so I picked the Reds over Royals.  Effin Reds.

I'm regretting my decision to take Cameroon over Japan. It's not the way the game is going (I haven't been watching, but it's 0-0). Rather, I just noticed that in their 3 most recent matchups, Japan have won 2-0 twice and drawn 0-0 once. That's what I get for picking without doing ANY research. I just figured Japan sucked at soccer and I seem to recall Cameroon as being pretty good... oh, well, it still could go my way...

EDIT: And just as I write that, Japan scores to go up 1-0. Yeah, this is going to suck. At least I'm not going down alone! Thanks guys ;)

fyo - that was exactly my reasoning.  Japan sucks and Cameroon was good in a FIFA video game I played years ago. 

Oh well...  I'm going to try to make a pick in every matchup today.

I know a couple of people who actively try to pick as many matchups each day as possible, to shoot for the $2,500 prize for most correct selections overall for that month. I wish I could be that dedicated to the streak, but I tried it one month and realized you have to plan around the streak to do that.

I try to make as many picks per day as I can.  I usually determine which games to pick based on the time schedule.  I pick golf, tennis, cricket, etc, just so I can have something to pick in the morning.

Today should be fairly easy for that...only 4 picks the entire day, and they're spread out so that you can do all four.

^^ Or for me, Easily go on a 4 game losing streak!  :D

If you can get to an 8-pick losing streak, you will have equaled my best...er...worst.

I remember being almost afraid to pick during that losing streak...I was so worried I'd get to 10 straight losses.

Italy took out a bunch of streaks today.  I looked at the top 10 on the leaderboard and all of them had Italy, and now have a losing streak.  It was the upset of the month so far, IMO.

Rough day today.  Four picks, so far three losses.  I got the Padres tonight to make it all go away. 

I am 0-for-3 today as well, but went with Toronto against my belowed Padres. I just thought Marcum would be a rough matchup for SD's hitters.

0 for 4 yesterday.  How disappointing.

and embarrassing.

Whenever I feel like an idiot during the streak, I just remember that the #3 overall fantasy gamer on ESPN (my buddy George Burdick) once notched 12 straight losses.

Hell...you can just about sneeze a 4-loss streak without trying.

Yep it continues into today.

Losing streak is at 6 now.

I'm going Rays over Braves tonight.  If you're smart you'll pick the Braves.

I'm going to try to snap my losing streak with a shot-in-the-dark WNBA play.

I've got the same pick,the rain delay,screws making a pick on the later games...but that could be a good thing or a bad thing...It's ok If the Rays win, Sucks if they lose....My 2 cents....

In 20 minutes I'm going to abandon ship and pick the 10:00 game

I'm at a 3 game losing streak - there is soccer today so I'm sure I'll extend it. I just can't pick these things right

I'm officially at a longer losing streak than my longest winning streak.  Yesterday, I abandoned the Rays game (would have won) in favor of the Giants game (lost).  Now I'm at 7 straight losses. 

The Celtics keep screwing me.

Having broken my losing streak on women's basketball, I figured I'd do the opposite of everyone else and predict Spain to win by 2+. I see tepop joined me in the (seemingly) futile endeavour.

I am glad I picked Switzerland.  Finally off the schnide!  Seven game losing streaks suck.

Well, I'm just at 1 (again), but trying to make that 2 by picking against everyone (again) and going with Uruguay.

This WC has been turning up some interesting results, and the obvious choice has been screwing a lot of people over.

Having said that, South Africa to win or draw......Uruguay are the better side, but I just can't see SA losing this one and am siding with the masses.

If it was Uruguay to win or draw it would make a far more divided choice.

^^I thought the exact same.  I think Uruguay has the better chance to win, but I'm playing the draw.  All things being equal, I have a 66.7% chance to win.

It seems like it's hard to continue winning streaks,but losing streaks are just plain easy....Win one or two...lose three.... :D It is fun though....I'm still shooting for one of those fancy stars next to my name..... ;D

I really think a lot of times that is because once a person loses a couple in a row, they get both frustrated and impatient to get back on a win streak, so they go with the "popular pick" that has the high %% next to it, and they end up bouncing from trap pick to trap pick.

