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2002 Awards and Rankings: Specialty Awards

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2002 Rankings

We always start off with the the individual awards and other tidbits...and where better to start than the Anti-Buff Award...

Anti-Buff Award

As evidenced by the abundant CSU/CU discussion on the board throughout the year, CSU fans, to put it mildly, don't like CU and its fans. So, every year, we rank the Top 10 "Anti-Buff" posters. It's tough because we have so many of them. But this year, following the Rams' 41-14 loss and a year's worth of putting up with "Classic Buff Arrogance" as one poster dubbed it, we've seen the top Anti-Buff posters rise to the forefront. They are as follows counting down from No. 10:

10) Boulder Sucks...Hey, it's in the name.
9) TGUNRAM...His blood obviously boils when CU fans are present. If we're not mistaken, we believe he once dubbed CU's head coach "Gary Barnette".
8) WhammyRammy...Once when ranking his most hated fans, put CU as his No. 1, saying "You suck, your team sucks, and your pompous attitude sucks!"
7) RamRod...Loves to stir up the "Puff" fans as he calls them.
6) ColoSpgsHusker...Has two reasons to dislike CU: One, he's a Ram fan. Two, he's a Cornhusker fan.
5) RAM-I-AM...Despite having a degree from CU, RAM-I-AM continues to be one of the biggest haters of the Black and Gold.
4) WashParkRam...Is always near the top of this list. He never fails to spot something negative about the Buffs in the local media, and then make sure the rest of the world knows about it. To the dismay of CU fans, he refused to let the Wonderlic scores story die.
3) Stalwart Ram...Last year's Anti-Buff winner remained relentless this year in his Buff hatred. He uses quick-wit and factual knowledge to frustrate the dickens out of the usual Buff suspects. And, if I'm not mistaken, he also was the first to dub the University of Colorado as UC-B, which has noticeably gotten under the skin of several Buff posters.
2) 80sramfan...Loves to dig up dirt on the Buffs and post about it. He even claims to have a well-placed source giving him timely info on Buffalo troubles, and has been known to give the scoop on the board. He can be rude and crass, but then again, this poll isn't about class and kindness. 80sramfan made a good run at No. 1.

…which leads us to No. 1 on the list of Anti-Buff Posters...

1) "DRZRAM". Previously known as a long-time poster who liked to rationally discuss an array of Ram topics, DRZRAM, and the complexion of his posts, changed significantly during the course of the 2002 year. After being snubbed from last year's Top-10 list, DRZRAM must have made it his personal mission to tell the world his hatred of the Buffs. We'd guesstimate that 90 percent of his posts this year were directed at CU or its fans. He didn't waste many opportunities to share his thoughts on the Black and Gold. DRZRAM has been noticeably absent during the past few months, but his efforts throughout the year were strong enough to carry him through for the top spot. Congratulations!

We know there's a lot more of you Buff haters out there. But you're not making enough of an impression on me…so take note all you Ram fans reeling from your lack of appearance in the Top 10 of this anti-Buff category--There's always next year. Get to work.

Now, the hatred isn't quite as prevalent for other traditional rivals such as BYU and Wyoming, so we didn't come up with a Top 10 listing. However there are clear-cut winners as the top "Anti-BYU" and "Anti-Wyo" posters.

Anti-BYU Award

The Anti-BYU award goes to WEB, who is one of those types of posters who go into hibernation during the offseason. And even during his active period, his posts generally consist of: 1) Gambling; and 2) BYU. Many Ram fans will root for BYU in non-conference competition because it's "good for the Mountain West Conference". But WEB will have none of that---he'd rather see the MWC go down in flames than have BYU be the flagship. His two favorite teams are CSU and anyone playing BYU. WEB dubs the Cougars "Los Provos" or Del Mormos" and used to call former BYU head coach Lavelle Edwards "Old Man Winter" or "Bitter Beer Face". WEB is infamous to BYU fans, and one Cougar loyalist once registered and posted several message under the name "WebUSuck". WEB is infamous. We have other BYU haters on this board, but none that can stir 'em up like WEB, and we doubt anybody will be able to unseat him from this throne anytime soon.

