We’ve been running a [b]racket over on the Mormon Lit Blitz page in which sixteen works face off against each other in an event we’re calling August Insanity. With just five matches to go, here’s how things look:
In the diagram above, the numbers with dashes between them indicate the vote margin by which a given work advanced. The closest match to date was the 8-7 overtime (=after James’s bedtime) victory of Death of a Disco Dancer over Saturday’s Warrior. The largest margin of victory is the 15-point differential between Thinderella Byuck and early favorite The Backslider. (Incidentally, this match is also the reason for the schism between August Insanity and the Reorganized Community of August Insanity, founded to protest the alleged daylight robbery of the cowboy classic).
I had considered providing some bookcaster analysis at this juncture in the tourney, but maybe it will be better to solicit it instead.
What do you think of the tournament so far?
Who’s been robbed? Who’s finally getting the recognition they deserve?
Is your bracket currently beating the brackets of Theric’s son and/or my daughter?
What do you anticipate in our five remaining matches?
My bracket has suffered huge casualties, for my top pick, the Backslider, somehow got demolished in the first round.
Of the defeated works, only The Five Books of Jesus and Saturday’s Warrior got more votes. So The Backslider did reasonably well for itself, even if it did get buried under a pile of byuck.
You also have the consolation of knowing that in the Reorganized Community of August Insanity, your bracket is still very much intact.
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If it makes you feel better, BarefootMike, my first choice dropped the first round as well.
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I’m glad to hear of this schism as, without it, all those angry at the Fall of Levi would nothing to do other than hang around and vote against my poor innocent college students.
For anyone following the contest on this blog:
Dispirited beat The Death of a Disco Dancer 21-4.
A Short Stay in Hell beat Martyrs’ Crossing 22-14.
The Martyrs’ vs. Hell match is notable for setting two new highs: most votes in a match (22, edging Byuck’s round 1 performance and Dispirited’s round 2) and most votes for a losing work (14, well above the previous high of 9 for The Five Books of Jesus).
The match between Bound on Earth and Byuck was tied 14-14 when I went to bed, so the voting continued through the night and into the morning. After being tied 20-20 at 7 am, Bound on Earth pulled ahead 22-20 for the win.
The voting looks tight between Dispirited and A Short Stay in Hell today. Should be a great match.
Dispirited defeated A Short Stay in Hell 36-32–and will advance into the Final tomorrow against Bound on Earth.