^^ that's exactly what happened to me last night.  I was SURE about the Rays over Braves, but the rain delay made me think it would end in a push, so I jumped to Giants for the 96% confidence pick and got burned.

THERE WE GO!

South Africa's goalie just got ejected. Penalty. 2-0 Uruguay.

^^ CRAP.

one win and back to losing.  I had Uruguay and changed it.

From now on I'm picking the opposite of my intuition.

I was 22-11 at one point.  I was doing so well. 

I've now lose 10 of the last 11 picks.

Back up to W-5, looking at Phil over Paddy on the back nine for my next pick.

I got that one in early... Is it just me or does this look like too much of a lock? Certainly not something a bookie would give even money on...

I'm going for the Nigeria over Greece.  I feel more confident with that pick than golf.

^^^ I actually switched up my pick from Nigeria to Phil over Paddy, just because I am in such a funk in the Soccer Pick'em game at the moment (missed on 8 of last 9 matches) that I don't trust my soccer judgment.

Not like I know jack about golf...it just seemed like a better shot for me.

^bloody hell.  Greece is up 2-1 at 72 minutes.  Crap.  11 of 12.

At least I could be climbing the leaderboards for longest losing streak if it weren't for damn Spain.

Looks like my current 5 streak will come to an end, unless Phil can make up one stroke on Paddy on the 18th hole. Not liking my chances of that happening...

Phil, Phil, Phil...

Women's basketball it is :/

I give up.  This is bullshit

I'm thinking the answer is a little less "give up" and a little more "quit kicking your own ass every time you miss a pick."

Just sayin'...

Its not "every time I miss a pick" Its every time I miss 6 in a row.

Just wanted to document my epic collapse.

But I plan to finish up the month with an epic 24-game winning streak

I'm at W2, I thought it would have been zapped on the Ray Allen one last night, but it was a tie and there was nothing in the wording about a tie, so it's just a wasted pick.

I went with the USA today, which the way upsets have been occurring, was probably a mistake

GO CHILE!

Trying to get a 2-win streak going here for the first time in ages...

Unfortunately, Tepop may just have jinxed me with his selection of Chile. He's managed a scary 3 wins in 15 picks in soccer...

At least Switzerland got a red card. That might just be the help Chile needed.

I like how ESPN is calling for the ref to be substituted during the half on GameCast...

I got a 5 game winning streak going.   And i am 4-12 in soccer now because I won the first game today.

I want one of those stars ;)

I'm 6-23 in the last 29 picks.  I'm at the point where I just wanna finish the month above 0.500...

I just went to check my pick, and alot of the group had Spain to win by 2.....Three of us had the other option....Brian,Stroke and I...I got really nervous,because of of Brian's above post.... :D I felt ok about that pick till I read the post,and saw we picked the same! The sad part is I seem to be pulling for Brian to win, than Myself....Did Brian get that right? OHhh shit....

Gonna go with Livan @ 7 PM for my next pick, because he wears his war wound like a crown...

I went with Livan after Spain screwed me by winning by 2.

Livan was a decent call...now to try to hit all three of the Yankees game picks.

I'm in bitches. Team Urinal Cakes dominates.

If Nadal can continue his dominating start, we'll ALL be on winning streaks! ;)

With France continuing its implosion, your streak is looking good for 6!

I avoided the Nadal match this morning...I really just have crap luck on the tennis picks. I went with "any other result" in the Mexico-Uruguay match to try sliding up to W-6...and am thinking it will be Uruguay with a 2-1 win.

The problem with that match is that both teams go through if they just draw, so there's absolutely no incentive to play for anything else.

^^^ Understood completely, but I tend to do better on my gut than on the logical pick, and my gut said "we have a winna!" in that matchup. ;)

Your gut seems to be holding pretty well -- Uruguay is up 1-0 at the half.

Dear Streak Gods...please disregard the blatant jinx that fyo just lobbed at me for this pick.

Amen ;)

Looks like I jinxed myself there instead. Nadal was cruising and had break point to all but guarantee the 28 or less. Instead, he lost his concentration and then got broken himself. At 3-3 in the third, Nadal has to win 3 of the next 4 games (1 break).

