2008 sj.com college football poll -- (1/9) Final Poll, Page 118

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- WEEK 1 (9/2), Page 19

Took my 6-year-old daughter to some of the museums (Children's, Art Institute) on Saturday and the IndyCar race on Sunday. Stayed at the Chicago Hilton, which was quite nice. It was a great time.

However, we saw numerous hookers in downtown Chicago on Saturday night, so I suppose TP isn't completely off his nut.

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- WEEK 1 (9/2), Page 19

That's one.

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- WEEK 1 (9/2), Page 19

And mine slides in via your inbox. Did I beat BitterYoungHoser?

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- WEEK 1 (9/2), Page 19

I put mine in before the deadline...

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- WEEK 1 (9/2), Page 19

I put mine in before Saturday...

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- WEEK 2 (9/8), Page 28

Sept. 8, 2008
Bandwagon jumping takes its toll


By SLAPPY 4428
Polldaddy

His tired gait wobbled with a bit of a limp, his posture stooped as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. He was a gnarled old man, a cross between Gabby Hayes and Timothy Q. Mouse from “Dumbo” – his outfit a spot-on match for the latter, albeit threadbare and worn.

Since no one ever comes down this dead-end street – a cul-de-sac for the property value to stay high– I had to ask, “who are you and why are you here?”
And he proceeded to tell his tale – he, indeed, drove the bandwagon of college football, the original Bandwagon Boy.

But there’s nothing boyish about you, I said.

“That’s because this job has sapped the life right out of me. Do you realize how much fun it used to be to become a fan? To root for a team with absolute blind loyalty? Now, there’s all this jumping on and jumping off… it’s breaking my back – and my wagon.”

What are you talking about? It’s a great time to be a fan of a team, what with all the TV and papers and…

“..Interwebs, I know. It makes it harder, because there’s a lot of something for everyone – but the team. I mean, you look at the USC fans. How hard is it for that bandwagon to have momentum, when they play one week and take the next off? I’ve seen Catholic parents with less sense of rhythm.”

Speaking of Catholics…

“Yeah. I know. Don’t go there. Flippin’ whale of a coach is popping my stones lugging him and those jumpers around. Those fans were killin’ me on Saturday. The springs on the wagon were bouncing like Lulu and Junior going at it in a Murphy bed. San Diego State would score and they all jumped off. Jimmy Whazziz name… the quarterback with hairstyle by Cuisinart… would get a completion and they’d all jump back on.”

What do you have against Catholics?

“I ain’t got nothin’ against no Catholics. It’s all religions. The Mormons can’t be happy with one bandwagon. Oh no, they have to have two! Them BYU fans were all on the edge, ready to jump off, when Washington lined up for the extra point. It was like the end of the Titanic, with less foreigners. Funny thing was, no one from Washington was ready to get on. And after the Michigan game, you’d have thought Joseph Smith had come out of the desert to say ‘How Bout Them Utes!’

“And the Baptists. Lord, don’t get me started on the SEC. It’s like picking on your sister – you can do it, but no one else can. Except for Vanderbilt fans. Nice. Clean. Good tippers. Everyone else? Their team gets stopped on third down and you’d think they all have Bozo for a coach and munchkins for running backs. You agree and they jump your giblets. You guys are to blame too. You pacify them, coddle them.”

We who?

“The damn writers and those damn polls. The only thing that Bama quarterback could pass on Saturday was gas and even then he probably sharted. Every Bama fan on my wagon was PO’d at the way they played – you should have heard the talk radio screed on the $4-million man. And instead of being punished for playing poorly, the Bammers moved up? Now, the fanbois will have fuel for the fire about even a bad performance is great. Same thing at Ohio State. They struggle with Ohio – OHIO – and they whine about their almighty team dropping.”

Not all writers worship the polls.

“Charlie Weis’s butt, they don’t. People will always be on the bandwagon; the polls help steer them there and it’s killin’ me. There are fair-weather fans and true fans. True fans accept the bad and good. The others just have a distorted sense of reality. If those fans lived in a city, Kwame Kilpatrick would be the mayor. Take this doddering old fool in Minneapolis. He called Minnesota’s win at Bowling Green surprising.

“Let us dwell on that. A Big Ten team’s win at a MAC school is surprising. And he’s looking forward to the possibility of them being 4-0 to start the season. I mean, I look forward to Jessica Alba wanting to have me as a playtoy, but that ain’t happening either.”

