BAT 2003 home/Rotisserie Picks Page



2003 Boston-Area Tournament
11-13 April 2003
Rod's Rotisserie Contest
(Click here to see the ever-growing list of Rotisserie Picks)
(Click here to see the Rotisserie winners after the event)


The world's favorite Rotisserie Contest is back again! SCRABBLE® players, friends, and fans everywhere are invited to enter this popular event in conjunction with the 2003 Boston Area SCRABBLE®Tournament. Last year, entries and prize money reached record levels, with nearly $800 in cash given away! We expect that trend to continue this year, so don't miss out. Join in the fun and show off your skills by picking the biggest BAT winners!

The rules are as simple as 1-2-3:

1.	Choose two players each in the Premier, A, and B divisions for your entry, or "team."
2.	In each division, one of your selections must be from the "top half" of the division, and one from the bottom half. Those halves will be clearly marked as the entrant list becomes finalized.
3.	For each game won by one of your players, your team earns 1 point. The team that racks up the most points wins!

If your picks do well, you do well! The Rotisserie entry that collects the most wins will take home a generous first prize; the total number of entries will determine additional prizes.

Pick your friends, pick your favorites, or, if you're feeling confident, pick yourself! If your selections pan out, you'll be rewarded with fame, glory,  gobs of cash, and a permanent place in the annals of BAT Rotisserie lore.

Last year's contest was the largest, most publicized, and most organized ever, and was certainly more fun than ever before! With your help, we can match and exceed that success again!

The preferred payment option is to send money via PayPal to ScrabbleNH@aol.com ( from a checking account only, as a fee is charged to the recipient of credit card transactions). Monies can also be collected on site in Peabody before games begin on the evening of 11 April 2003. Please note that remote entries will be cut off earlier. If your payment is not received before the event begins, your entry will be voided. Once the player list becomes finalized with 1 April ratings, start making your choices. The sooner you send your picks in, the better. Entries should be sent to me, Rod MacNeil, at ScrabbleNH@aol.com.

One small change from last year, which is addressed in more detail below, is that a minimal administrative cut (10%) will be taken from the entry fees. This will help account for the countless hours of work required to continue making this such a successful contest.

Stay tuned to this page, as we'll continue to update it with details, a full list of "teams", and complete results!

Read on for answers to all the questions you've been dying to ask...

Rotisserie FAQ

1. I'm not playing at the Boston Area Tournament this year. Can I still participate in the Rotisserie?

Yes, absolutely; we're seeking as many "remote" players as possible, to give the pool a truly international feel. If your friends or family want to enter, they're welcome to join us as well. Of course, you are heartily encouraged to play in the tournament if you can!

2. What is the cost and how do I pay?

Each entry costs 10 US dollars. I'll leave it up to our friends north of the border to determine how many loonies and twonies that'll put you out :-) The strongly preferred method of payment is via PayPal. to ScrabbleNH@aol.com. PayPal is a simple and secure way to transmit fund electronically. If you will be attending the BAT, you may pay in person prior to the event if absolutely necessary. If you are a remote entry, acceptable arrangements must be made to pay in advance. We do trust everyone, but hey, good luck finding a Las Vegas sportsbook that agrees to let you pay your bet after the game.

3. How much of the entry fees are going towards prizes?

90 percent. The overwhelming response to last year's contest has made it a victim of it's own success. Quite simply, it takes a tremendous amount of time and effort to run. Between all the planning, organizing, promoting, coordinating, e-mailing, updating, tallying, and responding to the always-friendly inquiries of concerned participants, it's a handful. What starts as a part-time job later evolves into a full-time job as the event approaches. I enjoying doing it, but in order to continue doing so, I've got to take a cut. This appears abundantly fair to both Sherrie and myself, considering the work involved.

4. Do I have to pick myself?

We think it's more fun if you include yourself on your team, though you are not obligated to do so. Incidentally, you'll also find it's quite an ego boost when other people pick you for their teams; that's just one reason why this is so much darn fun.

5. Can I have more than one Rotisserie entry (sheet)?

In past years, players have often picked two sheets, allowing them to cover more bases and root for more players. Trust us, it's addictive! And even if you play twice, it's still a bargain at $20. If you want to play more than twice, we won't stop you. If you want to play five or more sheets though, we'll refer you to Gamblers Anonymous.

6. Who won the Rotisserie last year?

The defending champion is Jan Dixon. Jan scored a cool $325 first prize, and didn't even attend the tournament!. That's the 2nd straight year the winner has come from a remote entry. If you won't be making it to Boston, that's extra incentive for you to enter and follow her footsteps. Jan's winning team consisted of Jere Mead, Chris Cree, Rod MacNeil (good call, Jan... *wink*), Larry Sherman, Elaine Patterson, and Stephen Moniz. See 2002 roto winners here and 2001 roto winners here!.

7. Why isn't every division included in the Rotisserie?

While we do consider all divisions important, it's a fact of life that people are most familiar with players in the higher divisions. Thus the contest has the broadest appeal this way. Besides, it's more fun to just keep this simple for everyone. It's tough enough just choosing 6 players!

8. Ok, so how will I know how my team is doing?

Round-by-round standings updates at the event will be impossible. I'm also playing in the tournament, and remain quite interested in focusing on doing well in it. I'll do my best to keep you posted at the end of each day, both at the tourney site and on CGP, but we'll see what time permits. I gotta sleep sometime, ya know?

9. When and how will the winners be paid?

For the same reasons stated above, prizewinners cannot be accurately (or carefully) determined in time for the awards ceremony. We want to make sure we get it right! Once the official results are confirmed and tallied, arrangements will be made to send winnings (via PayPal or by check) to the winners within 3 days. At which point, top prizewinners are welcome to treat the entire BAT staff to dinner and a round of drinks.

10. Rod, are you Canadian?

No, I'm still not Canadian. I live in New Hampshire and I'm a native of the Boston area. Apparently, there is (was) a Canadian expert player named Steven with the same last name, but he's been inactive since I arrived on the scene in 1997. Hence the confusion. I have many Canadian relatives (my grandmother was born and raised in Nova Scotia), I've experienced the coldest of a Saskatchewan winter, and I live in fairly close proximity to the Quebec border. I even play hockey, eh? But no, I'm not Canadian. But keep asking, maybe I'll change my mind ;-)

11. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Ah, a theoretical question. Let's break it down into its component parts. First of all, if a woodchuck couldn't chuck wood, then why is it called a woodchuck? Well, the word "woodchuck" is most likely a folk etymology of the New England Algonquin term for the animal, and was "translated" into a compound word that made sense to settlers in light of its habitat. With that established, if a woodchuck can chuck wood, what's the point of bothering to ask what "if" it could? But since it hasn't been definitively proven either way, we'll have to stick to the original premise. Finally, to answer the core of the question at hand, it really depends on the size of the woodchuck and the type of wood. So be more specific.

12. Ok, back to you; who are you, and what qualifies you to run this contest?

I'm the Director of NSA Club #510 in Manchester, New Hampshire. I've been playing tournament SCRABBLE® for about 5 1/2 years now. A sportswriter by trade, and successful veteran of scores of sports rotisserie leagues and other SCRABBLE® roto pools, I love doing this sort of thing. And much like several NCAA Tournament pools I've run, I'm probably destined to finish dead last. Maybe this year I'll just pick the players with the prettiest outfits.

Keep this page bookmarked for additional info as we approach April's Tournament. Good luck to all . . . . Let the fun begin!

Questions?
Contact Rod MacNeil at ScrabbleNH@aol.com

BAT 2003 home/Rotisserie Picks Page