I meant to pick the "Any Other Result" but I clicked on France by accident.  And then when I went to change it at 9:59 it locked me out.

:(

There goes that.

Doh... yeah, they're imploding in a spectacular way.

And as I say that, France scores.

I'm just gonna shut up now.

whew

LOL...Nadal pulled that one out by the skin of his racket.

Still glad I didn't take that matchup...the 3rd set stress would've killed me. ;D

Is Argentina as much of a lock as I think it is?  I'm picking them this afternoon.  If you're smart, pick South Korea, cause they're almost guaranteed to "win or draw".

I've got Argentina locked in as well, to go for W-7...hope you're wrong about that almost-guarantee.

^^ what's that?

A "lock" he said ::)

0-0 at 78 minutes. :(

1-0, are you happy now?

Holy hell...not even 1 minute after I hit "submit," Argentina scores.

We've all got a W streak going! Let's enjoy it while it lasts ;)

I intend to be very conservative with my remaining picks this month, and try to build a 10+ streak and get my damn blue star.

I've only been at this almost exactly 2 weeks and just got my red star, so I'm happy ;).

I need a 9th inning comeback from Boston against the Rocks, or my W-7 will quickly morph into an L-1, which would amuse me not one bit.

Put my W-8 in your pipe and smoke it.  ;)

^^^ I've got your W-8 hanging to the left over here.

...and good to see your obnoxious ass back up here again, btw.

Thanks!

It's World Cup Day for our streakers. Tepop (W4), Brian (W2), Dave (W2), and Lil B (L1) have the US as their pick, while Denver Bronco (W8), I (W5), and Stroke (L1) have gone with the Brits (well, English). Everyone can be a winner!

DolphinUK (what, no England pick?) and Sportschick are the only ones without a pick.

I had the tennis 18 or under, I think i should have stuck with it.  I think the us being 98% of the picks is only because it is the US.

I think its cause Algeria sucks.

didn't algeria tie with england, who the us also tied with.  it isn't like the us has a win.and algeria win or draw = win.

A quick look at the tables shows that Algeria and Honduras are the only teams that have yet to score a goal.

That said, I'm with Tepop on this one. 98% going with the US in that match... clearly a homer pick.

No argument there...any time it says "USA" on a streak pick, that side will always be overinflated.

Maybe inflated, but not why I picked them.  I would like to think that most people playing these games are objective enough not to be blind homers but there are a segment (I estimate 20% or so) of players who are casual "who cares" pickers.

SportsChick was sleeping. I'm sick so I missed the morning games

soccer fucking blows.

My Picks, are like the pea green and sandal wood family truxter....no matter how bad they are.....they just keep coming.... ;D

I don't know jack about soccer,very little about Golf...but It makes me check up on those sports,because of the picks....

I've learned more about soccer during this world cup than I ever thought I'd know about soccer, mainly because of the Streak and fantasy games involved.

Still not a big fan of the soccer game (especially if officials don't have to tell you what they're calling), but I really like the international aspect of a world cup competition.

I think the Brewers/Twins game tonight is a trap.  I think the Brewers will win but 97% are picking the Twins.  I don't have the balls to chase a 2% hitter...

W-10. Half way to getting the money that is rightfully mine.  ;)

Figured it out, Denver... You popped back in to TDMMC just because you had a W-7 streak going and no one was around to hear you proclaim your own greatness. ;)

Hope ya stick around when it hits L-1 here shortly...

Shortly after I pick up my hundred grand you mean, right? LOL!

I knew it was a trap and I picked it anyway.  I deserve a kick in the nads for not listening to myself.

My 3 streak has left me scared to pick for a few days, there have been a couple which I just wasn't confident about.

This is the way I feel.... >:(

I figured I'd get back to winning picking against my Cubs,and felt Better about it,because Denver_Bronco also picked the Mariners....Cubs Win, Cubs Win!


That ended the longest streak in the league....

Thank you for poisoning my pick....... ;) I'm going to win this thing. It might not be this month, but I will win it eventually.

You remind me of the Red Sox fan who every day bet on the Yankees to win.  When asked why he bet on the Yankees as a Red Sox fan, he responded.  If the Yankees lose, I am happy because the Yankees lost and if the Yankees win I get $20. 

