It should come as no suprise that a tennis star aced Page 3's Celebrity Pick'em.
James Blake, who is currently down under preparing for the Australian Open, finished seven points ahead of Wilma McNabb to capture the Page 3 crown and even earned bragging rights over ESPN's NFL analysts.
James Blake has found himself a career after tennis.
"It feels great to win the pool," said Blake. "Being off the tour for so long with injuries and illness, I could take plenty of time to check ESPN.com for all the pertinent information. So I feel like I may have had an unfair advantage. Although that doesn't excuse all the analysts for losing to me since it is their job.
"I'm also proud that I absolutely killed Andy (Roddick) and will be sure to remind him of that consistently on tour. Everyone else did great and it was a fun excuse to care about every game in the NFL."
On behalf of our winner, ESPN will make a charitable contribution to Shriner's Children's Hospital in Springfield, Mass. As a kid, Blake spent time there as a patient, when he suffered from severe scoliosis. If it wasn't for Shriner's, Blake says he would never be playing professional tennis.
Page 3 would also like thank our eclectic group of celebrity participants for making a full-on, 17-week commitment. It's hard enough to get 12 regular working stiffs who sit in a cubicle each day to get their picks in on time, never mind celebs with busy schedules.
So, in the words of Mrs. McNabb: "Congratulations to Mr. James Blake, he gave us all a competitive run. This has certainly been fun!"
Here are the final standings:
1. James Blake 186
2. Mama McNabb 179
3. Heather Mitts 173
4. Jermaine Dye 169
4. Luke Walton 169
6. Drew Lachey 168
7. Bow Wow 166
8. Steve Harris 158
9. Nick Lachey 156
10. Holly Robinson Peete 155
10. Pat McGee 155
12. Andy Roddick 153
| WEEK 17 PICKS/RESULTS |
| |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| MATCHUP |
Nick Lachey
Performer |
Drew Lachey
Performer |
Holly Robinson Peete - Actor |
Andy Roddick
Tennis player |
| Bengals-Eagles |
Eagles |
Bengals |
Eagles |
Bengals |
| Lions-Titans |
Titans |
Lions |
Titans |
Titans |
| Dolphins-Ravens |
Ravens |
Ravens |
Ravens |
Ravens |
| Saints-Panthers |
Panthers |
Panthers |
Panthers |
Panthers |
| Steelers-Bills |
Bills |
Bills |
Bills |
Bills |
| Falcons-Seahawks |
Seahawks |
Falcons |
Seahawks |
Falcons |
| Colts-Broncos |
Broncos |
Colts |
Broncos |
Colts |
| Chiefs-Chargers |
Chargers |
Chargers |
Chargers |
Chargers |
| Browns-Texans |
Texans |
Texans |
Texans |
Texans |
| Packers-Bears |
Packers |
Packers |
Packers |
Packers |
| Vikings-Redskins |
Redskins |
Vikings |
Redskins |
Redskins |
| Jets-Rams |
Rams |
Rams |
Rams |
Rams |
| Niners-Patriots |
Patriots |
Patriots* |
Patriots |
Patriots* |
| Bucs-Cardinals |
Cardinals |
Cardinals |
Cardinals |
Cardinals |
| Jaguars-Raiders |
Raiders |
Jaguars |
Raiders |
Jaguars |
| Cowboys-Giants |
Giants |
Giants |
Giants |
Giants |
| WEEK 17/POINTS |
11-5 (9) |
9-7 (10) |
11-5 (9) |
11-5 (12) |