So who is a pain in your back?

“Oh this new team… Eastern somebody. East Carolina. Everyone is coming out of the woodwork for them. They are the team, like South Florida was a year ago. The bandwagon is really rolling right now and it should be. No one expected them to do well, so momentum is building. Funny thing is, there are still some people who won’t jump. And I don’t understand it. I’m glad cause it’s less work for me, but I don’t get it.

“They beat two top 10 teams at home, which – if it was a cow-flop team this year like Michigan or Notre Dame – the jumper would break my springs. And them Caroliners still have to play at N.C. State, Virginia, and Southern Miss on the road and home against UTEP, which played Texas tough. Texas. Don’t get me started. It’s going to be real interesting to see if the East boys play Tulane better than Bama did.”

He had to get going and he was tired. Murmured something about all this ESPN made-for-TV games were killing him because it was extending his work week.

“But I’ll tell you this,” he growled. “I get Sundays off, three squares a day and all the crow people can eat. Once those Missourah people jump off, it will be fat city.”

I wanted to tell him that Fat City was in Lawrence, but I just didn’t have the heart.

SportsJournalists.com COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL
9/8/2008
RK. TEAM (1st) PTS Last
1. USC (30) 1170 1
2. Georgia (10) 1117 2
3. Oklahoma (2) 1046 4
4. Florida (2) 1037 5
5. Missouri 994 6
6. Ohio State (1) 972 3
7. LSU (2) 959 7
8. Texas 829 9
9. Auburn 777 10
10. Wisconsin 738 11
11. Kansas 670 13
12. Arizona State 604 14
13. Texas Tech 601 12
14. East Carolina (1) 577 NR
15. Alabama 491 16
16. Oregon 486 17
17. Penn State 456 19
18. BYU 358 15
19. South Florida 332 18
20. Wake Forest 282 20
21. Fresno State 189 21
22. Illinois 170 22
23. West Virginia 161 8
tie. Utah 161 24
25. California 148 NR
Also receiving votes: Clemson 78, UCLA 74, Tennessee 44, Vanderbilt 14, TCU 10, Nebraska 9, Oklahoma State 9, Kentucky 8, Virginia Tech 8, Central Florida 8, Tulsa 4, Florida State 3, Georgia tech 2, Arizona 1, Purdue 1, Arkansas State 1, Minnesota 1.



The SportsJournalists.com college football poll committee: Slappy4428 (chairman), 2muchcoffeeman, 93devil, Agate Page, Amraeder, Angola, Appgrad05, Azom, Barsuk, Bubbler, Buckweaver, Budcrew08, BYH, Cadet, Della9250, Diabeetus, Dickens Cider, Dixiehack, Dparker85, Elliotte Friedman, GB-Hack, Hammer Pants, Hank Scorpio, Huggy, Hustle, Idaho, Inkywretch, Joe Schmoe, Joel Hammond, jps, KYsportswriter, Madhavok, Mustangj17, Mystery Meat , OJ1414, Orville Redenbacher, Oz, Perennially Overrated, Piotr Rasputin, Precious Roy, Rufino, Rumpleforeskin, Spnited, Sportschick, Stagger Lee, Starman, Sxysptswrtr, Tom Petty, Trooper Bari, Songbird, Zebracoy, Zeke12.
Missing members in italics.

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- WEEK 1 (9/2), Page 19

Bandwagon Boy. Well played.

Here's his web site.

http://bandwagonboy.proboards18.com/index.cgi

Apparently, he's going by King Awesome Dawg these days. I can't argue with that.

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- WEEK 2 (9/8), Page 28

Actually, I wasn't referring to him... was speaking symbolically for all bandwagon boys...and girls

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- WEEK 2 (9/8), Page 28

ECU got a No. 1 vote? Really?

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- WEEK 2 (9/8), Page 28

Yeah ... I'm stupid.

Still, a Bandwagon Boy reference is never a bad thing.

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- WEEK 2 (9/8), Page 28

BOO!

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- WEEK 2 (9/8), Page 28

Yes. The member can reveal it if they want to. But the rationale was if any other team in the nation did that, they'd be No. 1, so why not ECU?

And Trooper has more important things on his mind right now... like how to get ESPN in Jakarta...