Would You Name Your Baby "Eli"?

Let's start with this: I really like the baby name "Eli." I guess I would say I like it, even though -- as a sports fan -- the immediate association is to "Eli Manning."

Now, would you name your kid Eli after Eli Manning, the Giants QB? Hard to say.

Would you name your kid Eli after Eli Manning, the Ole Miss QB? (Just check the birth records in the mid-90s in Tennessee for babies named "Peyton.) Feels like college fans are willing to make that leap more than pro fans. (Though I wonder how many babies in Wisconsin are named "Brett" every year.)

OK: But would you name your kid Eli after Eli Manning, the high school QB?

That's what this guy did. It's definitely unconventional, but if you were ever going to promote that, this would be your week. Not sure how that kid had dealt with things during Eli's first few pro seasons (particularly the draft-day debacle of demands), but it's a good week to be an "Eli."

Question: Do you know anyone who has named their kid specifically after an athlete?

This isn't the same as having a kid's name coincidentally be the same as an athlete (i.e., Gabe is NOT named for Gabe Kapler, though I appreciate connection to something as novel as a Jewish baseball player. I also have a fond spot for someone like NBA rookie Gabe Pruitt, simply because he shares a name with my son.).

But the question is: Do you know anyone who (or did YOU) name your kid specifically after an athlete? Would love to hear the stories. Send in a comment.

-- D.S.

Mathew Kowald: Worst. Dad. Ever.

Mathew Kowald: Worst. Dad. Ever.

You are going to be hearing a lot today about Mathew Kowald, a 36-year-old Portage, Wisconsin nut-job who strapped his 7-year-old son down and forced the kid to wear a Packers jersey during the Packers' playoff game last weekend.

We've all been there: We buy our infants or toddlers or kids the team gear, hoping they will be little reflections of ourselves -- what better way to bond than over a mutual love of a sports team? (Hell, most of you are probably fans of your favorite team because a parent was a fan and "passed it on" to you.)

But this is a cautionary tale: Taking it so far over the line as to constitute child abuse, rather than "super-fan" fun. I think that's something to keep in mind as you pose your young child in the gear of your favorite team -- YOUR favorite team -- like some kind of Fandom Mini-Me.

-- D.S.

Tony Dungy: Kids vs. Colts?

The Colts head coach will make up his mind this weekend about whether to return to the Colts next season. Here's his money quote:

"It's really just making sure that I'm doing the best job I can do as a dad, and I do think that is my No. 1 job. And if I'm doing that, can I still do enough to be a good coach for the Colts? If I think I can, I'll be back.

Tracking...

Kicking Off 2008: What If V-Kid Isn't a Fan?

I read at a sports-writers' reading series last night in NYC , and in advance of the reading, the hosts from Gelf Magazine did an interview with me and among the thought-provoking questions asked the following:

You have a blog called Varsity Dad. What happens if your son decides not to be a Florida fan, or even not a sports fan?

As I typed out my answer, I felt like reprinting it here was the right way to kick of 2008 on VarsityDad.com. I have included the response in full, and I'd be curious for your take on it in the Comments.

Paying more attention to Varsity Dad is one of my biggest resolutions of 2008, because I think there's so much potential there -- and the reaction I got from fans who double as parents was so positive when I launched the site last spring.

And my own experience raising a sports fan is just now getting interesting. My son just turned 19 months and for the first 18 months, he basically sat around. Oh, sure, I could put him in a Florida jersey my in-laws bought him, but that was about it. In the last month, he has taken to shouting "Go Tebow!" -- at virtually everything. Now I can't shut it off, and it's like I created a monster. This is the hazard of imposing your sports fandom on your kid.

If my own experience over the last 6 years in becoming a Florida fan so late in life has taught me anything, it is that it is incredibly important for my kid to create his own sports allegiances, mindfully.

On the other hand, I recognize the limitations of my own fan situation – and the pivotal role that fandom can play when it starts in childhood, particularly through a relationship with a parent. Mostly, I have learned to be incredibly tolerant of anyone's current fan allegiance -- no matter how (or when) they arrived at it. Sincerity is where the authenticity comes from.

Sidebar: Take this "Pink Hat" civil war that the self-obsessed Boston sports fans got into over Red Sox fans. My favorite part is the way the Red Sox "die-hards" mocked the "Pink Hats"... as if ANY of them gave a rat's ass about the Patriots until the Pats won their first Super Bowl. If they say they did, they're lying or fooling themselves. And they gave up on the Celtics, too, right up until they traded for KG. Now, it's like they never abandoned the team (even though they all did). I just find it ludicrous that anyone would feel so insecure about their own fandom that they would make competing with others in the same fan base – who generally aren't competing back – into such a large part of their fandom. It's kind of pathetic, actually.

