In the very short lifespan of That Fan I have managed to spend most of my time discussing football and basketball (and Jenn Brown) with a small amount of coverage of the other sports. However, with pitchers and catchers scheduled to report next week, you can expect a good amount of baseball fan coverage throughout the season. Baseball is actually my favorite sport, so I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for fans that go crazy at baseball games.
I want to kick off the baseball season with my two favorite instances of fans in the stands catching baseballs in 2009. The first comes from a Milwaukee Brewer fan who saved a sunbathing beauty by catching a Corey Hart home run before it gave her a tan-line on her stomach (let the video go for a few seconds and make sure to watch the replay).
I sure hope this guy got her phone number! I couldn’t get this next video to embed correctly so I’ll just give you the link. This kid not only caught one Josh Hamilton foul ball, but two! And that’s not it, he caught them both during the same at bat!
Wow. Let me put this into perspective for all of you out there that might not be baseball fans. I’ve been to a couple hundred MLB games in my life, and I have never caught a ball in the stands. Many baseball fans go their entire life without doing so. This kid caught two balls during the same at bat and I can’t get over how amazing that is.
What are the odds of this happening? That website pegged the odds at 3,300,000 to 1. Let’s compare this to some other random occurrences:
Odds of catching one ball at an MLB game: 563 to 1
Odds of dying in an airplane crash: 354,319 to 1
Odds of me becoming a New York Yankees fan: 1,000,000 to 1
Odds of being killed by a lightning strike: 2,320,000 to 1
I’m not sure if the first guy got the bikini girl’s number or not, but surely this young kid can use catching these two foul balls as a pickup line, right?
See a funny fan-related sign, picture, video, or link? Send us a tip to info@thatfan.com!
We aren’t going to discuss the outcome of the Super Bowl here at That Fan, because we leave the sports talk to everyone else. Our focus here is the SPORTS FANS, and one thing we will mention is that we were disappointed with the lack of good signage shown on TV. Where were the Colts fans with the “We Dat” signs? Where were the Saints fans with the “Peyton Bleauxs” signs?
Regardless, we did come away from the big game with one good fan-related item, and that was this commercial from the NFL. I have absolutely no clue what the Reggie Bush play has to do with NFL fans, but it is a pretty freaking cool play. Check it out:
ESPN College GameDay was live from Champaign, Illinois yesterday at Assembly Hall, the site of the showdown between Illinois and #5 Michigan State. The crowd was pretty good and looked like a complete sea of orange, but the attendance of 4,143 was nearly doubled by Kansas State from last week with 8,159 in the stands (a College GameDay record). That record won’t likely last much longer because Kentucky hosts GameDay this week and tickets sold out fast. I definitely have to give credit to the student section, “The Orange Krush”, for some of their choreographed moves…you can get a glimpse in the video at the end of this article.
Digger went with the yellow tie/highlighter combo for all the fashion nerds out there. The Illinois student who shot the half-court shot for a scholarship missed pretty bad, but not nearly as bad as the K-State student missed last week. That makes twelve straight shows with a miss. On to the signs!
First up, the Michigan State humor:
"Michigan State is a BAD basketball team"
Possibly my favorite sign of the day:
"Izzo likes Nickelback"
Here is a solid group of four different signs. The first says “Bieber, let’s win one time”. I have absolutely no clue if there is a hidden meaning behind this that I don’t know about, but I looked it up and Justin Bieber is a Canadian singer, and he released a song named “One Time”. The next sign is also one of my favorite’s of the day: “Kalin is a girl’s name” (directed towards MSU senior guard Kalin Lucas). I’m not sure I really get the third sign: “Get hungry for some Billy Cole-slaw”, other than Bill Cole being a forward on the Illini team. The last sign is also pretty good: “E.S.P.N. – Every Spartan Picks his Nose”.
This guy woke up at Assembly Hall not knowing where he was or how he got there (also notice Jay Bilas getting some love with the “Jay Bilas is my hero” sign!). By the look on the guy’s face I don’t think this was a joke…I truly believe he had no clue where he was at.
"Where am I?"