And with the Celtics drafting Luke Harangody, Brian is now an instant Celtics fan :D Welcome to Green and White land honey ;)

Meh, not so fast...  Its good for win #2, and that's ALL

Come on, the Celtics are the most storied franchise in the NBA. The luck of the Irish, Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, Larry Bird, the Big 3 (x2). Join in.

I kinda like that....I guess I'm a little like that...Cubs wins are a touch better if I know the Cardinals lose....Cubs Losses are slightly less bad,if the Cardinals lose....

My "get me over" fastball keeps getting fouled off....(as in the Red Sox are down to the the Rockies 8-6 in the 7th) I like to end the day with a win....

Since today's the last day of June, today is the last day of Streaking.

Tomorrow everyone gets reset to "0" (thank goodness) and we get to start all over again.

There's a great battle right now for the lead between Lil B and Sunstroke.  Let's see how this plays out.  I think I have last place locked down.

I thought for sure that Soderling was going to take two sets from Nadal and screw up half the streaks on the leaderboard...but he gacked it bad in the 4th set to lose.

After a really rough start to the month, I actually turned in a decent overall pick percentage. Hopefully I can run a 10-streak next month for the ol' Uber.

I lost, I can't get one of those little stars next to my name....F'n Cardinals.... :D

I have to admit,I really enjoy this too much....If I get busy,go camping etc, and don't make a pick..no biggie.....As micky D's says...I'm lov'in it...

Those stars are only for the elite prognosticators, such as myself....... ;D

^^^ You do understand that anyone can access your entire "anything but elite" history in the Streak game, right? ;)

Yes, I do. They should make my pick history a shrine.

Ah, I've heard of that mental disorder... So what you're saying is that there's a little reality-detachment going on in the northern suburbs of Denver. ;)

I got on a 7 my highest ever before the reset (I'm actually still on a seven) so I'm taking a flyer on a couple of random shots for the new month.

Dear Toronto Blue Jays,

You suck in a true and mighty manner...

Sincerely,

Most of the TDMMC streakers

What he said

Brazil is the can't-lose pick, right?

they haven't lost a game in how long?

Yeah right. ::)

Well, bookies had them at pretty much exactly even money for the win (with the rest split between tie and loss), so it wasn't a particularly lopsided pick... oh, it was a "straight" pick (who advances)... thought Netherlands had the win or draw option. Solid pick then.

Nadal, on the other hand...

Uruguay is a slightly bigger favorite than Brazil was, fwiw.

I didn't fancy Brazil vs Holland, it was too tight, I figured Uruguay would be safer and but for a crossbar I'd have been wrong :-)

Just for that I am picking Oswalt at 4% against your boys tonight with my W-2.

Brazilian women have the sweetest asses.

Yes! L-6! 3-10 on the month! Don't be a hater!

I can't say much, as I'm still under .500 on the month... Tough matchups, many hidden traps with strong springs and sharp teeth. Three "rapid-fire" picks tonight between 8:15 and 10:30 can turn things around though, so there's hope. And depending on which side of Shawshank you're standing...

"...Hope is a good thing, perhaps the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."
~Andy Dufresne

"Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane."
~ Ellis "Red" Redding

Do I get a Black Minus if I lose a certain amount?  :D

Nah, man...this is The Streak. If you lose too many, they just make you put your clothes back on.

8-16 on the month. Pathetic.

I got my wonderful star :D

I started out rough this month...2-6, but have turned it around a bit, going 10-3 since that point. Hopefully I can join SportsChica in Red Starville today.

I love my star, I'm almost afraid to make picks now (this is the longest streak I've ever had)

I am on a huge 11 streak over 2 months (which counts for nothing!) but because I pick slower than everyone else owing to not being able to pick baseball games, I've not got one wrong yet this month, so I'm also scared to pick......

having said that, I've just taken Germany over Spain because I know that once the World Cup ends my chances of finding picks I know about become a bit more challenging!

I didn't wanna touch that WC game with a 10-foot pole.  Its too close.

All 4 currently on a losing streak had Germany. For some reason, I had the lone "Spain" pick.

