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Today, thechampionship matchup.
The 2020Name of the YearTournament field of 64 we-swear-they-are-real names is down to two:Mathdaniel SquirrelandCourvoisier Dingle.
You canvote in the championship final here.
Dan Wachtell:For better or worse, our finalists came to us through reports of youthful indiscretions.
Courvoisier Dinglewas kicked offhis college football team after being implicated in dorm-room theft.
Mathdaniel Squirrelwas sentenced to 72 monthsin a carjacking.
As a defense attorney, I want to note that Dingle now comes off as back in school.
And Squirrel, based on his lawyers sentencing memorandum, which I read, had a really rough childhood.
Stefan Fatsis:2015 finalist Lancelot Supersad Jr. also made aninspiring recoveryfrom hard times.
Its not unusual for unusual names to filter up through bad news.
Bad news gets covered.
Bad news features lots of Local Men and Area Women, often with magical names.
This year wewould not have learnedofGimadiah Scrogumif not for a story in theBranson(Mo.
Another reason to support local journalism.
Drew Magary:I would personally like to thank theTri-Lakes Newsfor injecting some Scrogum into my life.
As for Mathdaniel, Im hoping that both Math- and -daniel catch on as word roots.
Mathjim, Mathella, Ledaniel, Ausdaniel… things of that nature.
Fatsis:Mathdaniel Squirrel sounds like somethingNOTY fanMike Schur might haveinvented for a minor characteronParks and Recreation.
A seemingly random noun (math) attached to a Biblical name (Daniel) plus a… squirrel.
David Roth:I always appreciate a name that has a legible process behind it.
Mathdaniel looks to me like the happy resolution of a debate between Matthew and Daniel.
Its just nice to see everyone get what they want.
Fatsis:Oh my god.Matthew.
You condition yourself to see the absurd, but even when it winds up entirely obvious its remarkable nonetheless.
I am proud, not an idiot, for thinking mathematics and not Matthew.
Wachtell:Mathdaniel Squirrel was a top seed.
But Courvoisier Dingle made it through as a lowly No.
14knocking off, among others,Carmelo Mustaccio,Billyjack Buzzard, andBeanbag Amerika.
What did we get so right about Squirrel and so wrong about Dingle?
Marc Handelman:Courvoisier Dingle was perfectly seeded.
People arent drinking the expensive stuff now.
On the other hand,Dr.
Welcome Bender, who lost to Dingle in the quarterfinals, was a name for the times.
Im surprised he didnt advance further.
Chase Jackson:Saddling Dingle with a 14-seed was wrong.
Sure, we once had anotherCourvoisier.
But NOTY has a strong tradition oflegacy names.
Weve hadmultipleTacos,multipleWaffles,multiplePopes, andmultipleCashdollars.
Why not multiple Courvoisiers?
Courvoisier Dingle is a perfect blend of high and low.
Hes a tuxedo with a pair of Chucks.
A set of spinning rims on an 88 Civic.
Dennis Clark:So many names, so few slots.
What are people seeing in Dingle that Im not?
Youve got the retread first name.
And Dingle isnt one of a kind, either.
Wikipedia enterssix different Dingles.
Together the first and last name are amusing, but NOTY champions eat amusing for breakfast.
Even accounting for recency bias, this was a very strong field.
Any of theElite Eightcould have won it all.
I was shocked thatBeanbag Amerikawas trounced by Dingle in the Final Four.
Wachtell:Beanbag Amerika is a name change.
Voters might reasonably prefer candidates born with greatness to those whove manufactured it.
Its not like he changed his name specifically to win Name of the Year.
Roth:I was delighted but also a little chastened to find that Beanbag Amerika follows me on Twitter.
He seems like a pretty excellent dude overall and I wish him nothing but the best.
Clark:Usually when there are upsets in NOTY, we have some understanding of why.
Personally, I thoughtBluebell EikonoklastesandRayne Schwinghammerwere better names thanKokain Mothershed, who outlasted them into the Final Four.
But I get the love.
Having the same first name as a Schedule II drug is funny.
A mother-referencing surname is chefs kiss.
Magary:I wont tolerate ANY disrespect for Kokain Mothershed, my favorite imaginary Russian death-metal band.
Also it was my childrens favorite name in the bracket.
Handelman:At least whoever wins this year will be worthy.
Unlike last year.Pope Throwershouldnt have gotten pastPrincehoward Barbecue Yeein the first round.
I sometimes wonder why we let The People vote at all.
And not only for names.
Magary:Says someone whos never experienced the ecstasy of throwing a fully-enrobed pope down a flight of stairs.
So many of these names hit different when you say them out loud.
Pope Thrower was one of those names that, out loud, lived up to its upside on paper.
Fatsis:Theres an elegance in theRonco-product name.
Simple and uncomplicated, like this years entrantMickey Mental, who could have played center field for theGas-House Gorillas.
Wachtell:Im picturing Hanna-Barbera creatives around a table deciding betweenYogi Bearand Mickey Mental.
What Im imagining is 1) a (notional?)
Thats why Kokain Mothershed is my champ, baby.
Say it with pride.
Fatsis:Kokain Mothershedtold his college newspaperthat he was named for his grandfather, who was called Daddy Koke.
My family, I guess, got it from him, he said.
Kokain Mothershed is a name you’re gonna wanna say in full.
Roth:It has that good sound to it.
Jimbob Ghostkeeper was very much one of those for me.
Fatsis:Maybe they would have fared better if theyd had a title.
are PEDs for names.
There were four doctors in this years field, including quarterfinalistDr.
Reason Machete, who, because life is sometimes perfect, isa math professor.
Roth:Courtesy titles are absolutely a cheat code.
One of my favorite recent names,Dr.
Narwhals Mating, is a changed name.
Gutelle:Mathdaniel Squirrel deserves this.
