mike04456
Brilliant_Rock
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2002
- Messages
- 1,441
If I've seemed a little distant lately, it's in large part because my alma mater is making a run at the national championship and, well, I'm a tad distracted, which is to say I've been geeking out on various sports websites. There is one in particular I am totally addicted to, collegefootballnews.com, and this morning there was a column I felt I had to share. It's a bit silly, but if you're a college football fan, this will ring true.
http://collegefootballnews.com/2003/Columnists/MR/DeepPost.htm
Life gives us a lot to appreciate: the miracle of life, nature’s beauty, breathtaking sunrises and sunsets, time spent with our loved ones, blah, blah, blah, yadda, yada, yadda. But in the grand scope of it all, those things pale in comparison to the wonders of college football. Okay, so maybe that logic is a tad too skewed to the sports fan’s sick mind, but let’s be honest, the allure of a college football Saturday, at the end of a long workweek, is, sometimes, the only thing that sees us through. So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving weekend, which is a time where we tend to gorge ourselves with an inordinate amount of turkey, mash potatoes, and green bean casserole, we’ve decided to pay homage to this great sport and indulge ourselves with an extra helping of the weekly top ten list, as well. The explanations may be a bit briefer (probably much to the delight of the readers of this column), but the list is longer. That being said, I present to you “The Top Ten Things, About College Football, For Which We Can All Be Thankful”…
Thank you, College Football, for…
1) … Bringing us together with our loved ones each autumn Saturday, because tailgating outside the stadium or attending a football-watching party at someone’s house provides us a chance to marry two of life’s best benefits: friendship and football.
2) … Constantly providing us with some of the most surprising upsets each year, because a life void of unpredictability makes for a cold, calculated world.
3) … Creating controversy in the polls/rankings each November, because subjectivity, whether we realize it or not, is the backbone of this sport, and has been brining fans of opposing schools together, in disagreement, for generations.
4) … National Signing Day, because no matter how good or how bad the home team performed the year prior, the anticipation surrounding an incoming freshman class breathes new life into each new season and gives us hope for the future.
5) … The Vegas sports books for assigning an arbitrary one or two-digit value to each game, because breaking down games in this fashion prevents some of us from losing interest in certain contests, even when the winning team has secured its victory well before the start of the fourth quarter (but has…ahem…yet to “cover” the spread).
6) … Refusing to surrender to a postseason playoff format despite the national outcry for one, because there’s no other sport where so much weight is assigned to each and every regular-season weekend.
7) … Bo, Woody, and the Ten Year War for taking the Michigan/Ohio State rivalry to a fever-pitched level, because the late sixties and seventies intensity has poured well over into the 21st century and created a national mania that was previously contained to the upper Midwest.
… Immortalizing certain individuals who aren’t necessarily destined for a career of Sundays, because players such as Gerard Phelan and Van Tiffin may not end up in Canton, Ohio, but will forever be treated like royalty whenever they step foot on their alma mater’s campus.
9) … Providing us with not only one huge race (the national championship), but gracing us with 11 other equally significant ones, because, to an 18-21 year-old kid devoting four/five years of his social life to the sport he loves, a conference championship ring doesn’t hold any more weight in Norman, Oklahoma than it does in Denton, Texas.
10) … Showing us what a sunrise looks like on a cool October/November Saturday morning, because who can sleep on a Friday night when the anticipation of the big game springs us from our slumber long before the break of dawn.
11) … Rivalry games, because there’s nothing quite like weathering the emotional pain and riding the crest of exhilaration that goes with the roller coaster-like year-in and year-out territorial lines drawn between two rival schools, fans, and alumni base.
12) … The GamePlan package, because even though ABC sometimes airs the three or four most important games of the weekend all at the same time, it’s better to watch two/three games without audio, than not having a chance to watch these games at all.
13) … The mouth-watering aroma that rises from the grills outside of the stadium on game day, because half the joy derived from a big game is inhaling a large dose of anticipation and woofin’ down a super-sized adrenaline sandwich.
