photo credit: D.L.
For a long time I’ve wanted to create a who’s who of the Said at Southern Network. Obviously, there are a lot of standouts in our field of 192 blogs. (58 alumni, 115 students, 19 faculty) So, I could never think of a fair system of evaluation - until now.
Just in time for the 1 year Said at Southern birthday.
What follows is a bracket style tournament (so to speak) of the best of the Said at Southern network of bloggers. The seedings are based on the number of “well said” tags I’ve given them over the past 30 days. Like all selection committees, I make no excuses for my bias.
These polls will remain open until next Sunday night. At that time I will take the top 3 picks from each bracket and advance them to the next round. I have designated each blog as A (alumni) or S (student). Once we get past the first few rounds I’ll bring in addition statistics.
You’re welcome to leave any comments below. If you’ve noticed, I excluded all faculty blog except the Rapid Fire from the Henry Institute. Let me know what you think. We might have to take our winners against them at a later date. I also disqualified Said at Southern itself for academic doping. My personal army of blogs were disqualified for using the Force to drive search engine traffic.
There are some other great blogs that I’ve had to exclude. I’m sure this list would look much different 3 months ago or 3 months from now. But it never hurts to peak at tournament time.
If you find any errors, or want to appeal, you can e-mail me directly TonyKummer@gmail.com
East Division
- Provocations & Pantings (Timmy Brister - S)
Technorati Authority: 334
Google PageRank: 4
Yahoo Backlinks: 11,800 - Colossians Three Sixteen (Brent Thomas - S)
Technorati Authority: 145
Google PageRank: 4
Yahoo Backlinks: 11,200 - Sunday School Revolutionary (Darryl Wilson - A)
Technorati Authority: 11
Google PageRank: 3
Yahoo Backlinks: 36* - Pastor and People (Dustin Benge - S)
Google PageRank: 4 - Reformed Mafia (Team Blog - S)
Google PageRank: 3 - Devin Hudson - A
Google PageRank: New Domain
Midwest Division
- Diary of a Seminary Student (Terry Delaney - S)
Technorati Authority: unlisted
Google PageRank: 3
Yahoo Backlinks: blogspot* - Consumed (Owen Strachan - A)
Technorati Authority: unlisted
Google PageRank: 4
Yahoo Backlinks: 5,400 - Christ My Righteousness (Celucien L. Joseph - A)
Technorati Authority: unlisted
Google PageRank: 4
Yahoo Backlinks: blogspot* - I Follow Christ (Bryan Lilly - S)
Google PageRank: 4 - Henry Institute Rapid Fire (Robbie Sagers - S)
Google PageRank: 4 - Reformissionary (Steve McCoy - A)
Google PageRank: 4
West Division
- Kingdom People (Trevin Wax - S)
Technorati Authority: 198
Google PageRank: 4
Yahoo Backlinks: 17,000 - Christ and Pop Culture (Rich Clark editor - S)
Technorati Authority: 58
Google PageRank: 3
Yahoo Backlinks: 1,340 - Elect Exiles (Drew Dixon editor - S)
Technorati Authority: 12
Google PageRank: 4
Yahoo Backlinks: wordpress* - Lawn Gospel (Hank Balch - S)
Google PageRank: 5 - Off The Wire (Matthew Wireman - S)
Google PageRank: 4 - Life Together (Doug - A)
Google PageRank: 5
South Division
- Internet Monk (Michael Spenser - A)
Technorati Authority: 727
Google PageRank: 5
Yahoo Backlinks:68,400 - Six Steps (Alex S. Leung - S)
Technorati Authority: unlisted
Google PageRank: 3
Yahoo Backlinks: 1,230 - Living To God (Peter Beck - A)
Technorati Authority: 3
Google PageRank: New Domain
Yahoo Backlinks: 9 - Power of Change (Reid S. Monaghan - S)
Google PageRank: 3 - ACFAR Blog (John Divito - A)
Google PageRank: 4 - The Silent Holocron (Stephen Newell - A)
Google PageRank: 3
{ 10 trackbacks }
{ 63 comments }
I’m humbled to be in the tournament, but I foresee getting put out in the first round. I’m among some stiff competition! [Not that it's really competition, and I really am humbled just to be mentioned in the same breath as you guys]
Bryan’s last blog post..Why I am A Christian Environmentalist - Part I
I feel like the Tampa Bay Devil Ray…I mean Rays…being in the same division as the Yankees, Red Sox, and Blue Jays. I am glad S@S, just like MLB, even allowed for an expansion team!
Terry Delaney’s last blog post..Continued Affirmation on the Lord’s Day
No joke Terry! lol. When I first realized what was going on, I was saying to myself, “Please don’t let Trevin be in my division. Please don’t let Trevin be in my division….” Hahaha. My only hope was a first round bye, but alas that was not the case. All that being said, I too am honored to be apart of SAS. And I can’t wait for the SAS putt-putt tourney, cause I got a mean windmill shot I’ve been saving up for just such an occasion.
