Welcome to Cocky & Rude Fight Club!  The rules to the game are simple.  Each week we’ll introduce our fighters.  We’ll do the leg work and help you analyze their strengths and weaknesses.  Then we’ll put the results to vote.  You’ll pick which combatant will decimate their opponent in the knock-down, drag-out brawl of Cocky & Rude Fight Club! Let’s meet this week’s fighters…

MISTER ROGERS

Full Name: Fred McFeely Rogers
Date of Birth: March 20, 1928
Date of Death: February 27, 2003 (aged 74)
Place of Birth: Latrobe, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Hair Color: brown, gray
Relationship Status: Married to Sara Joanne Byrd (1952–2003)
Occupations (current and/or past): Educator, minister, songwriter, television host
Height: 6′
General Demeanor: gentle, soft-spoken
Hobbies:  swimming, puppeteering, vegetarianism
Favorite Song: It’s A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood, Tree Tree Tree
Awards: He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honor, a Peabody Award for his career, and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. Two resolutions recognizing his work were unanimously passed by U.S. Congress, one of his trademark sweaters was acquired and is on display at the Smithsonian Institution, and several buildings and works of art in Pennsylvania are dedicated to his memory.
Known for: Compassion, patience, and morality
Favorite Outfit: Sweaters, sneakers
Famous Friends: Lady Aberlin, Mr. McFeeley, Prince Tuesday
Favorite Neighbor: the boys and girls of the world
Favorite Puppet: King Friday XIII, Queen Sara Saturday, Prince Tuesday, X the Owl, Henrietta Pussycat, Lady Elaine Fairchilde, Daniel Stripèd Tiger, Cornflake “Corny” S. Pecially, Grandpere Tiger
Catch Phrases: “Won’t you be my neighbor?”
Claim to Fame: creator and host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (1968–2001)
Favorite curse word: none

Fred Rogers was the host of the popular long-running public television children’s show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. The show debuted in Pittsburgh in 1967 and was picked up by PBS the next year, becoming a staple of public TV stations around the United States. Rogers’ mild manner, cardigan sweaters and soft speaking voice made him both widely beloved and widely parodied. Rogers ended production of the show in 2001, but reruns of the show continued to be aired on many PBS stations. He died in 2003 after a short battle with stomach cancer.  Mister Rogers’s secret weapons include an army of kindness, education and his well-fed fish.

CHRIS D.

AKA / Alias / Nicknames: Blogging as Perspectologist
Date of Birth: In the month of September, ~22 years after the birth of Kermit the Frog.
Place of Birth: A pleasant little neighborhood in New Jersey
Hair Color: Dark Brown
Current Residence: New Jersey
Relationship Status: Ever Single
Occupations (current and/or past): Software Developer
Height: 5’9.5″
General Demeanor: Earnest
Hobbies: Hiking, Programming, wanting (but not making time) to read more books by Kurt Vonnegut and Gore Vidal.
Favorite Song: The Yardbirds – Heart Full Of Soul
Awards: Mostly for participation
Known for: Intense Pondering
Favorite Outfit: Black three-piece suite with a bow tie (Bow ties are cool!)
Famous Friends: 2
Favorite Neighbor: Would be a quiet neighbor that I never see.
Favorite Puppet: Kermit the Frog
Catch Phrases: “You are the master and commander of the ship of your destiny!”
Claim to Fame: Baring myself on my blog, figuratively, and semi-literally.
Favorite curse word: Formerly, Feck, but now Frell!

Chris D. started blogging a few years ago as a way to publish his study of perspective and share his personal experiences with the world.  His blog has fallen into hibernation during his most recent retrace back into the quiet world of introversion. Like a mighty Cicada Nymph he will one day emerge, shed his shell, play a percussive song on his abdomen and fly off into a warm breeze. Chris’s secret weapons include reason, patience and perspective.

Who will win in the battle of  MISTER ROGERS vs. CHRIS D.?  Will Mister Rogers soothe Chris D. into submission with a kind song?  Will Chris D. use his powers of patience perspective to overpower Mister Rogers?  Will they even fight?  There’s only one rational way to decide which fighter will win this battle. We’re putting this no-holds-barred fight to a vote. The poll will be open for approximately 24 hours, and you may vote as many times as you want. That’s right — we’re not blocking repeat votes, so vote now and vote often for your favorite Cocky & Rude Fight Club opponent.

Check back on Sunday for the results!

Thanks to both Chris D. & Michelle M. for your assistance with this post!