January 1 through July 22, FTRS was on a different server. We migrated to SB Nation on July 23. Some highlights of our pre-SBN 2009 include stuff about the Ramblin' Reck like the article 10 Mascots More Dangerous than a Model A. We also hated on Georgie a bit when Dane said "Helen Hunt is Mark Richt." I personally attacked people that don't like change like Terrence Moore and people that don't understand the global economy.
Sometimes the blogging left the sports world and traveled into our personal lives. Dane reached a breaking point around mid April. We haven't seen nor heard from him much since. Dane does return occasionally for extensive and essential rants (possibly due to intoxication). In June, an opposition blogger traveled all the way from the Great Southwest to visit ATL and scout his opponent's home turf.
Across the interwebs, ESPN Sports Nation said GT would have a better football season than the dogs. I'd tend to agree especially if the season ends in an Orange Bowl victory. Heather Dinich wooed Dane and then broke his heart as most women tend to do.
Generally speaking, nothing was more popular on the LegacyX4 (pre-FTRS days) than the Ladies of [Insert College] Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13. Wow, that's a lot of parts. I didn't realize Winfield and Dane put so much effort into finding scantily clad photos of enemy women. I applaud their efforts.
On a related note, I guess the saddest and greatest fact we ever posted on FTRS was a line from Freshmen Commencement: "With the addition of the new Freshman Class, for the first time in the history of Georgia Tech, the overall female population has reached 30%." It was met with great rejoicing by happy Tech fans and mocking dog fans.
If you want to see what FTRS analyzes when there are no sports statistics, then you've not been here long enough to see this article about mascots or this article about school colors. Some interesting football analysis was performed over the off season concerning the ACC-SEC with regards to parity and in what it took statistically to win a game in 2008 for GT. An interesting reflection point could be made of our ACC Media predictions. Everything kinda fell into place except for Duke and UVA. Another piece that would be fun to revisit would be the touchdowns per touch that basically showed how dominant of a wide receiver Calvin Johnson really was.
I'd have to say my favorite comparison topic for the Paul Johnson Era is the Chan Gailey Era. It's fresh in our minds and offers a stark contrast to what we see on the field today. Hell, we even proposed a movie to commemorate the CCG Era to which Collegegameballs commented, "You haven’t seen this much wasted talent since Jennifer Connelly in the Hulk."
As the season began, we performed cross-blog Q/A's with Block-C twice, Canespace, CGB/Gobbler Country, For Whom the Cowbell Tolls, Blogger So Dear, From Ole Virginia, and Tomahawk Nation. The UNC game saw the birth of the open thread cartoon. After we got destroyed epically by Miami, I retired the Tick parody and settled on making fun of the actual teams. None were quite as epic or ironic as the 300 Jackets open thread. Of course I had to jinx the Jackets by depicting them in an Alamo-esque effort.
FTRS also brought you a more personal touch to the Ramblin' Reck itself, as we brought you information and generally updated you on the car. We also posted as many rideout videos that Winfield could get from this year. Probably the most famous video was the clip of Paul Johnson telling the Reck to go whether TV was ready or not:
For the most part, a video was taken of all the games but some of the shotgun riders have slacked in uploading their clips: Clemson 2nd Half, UNC 1st Half, UNC 2nd Half, ACC Championship. Look for the Orange Bowl rideout later this month.
We also saw the firepower of a fully operational Georgia Tech fan base banding together in support of the Reck. The Reck needed financial support to get to Miami and the fans saw to it. We exceeded our financial goals and can now safely transport the Reck to the Orange Bowl. All of the money left over will be used for the long term maintenance and preservation of the car itself. A new garage is now back to #1 on the list of "Hot Topics" for the Ramblin' Reck which we are currently working towards.
2009 brought more headlines that involved the Ramblin' Reck in other ways. The legendary Dean Dull passed away this year and the Reck paid its respects. His obituary can be read here.
Basketball and bowl season brought to us a new FTRS blogger, Tedward09. He brings recruiting news and a hatred for all things Georgie that is unparalleled this side of the Chattahoochee.
2010 looks to be another good year for the blog formerly known as LegacyX4. We look forward to pissing off the red and black horde and overloading Tech fans with over the top statistical analysis. The basketball team is stronger than it has been the past couple of years. Baseball returns a lot of talent. And FTRS doesn't think there's a single Tech fan that isn't ready for next Thanksgiving already. In short, Happy New Years to all the readers, commenters, contributors, and fellow bloggers! Thanks for a great 2009!