Blogs, Sports, and the Manic Indie Thrill

by Andrew, The Grand National Championships

You live through your home teams. You have a love-hate relationship with your home teams star player. You hate the team from the nearby city in your conference/league. There is a loyalty there that can never die.

However, the sports fan is not monogamous. They do not love their teams exclusively. It's not a mortal sin by any stretch. But it does lead into an interesting phenomenon.

The manic indie thrill is essential when you discover something unknown to the mainstream. Imagine living in small town Alabama in the early 1980's and discovering Black Flag or Charles Barkley before anyone else. It's your own little secret slice of heaven that you want to share with the world.

This is what makes peoples "bones" in the sports blogosphere. Deadspin got big off of a catchphrase and Carl Monday. Kissing Suzy Kolber got big off of the Sex Cannon. With Leather got it's wattage off of Allison Stokke. But that's not why we're here. Why were are here is give light to the classes of Manic indie thrill. There are four, and start thusly.

Collegian: It's more rare now than it was ten or twenty years ago. Back in the day, Steve Nash was a manic indie thrill. Mitch Richmond was a manic indie thrill. Atwaan Randle El was a manic indie thrill. Now, it's more of a rare occurence. But I've got a couple of names to remeber. Marcus Landry has had some Shawn Marion flashes last season, and is counted on for a lot more this year. I mean, even a cat like Juice Williams is striding the line between indie thrill and pop thrill.

Just do not sleep on Marcus Landry. He will be a stud.

Prospect: Baseball-only, to be sure. But every baseball fan has felt a certain twinge of excitement with the guy on their farm team nobody really knows about. I mean, how did an Angel fan feel about Reggie Willits? How did a Twins fan feel about Johan? How about a Brewers fan with Gallardo! It's that warm and fuzzy feeling you get when Ryan Braun comes around.

Small market teams have to live and die off the manic prospect indie thrill.

Personality: This is where you find your heroes of the blogosphere. A'Mod Ned. Rex Grossman. Carl Monday. Chris Berman's leather. Allison Stokke. It's pretty self-explanatory really. The mainstream media still means more to the general public than Blogfrica.

But Blogfrica will win this day.

And finally comes the Underrated Pro: Once upon a time it was Gilbert Arenas. He has since peremeated the pop culture. Now, there are two. Curtis Granderson is someone whom we have shown a great deal of love to on our site. But a guy who's awesomely underrated? Pat Neshek.

Pat Neshek is your manic indie thrill.

(Blogger doesn't allow exclamation points. That is sooooo lame. HOW DARE THEY RUIN MY ENTHUSIASM?)

(Editor's Note: No! Idea! What! He! Is! Talking! About!)

(Author's Note: Y'all are brutalizing me!)