Hi, I am Ryan Pratt, and I am a frontrunner

I have to admit. I like winning and I like winners. And I especially like winning winners that know that they're winners. I am a big fan of the big W.

I do not understand how "fandom" and "loyalty" got all mixed up together? Why do people insist on being "loyal" and rooting for losing teams? They're losers! You don't watch bad TV shows or pay for a movie ticket to see a rotten film. So why do you keep paying to sit in left field in your smal midwest town?  You don't go out to eat,  have terrible service and crummy food, and make reservations to go back again next week. So why do you go out of your way to wear your brown and orange in Northeast Ohio every Sunday afternoon?

Fandom is defined by Merriam-Webster as "the state or attitude of being an enthusiastic devotee of a sport as a spectator." So I guess enthusiasm is to blame. But it's still no excuse.

In fact, there are no excuses, just results! Results are all that matter. Winning is all that matters. And for that reason, and that reason alone, I am frontrunner. 

Student Athletes Should Be Paid

After watching last night’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel,” I side with Jason Whitlock and most of the roundtable (except former Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez - surprise, surprise, as I am a Buckeye) that the NCAA system is broken and corrupt. Not only are the student athletes “employees” driving a billion dollar “business,” they are also the “product” being sold for 100% profit. The argument that they are already being“paid” with an education in the form of scholarships is not valid because half of these “student” athletes aren’t prepared to use this “payment” and are never graduating. So the question is, what is a valid payment? The issue is obvious, the solution is not. But I have faith that the men and women running these higher educational systems are smart enough to find an answer to this growing problem. Hopefully they will prove that their million dollar higher education salaries are valid payments for their “knowledge.”

A Crispy, Cultural Chant for Gridiron Glory

Hey Listers,

It’s that time of the year. The crisp, cold scent of Saturday morning dew. The growing sound of familiar chants from passersby. A fluttering of angst in your gut. It must be college football season. It must be gameday.

For those of you unaware, college football in the United States is quickly becoming the new American pastime. As baseball ratings, ticket sales, and general fandom decline around the nation on the back of steroid allegations and lack of American stars; football is holding strong, despite the turbulent economy. Though baseball throughout history has been a backbone of American culture, in recent decades its fan base has diminished greatly – particularly within the younger demographic. Recently, pre-season NFL football, UFC and even golf (starring Tiger Woods) has topped baseball TV ratings (including Yankee games). And little league baseball coaches around the county continue to struggle to field teams of interested youngsters. Football interest, on the other hand, is growing exponentially.

Football may very well be the new cultural backbone in America – college football in particular (despite anti-BCS rumblings). Hardworking Americans around the country spend 40+ hours a week devoted to a dedicated occupation. In the Fall, many of those blue- and white-collars spend what free time they have on the weekend devoted to football fanaticism. And what used to be a weekend only (Saturday/Sunday) Autumn affair, is taking over weekdays as well (Monday Night Football, Thursday night NCAA games, and this Friday, September 4^th is actually College Colors Day (aka National-Wear-Your-Jersey-to-Work-Day) in support of college football’s opening weekend games).

The first game of intercollegiate football in America was between Tufts University and Harvard on June 4, 1875 at Jarvis Field in Cambridge, Mass. In comparison, the first officially recorded baseball game in U.S. history took place on June 19, 1846, in Hoboken, New Jersey between the NY Nine and the NY Knickerbockers. That 30 year head start held strong for over a century, but football has recently closed the gap and by all accounts surpassed baseball as the #1 sport in America.

This Saturday you can see for yourself. College campuses everywhere will be flooded by people of all ages wearing one of two conflicting colors. For one of the most intense experiences, you can taste the crisp Saturday morning air and hear the growing chants of “O.H. … I.O!” in Columbus, Ohio on September 12^th. But if you can’t venture to central Ohio, you can catch big games and rivalries almost every Saturday for the next 4 months. Participation is highly encouraged – especially for any gameday virgins out there.