14) … The bowl bonanza on New Year’s Day (albeit, not as riveting as it was in the days before the BCS), because there’s no time for a hangover when the day’s first game kicks off at 11:00 a.m. (Eastern).
15) … Spring practices, because, no matter how insignificant an intra-squad game seems in April, an eight-month drought is far too long to keep a rabid fan waiting.
16) … The ESPN GameDay show, because, although we may have already soaked-up enough knowledge of the upcoming games by the time Saturday morning rolls around, the “road trip” aspect of the show takes us to places many of us don’t often get to see, and, at the same time, places us in the middle of an atmosphere from which we’re miles away.
17) … The “homer” radio play-by-play announcers, because the alumni/fans of each school deserve a biased take on the game’s action, and a much-welcomed voice that shares in the fans joy and disappointment, alike.
1 … The stimulating primetime lead-ins by ESPN play-by-play man Ron Franklin, because, after his hair-raising pre-game oratory, it’s hard not to get fired-up for the game he’s about to call, no matter the opponents participating in the contest.
19) … The Egg Bowl, because, after a day of bonding with the family and eating your way to a new waist size, it’s always a nice nightcap to tune out the mind-numbing chatter of your 47 relatives in favor of the sweet harmony of 55,000 “illegal” cowbells – unless, of course, you’re an Ole Miss fan.
20) … Pre-game traditions the never go stale, because no matter how many times you see the players running through the “T”, or a sousaphone player “dotting the i”, or a team touching a rock and running down a hill, or a mascot burying a flaming spear at midfield, the juices still flow and the excitement is recycled from generation to generation.
21) … Shielding us all from the disturbing trend of the “Reality TV” generation, because we all know that sports is the only “true” reality television, especially when the networks shove down our throats the lives of two dumb, spoiled, blond chicks living on a farm, or expect us to believe that some smokin’ hot babe is gonna realistically fall in love with some Ordinary Joe. Serenity now!
22) … Pitting two hated rivals against each other, yet see total sportsmanship exhibited from both teams, because you want to believe that beyond all the drama promoted by the national media and alumni that goes into bludgeoning your archrival to the point of embarrassment, the players have the ultimate say in the matter, and those players understand and respect all the talents and efforts of the players who line up on the other side of the ball.
23) … Concluding the regular season by the first week of December, because, despite the fact that we love to procrastinate, we’re still left with at least three full Saturdays of Christmas shopping.
24) … Those breath-taking overtime finishes, because the tie games, of yesteryear, gave us plenty of last-minute drama, but the overtime format (although, in need of some fine-tuning) provides some of the most intense theater in all of sports. Has any college fan ever changed the channel or left the game early when O.T. is in session?
25) …Being the reason why this great web site exists, because day-in and day-out (in-season & off-season) we’re all treated to a wealth of information/insight, and, from a personal standpoint, has given this writer the privilege of getting to cover this wonderful sport.
And lastly…
We should all give thanks to our wonderful spouses/significant others (men and women, alike), who sacrifice four months of each year to put up with our “addiction”. Some of us may have better “excuses” than others (maybe we have jobs that require us to watch/attend these games, or maybe our mates have been sucked into the same college pigskin abyss along with us), but, for those of us with significant others who don’t share our pigskin passion, the greatest asset to unlocking the gates of a 13-hour college football Saturday, is a spouse who knows that there’s worse things that their “better” half could be doing with his/her free time. However, to belittle the struggles of the college football widow/widower would be a grave mistake. Any way you slice it, the other half most often plays second fiddle, while large chunks of the autumn weekends are spent road-tripping back to the alma mater, or sitting glued to our three/four TV’s. Come January 5, 2004, this columnist will trade in his College GameDay for Nickelodeon, and his Mountain Dew & pretzels for the occasional ice-cream cone and a trip or two, with the tikes, to Chuck E. Cheese. And, for the first time in four months, this college junkie will, once again, be more than ready for a Saturday night out on the town, with his lovely wife, including dinner and…heaven help us…a chick flick. … Or, maybe, she’ll just want to stay home, call over a few of our friends, and watch VHS replays of some classic college games from 2003. Yeah, after four months of college football bliss, it’s gonna take a little time to crawl back on the wagon. Whatever she decides, though, the first eight months of 2004 are hers for the taking.