Anti-Wyo Award

The Anti-Wyo award goes to GreenGoldAries, who has demonstrated the most consistent disdain for Wyoming and its fans over any other Ram poster. GreenGoldAries, who originally registered as Aurora Ram two years ago, was noticeably absent during the 2001 year, but came back with a vengeance this year. With the exception of a month-long period when he talked nothing but Korean soccer, GreenGoldAries spends the majority of his time pestering the several Wyoming fans that linger on the board. It was that month-long hiatus that almost cost him this award, as it allowed NYCram to pull very close to make things interesting. What gave GreenGoldAries the edge though was the fact that when he flames out on Wyoming posters, he goes on and on. NYCram usually keeps his posts to a sentence or two.

Glass Half Full Award

This award goes to the biggest homer in RamNation. And, for the second straight year, nobody has been able to unseat this unwaveringly loyal fan. Can you guess who it is? Here's a clue. Every one of his posts is followed by something like this:
----God Bless America---
----Praise the lord---
----Thank God for CSU athletics---
----GO RAMS----
That's right...the winner is none other than CSU Rambunctious, who is possibly the only poster on the board who can find the positives in getting plastered 41-14 by the Buffs. He is the Zig Ziglar of RamNation...the power of positive thinking just oozes from every post. You may not be able to understand him half the time, but true enough, 'Bunctious is the eternal optimist, and frankly, we don't see anyone beating him out for this award any time soon.

Glass Half Empty Award

Examining the opposite of the total homer, we find several posters who take the "glass half empty" approach. This isn't necessarily a bad thing because it challenges the common trains of thought and forces good discussions. Five posters were in the running for this award. Those are as follows, counting down from No. 5:

Mark McIntosh Award

This dubious award goes to the non-Ram fan who makes it his mission in life to badger CSU fans with flame wars. By no means does RamNation.com encourage these types of posters, but it's sometimes fun to look back at the pests of the past year, since most of them fade away---including last year's winner (loser) STEVE SMITH FAN. Posters in the running for this award were BFIO, Self Kaiser, CSWho, SYKOBUFF, Damien, SonnyTheSnake, keepin_it_real, Rumor Canner, and buffscout (who was actually deleted from the registry due to one too many classless posts). However, the one weasel that has been most persistent with his Ram jabs, use of the word "Sunny" instead of Sonny, etc., has been buffalo slim, who earns this year's McIntosh Award. Maybe the prize for this award should be a lifetime ban from the board?

Top Student Award

One demographic RamNation has yet to really tap is the student population. Each year, a few new students will show up on the board, which we love, because it adds a unique perspective to the board. Three posters in particular were in the running for this award. The first runner-up is ColoStateRams, and second runner-up is Fight Song Mike. Both are actively involved and basically co-founded the Rampage group for student athletic supporters. The winner of the award goes to Epoxy Resin Ram, who was THE founder of the group, and who has been an active user on the message board for a couple of years. Formerly known as "3rd Lt. Ram USAF" before taking his new name this year following a bad run-in with epoxy resin during a lab experiment, this guy has been a solid contributor with excellent viewpoints that only a student can provide. He graduated this year and is now serving in the military in California.

Ewe Award

This award goes to the top female poster. And since nobody really challenged last year's winner, "#27sMrs" , she wins again. It's not like she doesn't deserve it though. Not only is "#27sMrs" a knowledgeable Ram fan, but she also is very opinionated, and offers a unique perspective to the board, which is probably 90 percent male. We actually have quite a few women who are registered on the board. And here at RamNation.com, we hope more participate in the coming year. Particularly if they are anything near as good as #27sMrs.

Fum McGraw Award

This award goes to the best poster who is an actual athlete or former athlete. Believe it or not, there are several current athletes who are registered. We've had guys like Jason Speciner, James Sondrup, Wallace Thomas, Geoff Graue, and more all visit the board at various times over the past couple of years. Many have contributed quality conversations to the board. The winner however, goes to Brad Svoboda, posting under the name RamGrad. Following his graduation, Brad moved to Denver and became "one of us"---a fan. His first-ever post thanked the fans for their support...and from then on posted as a fan himself.

Greater Ram Club Award

This award goes out to the poster who best serves as an ambassador to the Greater Ram Club. This is a tough one to name, considering there are several Greater Ram Club volunteers who regularly post on the board. Those people certainly do their share of work. However, in our opinion, nobody was more vocal and encouraging than Philly Ram Fan! , who despite living so far away in Philadelphia, is a Greater Ram Club member and season ticket holder. He regularly posts reminders throughout the year that all Ram fans should consider doing the same. It's a thankless duty, but all of us appreciate his heart and efforts. Thanks for the Ram spirit, Philly!

