Sunday, April 18, 2010

First Round Winners

Here are the second round matchups.

Midwest Region

16. (Wilma) vs. 8. Stella

Please keep in mind that the "Wilma" is silent. That is, if (Wilma) wins it all, our child will learn that her name is spelled (Wilma) [Middle name], but it is pronounced [Middle name].

4. Maple vs. 5. Audrey

"Maple" is nothing like "Apple". We both agree that "Audrey" is a pretty name.

2. Loretta vs. 7. Lucille

In addition to the awesome Kenny Rogers song, here is another great Lucille song. Loretta is a pretty cool name, music-wise, too.

14. Kayleigh vs. 11. Aja

We are pretty sure that people didn't see that Marillion video, and that's the only reason that "Kayleigh" made it through to the second round. Please click on the link to the video, and consider whether you think this is an appropriate moniker to slap on one of our first born children. Especially when you consider that it is up against the title track to a Steely Dan album.

South Region

1. Parker vs. 9. Julia

"Parker" won the first round on a unanimous vote over "Duke." Some complained that the rules were stacked against "Duke." We say, quit your whining, Coach K. Let the kids play the game.

4. Iris vs. 5. Ophelia

A late switch by Grandma Albright (AKA "Oma") put "Ophelia" over the top. Iris won by a nearly unanimous vote.

2. Charlotte vs. 10. Allison

"Charlotte" is the name of a "not favorite" great aunt on both sides of the family.

14. Scout vs. 6. Grace

"Scout" pulls off the upset over "Maude."

West Region

1. Quinn vs. 8. Paige

When Quinn the Eskimo gets here, everybody's gonna jump for joy.

13. Frances vs. 12. Lillian

Two double-digit seeds in the second round. That's what makes Marck Madness so magical.

2. Pepper vs. 10. Bridget

If "Pepper" wins, we are moving to the south. It would just be fun to hear the southerners say "Pepper." There is also a pretty cool song called "Pepper." (By the Butthole Surfers, but still.)



3. Reade vs. 11. Chloe

"Reade" is mom's middle name, just so you know.

East Bracket

1. Phoebe vs. 9. Annika

Mom and dad can't agree on how "Annika" is pronounced, so take that into consideration.

13. Annette vs. 12. Madeleine

Mom's brackets have produced two 12 vs. 13 matchups. The seeding was probably off a bit.

2. Cecilia vs. 7. Gabriella

If "Gabriella" wins this one, Kanye West might interrupt the acceptance speech.

14. Abigail vs. 11. Ella

Emily strongly associates "Abigail" with her first dog. Marck's first dog was named "Hershey," so there's no risk of that problem for him.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Clarification of the Rules

It has been brought to our attention that many people who don't necessarily know how the NCAA Tournament works might want a say in the baby naming competition. Therefore, we offer this clarification:

The NCAA Tournament is a single elimination tournament, in which teams are broken up into four regional brackets of sixteen teams. The seeds with a smaller number (i.e., one through eight in the first round) are favored to win and move forward. Sometimes a random team makes a run through its conference tournament, and thereby qualifies for a very poor seed in the NCAA Tournament.

As with that tournament, our baby names are seeded roughly in order of preference. As with that tournament, there are some head scratchers in the bottom seeds. Unlike that tournament, you are in charge of who wins, so you need to vote for the name that you consider most appropriate in each round.

An additional feature of the NCAA Tournament that we have incorporated into our system is the bracket challenge. Many people form office pools to predict the results of the Tournament. Points are awarded on the basis of the correctly predicted winner in each round. Higher points are awarded for correctly choosing the winner of late rounds.

If you would like to participate in the bracket challenge, please send a message to Marck or Emily with your e-mail address, and we will send it to you as a Microsoft Word document. Prizes for the top three point totals.

Friday, April 9, 2010

The Rules

Okay, here are the rules:

1. No "constructive criticism" is allowed, not even if you are related to us by blood. You are entitled to no more than an up or down vote on our babies' names.

2. Come to think of it, you aren't even entitled to that, really. All selections will be taken under advisement. We do not offer any guarantee that we will accept the mob's selections for our babies' names.

3. Please pick the name that you like best of the two options and vote in the comment section. Votes should be organized by region, and they should be in the format of seed number followed by name (e.g., "1. Parker"). Make sure that your comment is clearly identifiable by a name that we would recognize (as someone we know), or your vote will not be counted.

4. Each round of voting ends on the close of business the Friday after the brackets are updated.

5. Anyone who votes for "Duke" in the first round will not be allowed to vote in future rounds.

6. We are also going to have a competition to see which of our friends can correctly guess the outcome of the Marck Madness Brackets. The top three point totals in the the bracket competition will get a special prize. We are still trying to come up with something worthy. Points are awarded one for each correct selection in the first round, and points are doubled each round. A perfect score in each round would net you 32 points. The bracket must be completed by close of business Monday. Send me your e-mail address if you would like a bracket.