Speaking of Jay Bilas, this guy was impressed with how he looked yesterday. I could make a variety of jokes right now, but I’ll refrain:
"Lookin' Good Jay"
The color green is apparently Bruce Weber’s kryptonite:
"Bruce Weber + Green = Angry Bruce! You wouldn't like it when he's angry!"
Is anyone out there hiring? My good friend here seems to have quit his job (also notice the “Muck Fichigan” shirt to the right):
"Quit my job 2 be on ESPN and witness Sparty get smashed"
There was a future great in the crowd:
"Future great"
Speaking of future greats, vote for Jeff Bober for President…in 18 years:
"Jeff Bober for President - 2028"
I know that State Farm sponsors the basketball version of College GameDay, but there were at least ten signs that were State Farm related, and they weren’t even that funny (and they all pretty much said the same thing). Here is one example of the State Farm signs (if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all):
"Like a good neighbor, we're gonna Krush you"
Another State Farm sign (special thanks to IllinoisLoyalty.com…be sure to check them out for more pictures from GameDay):
"Better call your State Farm agent cuz...you've been KRUSHED!"
There were multiple mentions of Michigan State feeling some “Paign” yesterday:
"E.S.P.N. - Every Spartan is in for Paignful night"
"E.S.P.N. - Expect Some Paign Tonight"
I have no clue why Lil’ Wayne cares about Illinois basketball, but he must be a big fan:
"Lil' Wayne says Make it Rain"
You can’t go to Illinois and not represent for Abraham Lincoln…hmm, Lincoln was actually born in Kentucky, could we see a Lincoln sign two weeks in a row?
Last but not least, Tom Izzo, Hugh Hefner, and Bobby Knight all walk into a bar (thanks again to IllinoisLoyalty.com)…
That’s all for the signs from this week. Here is Digger’s lovely yellow tie/highlighter combo:
We had a Jenn Brown sighting on College GameDay and she is sporting a new hairstyle…
Here is a great video with a little more of the action from yesterday:
Be sure to vote in the poll below for your favorite sign. At the end of the season we will have a tournament of all the best signs. If you haven’t voted for last week you can do so HERE. As of right now “Sherron – put some pants on, we find it a little weird we have to ask twice“ and “KU – disappointing the state of Kansas since 1865“ are in the lead.
Next week College GameDay will be in Lexington, Kentucky for Kentucky vs. Tennessee, and we will be back with all the signs! If you’re going to be there let us know!
Here are the latest stories from the web about sports fans…thanks to all who sent in links. If you see a fan-related article, send us the link to info@thatfan.com!
Being that it is Super Bowl Sunday, let’s start out with some SB themed links. First up, the Super Bowl drinking game: [Bro Bible]
The New Orleans Saints cheerleader of the day, Bronwyn [Busted Coverage]
In case you haven’t seen, That Fan is working to raise money for Make-A-Wish Foundation. How does it work? Simply get a picture of you holding a sign saying “I Am That Fan” (click HERE for further details and some more examples).
For each picture that we post, That Fan will donate $1.00 towards granting a wish. I want to thank everyone who has sent in pictures so far…they will all be posted over the coming weeks. Today’s picture comes from a few Colts fans, who I’m sure are ready for the big game tomorrow. Hopefully having this picture on That Fan will bring you some good karma!
Big thanks to these guys…send your “I Am That Fan” pictures to info@thatfan.com!
Does it get any better than Super Bowl week? This morning in New Orleans, a 17-year old high school senior was sent home from school after showing up in a Colts jersey. The school normally requires students to come dressed in uniform, however due to the hometown Saints being in the Super Bowl they allowed students to wear Saints related clothing. This student decided that if people can come to school dressed to support their team, he could come to school with his Indianapolis Colts jersey (the student grew up in Indianapolis). The principal of the school sent him home before he even had the chance to make it to his first class.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) promptly sent the principal a letter stating the unfairness of this act. You can read the letter HERE.
Note to all kids in who may want to skip school: if your hometown team is in a championship game, just show up in the opposing team’s gear. Especially if you are in New Orleans!
Peyton: "Wear my jersey!" Drew: "No, wear my jersey!"
Here are the latest stories from the web about sports fans…thanks to all who sent in links. If you see a fan-related article, send us the link to info@thatfan.com!
