Tuesday, December 22, 2009

A Shout Out To My Homies In Cell Block 6

Of all the Cubs blogs I read, there is one that I generally visit more often than the others.

College of Idiots is a stylistic blog modeled after the College of Coaches, a coaching philosophy once used by former Cubs owner P.K.Wrigley during the 1961 and 1962 seasons. It is written by three bloggers; Steve, Angry Mike, and perhaps most notably Ginger Russ. The philosophy is unique but quite simple: You take one product, and instead of having one great mind working all facets of the daily situations, you bring in several great minds, thus increasing your level of success. The guys at College of Idiots have a sense of humor, because as history has shown, sometimes this formula is a recipe for disaster.

Here is how it is explained on the College of Idiots sidebar:

The College of Coaches was an unorthodox strategy employed by the Chicago Cubs in 1961 and 1962. After the Cubs finished 60-94 in 1960, Cubs owner P.K. Wrigley announced that the Cubs would use eight coaches as managers, rather than the traditional one-manager approach. Wrigley argued at the time, "Managers are expendable. I believe there should be relief managers just like relief pitchers.

The original "faculty" of the College of Coaches consisted of El Tappe, Goldie Holt, Bobby Adams, Harry Craft, Verlon Walker, Rip Collins, Vedie Himsl and Charlie Grimm.

The 1962 season brought the worst record in Cubs history, as they finished 59-103.

After 3 more years of mediocre ball, in November of 1965, Wrigley hired Leo Durocher, ending the College of Coaches experiment by Durocher declaring himself manager, with Wrigley's blessing.The College of Coaches, which has never been attempted by another Major League Baseball team, remains widely ridiculed and is often cited as a prime example of the ineptitude of the Cubs' front office over the past 60 years.

They cover the Cubs as good as anybody over at the College of Idiots. The difference is they use a style that is fresh and fun, as opposed to the forum-style bitch sessions that most Cubs blogs use. Not to say that they do not bitch there... As Cubs fans, that goes along with the territory. But it's the way that they do it that makes their blog unique and a joy to read. With photos, and charts and absolutely hilarious posts, College of Idiots takes the on-going comedy that is the Chicago Cubs to the 2nd City level.

Which, at this juncture of my life I definitely appreciate. 101 years and counting... At least I'm enjoying the ride.

1 comment:

Ginger Russ said...

Awesome write-up! It's like I sent it to you and only paid you $500 to write about us. Thanks again.