Get your World Cup action at Churchill’s Pub in the Historic District

Walden is a great, internationally diverse community so I know there must many of you excited about the 2010 World Cup.  For those that just aren’t into sports, its one of the most popular events in the world, generating a tremendous outpour of nationalistic pride.  Team USA is right in the thick of things as we head into the second weekend of Group Stage play.  If you’re unfamiliar with what that means, let me try to break it down for you.

Every four years, 32 teams qualify for the World Cup tournament that is hosted in a different international city.  This year is South Africa’s first time hosting.  How exciting for them!  For the first stage of the tourney – the Group Stage – teams are divided into groups of 8.  Team USA is a part of “Group C”, which also includes England, Algeria and Slovenia.

Each team plays the other teams in the group one time for a total of three games, earning 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie and 0 points for a loss.  At the end of the stage, which happens to be next Wednesday (June 23) for Group C, the top two teams from each of the 8 groups advance to a single elminiation Knockout Stage until only one team remains and is crowned the World Cup Champion.  The reigning World Cup Champion from 2006 is Italy.  After the first of three games, Slovenia has 3 points, USA and England each have 1 point and Algeria has 0.

Team USA plays Slovenia next on Friday (June 18) in the morning at 10 a.m.  You can catch the games on ABC, or if you really want to get in the spirit, head over to Churchill’s Pub & Restaurant (13 W Bay Street, Savannah, GA, 31401) in the Historic District.  They are Savannah’s World Cup headquarters and will be showing every game…even the ones that are very early in the morning.

Final Fogelman Four (or Five)

Hey Fogelman folks…the 2010 NCAA Basketball Tournament is wrapping up this weekend and if you’ve been following, you know that it has been ripe with upsets. As for the Fogelman Bracket Challenge, it’s still too close to call. There are numerous scenarios that can play out, each one resulting in a different winner.

Here is what we know…

• If Duke wins, Richard Call from Stewarts Ferry in Nashville, TN will be your 2010 Champion. Way to go, Richard! But don’t count your cookies yet…
• If West Virginia wins, then Jon Hawks will take the crown. I’m a Big East Conference fan, so I must admit that I’m in Jon’s corner. Jon, we’re not sure which apartment community you’re representing so if you’re reading this, make sure you drop us a note.
• If Michigan State wins the tournament, then Amanda Hill will be our official champion. However, because she is not officially a Fogelman property resident, she is disqualified from collecting any prize. Any prize would go to the first runner-up that is actually a resident. Sorry, Amanda. Maybe you should consider moving to a Fogelman community J
• And if Butler wins, well, here’s where it gets a little tricky. Because no one gave them a fighting chance at the beginning of the tournament, there is no clear cut winner at this point. It all depends on who they play in the Championship. If Butler defeats West Virginia in the title game, then Janelle Crandall from Metro 67 in Memphis, TN will walk away with the prize. If Butler defeats Duke, the title goes to Dani Soto from Hampton Woods in Shawnee, KS.

Good luck to each of the finalists! Don’t forget to tune into CBS to watch the tournament semifinals tonight starting at 6pm, and then the Championship game on Monday, April 5 at 8pm.

Fogelman 2010 NCAA Bracket Challenge Leader Board: Are you on it?

The first weekend of the 2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is in the books and the leader board for the Fogelman 2010 NCAA Bracket Challenge is set. With 50+ bracket submissions, this is sure to be a tight race.

A few interesting statistics developed among the Fogelman residents that participated. Among them…

• 31% of the participants picked Kansas to win it all.
• 14% picked Kentucky
• 12% picked Duke
• 7% picked Syracuse

Here is the leader board after the first two rounds of the tournament along with their pick to win the whole thing…

1. Kim Martin (Kansas), 46 pts.

2. Garrett James (Kansas), 44 pts.

2. Kate Asselin (Kansas), 44 pts.

4. Amanda Hill (Michigan State), 43 pts.

4. Heather Towe (Kansas), 43 pts.

6. Zach Hightower (N/A), 42 pts.

6. Chris Gholston (Syracuse), 42 pts.

6. Janelle Crandall (Kansas), 42 pts.

6. Dani Soto (Kansas), 42 pts.

10. Melissa Rosenthal (Kansas), 40 pts.

The tournament itself is proving to be one of the best in years, with major upsets and Cinderella stories playing out as the field battled to join the ranks of the “Sweet 16”. Northern Iowa’s upset over Kansas in the second round will definitely shake up the Fogelman Bracket Challenge leader board in the coming weeks.