http://collegefootballnews.com/2003/Columnists/MR/DeepPost.htm
Life gives us a lot to appreciate: the miracle of life, nature’s beauty, breathtaking sunrises and sunsets, time spent with our loved ones, blah, blah, blah, yadda, yada, yadda. But in the grand scope of it all, those things pale in comparison to the wonders of college football. Okay, so maybe that logic is a tad too skewed to the sports fan’s sick mind, but let’s be honest, the allure of a college football Saturday, at the end of a long workweek, is, sometimes, the only thing that sees us through. So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving weekend, which is a time where we tend to gorge ourselves with an inordinate amount of turkey, mash potatoes, and green bean casserole, we’ve decided to pay homage to this great sport and indulge ourselves with an extra helping of the weekly top ten list, as well. The explanations may be a bit briefer (probably much to the delight of the readers of this column), but the list is longer. That being said, I present to you “The Top Ten Things, About College Football, For Which We Can All Be Thankful”…
Thank you, College Football, for…
1) … Bringing us together with our loved ones each autumn Saturday, because tailgating outside the stadium or attending a football-watching party at someone’s house provides us a chance to marry two of life’s best benefits: friendship and football.
2) … Constantly providing us with some of the most surprising upsets each year, because a life void of unpredictability makes for a cold, calculated world.
3) … Creating controversy in the polls/rankings each November, because subjectivity, whether we realize it or not, is the backbone of this sport, and has been brining fans of opposing schools together, in disagreement, for generations.
4) … National Signing Day, because no matter how good or how bad the home team performed the year prior, the anticipation surrounding an incoming freshman class breathes new life into each new season and gives us hope for the future.
5) … The Vegas sports books for assigning an arbitrary one or two-digit value to each game, because breaking down games in this fashion prevents some of us from losing interest in certain contests, even when the winning team has secured its victory well before the start of the fourth quarter (but has…ahem…yet to “cover” the spread).
6) … Refusing to surrender to a postseason playoff format despite the national outcry for one, because there’s no other sport where so much weight is assigned to each and every regular-season weekend.
7) … Bo, Woody, and the Ten Year War for taking the Michigan/Ohio State rivalry to a fever-pitched level, because the late sixties and seventies intensity has poured well over into the 21st century and created a national mania that was previously contained to the upper Midwest.
… Immortalizing certain individuals who aren’t necessarily destined for a career of Sundays, because players such as Gerard Phelan and Van Tiffin may not end up in Canton, Ohio, but will forever be treated like royalty whenever they step foot on their alma mater’s campus.9) … Providing us with not only one huge race (the national championship), but gracing us with 11 other equally significant ones, because, to an 18-21 year-old kid devoting four/five years of his social life to the sport he loves, a conference championship ring doesn’t hold any more weight in Norman, Oklahoma than it does in Denton, Texas.
10) … Showing us what a sunrise looks like on a cool October/November Saturday morning, because who can sleep on a Friday night when the anticipation of the big game springs us from our slumber long before the break of dawn.
11) … Rivalry games, because there’s nothing quite like weathering the emotional pain and riding the crest of exhilaration that goes with the roller coaster-like year-in and year-out territorial lines drawn between two rival schools, fans, and alumni base.
12) … The GamePlan package, because even though ABC sometimes airs the three or four most important games of the weekend all at the same time, it’s better to watch two/three games without audio, than not having a chance to watch these games at all.
13) … The mouth-watering aroma that rises from the grills outside of the stadium on game day, because half the joy derived from a big game is inhaling a large dose of anticipation and woofin’ down a super-sized adrenaline sandwich.
14) … The bowl bonanza on New Year’s Day (albeit, not as riveting as it was in the days before the BCS), because there’s no time for a hangover when the day’s first game kicks off at 11:00 a.m. (Eastern).
