Just as true fans and journalists alike spend hours perusing box scores, one of the best parts of having a blog is getting a look at the statistics. I’m not going to lie. Seeing the search engine terms entered by users randomly surfing the web and happening upon this small slice of the internet has become a truly entertaining pastime. Some people come in search of the blog itself and others look for topics addressed here. Then, of course, there are completely random and often hilarious queries. So rather than continuing to enjoy them for myself, it’s time to share the best user searches of the week.
7. “Rick Aguilera AND Mormon”. After I wrote this Memory Lane piece about Game Six of the 1986 World Series back in late March, the searches started pouring in. This game has an appeal unlike any other in baseball history. Yes, there have been more memorable individual moments (Thomson, Mays, Mazeroski, Fisk, Carter, etc.), but this game stands alone as a masterpiece (of comedy and tragedy) from start to finish. As for Aguilera, I did indeed mention that he was a devout Mormon and apparently, people are interested in this kind of thing.
6. “Greg Smyth hockey”. This one came after the Memory Lane feature on the Halifax Citadels. I can’t imagine who would be looking for details on an obscure hockey journeyman like Greg Smyth, but maybe his family just had some free time. He did spend time in the NHL with Philadelphia, Quebec, Toronto, Florida, Chicago and Calgary, so it’s entirely possible that he has a cult following.
5. “Who won the 1986 World Series?”. Another classic search grabbing hold of the first Memory Lane piece. What surprised me was the way this one was worded. The thing about that series was it was more about who lost it than who was ultimately victorious. Also, I can understand if a casual fan or baseball neophyte doesn’t know what happened, but I would have just typed in the event and read up on the result. It’s actually better this way though, because we know exactly what was going through the seacher’s mind.
4. A dead heat between “Bob McCown Rogers commercials music” and “Bob McCown Rogers commercials song”. Honorable mention to “Prime Time Sports simulcast theme”. These types of searches have been so regular that I might have to actually investigate. It appears that in this day and age of information overload (and with overwhelming interest in the radio show covered in this corner of the blogosphere) there is even a fan base for the soundtracks to both PTS and McCown’s Sportsnet ads. I have to admit, I have been caught bobbing my head or humming along with them, but I’ve never had the urge to find them online.
3. “Worst sports media personnel”. I don’t even feel like I need to say anything here. This one really speaks for itself. Seriously though, all kidding aside, I’m really not sure how this led the searcher here. I have a great deal of respect for the “sports media personnel” dealt with in these pages. The fact that people are looking for the worst is amusing, but they’ve clearly made a wrong turn if they expect to find them here.
2. “Marijuana Raptors”. I laughed out loud when I saw this one. I mean, come on. Really, people? These two words don’t exactly go hand in hand (“Welcome back to Word Association…your word, Tim, is…Raptors.”) Somewhere out there sits a very bored and probably hungry individual.
1. “Great Moments in Gospel Music, Vol. 2″. Can I get an amen from the congregation? This one also had me in stitches. Testify! I just wish I could have seen the look on their face when they found “Great Moments in Televised Radio, Vol. 2″. What a difference a couple of words make. Hey, it must have been alright, because the religious reader stuck around to read it.
This is going to have to be a recurring segment now. Until next time, may your searches bring you what you’re looking for (and maybe a little curveball along the way).
