Question for Tech Fans
by HoyaGoon on Dec 22, 2009 2:44 PM EST
30 comments
Since we've invaded your blog in preparation for the Orange Bowl, a number of us Hawkeye fans have noticed a tendency for many of you Tech fans, when referring to your coach, to always use the nomenclature of "Coach Paul Johnson" or "CPJ" (if you are in to that whole brevity thing, man). And I have to ask, what gives? Not that there's anything wrong with it, but it just seems (a) a little forced and (b) pretentious. Are there a bunch of Paul Johnsons on the Georgia Tech you're trying to differentiate him from?
It seems particularly odd because the only other fanbase I've ever seen regularly use such designations is your hated in-state rival, the Georgia Bulldogs. It is never "Richt", "Mark Richt" or even "Coach Richt", it is always "CMR" or "Coach Mark Richt". Is this just some Georgian patois? Because I realy can't imagine either fanbase wants to be accused of copying the other.
Thanks for shedding some light on this.
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In the south, titles mean everything
And including one’s title is an act of respect for that person. Not saying that our coaches would get upset, but people in the south take their titles very seriously, especially if you know them and the difference. It’s akin to Rev. or Dr., maybe not as important depending on who you are, but generally speaking it’s the same.
"Big Ten can have this challenge. Duke loses, we all win..."
-Marcus Ginyard, G - UNC
Also
I didn’t think about this until after I had posted the above comment (which was my own personal reason why I do it), but I have noticed that the CPJ is much more common in print on the interwebs moreso than in actual conversation. A lot of people I know use players initials when typing and adding the C in front of PJ differentiates between coach and player quickly and easily. I’m sure that is a part of reason as well.
"Big Ten can have this challenge. Duke loses, we all win..."
-Marcus Ginyard, G - UNC
I remember seeing a conversation on one of the AJC blogs soon after he was hired
There was a long discussion amongst the commentariat about what to call him, and I remember that CPJ was the consensus that came out of it. I have no memory of the specific reasoning that carried the day, but Jesse’s reasoning sounds plausible to me.
We also already had two Johnsons running around on the field at the time that we hired him (Michael and James), so I’d think limiting confusion would have played into it.
Or maybe there’s an unwritten rule that offensive coaches can only be known by three initials (KOK, CMR, etc.)
by Joe Hamilton's Chauffeur on Dec 22, 2009 4:31 PM EST up reply actions
Are you sure its not to distinguish him from the hobbit instead?
PJ?
Do it! Stab him with your fake spear for ruining the Flight to the Ford scene! Nerd anger, grrrrrrrrrrrr!
Keeping wildlife, an amphibious rodent, for uh, domestic, you know, within the city - that aint legal either, Dude.
by AcrimoniousAngerererer on Dec 22, 2009 4:33 PM EST up reply actions
I live in Richmond, VA
I’m well aware of any number of Southern idiosyncracies. But this one seems to be a Georgia-specific one. No one around here refers to Coach Frank Beamer or “ex-CAG”. The only intertubes sites that it occurs is on Georgia/Tech blogs and Georgia fans on EDSBS. Weird. And the Southern fixation with titles seems to go in inverse proportion to the title’s actual importance in the real world.
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
I think its just something that came up that stuck
I don’t see the ‘southern’ connection and I was raised in the South. My first thought was PJ just doesn’t do the guy justice and we did have a player named PJ a couple years back (PJ Daniels). Daniels BTW set the single bowl-game rushing record a couple years back with 306 (off the top of my head) yards.
I think it was just that CPJ was unique and easier to type. I think you guys are reading too much into it.
I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com
Maybe it isn't a blanket southern thing
But it was for my family and everyone I knew growing up in Georgia. Dr.‘s and Rev.’s were to be respected and always be called by their title first. Many times, when you left off their title, either they corrected you or someone else did. I apologize for assuming that it was the same for most.
"Big Ten can have this challenge. Duke loses, we all win..."
-Marcus Ginyard, G - UNC
accepted
now go finish your homework.
"I think it's safe to say our concerns are many." -- Kirk Ferentz
I agree with the Rev and Dr titles
Those are expected
I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com
the plain-jane-ness of his name reminds me of this Bob and Tom classic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdnJtbh7lj8
Keeping wildlife, an amphibious rodent, for uh, domestic, you know, within the city - that aint legal either, Dude.
by AcrimoniousAngerererer on Dec 22, 2009 4:38 PM EST reply actions
Titles in the "non-South"
are pretty much worthless.