That's a roundabout way of saying: My son can root for Florida or not. I'm certainly not one to judge. (My wife, on the other hand, as a Florida lifer, would like to see him be a Florida die-hard forever. If he became a Georgia or FSU fan, I think she might disown him.)

However, I do think a parent and child who share the same fan appreciation and affiliation can create some very special memories together that transcend sports fandom and become integral to the relationship itself.

Now, if he didn't like sports at all? Tougher question. I actually think there's a certain minimum level of sports interest that anyone/everyone should have in order to simply function in society – particularly "guy society." Being able to talk about sports is social currency -- perhaps its most potent form.

But I feel the same way about TV or movies or books or politics or current events or food or technology or home improvement or most popular Google keywords or anything else: There is a certain cultural literacy one should have in order to be a functioning person.
I would much rather Gabe become a restrained polymath than a sports nut, to be honest. If he ends up a sports nut, that's great, but I hope he takes the time to try to understand other things.

-- D.S.

A Varsity Dad's New Year's Resolution

More posts on VarsityDad.com. (Seriously.)

Happy Holidays to Varsity Dads (and Moms)

This Varsity Dad side-project has been a little tougher than expected, but one of my resolutions for 2008 is to make this blog a more regularly updated (and, hopefully, visited) destination for all things at the intersection of parenting and sports.

The question was posed: At the 11th hour, what is an appropriate gift for a sports-minded parent to buy their kids for the holidays?

Depending on the age (read: not adults), there's nothing wrong with a jersey or other piece of team memorabilia. This year, Gabe is sporting a Percy Harvin jersey (really, it's a Florida football No. 1 jersey, but that turns out to be Harvin), received from his grandparents.

That's pretty thin as far as advice goes, but I'm going to step up the effort as it relates to New Year's Resolutions.

Happy holidays!

-- D.S.

Coolest Varsity Kid Ever?

Check out this link. (The kid may have a future: One of my earliest childhood memories -- though not THIS early -- is a similar thing. Of course, "future" is relative: Does the kid's dad really want the kid to have a high-flying career as a columnist on ESPN.com, only to morph into a blogger?)

Is Pimping Your Varsity Kid Wrong?

Then I don't wanna be right.

Baby Naming: "Wrigley Fields"

That's not a joke. I grew up a huge Cubs fan and, after college, I lived right down the street from Wrigley Field. It's a beautiful, wonderful place. But if your last name is "Fields" and you name your kid "Wrigley," you might as well dedicate that 529 investment to future therapy bills.

When Autographs Go Wrong

"Red Sox Suck": That's how Yankees rookie Shelley Duncan signed a baseball to a 10-year-old Red Sox fan who asked him for an autograph this past weekend.

Now: Is the kid's parent outraged because Duncan used the word "suck" or because he trashed the Red Sox?

Doing that to a 10-year-old is kind of jerky, but the one bright side is that it's a hell of a conversation-starter as a piece of memorabilia the kid will have on display.

If nothing else, it's a badge of honor for a Red Sox fan to have been smack-talked by a Yankees player, and have the evidence to prove it.

-- D.S.

Welcome, Jonathan Brady!

How would you like to have Tom Brady as your dad? (Ping me, Tom: I've got all sorts of advice for you.)

How to Make a Baby Cry...?

...Play her the Michigan fight song.

Here's the YouTube clip.

(Why is the "embed" function disabled on the YouTube page?)

Matt Leinart is No Varsity Dad

Via BruinsNation (h/t Deadspin): Matt Leinart ain't a very good dad. You know, I didn't like him very much before, and this doesn't help things.

Here's the sad truth: If Cameron wants baby Cole to have any semblance of a well-adjusted life, she should keep him away from Matt.

-- D.S.

New Parenthood Kills Workout Enthusiasm

Aha: So this is why the last 13 months have turned me into such a lazy fat-ass. (h/t: NYT.com)

One-Year-Old Brooklyn PhenomCommits to Florida Basketball

In a development rocking the world of college basketball recruiting, 1-year-old basketball prospect Gabe Shanoff verbally committed to play for the University of Florida.

Shanoff made the announcement yesterday on his blog, with a simple message: "Guh," interpreted as an alliterative toddler shorthand for "Gators."

The 2-foot-7 Shanoff projects as a combination guard after a solid season of dunking on a toy basket. At his most recent annual physical, the doctor projected Shanoff to fall in the 75th height percentile.

Shanoff's father, Dan, said that playing time was a key factor.

