An Outside View: Has it really been a year?

I don’t want to start any wild rumors but word is this newspaper is celebrating its first birthday. In dog years that would be….well….I’m not exactly sure but my trusty little calculator tells me that The Herald has been around for 365 days which equates to 8,760 hours or 525,500 minutes or better yet 31,536,000 seconds. Impressed? Who said it wouldn’t last? It doesn’t seem possible that I have written over 50 columns for this paper. It all started when the publisher, Joe Karl, called me out of the blue to see if I would be interested in writing some sports articles for the paper. I hardly knew him but he knew that I was a sports fan and he had been told that I had an interest in writing. I thought, “This guy must be crazy,” and I politely told him that I didn’t have time. My real job takes up 50 to 60 hours per week. Taking on a sideline career didn’t seem very practical. But I was intrigued by the opportunity and a few conversations later “An Outside View” was born. I’ve had a blast. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect. I hadn’t been impressed with some weekly newspapers that I had seen. I didn’t know if this was the right forum for my style of writing. The editor wasn’t sure either. That’s why we entered this thing on a trial basis. We agreed that after ten weeks we would reassess. Ten weeks came and went and nothing was said. A year later, we are still going strong. Maybe he is still reassessing. The paper has given me free rein to comment on sports issues of the day. I’ve pushed the envelope a time or two but haven’t gotten the publisher in too much hot water – at least not yet. I have poked fun at some folks with some of my satire but have also dealt with some serious subjects. Hopefully, I have helped heighten the awareness of our readers about sports in our community. I have floated some pretty outrageous ideas and at times flirted with lunacy. I admit that suggesting that we abolish the Olympics was a stretch and my idea to add a penalty box to baseball was way out there. And my plan that we have a celebrity-boxing match between the high school football coach and chorus director was a bit bizarre but is still my most talked about piece. I was just joking about banning the playing of Rocky Top at UT games and I’m really not a male chauvinist even though some of my comments about a female on the football panel may lead you to think otherwise. Did I say that I’m having a blast? But it hasn’t been all fun and games. There were some serious moments. I introduced you to Brian McCord, the Seymour High School baseball coach who was called off to help fight our country’s war on terrorism in Afghanistan only weeks before the season was to start, leaving behind his wife who was expecting their first child. We reflected on the year after 9/11 and how the world of sports had changed. We took a stroll together down memory lane and relived the days when sandlot baseball was king. I shared with you the tragic loss of my childhood friend. We have even dealt with social and political issues, which can be tricky in a sports column. At times, I have been critical, usually using humor to make a serious point. Mom worries that I have too much fun at UT’s expense and she wonders about the wisdom of doing that right here in the heart of Big Orange Country. I guess she thinks the Orange Mafia will be sent out to teach me a lesson or two. I tell her that I am an alum and they won’t turn on one of their own. Besides, I spread it around. I’ve had fun with the TSSAA, Nashville politicians, and soccer fanatics just to mention a few. My biggest surprise has been the reaction to the newspaper. Everyone that I talk with tells me how much they enjoy the paper. They say how great it is to have their own newspaper. They note that The Herald is the primary way they keep up with what’s going on in the community. They comment on the professional appearance. You can tell they are proud of their hometown newspaper. As for my column, I have gotten some interesting reactions to say the least. They range from those who say, “right on” to those who think I’ve got a screw loose. The paper has come a long way in a short period of time and I’m proud to be associated with it. I look forward to next week when I am sure I will have some more fun at someone else’s expense.