Nemmers Scrum

Hello Footballers,

I hope you all had a great wrap up to your Thanksgiving holiday.  There was much shouting at the TV at our house, as the Steelers had the 2 most impressive plays of their game, and still managed to make enough bone-headed plays to lose.

But really this week was about winners, as all 4 players advanced.  Kevin and I definitely got luckier than Gerri and Stephanie to slide on into week 13.  Speaking of which – the grid was only built to hold 12 weeks, so I’m gonna have to make an update.  Y’all need to wrap it up already 😉

Here’s the standings, and our bonus picture this week features 3 players from the Scrum (Gerri, Dan and Charlie N) and 1 Alumni (Joel) as well as my mom, Dan’s wife – my cousin Meredith, and Dan and Meredith’s beautiful kiddos: Charlie, Henry, Lucy and Grace. This was taken at mass where Gerri and Joel celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary over the weekend in Cincinnati.  It looks like a very special time: we were with you in spirit! Congrats on 50 years!

The Thursday game this week is Cowboys vs. Saints.  If you’re going with this one then I need your pick before kickoff.  Otherwise, by end of day Friday.  These matchups are getting TOUGH!  So, good luck to everyone who is left in the hunt.

Hello Footballers,

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving.  Ours here in Dallas was really great…the Sherburnes came up from San Antonio and so it was Kevin and me, Fletch and Vi, Team Sherburne and Jim and Suzanne.  And, because we didn’t have enough pie on Thursday, we had one on Friday (banana cream) to celebrate Jim’s birthday.

But, strangely, for all the football we watched on Thursday, none of it really had much to cheer for (except maybe Jim for the Cowboys), because no one in the pool picked a Thursday game.

This week Gerri’s got Baltimore (and Emily’s jealous, because she was going to pick them until she saw that she used them way back in week 1).  Kevin and Emily are going with the newly-hot Colts, and somehow Stephanie still has New England available in week 12 and is gonna use them.

Good luck to everyone!  And gobble gobble!

Happy Turkey Week Footballers!

What a crazy weekend it was. There was a lot of nail biting and stressing over that Steelers game at Casa Mantooth.  But in ended the way Kevin was hoping, so it worked out alright. Sadly for Mary and Stephanie, Arizona did not manage to land on the winning side of their battle with Oakland.  With the Cardinal’s loss, Stephanie gets her first strike and Mary sees the end of the road in the 2018 Pool.

Where does that leave us? Only 4 players left: Kevin, Stephanie, Emily and Gerri – who is in the cat bird seat with her strike-free performance through 11 weeks.

And, as a reminder, with Thanksgiving week there are A LOT of early games. So, please make sure to get any turkey day picks in before kick off.  The first game is at 11:30 central.  Speaking of Thanksgiving, I hope everyone has a special day: especially Gerri and Joel who are not only eating turkey but 75th birthday cake for Joel and a 50th anniversary celebration to boot!  Congrats on all – we wish we could be there to help celebrate too!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!! I know I am thankful for family, and football, and football pools, and when people send me photos to use for the posts -hint hint.  (Here’s a picture of the Nemmers kids celebrating something – it looks like Christmas but it was the best I could do, circa 1977.)

Hello Footballers,

We are down to 5 players, and somehow, even though our pool started out a pretty even split between gents and ladies – all but one in our top 5 is a woman.  Way to go ladies! (and Kevin.)

This week the picks got TOUGH!  Lots of bad teams playing other bad teams, and lots of good picks already used up.  Mary said she made her pick with her fingers crossed, Gerri made hers with a wish and a prayer.  As for me – I made mine with a happy dance, as somehow I still had New Orleans as a viable option!  Woo Hoo! But, we all know that competition is why they play the games, and anything could happen.  Good luck to everyone.

Also – a note about today’s picture.  This one comes courtesy of Adam….something about being told not to sit on a bench.  I’m not sure exactly, but if you see Dianne, Adam says you can ask her about it.

Hello Footballers,

As we get deeper into November, losses are bound to happen. The Browns had to start winning eventually, and sadly for Jim, it was this week against Atlanta. With  that we say adios to Jim. Out of nowhere, the Bad News Bills put on a clinic against the J-E-T-S, and with that we say goodbye to Dana.  And somehow, the unsteady Cowboys managed to defeat the Super Bowl champion Eagles (on the road, no less) to send Dianne packing as well. So sorry to see you all go…10 weeks is a good run for sure.

That means there are just 5 people left in the pool….and lots of the “good” teams are taken, so it will only get hard to stay alive. But, as Kevin points out, it’s almost like there are 7 people left to beat, because the amazing Gerri and Stephanie still don’t have any strikes.

This week the Thursday game is Packers v. Seahawks. If you are going to pick that game, I need your choice before kickoff on Thursday. Otherwise, end of day Friday. And, speaking of Seattle, here’s a shot of Mt. Rainier from my flight home to Dallas last night. I was in Seattle over the weekend for the Northwest Chocolate Festival, and I thought this was a pretty cool perspective on the mountain.

Have a great week!

Hello Footballers,

This week has the makings of a shake up. There are 8 players left – and we have picked 8 different games.  That’s right – no two people picked the same thing.  Which means you can selectively cheer for and against anyone who is left….not that I would ever cheer against any of you.

So, as you enjoy the busy football watching day ahead of you may your team win (and everyone else’s lose – hah!).

Hello Footballers,

This week we saw two players fall when Dan and Violet chose the Cowboys (a 4 point favorite) over the Titans. What remains to be seen is if Dana, in her head-to-head pick of Tennessee against Dallas was accidentally picking the underdog or knew something the rest of us didn’t about Tennessee’s chances.

Either way, at the end of Monday night, Dan and Violet are out and Dana is IN!  So sad to see y’all go.  In the Mantooth house, we’re especially proud of Violet who made it half way through the season in her very first year.

We’re also super impressed with Dana’s prognostication skills. It was a bold move to pick against the spread – but clearly she knew it was gonna work….or did she?!?

And with that we’re down to just 8 players left.  Gerri and Stephanie are still perfect, and the rest of us have a single strike.

This week’s Thursday game is Panthers v. Steelers.  If you are picking that one, get it in before kick off.  Otherwise, please get those picks in by the end of the day Friday.  I’m traveling this weekend, so this would be a great weekend to make sure I don’t have to track down your pick. Good luck to everyone!

Hello Footballers,

Congratulations to the 10 players who have made it to the halfway point of the season.  Special bonus points for Gerri and Stephanie, who manage to do so without a single error.    I can’t help but notice that for both 2017 and 2018, the last 2 perfect players have all be ladies.  Not sure what to do with that information – but GIRL POWER!!!!

Here are the picks for week 9.  A bold choice by both Dan and Violet going with the Cowboys.  Maybe it’s not so bold for either of them, but for me, the Cowboys and the Steelers are always dangerous picks (I have gotten strikes for betting both for and against them!).  Other picks include:  Panthers, Bears, Chiefs and Titans.  A lot of different teams for so late in the season.  Can the perfect streak continue?

Good luck to everyone and we’ll check back on Tuesday.  (Speaking of Tuesday – that’s election day.  If you haven’t done so already – please go out and VOTE!!!!!)