The "Scott" phenomenen

My whole life, when people have gotten my name wrong, 90% of the time they have called me Scott. Not just strangers; people I know well often misspeak and call me Scott. It is the strangest thing. As I have talked to other Todds over the years, I have discovered that my experience is not unique. Invariably, the response will be "you get that Scott thing too!"

Last night, I hosted our long-time neighbor for a beer. As he was leaving, he said "goodnight Scott." I busted out laughing and decided that it is time for me to investigate this phenomenen more deeply. A Google search lead me to this site, with the following comments:

• "Comment left Aug 16, 2009: ""Todd from Australia. I get Scott all the time too, even from a mate who has called me Scott on and off for 20 years! Another Todd I met in the USA said that the Harvard linguistics department did research on the Todd/Scott mix up and its got to do with a part of the brian where the words sound similar. Although I have never heard of other people's names being mixed up by the same name...""
• Comment left Nov 09, 2009: "I was just called Scott by a co-worked that I've worked with for three years. He is well aware of my name, but still called me Scott in passing. I told him that 99% of the time since college(over the last 30 years) when I've been called the wrong name it was Scott. This has been from people that just have meet me or from those that have known me for a long time. I was curious so searched the net today and found this blog. It's good to see that I'm not the only one who has noticed this strange occurance, and that it is not just coincidence, but may actually be able to be explained medically."
• Comment left Jan 16, 2010: "Yah, I get the Scott thing too."
• Comment left Feb 10, 2010: "Too funny. Here I was researching my name and I come to find out that lots of Todds are being called Scott. Same thing happens to me, and has been for years!!"
• Comment left Feb 20, 2010: "Yes, my name is Todd and I have been called Scott more than any other. Actually, my own mother called me Scott one time."
• Comment left Mar 23, 2010: "I'm a birth year 1965 Todd and yes I get the Scott thing all the time."
• Comment left May 26, 2010: "I get the Scott thing too."
• Comment left Jul 23, 2010: "All my life i have been mistakenly called Scott from relatives, bosses and teachers. I love it when someone says when i've corrected them - oh, you look like a Scott."
• Comment left Jul 23, 2010: "Boy here I thought I might have been a Scott in a past life ;-) "
• Comment left Sep 07, 2010: "I too am a Todd who is frequently called Scott. I am glad to hear that it isn't just me, not sure what that phonemenon's about though."
• Comment left Sep 08, 2010: "This is such a lark that I came across this and discovered vindication for the Scott thing. Years of people calling me Scott just after being introduced to them. I was about to get religious and peer into past lives to try and explain this."
• Comment left Dec 03, 2010: "When ever I meet another "Todd," I ask if they get called Scott. The answer is overwhelmingly yes. I'm a 1961 Todd. Interestingly, I ask Scott's if they get called Todd, they look at me in funny way, and say no."
• Comment left Dec 18, 2010: "This has got to be one of the greatest treats to have stumbled in my life of internet surfing. My fiance yelled back, "are you kidding me, a support group for people named, Todd?" I said yeah, and they all get called Scott, too!"

It is just weird.

Minnesota Sportsperson of the Year

The architect of Target Field. A great choice.

Santee's skills turned what he calls his most challenging project into his most rewarding professional triumph, a locus of limestone, glass, steel and grass that gleams in the sun and glows under lights. In one season, Target Field became to downtown Minneapolis what the North Star is to the night sky. . .

The result is what one New York Times baseball writer called "the best ballpark in America," a theater-in-the-round in which the play is not always the thing.

Target Field combines the nostalgic touches of a great museum, the sightlines of an intimate theater and the walkways, smells, sounds, bistros and even neighborhoods of a thriving city. It is the perfect setting in which to watch, or ignore, a baseball game.

Here is my post about my outside-the-gate 1st day experience at Target Field.

Below is a fan's home video of the flyover that I watched from the Plaza before heading home to watch that 1st game on TV.

Feliz Navidad

Snowstorm of 2010

A long weekend of digging out of 17" of snow is coming to an end. Biggest snowfall in 20 years.

The Vikings were scheduled to play today at noon at the Metrodome, but as of last night the game had been moved to Monday night because the Giants could not get here. Then, at 5:00 a.m. this morning, the Metrodome roof collapsed. Watch the video.



So now the game is going to be held tomorrow night in Detroit. They are going to give away the tickets for free to people in Detroit in order to avoid the oddity of an empty stadium. Given that the Lions beat the Packers today for the first time ever at Ford Field, I suspect that they will get a decent crowd that is hungry for more (free) football.

John Lennon

He was silenced 30 years ago today.

December 7