Lists Hidden in This Newsletter

ESPN College Football GameDay Segments/Schedule

Only Schools to Host ESPN College GameDay for Both Basketball and Football

Best College Football Teams Ever

ESPN College GameDay Personalities (Past and Present)

Most ESPN College GameDay (Football) Appearances by School

Schools that Hosted Most ESPN College GameDay (Football) TV Shows

NCAA College Football Split Champions

5 Coaches Who Didn't Play College Football

Top 10 Biggest College Football Games in 2009

College Football Jersey Number Codes

College Football Team Nicknames That DON'T End with the Letter "S"

Top 25 Greatest Players In College Football History

ListAfterList Updates and Reminders

Have you tried the new search on LAL powered by Google? It is much more effective. Now you can think of LAL as a place of reference, instead of just a website where you can find randomly cool stuff and interesting trivial lists. Find a bucket list of a die-hard sports fan, or the list of 5 NFL teams that haven’t played in the Super Bowl. Even try using LAL when you are looking for birthday gifts for someone (i.e. Top 10 Gifts for a Star Wars Fan).

If there is anything you would like to see on ListAfterList, let us know. And, if you have any friends who might enjoy ListAfterList, let us know that too.

Your Fellow Lister,

Ryan Pratt

Editor

www.ListAfterList.com

List of Highest Paid Coaches

Top 10 Highest Paid Coaches' Salaries Wondering who are the ten highest paid coaches in sports? Here they are: Lister:Pratt Category:Sports

List of Athletes in Twitter

Top 25 Famous Athletes on Twitter Here are some of the famous athletes who are using Twitter: Lister:Ryan Pratt Category:Sports

List of Choke Artists in Sports

Kenny Perry and the other Biggest Choke Artists in Sports What person or team do you think has a reputation for choking in the big moment, and why? Kenny Perry's Masters performance just got added to the list. Add your other chokers here: Lister:ryan Category:Sports

List of Ways to Resolve a Tie in Sports and Games

The Resolution of Ties in Sports/Games To tie or draw is to finish a competition with identical or inconclusive results. In some sports and games, ties are possible. In other sports, ties are resolved. Here's how: Lister:Ryan Pratt Category:Sports

Bucket List for the Ultimate Sports Fan

Ultimate Sports Fan's Bucket List Barack Obama is now the President of the United States of America. Here are some of the other major events in African-American history: Lister:Ryan Pratt Category:Sports

List of Athletes Who Played Two Sports (or more)

Top 25 Multi-Sport Athletes Bo, Deion, Jordan, Thorpe... These are some of the greatest multi-sport athletes in the history of sports. Lister:prattedit Category:Sports

Sliced Bread, Powdered Milk, and 10 Chipotle Burritos

Hey Listers,

It’s been a while. Hope you are still listing! Sure looks like you are. LAL has over 14,500 lists now! A lot has happened since I wrote you last:

The new Indiana Jones premiered and bombed. Well critically bombed at least; box-office numbers did okay despite the horrid reviews and me walking out of the theater half-way through; did you know you can’t get refunds for movies utterly sucking ?

Seems like Harrison Ford has been around longer than sliced bread doesn’t it? Ford’s first role as a bellhop in “Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round ,” was the same year the Beatles’ John Lennon made the comment in an interview published in The London Evening Standard, "We're more popular than Jesus now.” Speaking of more popular than Jesus, did you know Ford had roles in many of biggest box-office hits of all time , though his role in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (as Elliot's school principal) was deleted from the final cut of the film. It’s shocking that he is only #75 on the list of Top 100 Actors and Actresses with the Most Movie and TV Appearances .

Other debuts include new iPhone 3G. It still sucks!

Big Brown made his bid at the Triple Crown of horse racing only to come up short in the final leg . No pun intended. But speaking of slipping up:

Sarah Palin tripped and fell bum -backwards into the Republican VP seat, political spotlight and harsh media criticisms (Caution: Alaskan ice slippery when wet).

As the Presidential election gets closer, more and more celebrities are choosing sides of the aisle. Hollywood is known to be left-leaning , but there are some celebs openly backing McCain as well on the other side of the aisle.

