Killing Time in the Dead Zone January 14, 2008
Posted by 3rd Down H-Back in Rivals, SEC Football, college football recruiting, recruiting.trackback
First off, I have changed my name. Taco Bell has fucked up my order for the last time. No Mas. Shit from me won’t change though, I will still have the same smart-ass attitude in the truth I bring to posts on this blog.
The sports “Dead Zone” was initially described to me as the time period between the Super Bowl©®™ and The Final Four. My Dead Zone is longer than that, as it goes from the end of college football season to the beginning of baseball season, almost a full 3 months. And I don’t get into the NAMBLA stalking that accompanies the recruiting process and National Signing Day for a few reasons:
1. These are kids. 17, 18, and 19 year olds shouldn’t be elevated to the status of a Contra Code for a program because very few of them actually are. Also, things like grades or family issues may keep that kid from ever putting on a jersey of any one’s favorite team.
2. How can someone’s impact upon a school in a top-tier league like the SEC be accurately judged from that kid mostly playing against high schoolers who have no realistic hopes, dreams, or ambitions of playing college ball?
3. I’m not a fag. I am not going to get sand in my peehole because some kid doesn’t decide to attend my favorite school. The passion displayed by grown-ass men that care so desperately about the decisions of 17-19 year olds is scary. It should be illegal.
[HT to KwajTiger for tip on this guy]
The biggest facilitators to the fluffing of high school athletes are recruiting websites like Rivals.com. It is said that a lot of money can be made by telling stupid people what they want to hear, and Rivals does this to near perfection. If anyone does a little research on Rivals CEO Shannon Terry, they can find a few questionable (or illegal, depending on how you look at it, like how the government did) things this dude has done throughout his past. When a tech/WWW site tried to bring dude’s history to the public’s awareness, he had his lawyaz knock on their door. Wow, a little insecure are we?
Looking at the press release from the Securities and Exchange Commission (the other SEC), Terry was accused of using his position to hype up stock he owned before he sold it at a huge profit. Terry paid a nearly $900k fine to the other SEC for these infractions. Background information on this guy is that even though he got a scholarship to play college basketball at Lipscomb University, he was a Bammer in high school, and still is. I have always thought there was a pro-Alabama slant to Rivals compared to Scout, but dismissed it as just the paranoid android in me. After hearing this from someone who actually went to school with this dude, it confirms my suspicions. Why is a website co-founded by a guy who graduated from a high school that didn’t even have football until 2005 considered the standard in judging potential and impact on high school football players?
Around this time last year, a lot of SEC fans were complaining that some Alabama signees that had originally signed or verbally committed to other schools were bumped up in their star rating after they switched to Alabama. I didn’t give a shit at the time because, as stated earlier, there are more important things in my life than the decisions of an 18 year old. After finding about all this from an extremely reliable source and confirming it with a little research, it seems perfectly logical that this happened. What is the motive for doing this?
Sites like Rivals are in the business of doing the sports equivalent of what Shannon Terry did with stocks… working the hype machine. Instead of hyping up stock, Terry’s company has the ability to pump up players, with the potential of abuse for personal gain. More attention should be paid to this by the college football world, particularly the fans. There is no need to get upset or overly excited because some kid that Rivals deems a 4 or 5 star does or does not sign with your school. Auburn fans, remember the Tez Doolittle signing? He was hailed as the savior to AU’s D-line. His commitment was bigger on the message boards than Quentin Groves inking with Auburn. Who had the bigger impact over the course of their careers?
With less than a month until National Signing Day, I just want to leave you boy-stalkers with these thoughts…
Sites like Rivals and Tom Lemming will never be neutral and independent evaluators of some kid’s talent. The businesses and people within those companies will always have ulterior motives.
You shouldn’t care how some website rates a commitment. The game is decided on the field, not by the number of “stars” given to the kid when he signs out of high school or re-signs out of junior college.
College football is just a game, and just kids playing a game. Most of these kids are not going to be playing pro ball and are just lucky enough to get a free college education, something most kids entering college have to take out loans for.
,
I agree that rivals makes a living shoveling bullshit, however talent is talent. Show me the best teams in the SEC and I’ll show you some teams who constantly finish near the top of those asinine rivals team rankings.
As far as Bama goes, it made me think of this cartoon somebody sent me from a fella named “tigerwalk”:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2387/2193277512_503fd30cd5_o.gif
NAMBLA makes a killing off of those doods. @2? What was ya’lls bet?
So, is this a preemptive excuse for when Bama starts winning big games again (which I hope they will, as if we can’t win w/ Saban, I don’t really know who could bring us back)? Remember, Scout had Bama at #2 as well before UGA got some additional recruits and they took back the spot.
Look, I see what you’re saying about not being able to tell the future and some kids don’t always pan out, but almost all objective sources are touting Bama’s class this year. Saban has proven that he is an excellent evaluator of talent (lots of talent on the LSU team the last few years, especially with Miles keeping it up) and I could care less how many stars someone gives a player b/c I trust that Saban knows what he is doing. The fact is, he is getting top talent around the country and especially in the state to give Bama a long hard look, despite coming off the worst 10 years since the 50’s.