East Region First Round Matchups

16. Ralphina vs. 1. Phoebe

15. Vivian vs. 2. Cecilia

14. Abigail vs. 3. Ramona

13. Annette vs. 4. Inez

12. Madeleine vs. 5. Alexandra

11. Ella vs. 6. Zara

10. Zelda vs. 7. Gabriella

9. Annika vs. 8. Esther

West Region First Round Matchups

16. Raphaela vs. 1. Quinn

15. Sarafina vs. 2. Pepper

14. Gretchen vs. 3. Reade

13. Frances vs. 4. Siri

12. Lillian vs. 5. Amelia

11. Chloe vs. 6. Naomi

10. Bridget vs. 7. Samantha

8. Paige vs. 9. Nadine

South Region First Round Matchups

16. Duke vs. 1. Parker

We have no intention of naming our daughter "Duke", but couldn't resist the opportunity to see Duke as a 16 seed. "Parker" will probably be spelled with a silent (The University of Maryland at College) on the beginning, if Marck has his way. That is to say, it won't be spelled with a silent (The University of Maryland at College) on the beginning.

15. Ashley vs. 2. Charlotte

See Midwest region for all you need to know about this matchup.

14. Scout vs. 3. Maude

The young hero from "To Kill a Mockingbird" vs. the not young hero from "Harold and Maude." "Scout" would have a higher seed if Bruce Willis and Demi Moore didn't slap that name on their spawn.

13. Consommé vs. 4. Iris

The other girl-appropriate soup name, "Consommé" would join "Bisque" if both 13 seeds escape from the Midwest and South Regions. If "Zooey" wins (see below), we will probably change our dog's name to "Iris." That is because we purchased her with a tax return. Come to think of it, these kids are going to be good for a tax credit...

12. Meredith vs. 5. Ophelia

Two of our friends are pregnant with due dates in September. Their names? Meredith. We figured that "Meredith" should therefore get an honorable mention. She is not up against a Shakespeare character. We cannot stress this enough.

6. Grace vs. 11. Marcia

Going with the 11 Seed could lead to a certain amount of sibling rivalry. Might want to vote for "Grace" in this round.

10. Allison vs. 7. Gloria

We don't mean "Allison" in an Elvis Costello way, although it's a nice song. We do mean "Gloria" in a Patti Smith way. Kick ass.

8. Zooey vs. 9. Julia

Our dog is named "Zoe," so we will have to rename her if the 8 Seed wins it all. We would probably have ranked "Zooey" higher, but we really don't want the veterinarian's staff to think that we are total weirdos.

Midwest Region First Round Matchups

16. (Wilma) vs. 1. Sesachacha

This is a phonetically challenging first round match up. "Sesachacha" is a Wampanoag Indian word that is pronounced "Satchaka." (Wilma) is silent. If (Wilma) wins it all, our daughter will go by her middle name, but she will add the silent (Wilma) to her name whenever it is written. She will know she's in trouble whenever we pronounce the (Wilma). (Wilma) falls in the realm of Marck's humor that Emily finds more enraging than funny, or else it would have been seeded higher.

15. Mary Kate vs. 2. Loretta

On the off chance that the 15 Seeds make it out of the Midwest and South Regions, our twin daughters will be named "Mary Kate and Ashley." If that is the case, Dave Coulier is allowed to sleep on our couch whenever he is in town.

14. Kayleigh vs. 3. Marquart

"Marquart" is the name of a friend who was rewarded for her visceral negative reaction to the name "Duke" with a 3 Seed in the Marck Madness bracket. "Kayleigh" is after the Marillion song. Go watch that video, check out the mullets, and give Marquart some love. Her reaction to the name "Duke" is worth a trip to the second round.

13. Bisque vs. 4. Maple

Do not mistake this for a match up of foodstuff. Although "Bisque" is inspired by the name for soup -- it is one of only two girl-appropriate soup names we could think of -- "Maple" is for the lumber. Maple is clear, strong, and every individual example of maple is uniquely beautiful. These are qualities that we would like to encourage in a daughter.

12. Cynthia vs. 5. Audrey

The 5 seed is probably safe in this round.

11. Aja vs. 6. Rhiannon

A woman taken by the wind versus Chinese music under Banyan trees. What's not to love about the first match up between kick ass rock songs?

10. Irene vs. 7. Lucille

"Lucille" is the name of B.B. King's legendary guitar. Also, the weepy teenage breakup mix tapes (we won't even speculate as to what form music will be delivered in by that point) from jilted suitors would be hilarious. "Irene" will have to accumulate votes early if she is going to stay in this thing.

8. Stella vs. 9. Sydney

If "Stella" wins, boys will not be allowed in the house if they merely knock on the door. They will have to stand on the front lawn and yell her name. As long as you live under our roof, you must live by our rules, missy. "Sydney" is one of Grandma Stanley's name suggestions, so it gets a higher seed than might ordinarily be the case.