We get started with the battle of the Super Bowl cheerleaders… [COED]
How about the hottest female fans of the Colts and the Saints [Gunaxin]
San Diego State fan apologizes for his sign at the BYU game that said “Which wife gave you mono?” [Deseret News]
This is an awesome story about Chad Ochocinco connecting with fans over Twitter in a time of need [ESPN]
Great video of a soccer player tripping a fan who ran onto the field [Unathletic]
Video of a Brett Favre fan blowing a gasket after his last INT [YouTube]
This guy is the ultimate Raiders fan…check out the tattoos! [Jock and Balls]
Dodger fan loses eye, gets Dodgers glass eye to replace it [Deadspin]
South Carolina was fined $25,000 after fans rushed the court in their win over #1 Kentucky [With Leather]
Crazy soccer fans at the Africa Cup of Nations…these people are wild! [DJ Mick]
Everyone knows the Backyard Brawl is a heated rivalry, and anything can happen when West Virginia and Pittsburgh lock up in any sport. The fans in this rivalry are so adamant about their hatred for each other, and That Fan thinks it is amazing! However, what happened at last night’s basketball game was absolutely uncalled for. If you missed it, fans threw debris onto the court after West Virginia gave up a large lead. This prompted a quick response from head coach Bob Huggins:
“That’s stupid” he says. Well apparently one fan was in the restroom or the beer line during his announcement, because someone proceeded to hit a Pitt assistant coach in the face with a penny. Watch this video and listen to how angry the announcer gets:
That Fan expects a lot out of fans and wants them to be as crazy and rabid as possible, but throwing things on the court is going too far. Someone could have gotten hurt, and that is not what being a sports fan is all about. To take it a step further, a technical foul was called against West Virginia which resulted in free throws being shot. Think about it, if your team is in a close game that could be decided by a point or two, you could be costing your team the game.
Hmmm…come to think about it, does that mean I can go to an away game and try and get the fans of the team we are playing in trouble by throwing something onto the court?
An ongoing theme here at That Fan is monitoring “color-out” games, in which teams ask every fan to dress in a single color in order to create a better crowd atmosphere. Color-outs look great on TV (if the fan participation is good) and can possibly add a bit of extra excitement to a crowd, which can ultimately impact a game. That Fan is trying to keep track of all color-out games so that we can do some studying on whether teams with color-out games actually perform better. You can read the college football update HERE (we also talked about a Louisville white-out game last month).
The most recent color-out game was held Saturday at Georgetown University in a basketball game against the Duke Blue Devils. Duke came in ranked seventh in the country, with hopes of scoring a quality road win versus number eleven Georgetown. Georgetown had organized a gray-out game however, and hoped that it would give the team an added boost for this tough test.
The Georgetown booster club passed out gray-out shirts to all the fans.
Over time That Fan has learned that home teams hover around the .500 mark during color-out games, however Georgetown did win 89-77 in this game. The official attendance was 20,039, and I’m guessing almost all were decked out in gray. The only problem is that the two most popular fans at the game didn’t: President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. Come on guys, you are supposed to be setting the example for fans across the country!
An interesting question we have for all the readers out there: if you are at a color-out game with 99% of the fans wearing the suggested color, what do you say to the fan next to you who didn’t wear the right color? Leave us a comment below and let us know your thoughts!
A big news item (well, small in my opinion but some sites are making it big) that has been popping up the past few days is New York Jets coach Rex Ryan flashing the fighting finger to a couple Miami Dolphin fans at a recent MMA event. I know people are saying that head coaches should have more class, but come on, this is Rex Ryan we are talking about. He doesn’t really give off the “I care what other people think” aura. I’m still confused as to why this is big news, but you can read more on the story at SPORTS by BROOKS, and see the picture here:
Speaking of “flipping the bird” (what in the hell does that really mean anyway?), thanks to Eric in Virginia for sending in these pictures of fans giving the opposing team a piece of their mind:
Tulsa fan says "Hey Boise, screw you and your blue turf!"
Purdue fan says "Hey Wisconsin, screw you and your funny accents!"
See a funny fan-related sign, picture, video, or link? Send us a tip to info@thatfan.com!
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