If one of your neighbors has made it on the leader board, be sure to drop them a note of congratulations on your community’s Facebook page and cheer them on. And make sure you stay tuned to all of the drama in both the NCAA tournament and the Fogelman Bracket Challenge. I’ll post a new update next week.

The Regional Semifinals play out today and tomorrow (Thursday and Friday, March 26-27), with the Regional Finals being played on Saturday and Sunday, March 27-28. Check your local CBS affiliate for game times.

MARCH MADNESS is here! Join the Fogelman Properties 2010 NCAA Bracket Challenge!!!

Are you ready for March Madness? Join the Fogelman Properties 2010 NCAA Bracket Challenge on Facebook and compete against other residents from your community, and other Fogelman properties, to see who the most basketball savvy resident is! Prizes have yet to be determined. You must enter and complete a bracket before the games begin this Thursday, March 18, 2010.

Also, each submission is automatically entered into the $5k March Mania Bracket Pool created by Citizen Sports.

Follow this link to join the Fogelman Properties 2010 NCAA Bracket Challenge!

How does the bracket scoring system work? The following scoring system is used for the bracket: Round points received for correctly choosing the winning team…

• Rd. 1 (round of 64): 1 pt.
• Rd. 2 (round of 32): 2 pts.
• Rd. 3 (round of 16): 4 pts.
• Rd. 4 (round of 8): 8 pts.
• Rd. 5 (round of 4): 16 pts.
• Rd. 6 (championship): 32 pts.

When and where can I see how I’m doing compared to other people in my pool? Once the tournament begins, click on the pool name from the homepage. You’ll see how many points each person in your pool has scored as well as the team they picked as the national champ.

What can I win in the Fogelman Properties NCAA Bracket Challenge? The top three finishers (in points) that are residents of a community that Fogelman Properties manages will receive prizes yet to be determined. Stay tuned!

What is the $5k March Mania Bracket Pool created by Citizen Sports? Every entry is automatically submitted to the $5k March Mania Bracket Pool. The winner of the bracket pool will win the $5000 cash grand prize (pending eligibility, see full rules here).

Do you know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably noticed that popularity for the game of poker, particularly the No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em version of the game, has exploded over the past few years.  It’s played in virtually every casino – from Atlantic City to Macau – and on several prominent online destinations.  It’s now even a weekly sports programming staple on popular networks such as NBC and ESPN.  With cash prizes at major tournaments sometimes exceeding $1,000,000, it’s easy to see why so many people have taken an interest.  I once heard the game referred to as “the new lottery.”

Do you know how to play?  While gambling for money in the state of Georgia is illegal, you can still have fun learning to play with friends before your next trip to Vegas.  Trust me on this – it’s an easy game to learn but a very difficult game to master.  All you need is a deck of cards and a set of poker chips.  A card table wouldn’t hurt either – to give you that authentic casino feel.

If enough people are interested, it might be a cool idea to start a weekly game here at Walden at Chatham Center.  What do you think?  Do you have what it takes to put all of your chips on the line and go all in?  I’m a huge fan of the game so if you have any questions or ideas, drop me a comment.

Opening Ceremony Tonight at 7:30

Just a few more hours to go and the Winter Olympics will begin. The opening ceremonies will be broadcast live on NBC starting at 7:30 p.m. ET. Will you watch? Check out the lineup for individual Olympic sporting events online.

“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.” Pierre de Coubertin

Saints and Colts on Sunday – You Ready?

It’s going to be one of the best Super Bowl games of all time if both teams show up ready to play. The regular season and playoffs mean nothing right now. It all comes down to Sunday and if the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts deliver as they should, it’s going to be an amazing game.

Who do you think will win? I’m going for the Indianapolis Colts, just because I’ve been pulling for them for years. I like the Saints though and I think Drew Brees and Reggie Bush make one dynamite combo. We will see on Sunday.

Football Recap

The two teams have been decided for the Super Bowl on February 7. The Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints spent most of their season undefeated and proved to both fans and critics that they deserve to play in the Championship.

The Colts came back from an 11 point deficit against the Cinderella story of the New York Jets. The Jets put on quite a game for the Colts, but just couldn’t find that magical slipper. I am impressed though with Mark Sanchez and I wouldn’t be surprised if he led the Jets back to the playoffs next year. Colts won 30-17.

The New Orleans Saints had a little tougher time with the Minnesota Vikings. I really think the Vikings were the key to their own undoing because you can’t turn the football over five times and expect to come out ahead, especially when you are playing the Saints at home. I had to turn my TV down several times because of the crowd noise, so I can only imagine what they were dealing with on the field. The Saints won in overtime 31-28.