2006 Season in the Record Books

Well friends, family and neighbors, the 2006 Pro Pickem season is in the books and it was one for the ages. another season that came down to the last weekend to see who would take the top spot. Congratulations to Adam for winning this year and the top prize of $40.00. Not a bad return on your initial investment. This season Adam started out very strong but faded in the middle of the season only to average 10 points per week the last 7 weeks of the season. A very strong finish, not unlike the Eagles of Philadelphia this year. That is Adam in the middle of the picture relaxing with his brother(R) and cousin(L).

Second place was a tie this year and belongs to newcomer, Liz Melby and last years champion, yours truly. It was a close race but Adam just blew away Liz and myself the last 4 weeks in particular. Liz was not unlike the Bengals of Cincinnati who started out very strong only to fade a little in the end of the season but unlike the Bengals, she ended up with a prize. Both Liz and myself get $20.00 for our efforts this year.

Special mention should be made to Jon Beemer who although lead most of the middle of the year faded in the end and actually placed second. He was not in the money game, however, and thus came away empty handed for his strong efforts.

The final standings are as follows:

1. Adam Bailey - 162 points - 99.4% - 2,057th in the country out of over 200,000 entries

2. Jon Beemer - 158 points - 97.6% - 7,890th

3. Liz Melby - 156 points - 96.0% - 13,063rd

3. Mike Roche - 156 points - 96.0% - 13,063rd

5. Susan Bailey - 151 points - 90.4% - 31,057th

6. Amy Roche - 150 points - 89.2%

7. Bryan Bailey - 143 points - 81.4%

8. Big Jay Roche - 142 points - 80.5%

9. Jay Roche - 136 points - 75.1%

10. Scott St.Joseph - 117 points - 67.5%

11. Lin Stokes - GPA 0.0

Well folks it has been a great season, checks and other awards will be in the mail this weekend.

Individual awards are as follows:

Rookie of the Year - Adam Bailey - First year and winning the whole championship. I know he felt the pressure but did not buckle under it. Well done.

Come Back Player of the Year - Amy Roche - Missing one weekend and still in contention down to the last two weekends. The vacation in FL may have cost her some money but I know she had fun down there. Still a very strong showing.

MVP - Adam Bailey - same reasons as above

Bluto Blutarski Award - Lin Stokes - For ceasing all football and fantasy operations less than half way through the season. We may run a special next year where you can pay for the rest of the decade and you don't have to show up for anything. There might even be a discount involved. Stay tuned.

Final Thoughts: 2006 has been a very full year, trip to NYC, Reunion in Humarock, Mom's 80th Birthday, Joan & Jay's 60th wedding anniversary, many of you made the pilgrimage to Notre Dame, the many emails back and forth, the comments on the blog. I have enjoyed writing these and hope that you have enjoyed reading them. As for me in 2007, I think I will take a break from Fantasy sports for a while. Like Bill Cowher, I'm not retiring but going to spend more time with my family. I will be watching form the sidelines and outside the ropes. As my daughter Jackie likes to say, "I will catch you burgers on the flip side."