It Had To Be Bob

Why in hell did the Enzyte guy have to be called Bob?

Until the fall of 1972 I was Rob or Robert. Mostly Rob, since that's what my family called me. It wasn't until Mrs. Achor at Tustin High called me Bob that the name stuck. And it could be confusing at times, particularly if friends from school would be in close proximity to family. Robs and Bobs were freely exchanged and confusing at times. At least there was only one of me.

When I was thrust into the workaday world in 1976 after high school, my first job at MSI Data Corporation found me in a sea of Bob's. There was Bob Hughes, Bob Kappelin, Bob Toker, Bob Brannon, and me, Bob DeLong. At least for the short term, when someone yelled "BOB!", it wasn't for me. But that soon changed, for the better.

But back to being a Bob...

Why couldn't that one movie have been called "What About Frank"? Or "What About George"? That there was a movie in 2006 called "What About Brian" suggests Hollywood being entirely out of ideas is probably a good bet, but still. At the time, "What About Bob" turned my life into a living hell.

There's Bob the Builder. Microsoft didn't help with Microsoft Bob. Hurricane Bob made an appearance in 1991.

And who could forget SpongeBob Squarepants.

I'm in good company - some famous Bob's are: Bob Barker, Buffalo Bob Smith, Bob Costas, Bob Cummings, Bob Denver, Bob Dole, Bob Dylan, Bob Eiger, Bob Elliot, Bob Eubanks, Bob Hope, Bob “Captain Kangaroo” Keeshan, Bob Mackie, Bob Newhart, Bob Saget, Bob Vila, Bob Balaban, Bob Schieffer. The list goes on...

I just wish there's weren't so many pop-culture references.