Let the 2011 Madness Begin!

Welcome to the 9th Annual Graves Family Pool! Some of you have created your accounts and filled in your brackets. Others are still trying to develop a bracketology strategy. In either case, I am looking forward to a very competitive tournament. (One correction to note - - In my e-mail, I stated that you must have your bracket completed by Tuesday's tipoff. That is incorrect. Brackets must be completed before tipoff on Thursday.)

Before we get started, Jay Graves has developed a list of rules for March Madness. As the Commissioner, I now sanction these rules as a part of the official governing of the Graves Family Pool. If you have not seen these rules on TheJayGravesReport.com, please review them here:

"1. You can only fill out one bracket! I hate when people show up to work with 10 brackets filled out and look to win the office pool. That's shady and you now it. When the tournament is over this person gallivants around like they really knew something about college basketball. Sorry excuse for a sports fan!!!

2. Don't fill out your kids bracket! If he or she can't talk or walk they can't participate. That's final. I get tired of losing to some kid that's 13 months old.

3. Don't pick the freaking teams based on the uniforms! If you haven't watched the games to this point just say that you don't know and bow out gracefully.

4. Don't try to change your bracket once your final four teams lose! I get tired of the guy that picks a certain team to make it to the Final Four and then on Friday he's got somebody else on his bracket because they're already out.

5. Don't show up to the sports bar on Thursday talking trash or wearing your team logo if your school isn't in the tournament. You're on punishment for crying out loud!! If your school sucks then you have to stay at home.

6. Don't install that stupid software with the fake graphs on it to try to fool your boss when he walks past your computer. He knows that your watching the games because he is. Just keep it real and order pizza and go to the conference room and watch it together.

7. Don't get on Facebook lying about being at the games. Who cares?

8. If you win the bracket challenge and get the traveling trophy don't try to keep the stupid thing! Return it next year and I mean it!!

9. Don't call in sick Thursday and Friday you'll look stupid! Trust me.

10. Finally, don't spend the next twenty four hours asking folks who's your Final Foul teams so you can pick yours. This is an independent project tonight. No cheating!" Jay Graves

Good luck to all!
The Commissioner!