Category Archives: Shawn Lockner

Roundball Oracles – Year 10

March Madness is once again upon us. That can mean only 1 thing! It is time for the Roundball Oracles to gather once again and make predictions about the outcome of the NCAA tournament.

I would actually like to start this by quoting the predictions I made about this year’s basketball season at the end of last year’s tournament:

I’m already excited for next years tournament. It is no secret that Iowa State is the rooting team of the grand majority of Oracles, with a few Hawkeye and Kansas fans sprinkled in to mix things up. Plus a few statistical anomalies, (like a UCLA fan) on top for garnish. I anticipate Iowa will actually join the tourney field again next year. Iowa State should have at least a fighting chance to get back to the dance as well. We lose a bunch, but some of the recruits coming in are heralded and I wouldn’t bet against Hoiberg going up against a Big 12 that I expect to be down next year. Plus don’t forget that Michigan will be getting a taste of Hilton Magic next year. 2013-14 should be another great season! Remember the name Monte Morris. I’m guessing you will know it very well next year.
Plus, Steve Alford will be choking at an entirely new school next year! What was UCLA thinking?

I will point out that at the time I wrote that, DeAndre Kane was not yet in the fold.

As always, basketball knowledge is not a prerequisite to participating. Every year when I look at the standings, I think basketball knowledge is actually a hindrance in this competition.

A few things to know that if you want to sign up this year and take a shot at putting your name on the list of the immortals:

1. You do not have to wager any money. The only thing you have to put on the line is pride. And as C.S. Lewis would tell you, pride is the greatest sin.
2. This competition is open to all ages (as long as they can make their own decisions), genders, and fan bases. Unfortunately more than a few of these titles have went home with Hawk fans.
3. There is a trophy for the winner. In fact, this year there might even be a traveling trophy that will go home with the winner for a calendar year. If said traveling trophy does come into existence, it will not be a bust of Kobe Bryant. The Roundball Oracles does not endorse ball-hoggery and low basketball IQs or mediocrity.

Here is a look at last year’s final standings:

Place Competitor Score Correct Champion Last Year
1. William McAlpine 266 39 Louisville 6th
2. Jason Stensland 253 39 Louisville 8th
3. Jesse Howard 251 40 Louisville 10th
4. Shawn Lockner 247 39 Michigan 21st
5. Jon DeWaard 242 38 Louisville 11th
6. Angie DeWaard 236 36 Louisville 4th
7. Corey Faust 234 38 Indiana 2nd
8. Mark Wolfram 231 36 Indiana 7th
9. Jordan Toot 218 36 Louisville 28th
10. Robert Henning 208 36 Indiana 5th
11. Frank Meiners 206 37 Gonzaga DNP
11. Logan Kahler 206 38 Kansas DNP
13. Sean Clubine 201 37 Miami DNP
14. Derrick Gorshe 200 32 Louisville 12th
15. William Wentworth 199 36 Kansas 15th
16. Jackson Faust 197 35 Gonzaga 14th
17. Toby Sebring 193 34 Kansas 26th
18. Brandon Kahler 189 34 Syracuse 27th
19. Carrie Baier 188 34 Michigan State 20th
20. Jen Ensley-Gorshe 178 34 Indiana 18th
21. Elizabeth Nordeen 176 32 Iowa State DNP
22. Tim Peterson 174 33 Miami 16th
23. Dawn Krause 173 33 Duke 9th
24. Jason Baier 171 33 Miami 3rd
24. Russell Kennerly 171 33 Indiana 22nd
26. Michelle Haupt 170 32 Ohio State DNP
27. Becky Perkovich 166 32 Ohio State 29th
28. Andree Jauhari 165 32 Kansas DNP
29. JJ Baier 163 30 Ohio State DNP
29. Nader Parsaei 163 32 UCLA 13th
31. Michael Augustin 157 32 Indiana 19th
32. Ben Baier 156 26 Butler DNP
33. Your Humble Narrator 139 28 Miami 25th
34. Will Baier 121 14 La Salle DNP


And of course, a look at the honor roll of immortals that have claimed the championship in years past:

Roundball Oracles Champions

  • 2013 – William McAlpine
  • 2012 – Lowell Davis
  • 2011 – Carrie Baier
  • 2010 – Mark Wolfram
  • 2009 – Mark Wolfram
  • 2008 – Mark Wolfram
  • 2007 – Tim Peterson
  • 2006 – William McAlpine
  • 2005 – William McAlpine

Sold yet?

You are? Just write me and let me know that you want in (I’m a fairly easy person to contact) and I’ll send you out all the information that you will need to participate with all due haste!