Gotta admit I thought it was a complete tossup. Think I went with Spain just 'cause I'd rather see them win (although not with any great preference)... and 75% on ESPN were picking Germany...

Not picking wasn't really a choice; I have the same problem as DolphinUK, in that I have absolutely zero interest in baseball (and, more to the point, no knowledge of it), so when I do pick, I'm just going blindly with the popular vote (and not doing a good job of it).

Following that trend, I'll probably be going blindly with the Twins tonight.

I'm going with the Twins as well, but with eyes wide open. Toronto is struggling right now, and the AAA pitcher with the 6-something ERA isn't the answer to the hot hitting Twins, unless the real question being asked is "How can I inflate our team ERA?"

I had Spain locked in earlier, but got cold feet over my total lack of soccer knowledge and changed the pick to the diamond action instead. ;)

I stayed far far away from the soccer

That AAA pitcher I noted, Rzepczynski, has thrown 2 shutout innings with 4 K's so far...yeesh. Come on, you Twinks!

(http://pic.leech.it/i/d8183/64d2903tdmmcstree.jpg) (http://pic.leech.it/pic.php?id=64d2903tdmmcstree.jpg)
 :o  :o  :o  :o

I'd say that there was a pretty strong consensus in tonights pick.... :D

(Blurred names for privacy)

Yup... that Twins pick... worked like a charm ;)

We all managed to have a losing streak going there for a little while. Nice.

I'm taking a month off.

^^ for a second last night you had the longest winning streak in the group.

I f'n Suck....

I'll resume to my suckitude tomorrow....

Thank you that is all.... ;D

To Quote E.T. the Extra Terrestrial .....Ouuuuchh......an 0-3 night bringing my losing streak to 9....

As I waffled on the last pick, back and forth,back and forth, back and forth....

I picked the AL in the all-star game as a win-win pick. If the AL won, my win streak goes to 4. If the NL wins, then I don't have to listen to obnoxious AL Elitist swine flapping their gums about AL all star domination for at least a year, and with my Padres playing well, maybe that home field advantage will actually mean something to San Diego fans this year.

And I take the lead... by not picking for 2 days.

This is going to be a very low-pick month for me. It seems like the sports being played right now just don't match my interests very well (at all)....

On the other hand, not making picks isn't exactly going to get me a long streak, is it? I was tempted to do the Tour de France pick (why only a single Tour pick? That seems awfully low), but Kloden v Armstrong is a weird matchup that I have absolutely no feel for.

Ah, well, "obscure soccer leagues for 500, Alex"...

I waffled on the Ubaldo Jimenez pick for the Red Star and I eventually settled on the wrong one.  I knew it would be "no" but the 87% "Yes" scared me.  That and how the announcers kept going on and on about how hard it was to see at the plate. 

Meh.

Trying to rebuild.  I want the damn red star.

The lead in what? Picking like a pansy doesn't win anything. Unless you are the guy with 20. I don't understand the people who pick like pansies. It never comes down to a tie where winning percentage matters for shit if you have the balls to pick.

The lead in longest CURRENT streak.

And picking 27 items in 14 days isn't exactly "picking like a pansy..."

You should try for the longest losing streak.  I think there's something there too.
Current longest losing streak for July is 13
http://streak.espn.go.com/en/loseLeaders

Which was pretty much my point, if you bothered to read my post. In fact, I said pretty much exactly that, bemoaning that not picking wouldn't get me a long streak.

As for an overall "win" strategy, I'm not completely convinced making tons of picks is the right way to go. A lot of picks are (if you look at Vegas odds) truly 50/50, but there are quite a few with way better odds.

That wasn't the point I was trying to make, however. My problem was simply that I didn't know jack about the picks available and didn't have a good feel for any of them. Sure, I could pick blindly -- and I do that sometimes -- but this time I decided not to.

EDITED to add: But as my "obscure soccer leagues" reference alluded to, I'm doing pretty much that (picking blindly) today. For some reason, I've suddenly become a big Helsinki supporter ;)

Hahah... good list... those guys are huge Kloden fans, which should at least make DB happy.

Ahh a Silver lining!  :D Let's hope my name doesn't appear the list.... :-[

I'm a fan of the ladies today.... ;)

^^ a 14-5 team against a 6-11 team.  Something is wrong here that we don't know about. 