Let me give you an example.
If you have ever been to a bank and asked to speak with their management you’ll notice they have about four presidents on an average. Under each of said presidents you’ll notice there is about four to six vice presidents. Yeah, I’m not kidding. Check it out for yourself.
Now why in the sam-hell would any company need four presidents and 16 to 24 vice presidents at a single location? Well, I have a friend, who happens to be a vice president at a national bank, and he told me banks love to promote people by giving them titles. By doing this they can skimp on pay and yet keep their employees happy by letting them think their title is significant.
Now tell me, which you you rather have: A title. or a nice pay raise? I’ll take the dough, you can have your damn title…Sir!
"The possibility of physical and mental collapse is now very real. No sympathy for the Devil, keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride." HST
There's that fact that giving titles is easier than giving raises
There’s also the fact that such titles are required under corporate law. Whithout delving too deep into the subject, under general corp law, for a number of types of transactions, a company can only be bound by one of its officers or a person specifically designated by the board. For a financial institution (bank, brokerage house) that makes hundreds/thousands of contracts per day, this would be a pain for the head of the corporation to have to sign each document, especially in the case of banks that have untold numbers of contracts per day (loans, etc). Because you need an “officer” to countersign, banks have to have a lot of VPs, even if they are only approving fairly low-level stuff. Basically, a bank “Vice President” just means that he/she is empowered to approve a loan or otherwise contractually bind the bank. And that’s why the real decision makers at financial institutions are “Executive Vice Presidents/Presidents” or CEOs.
/legal nerdery.
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
Thanks for the info Goon.
Learn something new everyday. Still, you got to admit the whole title thing has gotten out of hand.
"The possibility of physical and mental collapse is now very real. No sympathy for the Devil, keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride." HST
I still think it's about respect
I personally refer to the savior of Georgia Tech football as CPJ because that is just what I like to call him. Similar to what was mentioned above, GT has also had quite a few impressive Johnsons (tee-hee) on campus, James, Michael, and the John the Baptist of them all, Calvin. I don’t if UGA or us started referring to our coaches with the “coach” before the name first but that doesn’t bother me. Although I have a hatred for everything UGA, Coach Mark Richt is one of the few aspects of that school I can bear to stand. I may hate his team and everything red and black but I have to admit I respect him (and only him). On the same token, notice that the Georgia Tech fanbase did not refer to CPJs predecessor as Coach Chan Gailey. I don’t think that there was the same level of respect. I can’t speak for every fan but all-in-all I just enjoy calling him CPJ for no reason at all.
by Yellow Jackette on Dec 22, 2009 5:05 PM EST reply actions
Got it
Y’all a just a bunch of pretentious ducks.
I keed, I keed. Like I said, more than anything I was just curious because of the near-constant and ubiquitous use of “Coach Paul Johnson” or “CPJ” and the fact that this little tendency seems to be mostly confined to the Georgia-centric areas of the interwebs.
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
I guess I do it b/c everyone does it
I’ll say CPH for Paul Hewitt but not as much. CMR for Marck Richt sometimes. Weird idiosyncracy
The college football season is so fragile. It's like a glass ball being pushed around from stadium to stadium by a rhinoceros.
by Winfield Featherston on Dec 22, 2009 8:59 PM EST reply actions
I call Coach Ferentz - HC&GEPOTRKF...
but nobody listens to me.
Quick, who is the Governor of Georgia, or Iowa, or any other state?
Coach Paul Johnson
Coach Mark Richt
Coach Kirk Ferentz
Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant
Coach Hayden Fry
Coach Bobby Dodd
Coach John Heisman
Coach Pat Dye
Coach Danny Ford
Coach Ray Goof
Coach Vince Dooley, etc.
Wally Butts, former coach of U(sic)GA, “…An atheiest in Alabama is someone who doesn’t believe in Bear Bryant…”
Can’t name one Governor (ARNOLD from SOCAL). Even Coach Vince Dooley gave the ultimate Southern Honor by naming his Labrador Retreiver “Herschel”. No Higher Honor in the South.
Coaches are more important here than politicians. Just ask Dabo or The Evil Genius to point out Filandering Mark Stanford from a picture in Columbia!
Can’t name one Governor except the one I voted for. Can name almost all D 1AA and D 2 coaches in the state.
In the South, its not football, its not religion, it is very much more important than any of that.
