Pick Per Day - The Small Print

[Rick Mons]

The Small Print​

Here's the way Pick-per-Day (PPD) works:

1) You make one pick per day by selecting a team and the point spread that's offered.

For example, if Florida is favored by 22.5 points versus Toledo and you choose Florida, you pick Florida -22.5

If instead you think that spread is too generous, you pick Toledo +22.5

2) The pick must be in required format (see #4 below) and submitted by that day's deadline.

I always identify the deadlines for picks (picks on weekdays are usually due at 5:00 while picks on weekends and holidays will usually be due earlier.) If you don't make the published deadline, I'll still try to include your pick if I can, but no promises and it largely depends on how busy I am around the deadline time or after I edit the summary.

3) Please verify your pick was recorded when the posting is Closed and please check the next day's tally to make sure I correctly credited you with the win or loss. Mistakes will happen and I'm more than happy to go back a day or two and figure out what went wrong and then make any corrections. But I really don't want to go back a couple of weeks and try to recalculate the wins and losses.

4) All picks must be entered using this format:

Moniker: Team and Spread (e.g. MNSnowman: Minnesota +1)​

Using the colon after your Moniker is important as I use a macro to simplify data entry and the colon sets up the formatting.

Picks that do not use this format will not be counted in that day's tally.

5) If you want to change your pick, please add a new post rather than editing your original pick and please note it's a change in the header. (It's easier to pick up and make the change this way.

6) Every now and then, the provider of the Lines has a strange point spread. I reserve the right to scratch games where the spread exceeds normal expectations or if the picks are subsequently corrected, the correction is substantially different than the first pick and the original spread gives a participant an unfair advantage.

In other words, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

7) Eventually (usually after conference games begin), we will have two divisions ... one for the seriously addicted (must have made picks 2/3rds of the time) and the other for the more leisurely, laid-back participants. You'll move to the "upper" division if you make frequent picks over time ... the divisions are calculated each night. Because I round off the required minimum number of games, you may bounce back and forth between divisions from one night to another if you're close to the cut-off.

8) If you've not made a pick in three weeks, you may be placed in the "inactive" division. Once placed in the "inactive" division, you'll need to persuade me to let you participate again. (The problem is the amount of overhead each participant's account creates. It's too much work for those who aren't going to participate except on a limited basis.)

9) We won't add new participants after 12/31/09 unless you can persuade me that you'll be a regular participant -- that is, participate at least half of the remaining time. (Again, it's the amount of overhead that makes me adopt this rule)

10) I've added a "twit" rule this year. If you're an unrepentant twit and I put you on the "ignore" list, I'll not be able to see your entry and thus will not include it. This rule includes, for example, those who use "retard" or "retards" as a term of disparagement or insult. This may violate your perceived "Freedom of Speech" -- but I get to run the competition as I see fit. ...