"With top 2007 guard recruits Jai Lucas and Nick Calethas graduating in 2011, Gabe will be positioned to step right in and fill a team need in 2024," Dan Shanoff said. "Once he starts walking."

Florida coach Billy Donovan declined to comment, citing NCAA regulations about discussing recruits before they have signed an official letter-of-intent or no longer sleep in a crib.

Shanoff's unprecedented announcement comes in the wake of 14-year-old 8th grade point guard Ryan Boatright pledging his verbal commitment to play basketball for Southern California and Trojans coach Tim Floyd a few weeks ago.

"Boatright was a role model for making an announcement this early," Shanoff's father, Dan, said. "The trend is definitely toward early commitments to take the pressure off the kids.

"How much less pressure can you have than to make a commitment as a 1-year-old?

"Now Gabe can concentrate on preparing for the academic rigors of pre-school and working on his fundamentals as a player, like walking on his own without holding on to the couch."

According to recruiting analysts, Florida had been the early leader for Gabe's commitment, going back in utero. "Gabe was an 8-month-old fetus when the Gators won their first national title," Dave Telep of Scout.com said.

"Hearing that TV coverage in the womb might have been the difference that other programs simply couldn't compete with, particularly when you add in the second national title when Gabe was 8 months out."

Remaining close to his family played a large role in his decision: One set of Shanoff's grandparents live in Gainesville and "insisted" they "were available to babysit anytime."

Shanoff had also been considering his father's alma mater, Northwestern, along with a handful of programs geographically closer to his current New York-based day-care center, including Syracuse and Villanova.

Shanoff’s father noted that a factor that made the Big East attractive was its legacy of charismatic New York City point guards (“Give up your girl before you give up your dribble… of milk from your chin.”), a personality trait of the 1-year-old that his dad attributed to his Brooklyn-bred paternal grandmother and great-grandma, who was rumored to have once rejected neighborhood schoolboy hoops legend Red Auerbach for a date.

Most recently, Shanoff had expressed interest in Oregon, but recruiting analysts linked the attention to his fascination with toy ducks, rather than a sincere desire to play for Ernie Kent.

When asked about the Ducks, Shanoff squealed, "Duck!" and crawled over to his pile of toys, leaving open the speculation that without the signed letter of intent, which can be completed in October 2023 at the earliest, the commitment is not entirely solid.

(As if it needed to be said, but -- sigh -- has to be in this day and age: This is satire. neither Dave Telep or Billy Donovan were really contacted for this post.)

What to Name a Varsity Kid?

Needless to say, I don't think Tiger and Elin used a baby-name consultant to come up with "Sam Alexis," but this Wall Street Journal article on baby-naming is a must-read.

Any of you name your kid (or would name a future kid) after something sports-related, like an athlete? Or perhaps you name your kid with athletic stardom in mind... a name that would sound really good over a stadium PA system or SportsCenter highlight. (Or simply win the Name of the Year bracket.)

For the record, Gabe Shanoff was not named for either Gabe Kapler or Gabe Kaplan or future NBA second-round draftee Gabe Pruitt. (And, furthermore, his name isn't "Gabriel" with "Gabe" as a nickname. It's just "Gabe.")

I would say that of all things related to the baby industry, names are my favorite thing.

Sam Alexis Woods: First Pics!

Update: OK, front page of the New York Post!

Wow, Tiger is really controlling the p.r. about new daughter Sam like a genius. The latest: He reveals the first pics of Sam on his web site. That's the way I'd do it, too. (But, Tiger: Where's Sam's blog? Email me, man...I can help!)

More here from AOL's Fanhouse.

Tiger Skipping Buick for Baby

That's my guy...

Advice for Tiger, Part Nth

Tiger Woods' new fatherhood lends itself to the easy column for traditional media and bloggers alike. Here's the Washington Post's Sally Jenkins, with a rare appearance in the paper with a nice little advice-for-Tiger gimmick column.

Let me ask the Varsity Dad community: How do we get Tiger to notice this site? How do we get him to participate as a Commenter? Tiger: You're invited! Come on in!

This Is It: Tiger Woods Becomes a Dad!

Congrats to Tiger and Elin on the birth of daughter Sam Alexis Woods. (Come on, Tiger, I know you're as excited as a regular dad: How about some stats? And let's see those photos?)

Given Tiger's preeminent position in sports culture, this kid is the closest thing sports fans have to celeb-baby royalty. This is the Varsity Dad Sports-Star Birth of the Year.

When things settle down for Tiger, I expect he'll head straight to Varsity Dad to join the community. Feel free to email for advice, pal!

-- D.S.