Blogelemy

Clueless in Bracketville

I am so clueless when it comes to college basketball.  However, I love competition and will always fill out a bracket or two as long as it is with people I know.  I usually spend a considerable amount of time filling out different brackets with the hopes of winning at least one of the leagues. 

In the current March Madness competition I am in two online leagues.  One with the Church staff and the other with the Senior High students.  And this time I filled my brackets out in haste and submitted the same brackets twice.  At the beginning of the tournament, I would check online to see how my picks were and they seemed mediocre at best. So, being neither disappointed or elated, I figured that I would end the competition in the middle of the pack and haven't checked the standings.  I definitely didn't have the time or interest in sitting down and watch any of the games for an extended period (I've spent more time writing this post than I have watching College Basketball this year).  This past week I went to our midweek program (Crave Wednesday's) and one of the students came up to me and said, "Quite the competition with the brackets, Huh?!"  I tried to find a way to fake that I knew where things were with the standings but I had to quickly admit that I was pathetic and had no idea what was going on.  He then shared that I was tied for second place and that if UConn and North Carolina go the the final game, I will win.  I was shocked!  I feel like the person who made my picks based on the color of the jersey or the ferocity of their mascot.  After checking both competitions, if UNC and UConn win and UNC beats UConn in the final, I will win both competitions. 

In the words of Dick Vitale: "Yeah Baby!"

"Jumping on the Bandwagon"

So, I have been accused of something lately.  I have been accused of jumping on the Tampa Bay Rays "bandwagon".  For the most part, I would agree and argue that most people right now who are rooting for the Rays are on the bandwagon.  This morning I wondered where we got that phrase. 

Here is the quote from Wikipedia (so take the credibility with a "grain of salt"*):

Literally, a bandwagon is a wagon which carries the band in a parade, circus or other entertainment.  Dan Rice, a famous and popular circus clown of the time, used his bandwagon and its music to gain attention for Zachary Taylor's campaign appearances. As Taylor's campaign became more successful, more politicians strove for a seat on the bandwagon, hoping to be associated with the success. Later, during the time of William Jennings Bryan's 1900 presidential campaign, bandwagons had become standard in campaigns, The phrase "jump on the bandwagon" first appeared in American politics in 1848 when and 'jump on the bandwagon' was used as a derogatory term, implying that people were associating themselves with the success without considering what they associated themselves with.

Those who know that I was born and raised in the Tampa Bay area understand for reasons of proximity why I would go all in on the Tampa Bay Rays as they are making their push to be world champions.  I was privileged to go to the very first Tampa Bay Devil Rays game played in St. Petersburg 10 years ago when I was on Spring Break with some college friends and my dad. 

I would say that the Rays caught my eye right before the All-Star Break.  It was then that I realized that this team had a legitimate chance to be competitive in their division.  At that time, I never imagined that they were this good!  I would argue that except for a few longtime season ticket holders, everyone who is rooting for the Rays are on some sort of bandwagon.  They have been too horrible in their entire franchise existence for anyone to say that they have always been a die hard fan.  Bandwagon or not, I am enjoying watching this team play hard as a team and make a strong run for the title!  Go Rays!



*- I'm going to have to do a similar post on "a grain of salt"

Football = Relationships

Has there ever been a better day of Sports for Tampa fans than last Sunday?

Those who know me know that I love professional football.  I'm a nominal basketball and baseball fan.  However, this year I am all over the Rays and their quest for the World Series Championship. 

One of my favorite things about football is how it is tied to relationships.  Among other things, my parents and I enjoy talking about how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are doing both off-season and on.  I have friends and acquaintances all over the country who are fans of different teams.  Often these loyalties cause us to communicate.  For example, if my team is playing the Washington Redskins, I will talk to my friend from Bethel Seminary, Dave Runion.  If my team is playing the Dallas Cowboys (which they are this weekend), I will be on the phone with the Junior High Pastor, Travis Armstrong.  I have lots of friends who are Chicago Bears fans (Matt Sharp, Dave Nordyke, Kevin DeVries) and others who follow the Packers (Stephanie Armstrong, Dawn Fong, JP Turner).  I could go on and on nearly every team is covered in this, being in Minnesota I have lots of friends who rise and fall with the Vikings (shout out to Ken Reily, my in-laws). These ties allow me to think about my friends when their team is doing well, not so well, when our teams are playing each other, or when they make a gutsy off-season trade.

So, maybe this is my defense for being a football fan, but there are lots of relationships that I am able to continue not because of Facebook, not because of proximity but thanks to the NFL.

Only in Green Bay...

This is unbelievable, but then again maybe it isn't.

One more for you... I swear I don't go hunting for them. They find me!

NFL Schedule was released

For some reason I really like it when the NFL schedule is released.  It makes me realize that we are closer to the NFL season from beginning.  Get your copy of the Buc's schedule here.