The holidays are a time for giving rather than receiving, but things bordered on the ridiculous in the prestigious Las Vegas Hilton SuperContest New Year's Weekend. The Blue Team tried to give away the title and cool $303,000 first prize, but had no takers, so walked away with the whole ball of wax, including a bonus for hitting more than 67 percent winners. The 2005 Hilton champions went 2-2-1 in Week 17 for an overall record of 58-25-2 and 59 total points for a tad under 70 percent winners. Trouble was, the seven players who had a chance to catch the Blue Team going into the week couldn't muster winning marks themselves, opening the door for others to crack the upper echelons. Chappy turned in a 1-4, but that was good enough for the $121,200 second prize and a share of the bonus money for notching 67 percent or more winners. The runnerup finished two games behind the Blue Team with an overall mark of 56-27-2. Third prize of $60,600 went to JT Elite, who was 2-3 the final week and finished at 56-28-1, just a half-game behind Chappy. Foolish, Tormented and Blessed was exactly that. The entry, which hovered around the lead for months, went 1-3-1, checking in with an overall 54-29-2 ledger and splitting fourth and fifth place money with Bettorstalk. Fourth paid $37,875 and fifth through 10th was worth $26,512.50. Bettorstalk, ninth starting Week 17, leapfrogged over several former contenders with a 4-1 card that boosted the entry to a seasonlong mark of 55-30-0. Also finishing in the Top 10 were Devil's LLC, Loose Cannon, Feral Child, KP and Jake. Eleventh through 20th paid $7,575. 3G Sports, Lonestar Cobra, Slick 50, Vegassportsline, the Guru and Commissioner and AYE -- who pocketed the $10,000 prize for winning the three-week mini-contest (13-1-1) -- all were assured full shares. Six players tied for the final four money spots: Eaglesfans4Stan, Polish Earl, A.N.C., Insidesportsview, BDJTW and Otis. This season's contest drew a record 505 entries at $1,500 a pop. SuperContestants made five NFL selections weekly, earning a point for a win and a half-point for a loss. The Blue Team broke from the gate slowly, going 2-3 opening week, but hit eight 4-1 weeks plus a 5-0 to win a lion's share of the marbles. The 2-3 and a 1-4 in Week 3 were the champions' only losing weeks. The Blue Team also had a trio of 3-2 ledgers and a 3-1-1. The big story in 2005 was the dominance of favorites, who hit at an unheard of pace that at one point approached 60 percent. Summing up the season, Las Vegas Sports Consultants chief oddsmaker Kenny White said last week, "You don't have to be a good handicapper to pick winners." Favorites had a slight winning Week 17 at 8-7-1 as teams battled for the final playoff slots. The Hilton consensus bombed at 6-10, while best bet New England lost to lower the ledger for consensus top plays to 9-8-1, including co-best bets in Week 5. |
