Week 18 was much like so many other weeks. Crazy.
For this contest, it came down to the last game on Sunday night, Detroit at Green Bay.
I had Detroit, the underdog. And the underdog won.
That was a killer game for nearly 50 entries, which had Green Bay. It meant only nine people won T-shirts. Otherwise, about 25 entries would have beaten me and considered for the 10th T-shirt.
How does a non-playoff team, Detroit, beat a team that must in to get to the playoffs, in Green Bay? Easy. The NFL isn’t so easy to figure out any more.
Another interesting/funny issue is the Patriots. While they had very little chance of beating the Bills, the No. 2 seed in the AFC, about 25 percent of all entries picked them. I get it. It’s hard to pick against them, the team you are rooting for. But the heart loses to the head, almost every time.
The stories we receive about those the play the contest every week are interesting and even inspiring. One guy said it helped bring their family together. Another woman said she never watched football until she watched her husband play the contest for a decade, joining him each Sunday.
Great stuff.
If you are on vacation, at some national or international hotspot, and have an “I Beat Burt” T-shirt, take a photo and send it along. We will run it in the newspaper and/or on-line at some point.
In fact, two weeks ago I got a photo emailed from Thailand, from long-time “contestant” Frank Poirier, who sent a photo overlooking the Gulf of Thailand. He says the contest connects him with his home, the Merrimack Valley.
I love that.
Well, again, thank you.
Twenty-six years and counting. God-willing.
Week 18 winners
Charles Sforza of Byfield
Zachary Welch of Gloucester
Steve Carroll of Topsfield
Cindy Brown of Newburyport
Lenny Small of Beverly
Jim Brown of Newburyport
Michael Donohue of Georgetown
Tony Jankowski of Salisbury
Eugene Battatt of Gloucester