SIXTH ANNUAL TABLOID COVER DERBY!

[Benjamin Grimm]

Would there be another day of the 1st round or would that be considered for the 2021 Derby?

The beat goes on. These will be the first three covers presented in the first round of the 2021 Tabloid Cover Derby:

[bmfc1]

BG, at Tabloid HQ is there one team working on the 2020 Derby and another working on the 2021 Derby or do the same people (and maybe the horse) that are tabulating the results also pouring over the daily tabloid covers to determine eligibility for the subsequent year?

[Benjamin Grimm]

You know, I'd love to be able to answer that, but observers haven't been able to get within 35 feet of those who count the votes.

If you want to know more, you can go right to the source and ask the horse. He'll give you the answer that you endorse.

Problem is, the horse only speaks Swedish.

[G-Fafif]

And wears a mask, so his responses are a little muffled.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Here they are, the 16 first-round winners. The New York Post comes out strong, making a bid for its first Tabloid Cover Derby title.

We have seven covers from the Post, six from the Daily News, and only three from last year's champion, Newsday.

We have YOPENERS and YOPENING and NOPENING. We have WHAT A TREAT and WHAT A NIGHT. Two covers for Tom Seaver and three for Yoenis Cespedes and one for Carlos Beltran, the three of whom played a combined total of eight games for the Mets in 2020. We have two covers devoted to the outside of Citi Field and one that shows seats filled with cardboard cutouts.

Second-round voting will begin on Monday.

[Benjamin Grimm]

[Benjamin Grimm]

All second-round polls have now been posted. We'll let the currently open polls finish up over the next week and once that's done, we'll have our Elite Eight.

Round Three, which will determine our Final Four, will debut on December 17.

[Benjamin Grimm]

The second round is now complete. The New York Post had jumped to an early lead after the first round, with seven of the sixteen covers, to six from the Daily News and three from last year's champion, Newsday. Now that we're down to eight covers, things have shifted a bit. The News has four covers to two each from the Post and Newsday.

Voting for the third round will begin tomorrow, Thursday, December 17.

[Benjamin Grimm]

The third round has now completed and we have established our Final Four. The next round, the semi-finals, will commence on January 4.

[Benjamin Grimm]

We're now down to the final round. The New York Post, which started strong in the first round has now been eliminated from the competition. The Post has never won the Tabloid Cover Derby. The final round pits a Daily News cover against one from Newsday, which is looking for its second straight title after the Daily News won in each of the first four years.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Be here tomorrow for the big announcement, as this year's winner will be unveiled, live from Stockholm, Sweden!

You don't want to miss it!

[Edgy MD]

Both our finalists surprised the seeding committee.