With a bit of reluctance (not wanting to reward slackers, procrastinators, and laggards), I am, nevertheless, extending the deadline for submissions to the 2014 MillersTime Baseball Contests.
Several of you I’ve ‘spoken’ with in the last week or so seem surprised to learn that Opening Day is tomorrow, Mar. 22 (Dodgers vs Diamondbacks in Australia). These cunctators clearly have not read my posts carefully and think the season opens this year at the end of March, beginning of April as it has in the past.
I’ve always used Opening Day as the deadline for these contests and did so when I set the date this year. However, in deciding to extend the deadline to Opening Day in the US, I am acknowledging that, perhaps, I should have kept the usual end of Spring Training and Opening Day in the US as the deadline.
Actually, part of the reason for extending the time (the major reason?) is that only 65% of you who usually submit predictions have done so, leading me to believe you are creatures of habit (amongst other things), have trouble with change, and did not fully realize the earlier submission date this year.
While some of you procrastinators ‘believe’ it’s important to follow all of Spring Training before submitting your predictions, I suspect that only describes a few of you (Jere, for example).
But mostly, because I do want all of you ‘in the game’, especially those who have participated every year, the new deadline is Opening Day in the US: March 31st.
For those of you who submitted your picks on time, know that if there are more than one correct answer(s) to any of the six contests, the individual who submitted his/her prediction first will be declared the winner.
Addendum: At the suggestion of one MillersTime/GoSox reader, I am making one more adjustment: If you have already submitted your predictions, and if you are concerned that the two games in Australia could affect your predictions, etc., you are welcome to change, adjust, update your on time submission. Do it by the first pitch of the first game on March 31st.
Tim Malieckal said:
Opening Day only counts in the lower 48
‘Murica!
Clare said:
You wanted to compile all these predictions on your birthday? I am a slacker but will have mine in before the 31st.
Carrie said:
Carrie/ Dennis
#4
Red Sox better record then Yankees
Red Sox make playoff
Red socks 11-8
#6
Redsox vs LA Dodgers
Red Sox win
MVP- Jon Lester- pitcher
Meg Gage said:
THANK YOU, Richard! This morning Steve told me that the season was opening today in Australia and I thought it was a joke! This extension of the deadline does not reflect your rewarding slackers and people who didn’t read the rules correctly, but instead your understanding that some of us are so focused on spring training we didn’t notice some publicity stunt designed to make Australians love baseball. And where does that go? TV franchise? More games down under? Farm team in Melbourne?
Meg