Yet at the half the 6-11 team leads by 13.  WTF?

Edit to add: Apparently Atlanta has 2 all-star players who are injured with concussions and not playing.

I took a bit of a gamble on the Kloden vs Armstrong one, the stage today was really passive none of the contendors attacked so they finished in a bunch, at that point it's hit and miss who comes through first!

I need them to start putting up sports I have a clue about :-)

The Dream have made a comeback!  Scoring 32 points in the 3rd quarter.  I can't believe I'm cheering on WNBA!  Let's go DREAM!

In a barn burner, the Dream lose a heartbreaker. 

I'm drinking the WNBA koolaid and going with Seattle on the road over Phoenix.

Same here.  Let's go Sonics.  Um, wait, I mean Storm!

(I used to have a fantasy football team called Sunrise Storm)

Oddly enough, my highest ranked fantasy basketball squad last year was named "Boxscore Sunstorm."

The Storm had a 6 point lead inside 2 minutes and, now, at the end of the 4th, they're tied at 78.

Damn you, ESPN.

I've officially made the stink board,I couldn't get back in time to make the other WNBA pick...It was probably a good thing too...

Wow...Lauren Jackson for Seattle hits a pair of clutch free throws with 0:02 left in overtime to tie it up again at 90-90. Let's go double-OT, please!

Its about to end TRIPLE overtime now.  Why is this game so close?  What does ESPN know about these apparently lopsided matchups that I am missing?

STORM WIN!  STORM WIN! 

With 2 seconds left in Triple-OT, the Mercury need a 3-pointer to tie.  Penny Taylor is 3-for-4 from 3-point-land in the game, but misses the most important one.

Now, on to MLS Soccer!

and the Slide continues....11 (or the Rise up the Losing streak board continues...If you're a glass half full type of person.... :D)

Come on Mr Cousins! Score, Score Score!  :)

Sure could use a couple of 4th quarter TDs in the Toronto-Calgary gameto make the "50 or more pts" pick stand up.

Come on, Cleo Lemon...get busy already!!

Thank you, Cleo, for saving your one and only TD pass for the final minutes to pop that 50-point mark.

Such an epic 3OT debacle goes for naught as a random stab at MLS proves my prognostication skills unworthy once again.

Off the Snide! woohooo Thank you Mr. Cousins..... :D

^^ I appear to have picked up where Lil B left off.  Thanks a lot.

I think it's a rough month, not the most easy picks....None of us are exactly setting the world on fire...Sportschick got a star,last month I think I was the only one without a star....

Dave is closing in on the longest current streak again...

Last month, only 4 people had stars....

I took the Levin in the Levin versus Purdy golf match up...When I checked their stats Levin is doing much better this year than Purdy,but in 2009 Levin finished the Tournament +1,and Purdy was -6..... >:( I wish I'd studied that a little better before I made that pick....

This year, Levin is ranked in the top 125 and Purdy is worse than that.  For now, after 6 holes, they're tied at +2.

I also picked Levin.

We both Lost on Levin..... :|

yup - but I made it back on the Sounders!

I am rocking my losing streak

Pick of the day if any of you are awake for it.....

Cavendish vs Any other Cyclist

He's lost his key leadout man, and this is the last stage before 5 days in the mountains, none of the main GC contendors will push the peloton along, and this stage traditionally get won by a breakaway.

If it comes to a sprint, I still think Cav will win it, but I'm betting against a sprint finish despite it being a fairly flat stage.

p.s. All predicitons I make are believed at your own risk ;-)

No good picks today.  2 crappy soccer matches with teams I never heard of and nothing else until 7:00. 

What a crappy day for streaking.

Unless you're on a losing streak. In that case, there's no reason not to go nuts. Without knowing any of the teams, I picked the consensus favorite in the early match. If I have time, I'll do the same for the second. Tiraspol? Where the heck is that? Tirana... that's Turkey, right? (No, Google says Albania...)