15) … Spring practices, because, no matter how insignificant an intra-squad game seems in April, an eight-month drought is far too long to keep a rabid fan waiting.
16) … The ESPN GameDay show, because, although we may have already soaked-up enough knowledge of the upcoming games by the time Saturday morning rolls around, the “road trip” aspect of the show takes us to places many of us don’t often get to see, and, at the same time, places us in the middle of an atmosphere from which we’re miles away.
17) … The “homer” radio play-by-play announcers, because the alumni/fans of each school deserve a biased take on the game’s action, and a much-welcomed voice that shares in the fans joy and disappointment, alike.
1
… The stimulating primetime lead-ins by ESPN play-by-play man Ron Franklin, because, after his hair-raising pre-game oratory, it’s hard not to get fired-up for the game he’s about to call, no matter the opponents participating in the contest.19) … The Egg Bowl, because, after a day of bonding with the family and eating your way to a new waist size, it’s always a nice nightcap to tune out the mind-numbing chatter of your 47 relatives in favor of the sweet harmony of 55,000 “illegal” cowbells – unless, of course, you’re an Ole Miss fan.
20) … Pre-game traditions the never go stale, because no matter how many times you see the players running through the “T”, or a sousaphone player “dotting the i”, or a team touching a rock and running down a hill, or a mascot burying a flaming spear at midfield, the juices still flow and the excitement is recycled from generation to generation.
21) … Shielding us all from the disturbing trend of the “Reality TV” generation, because we all know that sports is the only “true” reality television, especially when the networks shove down our throats the lives of two dumb, spoiled, blond chicks living on a farm, or expect us to believe that some smokin’ hot babe is gonna realistically fall in love with some Ordinary Joe. Serenity now!
22) … Pitting two hated rivals against each other, yet see total sportsmanship exhibited from both teams, because you want to believe that beyond all the drama promoted by the national media and alumni that goes into bludgeoning your archrival to the point of embarrassment, the players have the ultimate say in the matter, and those players understand and respect all the talents and efforts of the players who line up on the other side of the ball.
23) … Concluding the regular season by the first week of December, because, despite the fact that we love to procrastinate, we’re still left with at least three full Saturdays of Christmas shopping.
24) … Those breath-taking overtime finishes, because the tie games, of yesteryear, gave us plenty of last-minute drama, but the overtime format (although, in need of some fine-tuning) provides some of the most intense theater in all of sports. Has any college fan ever changed the channel or left the game early when O.T. is in session?
25) …Being the reason why this great web site exists, because day-in and day-out (in-season & off-season) we’re all treated to a wealth of information/insight, and, from a personal standpoint, has given this writer the privilege of getting to cover this wonderful sport.
And lastly…
We should all give thanks to our wonderful spouses/significant others (men and women, alike), who sacrifice four months of each year to put up with our “addiction”. Some of us may have better “excuses” than others (maybe we have jobs that require us to watch/attend these games, or maybe our mates have been sucked into the same college pigskin abyss along with us), but, for those of us with significant others who don’t share our pigskin passion, the greatest asset to unlocking the gates of a 13-hour college football Saturday, is a spouse who knows that there’s worse things that their “better” half could be doing with his/her free time. However, to belittle the struggles of the college football widow/widower would be a grave mistake. Any way you slice it, the other half most often plays second fiddle, while large chunks of the autumn weekends are spent road-tripping back to the alma mater, or sitting glued to our three/four TV’s. Come January 5, 2004, this columnist will trade in his College GameDay for Nickelodeon, and his Mountain Dew & pretzels for the occasional ice-cream cone and a trip or two, with the tikes, to Chuck E. Cheese. And, for the first time in four months, this college junkie will, once again, be more than ready for a Saturday night out on the town, with his lovely wife, including dinner and…heaven help us…a chick flick. … Or, maybe, she’ll just want to stay home, call over a few of our friends, and watch VHS replays of some classic college games from 2003. Yeah, after four months of college football bliss, it’s gonna take a little time to crawl back on the wagon. Whatever she decides, though, the first eight months of 2004 are hers for the taking.
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