It’s been cloudy today at the crossroads, so I can’t confirm whether or not the sun came up this morning. But operating on assumption, we’ll take stock in the life-goes-on cliche.
Few have been more adept at hedging their bets than Kevin C. Wilson. He’s long been a student of the no risk, no re-risk school. Generally speaking, when the favorite wins it, KC Dubbs is at the very least in contention. In the last four years that a one seed has won the tournament, Kevin has finished no lower than third. Two of those years, he won. By contrast, in the years since 2005 when a number one seed has not won the whole thing, Kevin’s average finish has been 5.5. The man likes favorites. And there ain’t a damn thing wrong with that. It’s about winning. Actually, this year Kevin picked five first-round underdogs, by far his most to date.
Along the way, Kevin’s applied something of a roulette-like strategy to his brackets, always seeming to have all the colors covered. This year was his most masterful. By successfully predicting Kentucky to beat Kansas in the finals, KC Dubbs – as passionate a Hawks fan as is among us – positioned himself for either an epic celebration or a $300 consolation prize. Not bad. Not bad. Both Kevin and Clark Wildenradt picked three of the Final 4 and the correct championship pairing. It came down to the final game. But Clark went all-in, picking KU to win.
Now adding to his 2008 title, Kevin joins Matt Cullen and Dan McClure as owners with multiple rings. Elite company, indeed. Or is it? Turns out, we’ve got the same number of multiple champions as we do one-time winners. We need some parity.
Two sources not likely to provide it would be me and Ryan Dardis, the only league charter members without a title. For shame.
Meanwhile, Brad Likens has now finished second two years in a row, proving that even when there’s chalk, there are going to be upsets.
Our final tally:
Kevin: 84
Brad: 75
Jon: 75
Clark: 75
Dan: 68
Brennan: 66
Matt: 66
Ryan: 66
Joe: 66
Marc: 65
Trevor: 57
Rusty: 50
Kevin: The loot will be on its way.
And so it was in the 10th annual Keep It In The Family Prognostication Showdown. Stay strong…for your children.