The deadline for entering your bracket is the tip-off of the first game on Thursday morning. So if you suffer from being a Hawkeye fan, you’ll will know whether or not your team made the real tournament by then. Not sure why you would care, but to each their own.

Good luck to all the oracles and GO STATE!!!

Mud Run

On Saturday, I completed a bargain I made with Sara back in February to “compete” in the Mud Run. Well, the way we handled it, it was more like a Mud Stroll and since it isn’t actually a competitive race, we didn’t really compete. However, we didn’t finish even close to last, you know, if it were a competition.

Shawn graciously agreed to be our photographer for the event, so here are some of the images he captured.



Our intrepid photojournalist.


They recommended you triple knot your shoes. My shoes did not come off during the race like the hundred or so we saw littering the course.


Finishing Strong!

I have to confess the course was harder than I expected and my shoes were so suctioned to my feet at the end of the day, I had to cut the shoe laces to get them off of my feet. I’m hoping to draft a few more people for next year’s run. Jesse has already signed on (assuming he can drag himself away from the Little League Park) for next year.

I have also tentatively agreed to do the Turkey Trot with Sara in November.

Sadness Ensues…

“When I was a child,
I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye,
I turned to look but it was gone,
I cannot put my finger on it now,
The child is grown,
The dream is gone,
I… have become comfortably numb”
-Pink Floyd

It is true, one of the saddest days of the year is upon us. The end of the college basketball season. While it is sad that the college version of the greatest game has ended, there are only 12 long days until Iowa State’s Spring Game. That gives me something to look forward to.

The end of college basketball also means that somebody will be crowned the newest King of the Roudnball Oracles. A person that will reign over the prognostication universe for 1 year. Their opinions held in admiration and their words written down and studied for meaning. Then 1 year from now they will be thrown out in the streets to fend for themselves in what is usually a vain attempt to defend their title. Sometimes, the thought of defending their title is too much and defending champions don’t show back up to try and repeat their glory and double their immortality.

That was the case this year. Lowell Davis didn’t return to defend his kingdom, laid down his scepter, and abdicated his thrown. Don’t think for a second that this was because of some type of cowardice on Lowell’s part. The truth is that he was in Tennessee when the brackets were filled out and he was unable to participate since electricity hasn’t been invented in the Volunteer State yet.

The man that stepped up to accept the responsibility of ruling this kingdom for a year:

 

William McAlpine

 

Mr. McAlpine joined Mark Wolfram as the only other man, woman, or child to hoist the Roundball Oracles Championship Trophy a third time. Which can mean only one thing: the rest of you need to pick up your game next year. We can’t have two people dominating this pool! Their reign of terror must be ended. Hopefully without a dull thud and a head falling into a basket.

Without further adieu, I present the final standings for the 2013 Roundball Oracles NCAA Tournament Pool:

Place Competitor Score Correct Champion Last Year
1. William McAlpine 266 39 Louisville 6th
2. Jason Stensland 253 39 Louisville 8th
3. Jesse Howard 251 40 Louisville 10th
4. Shawn Lockner 247 39 Michigan 21st
5. Jon DeWaard 242 38 Louisville 11th
6. Angie DeWaard 236 36 Louisville 4th
7. Corey Faust 234 38 Indiana 2nd
8. Mark Wolfram 231 36 Indiana 7th
9. Jordan Toot 218 36 Louisville 28th
10. Robert Henning 208 36 Indiana 5th
11. Frank Meiners 206 37 Gonzaga DNP
11. Logan Kahler 206 38 Kansas DNP
13. Sean Clubine 201 37 Miami DNP
14. Derrick Gorshe 200 32 Louisville 12th
15. William Wentworth 199 36 Kansas 15th
16. Jackson Faust 197 35 Gonzaga 14th
17. Toby Sebring 193 34 Kansas 26th
18. Brandon Kahler 189 34 Syracuse 27th
19. Carrie Baier 188 34 Michigan State 20th
20. Jen Ensley-Gorshe 178 34 Indiana 18th
21. Elizabeth Nordeen 176 32 Iowa State DNP
22. Tim Peterson 174 33 Miami 16th
23. Dawn Krause 173 33 Duke 9th
24. Jason Baier 171 33 Miami 3rd
24. Russell Kennerly 171 33 Indiana 22nd
26. Michelle Haupt 170 32 Ohio State DNP
27. Becky Perkovich 166 32 Ohio State 29th
28. Andree Jauhari 165 32 Kansas DNP
29. JJ Baier 163 30 Ohio State DNP
29. Nader Parsaei 163 32 UCLA 13th
31. Michael Augustin 157 32 Indiana 19th
32. Ben Baier 156 26 Butler DNP
33. Your Humble Narrator 139 28 Miami 25th
34. Will Baier 121 14 La Salle DNP


