7 on 7
Last Friday we introduced the seven names vying for the 7th chair on our Silver Pigskin podium. When this show started years ago, we only had three Finalists. Then we expanded to five, then to six and now for the first time in show history, seven.
The growing podium speaks to the increasing difficulty we face in selecting our Finalists. Our Silver Pigskin Player of the Year Committee is comprised of the most mule headed folk you’ll ever want to know. And even with the added chair, some of our committee members remain unhappy “their guy” didn’t get on the podium.
The Fan Vote was designed to help serve as a safety guard to prevent us from making a glaring error. But even with the seven additional candidates, we still get e-mails asking, “where’s Scotty Young? What about Kyle Moses? You missed the boat leaving Bryson Bolin off.”
Let me state the obvious. The Player of the Year selection process is not an exact science. Just ask Arian Foster. The former NFL MVP was a Silver Pigskin Finalist in 2003; and he’s still upset his name isn’t on the trophy. We compile video from nearly every game played throughout San Diego County. We speak to college recruiters, coaches and administrators on a daily basis, and truth be told, despite all the information available to us, we’re still lucky if we bat .500 when it comes to selecting the best athletes to represent our show and trophy.
There are simply too many variables. Is a good player in the Avocado league better than a great player in the Coastal? What carries more weight? A D-1 scholarship offer or great individual stats? Should team success be factored in? We long ago accepted the fact while we do our best to select the “best podium” possible, it’s still only our best guess. Need proof? Count how many of our Finalists (?) are playing professional football and compare it to the number of Silver Pigskin Winners (1).
So while we try and pick the best athletes, we have made a conscious effort to place a heavy emphasis on character. And while you can certainly 2nd guess our selection process; I think we can all agree the seven athletes on our podium are first and foremost gentleman. At the end of the day, that’s more important to us. We want the Prestigious Silver Pigskin to represent character as much as athletic ability.
This Friday night we’ll unveil our 7th Finalist and our 2016 Iron Hog recipient. Both will be in-studio. It’s all a slow build-up to our 18th annual Silver Pigskin Gala, once again aboard the USS Midway Museum. Invitations will soon be in mail. My advice is to RSVP immediately. The 750 seats will go quickly.
Sincerely,
Paul W. Rudy/PPR
