Ode To The Blog

I was reading Die Cast Dude's Blog last night and came across his entry called Preaching The Blogging Evangel.  First off, I appreciate the kind things he said about me in that blog as well as things he's said to me before.  I've told him what a great job he does breaking down Nascar and racing in general. 

But, what his entire post really gets to is the great fun it is to own a blog.  I really enjoy it.  We all do for our own reasons.

For me, I just like talking sports.  For those who knew me before the AOL blog explosion of last spring [like Monponsett], I basically stayed on the L.A. Lakers Message Board.  There was a bunch of us regulars who enjoyed discussing the Lakers....but if you've ever been on that board you'd know that pretty much everything else gets discussed there.  Sports, politics, music, movies, etc.  Oh, and the Lakers, too.

I believe I had been posting there since 2001 or so.  But, over the past year, that board had become a circus.  Intelligence was thrown out the window for retread arguments of "Kobe is a rapist" or "Shaq is fat" posts.  It gets old and your mind tends not to grow.  I wanted an out....but really, where to go?

So, a few of the Hosts on that board tried to recruit me for these journal things.  I wasn't sure, but the idea of being able to just throw my takes out there on any subject did intrigue me [since you really aren't supposed to get off topic on the boards].  I could say what I want about things....just to have it out there.  So, one of those boring nights, I just decided to start one.  I wrote an NBA playoff preview of the second round and a take on Barry Bonds.  Then a funny thing happened.

People actually read it!

Next thing I know, I see my name up on the AOL Sports Talk page as if someone thought what I had to say was somewhat enlightening.  Wow.  Then it was on AOL's  "The Show" as the Blog Of The Week....so I guess it had to be pretty good.  So, when you know people are looking at it...you tend to step up your game a little.  Tighten it up, write a little better, make it more interesting. 

So, in the course of almost a year, the AOL blogosphere [I guess that's the term we all agreed on...lol] has blossomed.  The Pigskins Bloggers ring of blogs plus the internet radio show which began during the playoffs really forced me to really step up the game.  Now Sports Bloggers Live is something I really look forward to listening to plus participating on when asked to.  I got that Pigskin Bloggers hat on show and was named the AOL Pigskin Blogger of the Year for my SPORTZ ASSASSIN ON REDSKINS blog which I could barely speak on the Skins this past year. 

I really don't know most of the bloggers backgrounds....but I'm just an average guy.  I'm no writer.  Never cared that much to write.  I work second shift 6-7 days a week and just have lived sports my entire life.  Basically, my blog tends to be just my takes on whatever is the issue at hand.  Some of it was given birth from discussions and arguments me and my buddies have at work.  I take it home with me, and throw it up here.

Somebody once ripped me on this blog by saying "this just sounds like something I could have heard in a bar".  Exactly!!  That's what this is.  Just me [and sometimes others] just saying what I'd say if I was chillin' somewhere spitting out sports takes with my friends.  That's the point of a blog.

It is the editorial page of the newspaper.  A middle class guy living in suburbia with my beautiful wife and two dogs just talkin' sports.  I'm not a journalist.  I'll never claim to be.  I love sports.  I love the NBA, NCAA, NFL and baseball...and always love talking about it and other sports.

So, basically, I just wanna say thanks to the people that read my ramblings.  Thanks to everyone who promote it so well [I'm amazed at where I see my blog linked on web sites].  Heck, I was just on a radio program right after Mike DeCoursy discussing college hoops for God's sakes!!!  He's one of the best known sports writers and I'm just some idiot who can't sleep in the wee hours of the night. 

So, again, thanks for having this "blogosphere" in which we all get to discuss and read each others takes on our passion for sports.

-PEACE