Odds of picking a perfect bracket

The other thing to consider is often you'll get information that actually increases the odds you'll get that game wrong (the info available to us last year would have George Mason losing to Michigan State, North Carolina or Connecticut), so it helps counterbalance that.

 

Dedo's post hits the accuracy thing on the head. I don't know who ever said "we just estimate and throw out a figure for the hell of it." My original point was that most readers would probably assume the number was correct and certainly wouldn't pick nits to the extent of actually trying to figure out if it was. Dedo's post shows the number was accurate, and for a journalsim (not an algebra) board, my point was more along the lines of it being a creative idea and a good lay-out.

 

If this was the creation of a designer, it's probably wrong.

 

Company: Moline Dispatch Publishing Company LLC
Position: Sportswriter
Location: Moline, Illinois
Job Status: Full-time
Salary: $25,000 to $30,000
Ad Expires: May 2, 2007
Job ID: 595356
Website: http://QCOnline.com

Description:
Successful candidate will: * have broad knowledge of sports and strong math skills *

 

Well, sports sections tend to publish Vegas lines, and the readers of sports sections tend to frequent sports books more often than they audit algebra classes, so I don't think looking at it like a Vegas sportsbook is a bad idea.

That being said, I would have much less of a problem with it had they included a small, 2-inch blurb inside the section ("How we arrived at these odds") that explained it was completely random. It would also have given them a chance to source their other information (odds of dating a supermodel, etc.).

My "strong math skills" tell me I don't want to take a job for a salary I was making 22 years ago. Thanks anyway, Moline.

 

Had the royal flush; worked for a boss who is going to give me sainthood... ehh.. two outta five? I can live with that,.

 

I had George Mason as this year's George Mason.

Go figure.

 

Only the good die young. Go supermodel.