MY BOY! 2 Simple Rules for Picking a Favorite New Player

A little over a year ago, I was sitting in a Badger bar in Chicago, IL with my roommate Fuzz getting mentally prepared for the second UW football game of the 2007 season. We had already seen one week's worth of game film on the Badgers and had some sort of idea what the team would look like. But that wasn't enough, we needed someone to cheer for more than the star players. We both hated PJ Hill, so he was out. Tyler Donovan didn't inspire tons of confidence. We needed a player to call our own, to ride out the highs and lows with, and to cheer for with unbridled obnoxiousness. We created...MY BOY!

MY BOY! isn't a new concept. People have been doing it for a while, we just happened to give it a name and take it to a new level. There are rules for choosing your boy are simple, and have been developed over many a fine drink:

1) MY BOY! has to be a new contributor. Youth is served with your boy. Pick them as a young contributor and watch as they grow into a great player. Your boy can't be a proven player. Anyone expected to be an all-american, or a returning team leader is not to be considered. He has to play some, offense, defense or special teams, and he can be a starter. But he has to be a freshman or a new contributor.

2) MY BOY! sticks as your boy for as long as he is with the team. Highs and lows...he's your boy. If you picked him young, and he happens to become a heisman candidate...congratulations. Rub it in everyone's face. If he fumbles in the big game or misses a tackle that goes for a touchdown...he's your boy. Defend him to no end.

So there we were, sitting in Redmond's...picking our boy. Fuzz went with Aaron Henry. Freshman DB out of Florida, good wheels, solid recruiting buzz, and big enough to hold his own as a freshman. Myself, I went with David Gilreath #85. Freshman WR from MN, short, quick, and a dangerous return man. Neither figured to start at the beginning of the season, but both figured to see some PT. This turned out to be a fantastic idea! Right off the bat it started paying dividends. MY BOY! Gilreath was returning the opening kickoff...

"MY BOY #85 TO THE HOUSE!"

This turned out to be an every game phrase for me...numerous times per game.

So there you go, the rules for creating MY BOY! Rules are obviously subject to change, and all recommendations are welcome. But these first two should get you started. As we enter into Big Ten play this week, F&BT highly encourages you to gather with your friends...indulge in a few libations...and pick your boy! Cheer him on with unabashed passion. Scream for him at quiet times during the game. Make ridiculous predictions about the great play he is about to make.

Use the comments...and tell us who's MY BOY! for you.