Signing day is creepy

National letter of intent day. When one steps back to look at it, it’s one of the more pathetic, contrived rituals in sports.

Yesterday was signing day, which it is also known as, when high schoolers and junior college players sign a piece of paper that indicates which college they will attend to play football. It’s an unbelievably exciting day for the students. But for the hangers on, so-called draft experts and self-proclaimed college football junkies – their insatiable appetite for information is beyond creepy.

On this day, boosters, alumni and college football fans log on to their computers, cross their fingers and hope like hell that high school kids who they’ve never seen play validate their football program and pick their school. It has become such a big deal that ESPN and local cable sports stations run footage of these boys donning a cap with the chosen school's logo on it and signing away.

Should we be surprised? Probably not. College sports is big, big money. The NCAA has the best business model ever, just nudging out the Egyptians who also used slave labor when they built the pyramids. At least when a kid misses a tackle he’s not beaten to death and fed to the lions.

But the capper for me is the rankings. Rivals.com says Washington’s draft class is tied for 67th in the country and ninth in the Pac-10. According to Scout.com, they’re 66th and last in the conference. Why not 63rd or maybe 69th? And how does this translate into wins a year from now. Or three or four years from now?

You know what the answer is? It’s “I dunno.” Brilliant.

Husky coach Steve Sarkisian had a great quote in the P-I today that put it all in perspective: "No offense to ESPNU, or to Scout.com or Rivals or anyone who ranks these guys, but I don't remember the last time they had to put together a game plan."

That said, I’m not going to begrudge a grown man his fetish. If he wants to sit around in his boxers, comparing and contrasting the height, weight and 40-yard dash times of 16- and 17-year old boys, well I guess I’ll just have to get over it.