For a guy nicknamed Catch-22 approaching my 10-year Edgyversary, post 2222 seems like an appropriate time to reflect on my time in Edgyland and my love affair with high school football.
First and foremost, thanks to Edgy Tim for this incredible site. It's such a great opportunity to interact with fellow fans, learn about other teams, and take this hobby to a passionate level. I don't need to beg five or six friends to fill out IHSA playoff brackets with me now, because I have several dozen online friends willing to do so here. I wish this site was around when I played, and I'm incredibly grateful we have it now! Keep up the amazing work you do.
I have old friends here and I've made new friends here. Ran the double barrel safety blitz as a freshman for TheBear81... Had Coach10 at BOTH of my weddings... watched The Truth with CrossBones... Blew a basketball game as a referee for Coach GuerinFBFan when I missed his last-second timeout call...
My best Edgyland encounter was in '08... I was setting up a pub crawl in Wrigleyville with a Clark Street bar owner. I was wearing a DGS hat, as that was the program I followed closely at the time. The bar owner, an AT alum, asked about the DGS hat. We proceeded to talk high school football for an hour. After some time, we realized we are both Edgy guys. Shortly thereafter, we realized we were the main combatants on opposite sides of a heated thread in which I was gloating about a 43-12 DGS romp. Such a small world, and a great world too when a guy tells you to STFU online, then shares a beer with you in real life a few weeks later. DanLat99 and I have been pals ever since!
I wasn't a great player, but nobody loved playing more than me. I'm 5'4, so I didn't have much of chance. I probably wouldn't sniff the field at a Maine South or Loyola. Luckily, I went to Holy Cross, so I got to play quite a bit. Caught some passes, scored a TD here and there, dated the homecoming queen, etc.... so I can't really complain. I always felt something was missing however. While I went 1-8 senior year, I had very close friends going 8-1 at Maine South, 7-2 at Notre Dame, and 9-0 at Ridgewood. Was I happy to play a lot and lose, or would I rather ride the bench and win? Not sure I've ever fully resolved that.
I haven't been as lucky as most of you with the teams I follow either. While a good portion of the board is watching MC, LWE, Loyola, MS, and Montini every week, I was dealing with the downward spiral and closure of my own high school. Six seasons helping at Elmwood Park resulted in a 15-40 record. Even the two great seasons of my Edgy era ended quickly and painfully.... In 2007, 9-0 DGS was bounced in Round 1 in the "1-16" matchup by H-F in a driving Halloween rainstorm. Then in 2012, 7-2 EP, in our first playoff appearance in 21 years, drew 5-4 JCA in round one with a well-rested Isaac and Ivlow. 59-0.
On the lousy Fridays, (and the few good Fridays in between), I always look forward to checking the site as I'm driving away from the stadium, to see what else is happening around the state. You guys are always there to fill me in. I need to live vicariously through you for a great MC/Loyola game after enduring EP/Mather. Despite my lamenting for two paragraphs now, I realize that even a lousy Friday in the world of high school football is still really damn good.
Even my wide array of nemeses hold a special place in my heart. Fratboy was my favorite. He would abandon all his knowledge and become a meatball at the first sign of insult. I could play him like a fiddle. I still picture lispy Dougy from 50 First Dates every time Fratboy is mentioned.... IrishGlory is a different kind of annoying, because I'm not sure he's playing with a full deck. He won't engage anymore either. He just carpet bombs us with troll jobs, then disappears for a week... The worst was the LWE fan who always told us he was rich and went on a political rant about Obama the entire summer of 08. That guy almost drove me away forever. Glad Edgy got rid of that stuff for a while. Any talk on such matters now is always limited and mostly cordial. A couple Driscoll people hated me for a few seasons too, but I can't really remember those debates and who the posters were.
I post less now, but I'm not here any less. Mostly just watching... I forget to submit my picks for Beat Edgy more often than not, but I always have them jotted down on a Post-it in my pocket on Friday nights.... Still checking out random games as often as I can. Just saw HE MW JCA and Pats last weekend... Still have the series recording set for High School Lites. Wish Jen Lada never left...
I'm just a sports dork more than anything else, and glad I know where to find more guys and gals kinda like me. Thanks Tim, and thanks to you all. Hopefully I can enjoy another 10 years and 2222 posts with all my Edgy friends!