| OVERALL/POINTS |
154-102 (156) |
160-96 (168) |
156-100 (155) |
162-94 (153) |
|
| |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| MATCHUP |
Heather Mitts
US Olympian |
Steve Harris
Actor |
Jermaine Dye
MLB outfielder |
Pat McGee
Singer |
| Bengals-Eagles |
Bengals |
Bengals |
Eagles |
Eagles |
| Lions-Titans |
Lions* |
Titans |
Lions |
Titans |
| Dolphins-Ravens |
Ravens |
Ravens |
Ravens |
Ravens |
| Saints-Panthers |
Panthers |
Saints |
Panthers |
Panthers |
| Steelers-Bills |
Bills |
Bills* |
Bills |
Steelers |
| Falcons-Seahawks |
Seahawks |
Seahawks |
Seahawks |
Falcons |
| Colts-Broncos |
Broncos |
Broncos |
Broncos |
Colts |
| Chiefs-Chargers |
Chargers |
Chargers |
Chiefs |
Chargers |
| Browns-Texans |
Texans |
Texans |
Texans |
Texans |
| Packers-Bears |
Packers |
Bills |
Packers |
Packers |
| Vikings-Redskins |
Vikings |
Vikings |
Redskins |
Redskins |
| Jets-Rams |
Jets |
Jets |
Rams |
Jets |
| Niners-Patriots |
Patriots |
Patriots |
Patriots* |
Patriots* |
| Bucs-Cardinals |
Bucs |
Bucs |
Cardinals |
Cardinals |
| Jaguars-Raiders |
Jaguars |
Jaguars |
Jaguars |
Jaguars |
| Cowboys-Giants |
Cowboys |
Giants |
Giants |
Giants |
| WEEK 17/POINTS |
8-8 (6) |
10-6 (8) |
9-7 (10) |
10-6 (11) |
| OVERALL/POINTS |
169-87 (173) |
159-97 (158) |
155-101 (169) |
154-102 (155) |
|
| |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| MATCHUP |
James Blake
Tennis player |
Bow Wow
Performer |
Luke Walton
Lakers forward |
Wilma McNabb
Donovan's Mom |
| Bengals-Eagles |
Eagles |
Eagles |
Eagles |
Eagles |
| Lions-Titans |
Lions |
Lions |
Titans |
Lions |
| Dolphins-Ravens |
Ravens |
Ravens |
Ravens |
Ravens |
| Saints-Panthers |
Panthers |
Panthers |
Panthers |
Panthers |
| Steelers-Bills |
Bills |
Bills |
Bills |
Bills |
| Falcons-Seahawks |
Seahawks |
Seahawks |
Seahawks |
Seahawks |
| Colts-Broncos |
Broncos |
Colts |
Broncos |
Colts |
| Chiefs-Chargers |
Chiefs |
Chargers |
Chargers |
Chargers |
| Browns-Texans |
Texans |
Texans |
Texans* |
Texans |
| Packers-Bears |
Packers |
Packers |
Packers |
Packers |
| Vikings-Redskins |
Vikings |
Vikings |
Vikings |
Redskins |
| Jets-Rams |
Jets |
Jets |
Rams |
Jets |
| Niners-Patriots |
Patriots* |
Patriots* |
Patriots |
Patriots* |
| Bucs-Cardinals |
Cardinals |
Bucs |
Bucs |
Cardinals |
| Jaguars-Raiders |
Jaguars |
Jaguars |
Jaguars |
Jaguars |
| Cowboys-Giants |
Giants |
Cowboys |
Cowboys |
Cowboys |
| WEEK 17/POINTS |
8-8 (9) |
6-10 (7) |
9-7 (7) |
8-8 (9) |
| OVERALL/POINTS |
175-81 (186) |
158-82 (166) |
155-85 (169) |
159-81 (179) |
The rules:
Games are picked straight up
Poolers pick one lock-of-the-week, indicated by an asterisk*
Every other game is worth +1 if won and 0 points if lost
Lock is worth +2 points if won and -2 points if lost
Five points added to overall score for a perfect week
In the event of a tie, pool will extend to postseason
Stacey Pressman is a freelance producer for ESPN as well as contributing writer to ESPN.com and ESPN the Magazine's "The Jump" She can be reached at StaceyPressman@aol.com.
