It's on like Donkey Kong

What have we gotten ourselves into now?

The first ever Center Holds It/Who Ate All the Cupcakes? MLS Cup Playoff Pick Extravaganza, or whatever we end up officially calling it, that's what.

Quick recap of the rules:

* Participating pundits will call every playoff game, specifically the result and final score. One point will be awarded for making the correct call (e.g. win, loss, and, in the first round, tie) and an additional point will be awarded for every entirely correct final score. (Games that end with PKs gets at the “entirely correct” clarification: a game that goes to PKs officially ends as a tie. So, in that case, “result” denotes winner of the game. If, by some miracle, a pundit guesses PKs, tie, and the ultimate winner, they’ll pick up the second point…slim reward for such top-notch prognosticatin’. We’ll call this rule subject to negotiation till the end of the first half of the first round.)
* The pundit who compiled the most points when MLS Cup ends will be the winner. All other pundits will be considered losers - and rightly so. They will be required to pay rewards and suffer punishments.
* For the two-leg first round series, predictions will be made one game at a time as opposed to making the call for the entire round. Predictions for each successive round will be game-by-game.
* Predictions will be made 6 hours before kick off.

Here's where it gets good:

* Each losing pundit will purchase and send to the winner a six-pack sample of the finest available beers from his/her home region.
The losing pundit(s) will:
* Be required to purchase and post a photograph of him/her wearing a shirt dumping on his/her abilities to see into the future. Ideally, this photograph will be taken in a public place - otherwise, what’s the point? We’ll be hitting up all y’all to write the slogan (more on this later)*
* Drink a fifth of MD 20/20; the specific flavor will be losing pundit’s choice. And, again, the best available photographic evidence will be produced to demonstrate compliance.
* Having drained our combined creative capacities simply to create this contest, we would like to solicit readers/visitors for the slogan that will grace the loser’s (losers’) t-shirt. So, drop your ideas into the comments field and keep ‘em free of anything that could get the wearer in real trouble (e.g. overt racism and sexism won’t fly). Otherwise, let it fly!

All I know is this, I have never had the pleasure of dancing with the Mad Dog 20/20 and I'm not intending to start now. I will, however, enjoy the finest of regional brews from around the country. That Pyramid was good when I was in Seattle a few months ago, I'm looking forward to a refill.

The Cupcake Nation will have their playoff picks for the first few games up over the next day, or early Thursday at the latest.

Have fun with the losers' slogans in the comments...