Willy (re)-joins the list of immortals:

Roundball Oracles Champions

  • 2013 – William McAlpine
  • 2012 – Lowell Davis
  • 2011 – Carrie Baier
  • 2010 – Mark Wolfram
  • 2009 – Mark Wolfram
  • 2008 – Mark Wolfram
  • 2007 – Tim Peterson
  • 2006 – William McAlpine
  • 2005 – William McAlpine

I’m already excited for next years tournament.  It is no secret that Iowa State is the rooting team of the grand majority of Oracles, with a few Hawkeye and Kansas fans sprinkled in to mix things up.  Plus a few statistical anomalies, (like a UCLA fan) on top for garnish.  I anticipate Iowa will actually join the tourney field again next year.  Iowa State should have at least  a fighting chance to get back to the dance as well.  We lose a bunch, but some of the recruits coming in are heralded and I wouldn’t bet against Hoiberg going up against a Big 12 that I expect to be down next year.  Plus don’t forget that Michigan will be getting a taste of Hilton Magic next year. 2013-14 should be another great season!  Remember the name Monte Morris.  I’m guessing you will know it very well next year.

Plus, Steve Alford will be choking at an entirely new school next year!  What was UCLA thinking?

I guess some of you are expecting me to defend my dreadful performance in this year’s pool.  I won’t.  The slogan for this year’s pool was: Prophecy, Revelation, Augury, Luck?  Quite frankly 32 people got lucky. I know that my silky smooth jumpshot and my vast array of dribble penetration moves don’t translate into prognostication, but next year, I guarantee you I will finish higher than 33rd. Even if that means I have to limit the pool to 32 combatants.

Roundball Oracles – Year 9

March Madness is upon us once again. Which means it is that time of year when I call upon all would-be-basketball-prognosticators to compete in an NCAA tourney bracket pool for the chance at everlasting glory, immortality, and a trophy.

As always, the Roundball Oracles is open to all interested parties, and yes to even uninterested parties as well. Regardless of basketball knowledge or basketball ignorance. Heck, I might even let my dog enter this year. After all, there is a tremendous amount of luck involved in this competition, so there is no reason for you to be intimidated by how well versed I am in the motion offense. You should only be intimidated by me on an actual basketball court. Even though I’ve admittedly lost a step, but I’m spending the offseason getting that step back, but that is an entirely different story…

As always, there is no entrance fee, but pride and my research indicates that pride is a low calorie snack, so swallow it and get in the game.

The champion will be given a trophy. I would normally at this time insert a picture of last year’s champion hoisting last year’s trophy, but I admittedly, still owe him a trophy.

Last year we had a record 29 prognosticators (as of this writing, 9 people have already signed up). I don’t think it would be too crazy to hope to break that record this year.

2012 Final Standings

1. Lowell Davis
2. Corey Faust
3. Jason Baier
4. Angie DeWaard
5. Robert Henning
6. William McAlpine
7. Mark Wolfram
8. Jason Stensland
9. Dawn Krause
10. Jesse Howard
11. Jon DeWaard
12. Derrick Gorshe
13. Nader Parsaei
14. Jackson Faust
15. Bill Wentworth
16. Tim Peterson
17. Mike Donner
18. Jen Ensley-Gorshe
19. Michael Augustin
20. Carrie Baier
21. Shawn Lockner
22. Russell Kennerly
23. Shaun Kirsch
24. Teresa Kahler
25. Your Humble Narrator
26. Toby Sebring
27. Brandon Kahler
28. Jordan Toot
29. Becky Perkovich

Lowell was able to chisel his place amongst the other basketball immortals that have managed to hoist the Roundball Oracles Trophy.*

Past Roundball Oracles Champions

2012 – Lowell Davis
2011 – Carrie Baier
2010 – Mark Wolfram
2009 – Mark Wolfram
2008 – Mark Wolfram
2007 – Tim Peterson
2006 – William McAlpine
2005 – William McAlpine

So the metaphorical ball is now in your court. There are no guidelines for participation. This contest is open to all competitors: men, women, small children and the elderly.

If you are interested and I need the information, you know how to contact me!

Oh… the deadline for filling out your bracket is tip-off of the first game on Thursday morning.

*Technically he has yet to hoist the trophy.

Instagram Checkup

Now might be a good time to check in to my Instagram feed.

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen these all before.
If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve seen these all before.
If you follow me on Flickr, you’ve seen many of these before.
If you follow me on Foursquare, you seen a few of these.
If you follow me on Facebook, you’ve see a few of these as well.


Not sure where next week’s Wednesday randomness will take us.