Editors' Challenge | Week 7

     After an Eli-like fall from perfection, Philip "Matthews" Dear now must settle for a mere tie for first place in the Eds' Challenge standings. Not even a half-game lead for a cushion. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
     After chasing him for six weeks, Sapna "" Bansil has finally caught up, venturing closer to first place than her beloved Yankees did all year. Two games off from the leaders are a match made in heaven — Carly "Rachel" Helfand and Rachel "Bethany" Dolin, a fitting pair given that the only thing matching better than their football picks is their parents' tastes in girls' names.
     Evans "Russell" Clinchy, still enraged a week after about being called out by a fellow columnist, did little to quash the competitive spirit of one David "William" Heck, going 7-7 while Heck picked up a game. Clinchy still sits four games out of first place while Heck has clawed back to within six.
     Interestingly, the race for seventh place now coincides perfectly with the race for the most stereotypical name — and try as he might, the Jew couldn't quite catch the WASP. Despite turning heads everywhere with a (gasp!) above-.500 week, Noah "Benjamin" Schumer still sits one game back of his Gentile counterpart, Thomas "Brooks Crosby" Eager. It's okay, Noah. You guys have gefilte fish.
     On the far-right side of the page you'll see two names that belong together — although unfortunately for one of them, he's there because he's in last place. Alan "Scott" Janes is back to .500, while Laura "Ann" Schultz is happy to join him as this week's guest.