Bobby A
First and foremost, thanks to Edgy Tim for this incredible site. It's such a great opportunity to interact with fellow fans, learn about other teams, and take this hobby to a passionate level. I don't need to beg five or six friends to fill out IHSA playoff brackets with me now, because I have several dozen online friends willing to do so here. I wish this site was around when I played, and I'm incredibly grateful we have it now! Keep up the amazing work you do.
I have old friends here and I've made new friends here. Ran the double barrel safety blitz as a freshman for TheBear81... Had Coach10 at BOTH of my weddings... watched The Truth with CrossBones... Blew a basketball game as a referee for Coach GuerinFBFan when I missed his last-second timeout call...
My best Edgyland encounter was in '08... I was setting up a pub crawl in Wrigleyville with a Clark Street bar owner. I was wearing a DGS hat, as that was the program I followed closely at the time. The bar owner, an AT alum, asked about the DGS hat. We proceeded to talk high school football for an hour. After some time, we realized we are both Edgy guys. Shortly thereafter, we realized we were the main combatants on opposite sides of a heated thread in which I was gloating about a 43-12 DGS romp. Such a small world, and a great world too when a guy tells you to STFU online, then shares a beer with you in real life a few weeks later. DanLat99 and I have been pals ever since!
I wasn't a great player, but nobody loved playing more than me. I'm 5'4, so I didn't have much of chance. I probably wouldn't sniff the field at a Maine South or Loyola. Luckily, I went to Holy Cross, so I got to play quite a bit. Caught some passes, scored a TD here and there, dated the homecoming queen, etc.... so I can't really complain. I always felt something was missing however. While I went 1-8 senior year, I had very close friends going 8-1 at Maine South, 7-2 at Notre Dame, and 9-0 at Ridgewood. Was I happy to play a lot and lose, or would I rather ride the bench and win? Not sure I've ever fully resolved that.
I haven't been as lucky as most of you with the teams I follow either. While a good portion of the board is watching MC, LWE, Loyola, MS, and Montini every week, I was dealing with the downward spiral and closure of my own high school. Six seasons helping at Elmwood Park resulted in a 15-40 record. Even the two great seasons of my Edgy era ended quickly and painfully.... In 2007, 9-0 DGS was bounced in Round 1 in the "1-16" matchup by H-F in a driving Halloween rainstorm. Then in 2012, 7-2 EP, in our first playoff appearance in 21 years, drew 5-4 JCA in round one with a well-rested Isaac and Ivlow. 59-0.
On the lousy Fridays, (and the few good Fridays in between), I always look forward to checking the site as I'm driving away from the stadium, to see what else is happening around the state. You guys are always there to fill me in. I need to live vicariously through you for a great MC/Loyola game after enduring EP/Mather. Despite my lamenting for two paragraphs now, I realize that even a lousy Friday in the world of high school football is still really damn good.
Even my wide array of nemeses hold a special place in my heart. Fratboy was my favorite. He would abandon all his knowledge and become a meatball at the first sign of insult. I could play him like a fiddle. I still picture lispy Dougy from 50 First Dates every time Fratboy is mentioned.... IrishGlory is a different kind of annoying, because I'm not sure he's playing with a full deck. He won't engage anymore either. He just carpet bombs us with troll jobs, then disappears for a week... The worst was the LWE fan who always told us he was rich and went on a political rant about Obama the entire summer of 08. That guy almost drove me away forever. Glad Edgy got rid of that stuff for a while. Any talk on such matters now is always limited and mostly cordial. A couple Driscoll people hated me for a few seasons too, but I can't really remember those debates and who the posters were.
I post less now, but I'm not here any less. Mostly just watching... I forget to submit my picks for Beat Edgy more often than not, but I always have them jotted down on a Post-it in my pocket on Friday nights.... Still checking out random games as often as I can. Just saw HE MW JCA and Pats last weekend... Still have the series recording set for High School Lites. Wish Jen Lada never left...
I'm just a sports dork more than anything else, and glad I know where to find more guys and gals kinda like me. Thanks Tim, and thanks to you all. Hopefully I can enjoy another 10 years and 2222 posts with all my Edgy friends!
Bobby A