And how about Michael Phelps?! Not his political views; and actually NOT the 8 gold medals either, because that’s nothing compared to his daily food intake. 12,000 calories! Do you know what that is equal to? Have you ever tried to eat two Chipotle burritos? I have and I cannot even imagine ten! I have a better chance at London gold in the 200-free.

…Anyway, I hope you keep listing , adding to those wiki lists , and continually checking back with ListAfterList as it becomes the biggest thing since powdered milk . Or is it “biggest since sliced bread” and “longer than powdered milk”? Powdered milk was first spotted by Marco Polo in Mongolia in 1275; that’s not that long is it? Or very big? Wait, what does powdered milk have to do with anything?

Nevermind that, here is one final, actually important question: What are the options you have if your boss’s toupee falls on the floor?

Lists Hidden in this Newsletter

The links above are attached to these lists:

• ListAfterList.com - Home Page


• Indiana Jones Movies in Order


• Terrible, Bad, Worst Movies of All Time ?


• Top 10 Best Harrison Ford Characters


• Best Sandwiches


• Harrison Ford Films and TV Appearances


• Biggest Box-Office Opening Weekends of All-Time


• Top 100 Actors and Actresses with the Most Movie and TV Appearances .


• Top 10 Reasons the New iPhone 3G Still Sucks


• Horses That Came Up Short in Triple Crown


• Sarah Palin's Bucket List


• Slang and Other Words for "Butt"


• A List of False Attacks on Sarah Palin


• Celebrity Democrats


• Celebrities Supporting John McCain


• Michael Phelps Daily Food Intake: 12,000 Calories is Equal to...


• From Athens to London: Olympic Games Locations


• Great Wikis: Add to These Wiki Lists


• Top 25 Worst Song Titles Ever


• Options You Have if Your Boss's Toupee Falls on the Floor

ListAfterList Updates and Reminders

Check out the new Tag Cloud ! Just click on one of the red, blue or green tags and see all the lists on LAL about that word.

And don’t miss the Random List Surfing page! Just click the yellow “Surf more lists” button in the bottom left and see 24 new random lists. Warning: Can be very addictive. Don’t forget to eat, sleep and breathe.

If there is anything you would like to see on ListAfterList, let us know . And, if you have any friends who might enjoy ListAfterList, let us know that too .

List of Strange Sports Injuries

Top 25 Strangest Sports Injuries A list of some of the weirdest ways real athletes got hurt - and you wonder why sports people are so superstitious. Lister:ListCritic Category:Sports

Top 10 Worst Nicknames in Sports

These athletes truly got the short end of the stick:

1.	NHL Scoring Legend: Guy “the Flower” Lafleur
2.	Cy Young MLB Pitcher: Randy "Big Unit" Johnson
3.	NHL Forward: "The Gaye One" Gaye Stewart
4.	Former Boxing Champion: Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker see the rest of the list and add more bad nicknames here: http://www.listafterlist.com/tabid/57/listid/11574/Sports++Recreation/Top+10+Worst+Nicknames+in+Sports.aspx

Players That Should Never Change Team Jerseys Add to wiki

Who do you think should never switch teams?

	Brett Favre - Green Bay Packers
	Derek Jeter - New York Yankees
	Tim Duncan - San Antonio Spurs
	Peyton Mannning - Indianapolis Colts
	Chipper Jones - Atlanta Braves
	Tom Brady - New England Patriots can you think of any more? add them here

Top 10 Most Recognizable People in the World

Tough question, but taking into consideration global media coverage, household-names, famous faces, and world-wide recognition in general, here is the list:

Top 10 Most Recognizable People in the World

Biggest Choke Artists in Sports

What person or team do you think has a reputation for choking in the big moment, and why? Add yours here...

