A Fan by Any Other Name

A Fan by Any Other Name
Okay kiddies, there seems to be some confusion over what a blog is and how it should be used. I was hoping to refrain from reacting to a specific comment about my blogs because my belief is that a blog should engender conversation – communication – even smack-talking. But FAIRNESS? Are you joking?
But in an effort to avoid name calling, I will henceforth and forever more – at least for the rest of this blog – refer to the specific person who sticks out in my mind (craw) as “Anyone.”
So, with that said, does Anyone know what FAN is short for? It’s short for FANATIC, which Webster.com defines as someone “marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion.” A blog, according to this same source, is “a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.”
Now, I could be wrong, but nowhere in either of those two definitions does the term “fairness,” “partisanship,” or “unbiased” show up. For clarification, this site is dedicated to amateurs by amateurs. We aren’t paid for our work; we do it because we love college basketball: specifically Duke and UNC. And I don’t write articles, I write editorials, which my good friends at Webster.com (for payment I get to add a new word to their site each time I mention their name) defines as “a newspaper or magazine article that gives the opinions of the editors or publishers; also: an expression of opinion that resembles such an article .”
By the way, I must take umbrage with a criticism of my unfair, partisan opinion (because as a “fan” I’m entitled to be this way – same as Anyone): can Anyone tell me where my facts have erred? Furthermore, since nothing specific was pointed to when criticizing me (I promise I will ALWAYS be specific about MY criticisms to avoid confusion), I will assume that these errors were leveled at UNC and not Duke.
And so Anyone doesn’t creep out of her, uh, um, I mean, THE woodwork again to call my facts into question for EITHER Duke or UNC, let me tell you that my argument for Duke’s tougher schedule is based on CBSSportsLine.com’s ranking of both RPI and SOS (Strength of Schedule), which Ranks Duke as Number 4 vs. UNC’s Number 6 when considering both. Now those aren’t numbers that just Anyone can make up. They are based on formulas and variables that only NASA scientists could understand (provided that they attended Duke).
So, back to the question of “fairness….”
(pause)
(longer pause)
Sorry, I was still laughing about the idea of “fairness” regarding a website that calls itself RIVALBLUES.com. And to make sure that Anyone can understand my idea of a rivalry I return to Webster.com (another word for me – cha ching) for clarification:
Rivalry: the act of rivaling : the state of being a rival : COMPETITION.
I put my glasses on, looked really closely, and I still don’t see “fainess,” but I digress. Getting back on point, I think that it’s important to keep in mind that I never misled Anyone because I stated up front, and make no bones about the fact, that I am a Duke fan. But, because I like to poke, tickle, and generally irritate people by scratching in uncomfortable places I have also confessed to being a Carolina fan – when Duke is not playing them. I plan to write a blog defending THAT at a later date – but Anyone is invited to read it upon completion.
Okay, in conclusion, and in hopes of balancing this response more fairly, I now make the following declaration so as not to offend Anyone as we move forward with this site (read: rivalry).
UNC is the greatest school on the planet! (except for Duke).
Does Anyone notice how much bigger the font is for my statement about Carolina is than the one for Duke? Or how about the font type?
Believe me when I tell you that no other sentence in ANY of my blogs has been treated to that size font and I have never, EVER, in my life used Broadway as a font type – I swear.
But Anyone is invited to check my facts on that one as well. How is that for fair?