Coach is the ultimate title of respect, until you lose!
by DressHerInWhiteAndGold on Dec 23, 2009 8:33 AM EST reply actions
And what would lead you to believe that we place politicians ahead of guys like KF?
Black and Gold Blood: Cubbie Blue Heart
Follow me on Twitter: @MattLaCasse
by MissouriHawk on Dec 24, 2009 11:05 AM EST up reply actions
If, as a politician. you risk all the Money (and Mark Sanford's wife had ALL the money) for an Argentine Mistress
Never having been to Iowa, and not impugning KF (of whom I only know what is reported in this blog and every pre Orange Bowl report), which is more important, the Mistress or a BCS Bowl?
Of course the Bowl, so unless the Politician cuts off money for MORE FOOTBALL,, we always place the Coach above the Politician until the next election when the Politician gets one in the neck for NOT funding “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”.
by DressHerInWhiteAndGold on Dec 26, 2009 5:08 AM EST up reply actions
Not trying to be mean here...
But that made absolutely no sense to me since Mark Sanford is the governor of South Carolina.
I guess in Iowa/Midwest-in-general we separate politics from sports. Generally speaking though, Kirk Ferentz is much more highly regarded in the state of Iowa than any politician.
Black and Gold Blood: Cubbie Blue Heart
Follow me on Twitter: @MattLaCasse
by MissouriHawk on Dec 26, 2009 12:50 PM EST up reply actions
I agree with you.
Mark Sanford (probably won’t be Gov much longer if new bills pass), but he only wins and is only known if he:
1. Funds Football
2. Funds Stadiums
3. Some percentage of lowbrows graduate every year from public High Schools.
4. He doesn’t get caught flying off to see a South American hottie while his wife/staff/kids think he is hiking the App. Trail.
5. Standard: don’t get caught in bed with a live boy or a dead girl.
6. Is elected in Presidential Years, otherwise forget anything above a 20% off year turnout for some lawyer who wants the big office at the Capitol.
On the other hand, a coach, any coach in known from the moment he puts on the team jersey and sings the fight song. He’s is popular as long as he wins (and graduates some players, and they don’t pull pellet guns out for armed robbery while wearing UT sweats, and doesn’t take a Lute Olson/Pope Urban year off to recharge)
At Clemson games it is NEVER allowed to bring a hunting rifle into the stands (even when you wear orange overalls) because Bowden or Dabo would catch a 30.06 in the neck for every poor call or missed tackle. Fans couldn’t pick off the Gov. if he was at the 50 yard line and announced Furman is a better school than USC or Clemson.
I agree with you. I don’t think ANYPLACE puts politicians above coaches (as long as they win).
And except for that “JIZZ” picture thing on the IOWA site (and y’all must be real bored for something to do on your site-we’d rather graph plays) , I’d much rather have my child intern with the Football team than any Politico (see dead girl/live boy above).
by DressHerInWhiteAndGold on Dec 28, 2009 11:20 PM EST up reply actions
I would posit that
the most spectacular CPJ…
…has a monopoly on cool nick names, limiting his like-initialed peers to simple acronyms.
/O'keefe'd
by Smokin Herb Grigsby on Dec 25, 2009 12:38 AM EST reply actions
No offense to the great bloggers and commenters here, you guys really have been fun
but it just doesn’t measure up to last year. I think we took every sentence having countless potential dick jokes for granted last year. Who knows the next time Iowa will be slated to face a team with the name “Cocks” and a QB named Smelly.
Once and a lifetime experience there.
Luck is probability taken personally, clutch is probability attributed to individuals.
3rd Best USC bumper sticker
“My Cock is Smelly”
by DressHerInWhiteAndGold on Dec 28, 2009 11:03 PM EST up reply actions
I think you over analyzed this one...
Pretentious, patois, nonclemanture, brevity?? Wow. Are these words really in your regular vocabulary, I had to look up half of them, but then again I am an engineer so numbers are my thing not words.
But I must say your vocabulary comes off a little, umm prententious.?.
Now then I think you are over analyizing the whole CPJ thing. I think my answer to this questions is worthy since I often use the abbrevation, so why do I? Simple, because I saw someone else do it and typing out Paul Johnson everytime is a pain. I guess one could use PJ but CPJ is just fine too, after all he is the coach, and since everyone started using it it just spread, other people saw others using it and they copied.
Thats it, there is no magical reason beyond this. Well at least thats my belief, but what do I know, I’m just an engineer.
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