FEEL THE MADNESS!!! Dealbreaker style

It was a close one!

As Dealbreaker historians will recall, 2011 marked our first Dealbreaker NCAA Tournament Challenge. It was inspired by a financial services hack who made the public announcement that he planned to (anonymously) report any colleagues he caught filling out brackets and keeping tabs on their picks during business hours. At the time, we encouraged you all to enter as many pools as were available, making it impossible for him to keep up with the amount of people and their offenses he needed to rat out, and created one to do our part. Is this guy still on the loose? He very well might be but regardless: never forget. To that end, sign up for the Third Annual Dealbreaker NCAA Tournament Challenge today. If you need reason beyond being able to say you won the DBNCAATC, first place will receive dinner for him/herself plus some colleagues and/friends at Peter Luger* and the must-have item of the season, a blue and green Dealbreaker banker bag.

As Dealbreaker historians will recall, last March marked our first Dealbreaker NCAA Tournament Challenge. It was inspired by a financial services hack who made the public announcement that he planned to (anonymously) report any colleagues he caught filling out brackets and keeping tabs on their picks during business hours. At the time, we encouraged you all to enter as many pools as were available, making it impossible for him to keep up with the amount of people and their offenses he needed to rat out, and created one to do our part. Is this guy still on the loose? He very well might be but regardless: never forget. To that end, sign up for the Second Annual Dealbreaker NCAA Tournament Challenge today. If you need reason beyond being able to say you won the DBNCAATC, first place will receive dinner for him/herself plus some colleagues and/friends at Peter Luger's, an outing funded by us,* a Greenlight Capital messenger bag, a Pershing Square golf umbrella, a pair of Third Point-branded running sneakers, and an I Heart Dealbreaker button.** The pool will once again be managed by Dealbreaker Commenter and Friend NakedShort, who, along with myself, will answer any questions you might have, provide color if warranted (rip everyone’s brackets to shreds, call out the bottom 5 performers), etc. Sign up here now.*** So it is abundantly clear, if you do not want participants to know your real name, MAKE SURE TO FILL OUT SOMETHING ELSE IN THE NAME FIELDS. For example, if your ID is Godswork, rather than writing Lloyd B, enter first name: Gods, last name: work. To that end, if you don’t want people to see your email address, from the bracket page, click ‘options’ and then ‘hide email.’ If you feel it necessary, create an entirely new email account specifically for this challenge. Finally, don’t use HisHoliness as your ID because Alan Greenspan’s already called dibs. The pool password is: animalliar Dealbreaker NCAA Tournament Challenge [CBS Sports] *Last year we offered Wall Street North favorite Beamers Cafe, but the winner had "already seen all Beamers had to offer," and choose an alternative venue. This year, feel free to think outside the box. **If any other hedge funds, private equity firms, or banks would like to be represented via swag, feel free to get in touch! ***NakedShort says you have until Thursday morning to fill out a bracket but you should just get on this ASAP.

First prize is dinner with a few colleagues/friends at Peter Luger, your choice of post-dinner activity, an I Heart Dealbreaker button, a Greenlight Capital messenger bag, a Pershing Square golf umbrella, a pair of Third Point-branded running sneakers, and a Blackstone gym bag (if you are a hedge fund, private equity firm, or bank who would like to be represented via swag, do get in touch. As you can see we're building something of an ensemble here so socks, hoodies, hats, undergarments, etc would be optimal but we'll work with what you've got). Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is you're fired. Sign up now. [DBNCAATC]

And the winner of dinner at Peter Luger, an I Heart Dealbreaker button, a Greenlight Capital messenger bag, a Pershing Square golf umbrella, Third Point running sneakers, and a Blackstone overnight bag that you could legitimately fit several bodies in is: Benjamin W., with 154 points and Kentucky for the win. BW, please email us to collect your goody-bag. As was the case last year, the nine people who nearly won but, in fact, still lost, will be receiving a consolation in the form of an I Heart DB button. Those people are: Economic Prophets Frank F. GM Bones Katherine L. Lauren W. Matt R. Wildebeest Ben J. DHP Get in touch to let us know where the enviable prize should be sent.