Why is it that all of Bama’s fortunes have to come about in some sort of weird conspiracy according to our rivals? Can we not ever just succeed due to hard work ethic and talent (it is well documented that Saban works 16 hours a day and balls at recruiting)?
I will give you that Tubs has done more with less (as far as some of the lower rated players turning out great, i.e. that Marks kid, etc.), but right now he is getting his ass handed to him on pulling in pure talent from the in state prospects.
What I want to know is: When are Rivals and Scout going to add ratings for arrests for marijuana possesion while in the company of a recruit? UT would be killing it this year if they do. Go Vawls!
indeed, they could wrest away the mota crown from Florida this year. Didn’t UF’s Ronnie Wilson fail a piss test?
Did anyone get a police report off of Saban’s tree confrontation? I would love to see the BAT
@5 What confrontation? You no that shit never hit the books at the Tuscaloosa PD.
You self-centered Bammeroid fucks, I even toned down the anti-UAT rhetoric in this post to show that it has nothing to do with The Crapstone, that it was about recruiting. This Double Girls First name dood has a near monopoly on the recruiting scene, Alabama just happens to be the benefactor to this.
This doesn’t have shit to do with Saban, Alabammer, Allbarn, the Vawls, or any particular team… it is about that company and the recruiting process.
Stop being so God damn self conscious.
Paula Garces is some fine Colombian poon.
“Didn’t UF’s Ronnie Wilson fail a piss test?”
No, but the dud e that tried to follow him in the car pissed himself when Ronnie popped those shots off into the air…
3rd Down - I agreed with your article (I can’t believe I just said that). Lots of people do get overly excited about recruiting and it is pretty silly. In any college town, football players, especially good ones, are treated like kings. It has to blow these “kids” away to come on a recruiting visit and see the same happen. But you have to admit that ratings do correlate, not necessarily in any specific way, but none the less to the amount of talent at a school. And you know as well as I that talent can translate to success on the field. Not guarantee it but it certainly helps.
When you’re not having much success on the field, success off the field is the next best thing and I think thats why Alabama fans are so into this year- but agreed nothing is settled until Saturdays in the Fall.
I would also have to say that on this site, almost everything is antagonistic. I hope that you are not offended that someone took your well thought out and informed contribution at anything less than face value?
7 -
There’s no way even you can believe that.
@10, I couldn’t agree more. I just couldn’t find anything of any remote comedy value with this dude being an alleged con-man and now having this much control over the appearance of the recruiting landscape.
@11, Lets play some Jeopardy …
Andrew Zow
Who is the last UAT QB to beat the Barn?
12
A. 1957
Q. When was the last time Aubren got a national championship (or at least 1/2 of one, and while on probation at that).
A. Mike Price, Mike Shula
Q. Coaches fired by a school because they felt insecure after losing to a team with only one NC
I agree with your comments. These recruiting services throw so much on the wall, that mathematics ensure something will stick. Show me a 5-star coming out of high school and I can show you 20 other 5-stars who didn’t amount to squat. Alabama and Notre Dame are just two of the biggest suckers when it comes to these services and their fan bases do not shy from throwing money at them in return for false hope. Kind of like the high-school girl who humps everybody so she will get elected Homecoming Queen. No, you’re not the prettiest girl in school, you are just a easy piece of ass.
damn good post!
============
- lawvol: http://Gate21.net - Life, the Universe, & College Football
http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=6&f=1010&t=1879990&sto=MS_21655038#s=6&f=1010&t=1879990
http://forums.tidesports.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3631098265/m/4191027786
Looks like you have been vindicated 3rdDHB
it looks like i am vindicated as well. A conspiracy to propel Bama, by hook or crook, back to the top is alive and well.
Wondering if anyone else heard Barrett Jones comments concerning Rivals yesterday on a local Huntsville radio station. He said that after he played Center in the Army A-A game, Rivals listed him as the nation’s #1 center. He said he didn’t understand their thinking behind it since it was the only time he has ever played center in his life. He asked them and they said that it was because they were trying to get Bama extra points to possibly get them a #1 class and they will get more points if they list him as #1 at a position.
this checks out to me,
Rivals: #1 Center
http://alabama.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=54227&sport=1
Scout: #18 Tackle
http://alabama.scout.com/a.z?s=14&p=8&c=1&nid=3022405
ESPN: #28 Tackle
http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/recruiting/tracker/player?recruitId=49327&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncf%2frecruiting%2ftracker%2fplayer%3frecruitId%3d49327
Takkle.com: Left Tackle
http://www.takkle.com/members/7013117/display
The ‘Roid nation at work again.
[...] it is “a bit shady”. I say it is Logan Young/Bear Bryant/Red Elephant Club shady [Deadzone]. Is it coincidence that young Bammeroid Jones is from Memphis? Bama’s recruiting [...]
[...] Deadzone [...]