Buffet's Bracket is Bust

14 posts / 0 new
Last post
deising's picture
deising
Offline
Joined: 11/3/08
Posts: 1351
Buffet's Bracket is Bust

I really don't follow sports that much, but I see that the $Billion offered for a perfect bracket pick is already busted. That's probability for 'ya.

I know it contradicts what I learned in college, but my experience has always been if you have a 50/50 chance of getting it right, 9 times out of 10 you'll be wrong.

Duane Ising - Past Commodore (2011-2012)
s/v Diva Di
1999 Catalina 36 Hull #1777
Std rig; wing keel, M35B, Delta (45#)
Punta Gorda, FL
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/diva-di/

BudStreet
Offline
Joined: 9/4/09
Posts: 1127

You don't follow sports much? I pretty much follow pro sports not at all with one exception. So I have zero idea what this is about. It sounds like a lottery maybe?

deising's picture
deising
Offline
Joined: 11/3/08
Posts: 1351

Multi-billionaire Warren Buffet ran the "Quicken Loans Billion Dollar Challenge with Yahoo Sports,” in which people could submit what they predicted to be the entire bracket of winners in the NCAA basketball championship. Supposedly, the odds of picking the entire bracket correctly would be less than 1 in 130 billion.

It did get a lot of hype, of course, which was the intent.

Duane Ising - Past Commodore (2011-2012)
s/v Diva Di
1999 Catalina 36 Hull #1777
Std rig; wing keel, M35B, Delta (45#)
Punta Gorda, FL
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/diva-di/

BudStreet
Offline
Joined: 9/4/09
Posts: 1127

Ah, so kind of a lottery but with some measure of skill involved I guess. But that raises even more questions.

Does Warren Buffet own Quicken Loans?

Is Quicken Loans part of the Intuit company that makes the really excellently useful Quicken home finance software? If so I will continue to pay for their software despite them getting kind of greedy because I respect Warren Buffet, he seems to be a different kind of 1%er in that he thinks the mega rich should pay more taxes. I like that.

What leverage does Ryan Newman have with Quicken Loans that they give him money for signage on his race car and it truly must be a personal contract with him since he changed teams and the sponsorship went with him? And Kevin Harvick took two of his sponsors to his new team as well. Proving that in Nascar even the very best drivers are paying for their rides by bringing sponsorship money because the cost of racing has gone off the charts. Which is why Nascar is suffering from poor quality racing. But that's another story.

Why are college sports so popular in the US of A and virtually get no attention at all north of the border.

Why is spring still not here?

Why are buffets so popular now even though outside of the meal hours the food is often pretty sad looking?

The answer to these and other questions on the next installment of "The Buffet is now open" tomorrow.

TomSoko's picture
TomSoko
Offline
Joined: 2/15/07
Posts: 978

Bud,
LOL and hold my gut!!!!!!

Tom Sokoloski
C36/375IA Past Commodore
Noank, CT

deising's picture
deising
Offline
Joined: 11/3/08
Posts: 1351

Funny, Bud, but I have no answers for you.

Duane Ising - Past Commodore (2011-2012)
s/v Diva Di
1999 Catalina 36 Hull #1777
Std rig; wing keel, M35B, Delta (45#)
Punta Gorda, FL
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/diva-di/

LCBrandt's picture
LCBrandt
Offline
Joined: 6/26/07
Posts: 1282

I stopped following professional sports when the Dodgers left Brooklyn.

When we moved to PDX some 17 years ago we decided to NOT hook up our TV. Thus we don't follow sports of any kind, except that I kind of like watching curling in the Olympics in those quadrennial years when I have access to a friend's TV. (I used to curl in a league when I lived in Calgary. As the one You-all on the team, I always had the "very special honor" of throwing my rock first.)

Larry Brandt
S/V High Flight #2109
Pacific Northwest, PDX-based
2002 C-36 mkII SR/FK M35B
 

stu jackson c34's picture
stu jackson c34
Offline
Joined: 12/3/08
Posts: 1270

Ahh, Larry, you're in BIG trouble now, or mabe I am!

My son just bought me a Google Chromecast, so I can use our big screen TV at home to watch Netflix, finally.

Just as I was about to set it up, the darned laptop went south and we spent the whole of this past week making sure I'd downloaded and backed up all my files, pictures and programs, and then reset the little puppy to original factory condition (2010 variety), and am in the process of reinstalling all those lovely programs, including navigation stuff like Maptech and Offshore Navigator (just to assure that these comments are relevant to a boating forum!).

Point being, ya don't have to watch TV 'cuz you can get almost anything you want (Alice...) from the internet webbie tubie thingie these days.

'Tis nice, however, to have a BIG screen to watch things on. Although I don't on the boat (just some DVD movies once in a while).

I do like curling, too. :):):)

Still haven't gotten to the Chromecast yet, company coming along in just minutes...:rolleyes:

Stu Jackson, C34IA Secretary, C34 #224, 1986, SR/FK, M25 engine, Rocna 10 (22#)

BudStreet
Offline
Joined: 9/4/09
Posts: 1127

There's no doot aboot it, curling is a great sport to watch once every 4 years. Also proves that native born Canucks are innately able to walk on ice.
We woke up to a full covering of fresh snow on the ground this morning again. Kripes will this never end?

LCBrandt's picture
LCBrandt
Offline
Joined: 6/26/07
Posts: 1282

Bud, re the new snowfall...grab that broom and sweep. As we say in curling, "Hit it. Hit it! HIT it! HIT IT! Let's go have a beer, eh?"

Larry Brandt
S/V High Flight #2109
Pacific Northwest, PDX-based
2002 C-36 mkII SR/FK M35B
 

TomSoko's picture
TomSoko
Offline
Joined: 2/15/07
Posts: 978

"Let's go have a beer, eh?"

You bet!

Tom Sokoloski
C36/375IA Past Commodore
Noank, CT

caprice 1050
Offline
Joined: 7/1/07
Posts: 345

The only ice I want to see....is in my drink.

__/)__/)__/)__Capt Mike__/)__/)__/)__
Punta Gorda Florida
1990 Std WK M35 Hull #1050

BrentF's picture
BrentF
Offline
Joined: 1/17/11
Posts: 52

Buffett just ran the odds and saw that Quicken was willing to fork over a hefty insurance premium for a highly unlikely outcome.  You can do that when you have $50 B to work with.

to me sports is sailing, playing on a softball team, playing tennis, etc.
to me watching people play sports on TV is called 'watching TV'.  At least fantasy football is playing a game although it is mental and not real physical.

I have friends who consider themselves big sports fans.  They watch sports on TV all weekend, they watch 5 or 6 football games a day.  They say 'I love football' or 'I love baseball'. They don't play football or baseball they only play with the remote control.  I don't understand why they see it as sports and not as sitting around watching TV all day.  
 
I love sailing and fall sailing is great here  No way would I trade a day on the boat for staying home to see my College's football team on TV.  Might to actually attend the game but watching on TV don't think so. No TV on boat.

 

Brent and Janie Farler
"Salsa Caliente"
1987 Catalina 36 Hull #719
Lake Texoma, TX

deising's picture
deising
Offline
Joined: 11/3/08
Posts: 1351

I find when I am in the company of a lot of guys in our many social opportunities down here, that I am one of the few who doesn't have a lot to say about all the games recently played by the sports teams. I don't have a problem with people who choose to spend a lot of time as spectators, but I would much rather be out 'doing' something than watching something.

What floored me, though, was our local cruising club (70% power, 30% sail) at a Happy Hour at a private club and the TV was showing the America's Cup racing. I was watching it (an exception to my normal sports spectating policy) and had sailors coming up to me asking what I was watching. They had no clue the AC was even happening. 

Duane Ising - Past Commodore (2011-2012)
s/v Diva Di
1999 Catalina 36 Hull #1777
Std rig; wing keel, M35B, Delta (45#)
Punta Gorda, FL
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/diva-di/

Log in or register to post comments