Yeah, you're right - losing streak = picking willy-nilly.  Normally, I'd do that no matter what.  But I'm on a 3-game winner and I want a star before the month is out, so I'm being a bit more choosey.  Good luck with Tiraspol! ;)

Against my better judgment, I just couldn't sit still.  I picked Dinamo in the 2:15 game, based on the fact that they won against this same team 5-1 a week ago.

What a mistake.

I would've joined you, had I only been near a computer...

As is, I'll have to try and find a decent baseball matchup tonight :/

Woohoo!,I got my Star, I got my Star! Woohooo! After Making 2 losses away from the top of the Losing streak board, I won 4 in a row,lost the 5th, then finally got my first 5 game winning streak...Woohooo!

Thank you...I'll shut up now...We now return you to your regularly scheduled program,already in progress.....

I wrecked my streak by going with a random popular game instead of sticking with "against the Razorbacks". With Team USA getting stomped by Team Canada in slow pitch, my losing streak is picking up speed.

What's the outlook tonight -- will the Razorbacks lose again?

Looking for "any other rider" to win stage 20 of the TDF to get the streak to 6.

...looks good so far anyway.

</end knocking on wood>

Wow...Cavendish wasn't even showing in the lead group or the chase group with 10 km left in the stage, but the dude won it anyway.

Back to the streak drawing board...

Stroke, I'm gutted, I *knew* Cav would win, he's just too damn good, but wasn't at a PC this morning to make the pick :-)

The cycling one close too early in the morning ;-) (yes I am once again blaming my time zone for a poor showing!)

That makes sense for a night game on the west coast of the usa.  France is only an hour earlier than you. 

Actually France +1 to us, but you need to factor in that they appear in the evening for the next day to you guys, quite often when I go to sleep for the night the full selection isn't availible (there are currently only 5 for tomorrow and they are all baseball).

Admittedly, the cycling today was doable, I just never switched my PC on (I was watching the Formula 1!)

ESPN set my last pick as "incorrect", despite it being correct. Haven't seen that before...

"You selected SV Salzburg: Win or Draw"

And the score given in the pick listed below is "1-1" (accurate).

*shrug*

On my screen is shows Salzberg got the win.

Still shows a tie on mine... and now ESPN has switched their verdict on my pick and my losing streak is snapped ;)

That's what I meant - a person who picked Salzberg would get the win, because they had the Draw option.  Glad they fixed it.

Welcome to the Group StL finfan..... Good luck!

Stupid Reds lose when I want them to win.

I'm confused, I wanted the Reds to lose, and the beat the piss out of the Brewers.

Sucks,It's the 31st, and I'm forced to make a pick I'm not sold on to try to get a Blue star, that will be gone tomorrow.... :-\ :'(

I'll get it over with fairly quick.... :'(

At least you have a chance for one. No one else will break 7.

Meh I can't even seem to get a red star.  I'm the only one besides STL (who just joined) and Dave (who's not even playing) :(

^ when I remember to go there and make a pick lol

Ok, well no Blue Star...It does allow me to make a few more riskier picks,I think I'm more bummed that If I'd won I'd been .500 for the month,after going on a 11 game losing streak....

Full bore ahead into August.... ;D

Don't worry. You are a star to all of us Brian.....haha

I really hate picking against my fantasy team...I'm starting this pitcher, or I have 2 players from this team...and I think they'll lose.... :D

I guess it's a little like hedging my bet  :D....Ahh Sucks for my Streak, Yah for my fantasy team.....It does back fire, Pick wrong,and my guys don't do squat....

Denver's already got an 8 game streak on the 3rd day of the month.....I fell like such a slacker..... ;D :D

Make that a 9 game streak. Shooting for the old blue star tonight. You can check me out on the leaderboard for the 4th time in 5 months. This might be the month I win it all.

I'm pushing a brown doo doo star right off the bat.  5 losses in a row.  ouch.

I choked on a Ranger turd last night. Thanks morons!

me too - Who loses to Seattle?

I think a Whole lotta people got suckered on the Rangers vs Mariners game...it was like 99.1 to.9 in the voting....

Anyone else feel like this game kindergarten all over...We're all trying to get a gold star!  :D

TOUGH GAMES on the agenda tonight. 