Brother Hank’s last blog post..The World Awoke Today and Groaned: A Poem
I’m sure we could get some expert analysis on the brackets, but there are many tough blogs up there. There is never an easy path to the final four.
Terry - You’re in a hard place. Three of the blogs in your division could have been #1 seeds if they had written more in the lats month. Consumed & Reformissionary are both danger lower seeds.
I’m really looking forward to how all this works out. I can see several Cinderella stories taking shape.
Hank - If Trevin links over on Friday, his Kingdomites might cause a bit of a route. Job one is making it to the next round.
Yeah, I’m dreading the Trevin Effect myself, but we’re nonetheless honored to be included! Our plan is to foul constantly in the last 2 minutes of the game.
Rich Clark’s last blog post..Is this movie the next “Passion of the Christ”?
Tony, Tony…
What WILL you think of next?
The Spring semester has officially taken its toll…
Trevin Wax’s last blog post..Sheep & Goats 8: When Did We Fail?
Thanks Tony - I am honored to even be among such great bloggers whom I have learned so much!
Trevin - this was another one of those right before bedtime moments of inspiration, similar to how the whole Said at Southern project was born last Spring.
Being a Hoosier, the whole bracket tournament really connected with me.
Dustin - I think your blog is a credit to the SAS network.
I really should be reading Bernhard Anderson “Tradition & Scripture in the Community of Faith” in JBL, but I wanted to find out how to vote…
This would make it clear my strategy to get to the Finals…Vote for myself PROFUSELY!
And at risk of self-promotion (I guess it’s not really risk, since I am actually promoting self), whoever wants to add me on their sidebar…I greatly extend the invitation.
Matthew Wireman’s last blog post..On Art & God
I’ve fixed the problem with the polls not working for some people. Enjoy.
Good list of blogs. But why disqualify yourself but not Trevin or Timmy or any regular co-opter to SatS? Are children less important than Romanian mission work or blue-collar theology? You do yourself a disservice!
Scott’s last blog post..But who may abide the Day of His Coming?
Scott,
Trevin and myself are superdelegates. We do not have to vote according to the consensus. We are here to make sure the right people get to the top.
No?
“Yes we can!”
Tony,
I need a timeline for this madness so I can prepare for a ninth-inning rally.
Timmy Brister’s last blog post..Blue Collar Theology 21: New Books on Jesus
There will be no ninth inning rallies! This is more like a race where all bets are off in the last laps!
Honestly, I am prepared to be one and done in my bracket.
We shouldn’t be too confident, Timmy. There might be the rumblings of an upset awaiting us… Superdelegates or not!
Trevin Wax’s last blog post..Sheep & Goats 8: When Did We Fail?
I am Villanova vs. Georgetown…
I am North Carolina State vs. Houston…
I am Texas Western vs. Kentucky…
I am Arkansas vs. Duke…
I am Arizona vs. Kentucky…
I am Syracuse vs. Kansas…
I AM CINDERELLA INCARNATE!!!!
[/hubris]
Stephen Newell’s last blog post..March’s Puritan: Thomas Watson
Wow! I liked the Cinderella not incarnate! She was a bit more pretty.
Just let it be known that I will spare no shame to win this thing…lol.
If I got to make another post about Ron Paul, I will bite the bullet and do it….!
btw- I can vote now! I don’t know what happened, but I stopped in and the polls finally came up empty…so…woohoo! I’m back in voting action. It feels good to have my suffrage back.
Brother Hank’s last blog post..The World Awoke Today and Groaned: A Poem
Although there are a lot of great blogs on this list, I can’t believe Denny Burk’s blog is not on here!!!
Matt Svoboda’s last blog post..“According To Plan”
Matt,
Maybe he could get the “blog” in post.
Scott’s last blog post..But who may abide the Day of His Coming?
Trevin,
I just want you to know that I voted for your blog before I voted against it.
Timmy Brister’s last blog post..Missional Work
Has there been a Hillary sighting in the Blog-offs? Say it ain’t so, Tim! Say it ain’t so!
Wow - I go to class for a few hours and the comments go wild!
All the divisions are closer than I expected. Of course if Timmy is planning his 9th-inning drama, he could pull in a few thousand votes at any moment.
Scott - Thanks for your encouragement. But with all the recent investigations into MLB, I think it’s best to keep the Said At Southern Blog Madness above reproach. Search engine doping is much more effective than HGH.
Timmy - For the record superdelegates do not exist in the SAS network, although some are claiming the polls can be manipulated by using the DARK SIDE.