	2000 Portland Trail Blazers
	Anaheim-California Angels
	Buffalo Bills - 0-4 in the biggest sport's biggest game
	Phil Mickelson - Lefty drives it into the woods on #18 at the US Open, then drive off a roof. His bogey costs him a major.
	Minnesota Vikings - Before the Buffalo Bills refined futility in the big game, the Vikings invented it
	Scott Norwood - "he missed it!" see more CHOKE ARTISTS here http://www.listafterlist.com/tabid/57/listid/1594/Sports++Recreation/The+Biggest+Choke+Artists+in+Sports.aspx

Best Places to Visit (at least once) in Columbus, Ohio

If you are looking for some really cool places to see in Columbus, Ohio, check these out. Some are hidden gems, some are infamous locations. Have you been anywhere cooler?

1.	Ohio State Buckeyes football games at the Shoe
2.	Columbus BlueJackets game at Nationwide Arena
3.	Just outside Columbus, some wonderful hiking can be done in Hocking Hills
4.	Campus bars
5.	The Barn - at Edwards Communities (lagoon style swimming pool, live DJs on Saturdays, sand volleyball and shuffleboard courts, and bar)
6.	.... see the rest of the top 10 here...

Colin Cowherd Quotes

Colin Cowherd (born January 6, 1964) is an American sports radio personality. He is currently the host of The Herd with Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio and host of the television program Missing Link on ESPN Classic. This is some of the stuff he has said (list is in the comments, know anymore? add em!)

Must Haves for Football Season

It’s mid September. Leaves are changing colors. The weather is getting colder. Another school year has started. And O.J. is finally going to jail (that is kind of like the ultimate make-up call in sports history). But September also brings another football season. And for many men in America, that means couch potato season. And for a lot of women, that means boredom. But it doesn’t have to be that way. So take the advice of one of the greatest characters in movie history, “quid pro quo.” Something for something. A favor for a favor. Give and take. If you just started dating, good luck! No, just kidding, but it will take a little more effort than it will for those couples who have been together long enough to thank the heavens for the plasma screen male babysitter. So while the men are pounding beers and feasting on cheesy poofs, don’t volunteer to be the miserable maid, instead try one of these great ideas. And make sure you buy some of these must-haves:

Top 10+ Most Expensive Baseballs Ever Sold

:The most expensive baseballs ever sold:

1.	Mark McGwire 70th Home Run Ball (1998) - $3,005,000
2.	Babe Ruth All-Star Game Home Run Ball (1933) - $805,000
3.	Barry Bonds' record-breaking 756th home run ball (2007) - $752,467
4.	Henry Aaron's 755th Home Run Ball (1976) - $650,000
5.	Bonds' 73rd - $517,500
6.	Murray's 500th - $500,000
7.	Mantle's 500th - $250,000
8.	McGwire's 500th - $250,000
9.	Barry Bonds' Home run No. 755, the ball that tied the record (2007) - $186,750
10.	Sosa's 66th - $175,000
11.	Sammy Sosa's 66th homer (1999) - $172,500
12.	Ruth's first at Stadium - $130,000
13.	Fisk's Series shot - $120,000
14.	Steve Bartman's foul ball that Chicago fans believe cost the Cubs a trip to the 2003 World Series was bought by someone who plans to destroy it (2003) - $106,600

Top 5 Biggest Upsets in Sports History

Everyone likes to root for an underdog. Here are a couple sporting events where that support paid off.

1.	Appalachian State beats #5 Michigan in the season opener at Michigan Stadium (2007): They led nearly the entire game and with seconds left, gave up a big play that put Michigan in the position to win with this field goal...
2.	U.S. beats Soviets Olympic ice hockey, 1980: Not only a huge upset in sports, but an unbelievable moment in the context of American history.
3.	Buster Douglas KOs Mike Tyson for heavyweight championship, 1990: Tyson was seen as invincible at the time, making his improbable loss to little known Buster Douglas all the more surprising.
4.	Golden State Warriors eliminate Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 playoffs: The Mavericks were the biggest favorites to win the west since the Kobe/Shaq Lakers.
5.	N.C. State knocks off Houston to win 1983 NCAA championship. Everyone counted Jimmy Valvano and his N.C. State team out... but everyone was wrong