In Bowls, Polls, & Tattered Souls Mandel goes into detail about how/why Notre Dame managed its sweet deals; how NFL Combines have gotten folk crazy over forty times and cause teams to overlook/miss relevant things in the process. For example, the fact that Jerry Rice, coming off of a season in which he caught 112 passes for over 1800 yards, fell to the sixteenth pick because he couldn't break a 4.6 forty. Terrell Suggs from potential third to tenth cause of 40 time (4.85) and Anquan Boldin (4.75) late second round- they were the NFL Defensive and Offensive Rookies of the year that year. I also read today how something I'd threw out for discussion earlier in a thread about NFL folks exaggerate things about players going into the draft and even how many stars are missed- ie. Terrell Davis (6th round); Priest Holmes (Undrafted free agent). I also found it interesting to learn the origins of the AP Poll. Though I'm sure many are aware, I wasn't. According to Mandel, Sports Illustrated writer and college football historian Dan Jenkins’ book in 1973, tells us the first person to rank teams was Frank Dickinson. Dickinson was an economics professor at the University of Illinois and used a mathematical formula he had derived. Ironically, he had begun, and had been, doing it for his own private enjoyment and went public with it in 1926. Shortly thereafter, several other polls started being done as well; however, Dickinson’s was perceived as the most legitimate poll of the era. Later, Associated Press sports editor Alan J. Gould was responsible for bringing college football rankings to the country on a weekly basis. It was midway through the 1935 season that Gould began sending his college football rankings to the AP’s subscribers. His reason? In his own words, “It was a case of thinking up ideas to develop interest and controversy between football Saturdays. Papers wanted material to fill space between games. This was just another exercise in hoopla.” Gould is also quoted as saying, “All I had in mind was something to keep the pot boiling.” It is safe to say, that much, he did achieve. The following season, Gould turned it over, making the rankings into a poll of AP-member sports editors. The poll was open to any AP-affiliated member interested enough to call in a ballot. Initially, there were over two hundred; however, that number was later pared down to about fifty, only to move back up to as many as seventy-four in the 90’s, and today is sixty-five. Sixty-one from “Districted” state-by-state much like Congress, and four National voters. These voters are selected and dispersed regionally with a formula of: States with one to three Division I schools being allotted on vote, four to six Division I schools yield two, and so on. In his book, Mandel also tells of possible reasons for perceived imperfections/biases in the polling process, but also states that AP voters are “extremely dedicated to their job, highly knowledgeable about the sport they cover, and sensitive to the importance their vote carries with so many people.” Thirty-nine of the sixty-one voters are beat writers assigned to a specific school. One was a Philadelphia Phillies’ beat writer. Mike Radano did cover college football at one time but has managed to retain his vote after moving on to cover MLB. Also a chapter on the Heisman- How voters are distributed by State, much like the electoral college- I didn't know California had 55 votes.
Tiga to be honest i have never been that much of a reader. My wife is easing me back into it. She got me one for Christmas that i want to read on the Indianapolis Colts Coach and i cant remember the name just now but it got good reviews. Once i get started i dont want to put them down. Then she gets mad at me for not spending time with her. !!! LOL. Arent women something.
I read A LOT as a kid- mostly elementary. I hadn't read a book since I was in college before the one about TS. I made myself buy/start it and, like you, found I kept wanting to go back and read every chance I got- even brought it to orthodontist appointments for my girls. I'm a very slow reader and can't read with background noise but I'm enjoying reading again. As for women, you know the old saying about, "Can't live wit 'em . . ." Given the choice, I'd still keep 'em, would hate to think about all that ironing, cooking, and cleaning. They're very "Trainable" though, watch this: Stacey, fetch me a cold beer. Vball, pull my boots off while Okie fixes me a plate of supper. Chop chop girls. :hihi:
