Friday, August 31, 2007

The Debut of BlogDog

So here’s the deal: My favorite type of football column to read is the prediction column. I love reading what writers have to say about upcoming games (or entire seasons) and seeing them lay it on the line with bold claims.

Case in point: The Gazette’s Milo Bryant predicting in a column earlier this year that Air Force will go 8-4. Nobody else in the country (that I know of) has the Falcons finishing even at .500, and in the preseason Mountain West Conference poll, Air Force was selected by members of the media to finish seventh out of nine teams.

I don’t vote in the preseason polls (The Gazette doesn’t let me) and, as a beat writer, I am not allowed to make a prediction on Air Force games (the whole conflict of interest thing).

But I’ve gone over The Gazette’s policies with a fine-tooth comb, and I see nothing prohibiting beat writers’ dogs from making predictions.

So, Norm, my dog, will be calling each game this year through an exact and rigorous process. Basically, I’m going to hold up a mini-replica Air Force helmet and the mini-replica helmet of the opponent they are facing that week (you can see them in the foreground of Norm’s picture below). Whichever one Norm goes to first, that’s the team he thinks is going to win. Just to be completely sure, we’re doing best three out of five. If Norm picks the same helmet three times in a row, he’s thinking blowout. If he chooses one team three times and the other one once, he’s thinking the game will be decided by about a touchdown. If he chooses one team three times and the other one twice, then it’s going to be close.

I didn’t have a South Carolina State helmet, so I wrote “Air Force” on one piece of paper and “South Carolina State” on the other. Norm went for “Air Force” twice in a row, then South Carolina State, then Air Force again.




Norm's Pick: Air Force 28, South Carolina State 20







6 comments:

Anonymous said...

The BlogDog is absolute greatness!

Thanks for all your work Jake.

Unknown said...

jake,
this blog is incredible. i think all of us out of towners owe you a debt of gratitude for helping us feel so much more connected with the AF sports programs!! keep up the great work!!

jake.schaller said...

Thanks guys. And I will pass along the compliment to the BlogDog.

I'm hoping to be able to post some pre-game blogs today from the game. A lot of that depends on whether editors will be in the office to edit my posts before they go on line. Stay tuned.

Anonymous said...

We love the BlogDog! My son and I read your posts often but will definitely log on each week to see what the dog picks. Great work, Jake.

Anonymous said...

where's jake?

Mackenzie Block said...

Jake,

As I wrote earlier (as anonymous), you are by far the best and most creative sports writer on the gazette!

I love the dog and his picks!

I saw your picture with the helmets, can you post a picture of your dog? (just kidding...)

The blog really is incredible. I am checking it constantly!

Happy Labor Day!