As for a time line, I’ll narrow the field (top 3 in each division) and repost the next round on Monday 3/24 the results of that week will go to the final four.
From there things will move faster - stay tuned.
Terry - re #19 ….. OUCH
Hank - Your post on the LawnGospelution was a great resume builder for the tournament here.
Matt - The Bubble was cruel this year Denny Burk and Scott Lamb both were omitted. Again, I stuck with the selection criteria of the most “well said” tags in the last 30 days. Those guys, and many others, have great blogs and I hope they can make the tournament next year.
Tony,
Do we have a way of checking that all voters are registered? I hear that there is a lot of cross-over going on these days, and I have a feeling that SWBTS and SEBTS students are changing seminary affiliation to get in on the action. Better check those IP’s.
Trevin,
So no super-delegates, eh? Gotta plan B?
Terry,
I am prepared to give a sob speak if I am losing badly. If Hillary can do it, so can I.
No?
“Yes I can!”
Timmy Brister’s last blog post..Missional Work
Timmy - If you post that video from Facebook (the one with you freaking/dancing?) they we might give you a big sympathy vote for your “persecution”
About the conspiracy, that might be a good angle for the P&P investigative team. At SAS we think the best of every man in Christ, even if they are from the rival seminaries.
All - SWBTS & SEBTS & everyone else is free to vote, we call that universal suffrage. It’s more of a Northern culture thing, but I don’t think its offensive anymore.
Tony,
I have considered it all joy. That’s all I am going to say about that.
Regarding P&P investigative team, we are currently tied up trying to find those ten million Southern Baptists that don’t show up on church on Sunday morning. I figured that they are probably all blogging instead of going to church. Never worry, we are on top of this story (although since you are an expert on the Dark Side, perhaps your blogorific intelligensia could be of some service).
Timmy Brister’s last blog post..Missional Work
Tony - Like I said, no shame….lol.
Brother Hank’s last blog post..What Nasa Workers Do In Their ?Spare? Time
Just for the record, I am now in third place with comments this month. Only 15 behind Terry. Does the person with the most comments become a super-delegate?
Timmy Brister’s last blog post..Missional Work
That was my understanding, Timmy. That and you have to blog all the chapels.
Did someone mention the Dark Side? *snap-hiss of a lightsaber igniting*
That would explain why Reid and IMonk have weathered my initial ascent.
Stephen Newell’s last blog post..St. Patrick’s Day at the ?Cron
Stephan - be careful the force is strong in the South division
Timmy-
Just for the record, you’re also behind me…lol.
Brother Hank’s last blog post..What Nasa Workers Do In Their ?Spare? Time
What’s the prize for winning this thing?
Spencer might win without sending over any traffic!
Trevin Wax’s last blog post..Don’t Replace the ?Substitute?
Is there a wildcard in this thing?
Matthew Wireman’s last blog post..?How Have You Sinned This Week??
Ahh…my lead was soo short lived! I should have paid a little more to all those story times with “the tortoise and the hare”….!
Brother Hank’s last blog post..Orthodox Celts: A Belated St. Patrick Day’s Present
What’s up with all these backtracks? I’m feelin’ the heat . . .
Timmy Brister’s last blog post..?Ministerially Speaking?
Timmy, you would try to drag us from SEBTS under the all-terrain radials of SBTS!
For the record, Elect Exiles has four authors, two from SBTS, 1 from SWBTS (Josh York), and 1 from SEBTS (me). But, we’re Calvinists, so there! Haha, or could it be, well yes, Drew writes so much he puts us all at EE to shame.
Uh.
We’re getting whooped.
Kevin
kschaub’s last blog post..Christ’s Righteousness, Not Our Own
Trevin - I might be willing to put up a prize, let’s wait until we get a litter closer to the final four.
Spencer is very well established and has some serious pull. But that is why the play the game. I could see a scenario where he falls if everyone starts pulling for the underdogs in the next round, or the next. But then again, that would be a major upset.
Matt - No wildcards, no second chances, it’s win or go home.
FYI - Christ and Pop Culture was our top referrer yesterday, they are leaving it all on the court.
Timmy - Don’t underestimate your rivals. There are a lot of “sure things” that stumble in the big dance.
This round will have 3 move on in each division, after that we move to the final four. So, if you can make it out of this week it will get much harder.
Hey! Is Sagers stuffing the ballot box? What’s really going on here!
Terry Delaney’s last blog post..Kissing Dr. Moore
Kevin,
Watch out for the “Us four and no more” liner. I can hear it now. “You elect exiles. You don’t blog for the whole world, do you?”
Tony,
Who said I am underestimating my rivals? You know that Ahmedinejad has a blog, don’t you.
Oh, and the only sure thing around here is that Kummer is King, and P&P is your pauper, ahem, poppa.
Timmy Brister’s last blog post..?Ministerially Speaking?