Lady Bing Award

Just like in the National Hockey League, this award goes to the most sportsmanlike poster. We have several posters who exhibit class and sportsmanship throughout their posts. However, we wanted to give the award to a very active poster--one who goes through the rigors of every day posting. We felt that CSURamFan fit the bill the best. Of course, CSURamFan is not infallible, as he's been lured into heated conversations that have taken him out of character on occasion. But, overall, he exudes a level-headedness that very few have on this site. He promotes non-flaming, on both sides, and doesn't hesitate to point out when a fellow Ram is out of line. He was one of the first posters to use the hilarious off-topic responses tactic to thwart off Buff fans who were clearly only there to start flame wars. Congrats to CSURamFan for his exemplary behavior.

Funniest poster

Is there any doubt who this award should go to? Well, actually there is, since we have quite a few "cards" on this site. However, we believe there is one above the rest--Dall Ram. Humor is his M.O. In fact, rarely ever bothers to post anything serious. Hey, you stick with what works. How funny is he? Well, no write-up can do his humor justice. So, we suggest you click on the "Search Messages" button at the top of the message board, enter Dall Ram into the "Search for messages by username" button, change the "number of messages to display" window to 500, and just start reading. You'll laugh all day.

Best non-Ram poster

We wanted to broaden this award, which last year was known as the "Donnie Boyce Award", or Best Buff Poster. The award will now go to the best non-Ram poster, regardless of allegiance. That doesn't change the outcome though...as Buffsin2002 (formerly known as Buffsin2001) takes the award for the second straight year. Despite the countless lumps he took from Ram fans after two consecutive losses (in 2000 and 2001) by the hands of Colorado State, Buffsin2002 did not retaliate after his team put the hurtin' on the Rams in 2002. He remained humble, and continued to contribute to the board in a positive way. He knows almost as much about CSU as most Ram fans, and we still think there's a chance that we may be able to convert him over from the dark side one of these days.

Long Distance Award

This award goes to the Ram fan who regularly posts from the greatest distance. Our clear-cut winner is Tokyo Ram. The poster formerly known as Ram Rock moved abroad this year, and now resides in Japan. Good to know RamNation is traveling across the cyber lines so far.

Best Handle Award

Some of these names are so good that they'll probably show up on the list every year. However, each year, people continue to get more and more creative with their handles. While last year's winners are still goodies, we moved some out of the way for these latest gems. So, here's how this year's Top 20 handles list looks:

One other note we thought you might find interesting...While we highly encourage users to register under their real name (and 95 percent of registrants do use their real name, or at least their real first name) some people (usually non-Ram fans) still have chosen to keep their anonymity, and have entered fake names. So, even though this isn't an award, we thought we'd share a few the funniest (or not so funny) registered names we've received lately: Russ Griswold, Luke Penis, jo blow, F You, Long Wang, Freddy Krueger, Carls Jr., and Gin Givitis. Some people are just lovely, aren't they?

Which brings us to our last, and possibly most prestigious award...

Post of the Year

This is a new category that we've added this year. During the course of the year, which for our purposes dates back to July 15, 2002--the date of the last Awards and Rankings piece, we've had hundreds of thousands of posts. So, to pick the best post of the year is a difficult task. Think of the countless genius posts, whether they be detailed analyses of the football team, serious posts regarding heartfelt issues, or hilarious posts that have every reader rolling at his/her work desk. Despite the vast quantity of excellence put out by the legends of this board, there is one that stands out from the rest this year. In fact, it was so great that the first thought was, where did he find this excellent literary piece? Truth be told, it was straight from our winner's brain. The winning post was written by JoninLA four days after the tragedy of September 11. It was so well-written that we posted it on the frontpage that day.

The focal point of the heartfelt message was a picture of a man who was covered in so much dust from the World Trade Center's debris that the man's own image or race could not be identified. The text went like this:

Who is this person?

This week, spend some dollars on something American to keep our economy rolling. Or send it to a relief agency to help those in need. But before doing so, read the Latin mottoes on the back of one of those dollars and reflect on what those now mean:
--Annuit Coeptis: Providence Favors Our Undertakings
--Novus Ordo Seclorum: A New Order of the Ages
--E Pluribus Unum: Out of Many, One

Congratulations to JoninLA for this award, and thank you for sharing this great message with all of us.

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2002 Rankings