2007 National RBI Tournament!!

[Mike D.]

5 to 1 odds that I win the one-legged race!

[fightonusc]

Even money that I don't win the three-legged race.

[GDavis]

Just booked my flight.  Dee Nee!!!

[fknmclane]

39 days and counting.

MikeD and rdub, you two still coming out?  I'm trying to decide whether or not I should pack my taser and pepper spray and three sided dildo.

[JoeDirt]

Just booked my flight. Dee Nee!!!

Kick ass!  Let's get some chatter going about the tourney--there's far too much quietness about this MAJOR event!  Where are the players?

[fightonusc]

As far as I can tell, there are eight current Dee-Nee mainstays playing in the tournament:

Me
JoeDirt
GDavis
Gantry
fknmclane
Malnuboy
CurtFlood
Attezzobal

Seeing as though the non Dee-Nee field includes all three past COTUT champions, what do you think the odds are that a Dee-Nee player will win the tournament? If we count Dee-Nee players who don't cheat, is there a chance that any of us will even place in the money?

Personally, I consider myself "just happy to be there", kind of like the once in every 30 years that Iowa St. makes a bowl game. Either a) I won't care about results and suck or b) I won't care about results, and play loose and well. If I'm playing my "A" game, I can beat good players. If I'm not, I'm in a lot of trouble. Also, I'm out of practice against decent players, so this could be a problem.

[fightonusc]

By the way, when is the draw for the brackets going to take place. I don't think there's any question that it should happen "live" on Dee-Nee.

[Gantry]

I can't stress enough how much I'm going to suck...

[BDawk]

going to, or currently do?

[GDavis]

There's a good chance Blyleven_No_No will be putting me through some intensive RBI training leading up to the big tourney, to ensure that NYC has a strong showing.

Dirt, I was told you'd be supplying transportation from the airport.  Is this true?  My flight gets in at 8:50 pm on Friday.

[fightonusc]

For y'all who have seen some of the others play, or have played against them, does this seem like a fair representation of the Top Five seeds going into the tournament?

1. Colin Foster: He's 14-3 all-time in COTUT play, and coming off of a second place finish at the 2004 COTUT. No one has a more illustrious track record at tournament RBI than Colin Foster.
2. Mike Riley: He's the defending COTUT champion, having gone undefeated through a tough field in that tourament. If you want to be the man, you have to beat the man.
3. Mike Beales: Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. The second-best all-time record in COTUT play, but only two seconds and a third to show for it. Still, perhaps the most consistant of all tournament RBI players.
4. JoeDirt: Will the home field advantage help JoeDirt, or will the distractions of running a tournament get to be too much for him. Last year's fourth place finish in the COTUT gives hope to the best of the Dee-Nee players.
5. Jeff Bandur: The inaugural COTUT champion had to be very disappointed with his first round exit at the 2004 COTUT. Will he be motivated for the 2005 Ohio National RBI Tournament, or is this a trend of things to come?

Other than that, I'm stumped. The only two guys that have played in COTUTs are Gantry (made to second round in 2002) and Trevor Martin (out in first round in 2004). I would like to think that I have an advantage over the straight/slurve players from Dee-Nee, but I don't know. I have no idea how good any of the rest of the Dee-Neers are.

[malnuboy]

Dirt, I was told you'd be supplying transportation from the airport.  Is this true?  My flight gets in at 8:50 pm on Friday.

I will be suppling the "heroes welcome" for all in competitors in the hotel parking lot.

[fightonusc]

I think that every effort should be made to ensure that non-drinkers receive the early games on Saturday morning, and those planning to get hammered on Friday night can get later games.

[fightonusc]

Dirt, I was told you'd be supplying transportation from the airport.  Is this true?  My flight gets in at 8:50 pm on Friday.

I will be suppling the "heroes welcome" for all in competitors in the hotel parking lot.

And by "heroes welcome", you mean "teabag"?

[BDawk]

Hey, who unstickied this?

[Gantry]

I think given GDavis' track record in the last NYC tourney, he gets a top seed over Bandur.  The 2002 and 2004 tourneys were much tougher than the 2000, no disrespect to Jeff.  02 and especially 04 had quite a few out-of-staters...

[Gantry]

Hey, who unstickied this?

Not me, but I restickied...   

[GDavis]

Hey, who unstickied this?

Not me, but I restickied...   

Hot.

[GDavis]

I think given GDavis' track record in the last NYC tourney, he gets a top seed over Bandur.  The 2002 and 2004 tourneys were much tougher than the 2000, no disrespect to Jeff.  02 and especially 04 had quite a few out-of-staters...

I thought the seedings were gonna be random.

[fightonusc]

What JoeDirt refers to as "seedings" are really just placeholders to set the brackets - and those will be done randomly. I guess I'm trying to get a since of the different players to get a pre-tournament ranking system, or possibly even a betting line going.

Joe, what do you know about the non-Dee-Nee, non-COTUT veterans playing?