Terry,
What’s up with this kissing Dr. Moore business? Tony was telling me today about some action in the bookstore. Brother, you come ’round here and try some of that, and as they say down south, “I might have a come apart.”
Timmy Brister’s last blog post..?Ministerially Speaking?
Timmy,
Jealousy will getchya nowhere! Besides, I am not one to kiss and tell.
Now, quit trying to catch me in the comment column–I need to win one of these contests and this one ain’t looking too hot right now.
Terry Delaney’s last blog post..Kissing Dr. Moore
I am completely amazed, flabbergasted, overwhelmed, and stunned at the level of my support. To come up against such great Master Blogger as Timmy Brister and give him a run for his money…WOW…I am amazed. I expect him to pick up speed any time now and leave me chocking in the dust. Just a question, is there an electoral college if we start counting chads?
Dustin Benge’s last blog post..Blog Madness, Mission and Meanderings
Vote for me if you don’t want to get told off in sign language.
Stephen Newell’s last blog post..The ?Cron Is In the ?Blog Dance!?
Terry - I could activate myself in the sidebar comments, but you might still have me beat.
Timmy - Ecclesiastes 4:13 ESV Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice.
Terry - watch out for Sagers, he came to play.
Stephen - I thought of you in chapel today as the girl was doing the sign translation for Goldsworthy - she had to work fast!
Dustin - Don’t get too excited, Brister is all about the Ninth-Inning Rally. Remember how he crashed the Ask Anything on Mars Hill?
Tony–I see through your ploy of leaving seventeen comments in a row when one will suffice! Don’t think I won’t leave one letter comments to win this!
Stephen–That was really funny.
Timmy–I have been praying about it and the Lord has told me that I should greet you with a holy kiss next time I see you. Don’t act like you don’t want to be biblical, either!
Tony,
Four comments in a row? You are filling up my inbox brother. Consolidate my friend. One more thing: is it the top three in each group?
Dustin,
Don’t believe a word Tony says, for “we are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Anthony 1:9).
Timmy Brister’s last blog post..?Ministerially Speaking?
Terry,
You ain’t right. I’m remain unconvinced about the “holy” part of holy kisses. Anyway, there’s got to be some kind of prohibition of boy kissing in our school code of conduct somewhere. At least if you are going to do it (to others, that is) be sure to carry one of those man purses.
Timmy Brister’s last blog post..?Ministerially Speaking?
T&T (Timmy & Terry) - Every time I sent my comment a new one would pop up needed a reply. It was almost innocent.
And the kissing stuff will have to be deleted. You don’t want this post being quoted out of context on your enemies blog 3 years from now. Sorry.
Dustin - If it’s any consolation, your 46 votes makes you #2 over all brackets! That alone is impressive.
Timmy–Denial is not only a river in Africa!
Terry Delaney’s last blog post..Greeting Dr. Moore…Twice
Let it be known that if I don’t make it to round 2, I commit myself right now to being a spoiler. Ralph Nader ain’t got nothing on me. And that is no threat my friends, that is about as certain as Kansas taking it all the way to the big house this year….!
Brother Hank’s last blog post..Cultural Question: Divorce, Abortion, and Birth Control
Why are you certain that Kansas is going to prison?
Terry Delaney’s last blog post..Greeting Dr. Moore…Twice
lol. very funny terry. Oh, they’ve got convictions, but its called class, and the rest of the tourney is about to be schooled….hehehe
Brother Hank’s last blog post..Cultural Question: Divorce, Abortion, and Birth Control
We at elect exiles may not be winning the tournament, but we believe that the tournament is completely out of our hands and subject to the Lord who is sovereign over all blog tournaments. Plus we are not linking to the tournament and begging our readers to go and vote for us (cough*Hank*) as we believe this too to be out of our hands.
You see this way when we lose we can say that at least we were spending our time blogging about more important things.
But if the deficit gets to be too big, we might link to the vote!
I hope everyone knows I am kidding. I think this whole thing is nuts, but also fun!
Drew Dixon’s last blog post..Christ’s Righteousness, Not Our Own
Oh yes, Fort Leavenworth is in Kansas, no? How appropriate. Ever since Greg Ostertag, I’ve always thought of Kansas ballplayers as thugs on the parquet.
Stephen Newell’s last blog post..The ?Cron Is In the ?Blog Dance!?
What an incredible tourney baby! This field is full of some of the best diaper dandies in recent memory. I’m going for Darryl “Down Town” Wilson out of the East baby! He’s my sleeper in the this division baby! He has outside range (evangelism and missions) and he can take it inside and bang with the big boys on the block (apologetics). Wow, I am going insane at such an incredible tourney baby!
There’s got to be a way to fix this game.
Round 2 is up and running
The Final Four is up and running.
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