San Fran at Atlanta - Atlanta is hot at home, but Tim Lincecum is coming into town to try to put out the fire
Washington at Arizona - battle of the crappiest teams in baseball
Texas at Seattle - on the surface seems like a no brainer, but King Felix vs Tommy Hunter, who is coming off a 3 inning, 8 run shelling, takes the hill for the Rangers.  This could go either way.

I'm scared to take any of them...

And I shouldn't have either. 0-2 in those games. No matter if I go with or against Felix Hernandez, I lose. Every friggen time.

argh this game makes me so mad!

woo hoo two in a row right!

13-2 in soccer this month, which i pick strictly on the trends. I will trade my soccer knowledge for anyone who can get me over the hump with my MLB picks this month, for which I suck at, as I am under .500 (9-10 for the month).


Thank you...

Got my star :) Woo hoo

Congrats! Keep rolling!

Nadal was such a sucker pick yesterday. Count me in the list of suckers. As a matter of fact every pick that is 90-plus percent is a guaranteed loser. If you see 90% either stay away or go the other way.

I am also a sucker.  As is 98% of the people who picked it.  Damn.  At least I'm not the only sucker.

Kind of a goofy thing to say, considering that there were four matchups yesterday that had 90% or more to one side, and 3 of the 4 picks at 90+% held up to win.

Only the Nadal pick missed...

I often with those kind of lopsided numbers how many people really know the sport/players and how many just jumped on the bandwagon.  My bandwagon picks have not turned out too well.

Clijsters/Sharapova is on the board to red all of the guys who are blinded by Sharapova's hotness, thus they will pick her based on looks.

If you're picking this matchup go with Clijsters.

Congrats to Denver_Bronco for winning the August streak with 9.  While there's still a bit over half-a-day to go, I don't think anyone will break 9 today.

I hope next month I can break through my glass ceiling of 4 and get my damn red star!

I had an awful month of Streaking...I hovered within a game or two of .500 all month. With all of the college football and NFL "mini-games" coming up, I probably won't be as active in the streak as normal.

I'm actually looking forward to streaking with football, because finally there'll be something I know a lot about.  Rather than soccer, tennis, and MMA

thank you Brian... ;)

hey streakers!
Make sure you play Today, Sept 7th, because there's 31 props open and the longest streak for today only wins $31k.

If you never play again, make as many picks as you can today, and try to take a crack at that $31,000 prize!

I'll probably donate half to charity after I win.

By the end of today I will have made 15 picks today.

I've won 8 so far, lost 5, and 2 still pending.  My longest streak today was 3.

Some of the baseball props tonight caught me off guard.

I only made it to a whopping 2-streak yesterday, but I was definitely not diligent in keeping up with the picks promptly. I told myself I would, in order to get the most possible picks in, but then I spaced it out for several hours at a time while doing other things.

I wish I would just hurry up and get a 10-streak for the 99.5% in Uber so I can stop playing this aggravating game. ;D

^^ I gakked the last 3 of the day and ended up 8-7 on the day.  Crap.

That was just awful and completely based on luck. When 75% of the plays on the board are props its even more then a crapshoot. It's complete luck in that instance.

I think I finished something like 3-5 for the day. I just gave up.

Up to W6 on the streak...think it's time to go into a conservative mode, and see if I can find one ironclad lock each day to try to sneak it up to W10 for the ol' Uber.

I think there's 2 or 3 ironclad locks today.  I'm hoping I can hit on at least 1 of them to get my damn star!

I went with Ubaldo Jimenez and the Rockies to beat the Dodgers tonight as my "lock." Sure hope LA doesn't pick it...

Rockies got me to W7...going with the Rockies again today to get me to W8.

Rockies are the hottest team in baseball right now...not a bad decision.

Finally got my first blue star... Going for "20 yards or more" for longest 2nd half TD in the Saints-Niners game tonight to try to get to W11.

Oh well...so much for getting to W11...thought that the Saints would have at least one long TD in the second half. Still...pretty happy with the 10-streak.

7 people in the group are just not playing anymore?  What happened?

Congrats to STL, and me, for winning October with 8 game streaks.

I'm here huckleberry....But unfortunately I can only pick NFL games,I know jack shit,and his brother little Timmy Shit about college football,soccer,and basketball...  :'(