Canucks Out! Mike, Batsu Game!!

The first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs is winding down, but not before we can issue the first hockey-related batsu game of the podcast.

Mike, of course, picked the Vancouver Canucks to win the Stanley Cup.

Here's how their first-round series with Calgary went:

Flames 4 games to Canucks 2.

Mike, BATSU GAME!!!

Tim's streak of batsu games comes to a grinding halt.  Mike will be punished during the next podcasting session.

Episode 153 - The List: Coaches

Mike and Tim do another edition of The List.  Today's edition: coaches.

This list includes championship winning coaches in football (pro and college), baseball, basketball (pro and college), hockey and soccer.

The winners - for the first time in our history of doing The List, a tie - are Phil Jackson and Mike Krzyzewski.




Click here to download.

Episode 152 - Open Pyramid Project

Mike takes a podcast episode to explain in more detail the Open Pyramid Project, the Twitter-based promotion and relegation group that he is involved with.

Here are the formulas that Mike helped develop for the OPP:

PR (promotion and relegation) Points = League points + Cups points + CONCACAF Champions League points

League points = (W*2*LM*(SLM/SLA)) + (T*1*LM*(SLM/SLA)) - (L*1*LM*(SLM/SLA))

W - Wins
T - Ties/Draws
L - Losses

LM - League Multiplier (a fixed number based on which league a certain team plays in - 3 for MLS teams, 2 for NASL, and 1 for USL)
SLM - Season Length Maximum (the maximum number of games played during the league season, equal to the longest league season length, usually MLS)
SLA - Season Length Actual (the number of league games actually played by a team)

Cups points = (W*2*CM*(CGM/CGA)) - (L*1*CM*(CGM/CGA))

CM - Cup Multiplier (LM from above times 3)
CGM - Cup Games Maximum (which will be different for US teams (US Open Cup) and Canadian teams (Canadian Championship))
CGA - Cup Games Actual (number of cup games played by a team)

CCL points = (W*9) + (T*4.5)

Side note: Cups and international play (i.e. Champions League) are an integral part of soccer and not "extras."  In fact, it can be argued that cups (especially the FA Cup) and international play are MORE important than league play.

You can learn more about the OPP at the following:

openpyramidproject.blogspot.com
Twitter: @OpenPyramid



Click here to download.

2014-15 FA Cup Final is set

Remember how this year's Football League Cup Final (Chelsea over Tottenham) was painful for Mike because these are two teams he hates?

This year's FA Cup Final will be the exact opposite, as it will feature two teams Mike is a fan of.

In this corner, wearing red with white sleeves, hailing from North London: Arsenal FC.

In this corner, wearing claret with blue sleeves, hailing from Birmingham: Aston Villa FC.

The FA Cup Final will be played on May 30.

Episode 151 - 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Picks

As of this posting, the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs have just started.  However, we recorded this the day before the playoffs started, so let's get this out of the way.

We did a bracket similar to our NCAA basketball tournament bracket, which yielded the following champions/batsu teams:

Mike: Vancouver Canucks
Tim: Chicago Blackhawks





Click here to download.

Episode 150 - Tourney Review and Potpourri

Today is our 150th episode!!!

On today's podcast, Mike and Tim review the tournament.

Is there a batsu game for Tim's Kentucky pick?  No.  Tim used his free pass here.

We also touch on some other subjects related to sports, including Pittsburg State's DII basketball success and updates for the NBA and the FA Cup.



Click here to download.

2014-15 NBA Picks Check

How did Mike and Tim do with their NBA picks?  Let's find out:

Division	Mike's Picks	Tim's Picks	Actual Winner
Atlantic	Brooklyn	Brooklyn	Toronto
Central	Cleveland	Cleveland	Cleveland
Southeast	Miami	Washington	Atlanta
Northwest	Oklahoma City	Oklahoma City	Portland
Pacific	LA Clippers	LA Clippers	Golden State
Southwest	San Antonio	San Antonio	Houston

In one word: Terrible.  We're both 1/6.

Because of the tie: No batsu.  Mike and Tim are both SAFE.

And a reminder of the guys' champions/batsu teams:

Mike - Cleveland Cavaliers
Tim - San Antonio Spurs

Introducing the Open Pyramid Project

What is the Open Pyramid Project?

To continue with a theme that has been brought up time and again on this podcast, the Open Pyramid Project is a Twitter-based discussion group interested in finding a workable system of promotion and relegation among the professional leagues in North American soccer.

One of the Twitter activists involved with this project: the Winning Side Coaches' own Mike Czerniewski.  In fact, Mike helped developed the formula the project will use to come up with its promotion and relegation rankings - based on real-life performance.

In our upcoming podcast recording session, Mike will talk more about the details of this project.

In the meantime, you can check out the OPP at:

openpyramidproject.blogspot.com

Twitter handle: @OpenPyramid

NHL Playoffs are Set

The NHL Stanley Cup playoffs are set.  Sadly (especially for Mike), the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings will not be defending their title, as they just barely missed the playoffs.

During our next podcast recording session, we will make our Stanley Cup playoff picks thusly:

- We will pick a "Final Four" - who's getting out of which division's playoffs into the Conference Finals
- From there, we will pick a Stanley Cup Finals, and then a Stanley Cup Champion.
- This is subject to batsu game.

Here's who's in:

Eastern Conference, Atlantic Division:

1. Montreal Canadiens
2. Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Detroit Red Wings
4. Ottawa Senators

Eastern Conference, Metropolitan Division:

1. New York Rangers (President's Trophy winners)
2. Washington Capitals
3. New York Islanders
4. Pittsburgh Penguins

Western Conference, Central Division:

1. St. Louis Blues
2. Nashville Predators
3. Chicago Blackhawks
4. Minnesota Wild

Western Conference, Pacific Division:

1. Anaheim Ducks
2. Vancouver Canucks
3. Calgary Flames
4. Winnipeg Jets (Central)

Dukies Win!!!!

Congratulations to the Duke Blue Devils, who win 68-63 over Wisconsin for their fifth NCAA men's basketball title.  For Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, it's also his fifth title.

Mike had the Dukies winning it all, so...

Tim, batsu game!

Down goes Kentucky!!

The 2015 NCAA men's basketball championship game is now set:

Wisconsin vs. Duke

Tim had Kentucky winning it.  The only problem was the Badgers showed up to play and shocked the world by beating the previously undefeated Wildcats.

Mike, of course, has the Dukies winning it all.

So, what does this mean for brackets?

If Wisconsin wins: Tim wins, Mike gets the batsu game.
If Duke wins: Mike wins, Tim gets the batsu game.

Who will win?  We will find out on Monday.