I always wanted to have a band named "Naked Women And Free Beer".  Put that on a poster, and they'll show up every time.  Just like you did to this blog!  I'd make a freakin' mint.

Now that you're here, and you see there's no T, no A, and no beer, feel free to get all wampy-jawed and split, after the evil ruse I used to get you here.  If that's the case, feel free to leave me a "You suck" comment, so I'll know you were here before you go.  Otherwise, I'll forge ahead.

While reading and commenting on many of the blogs here, I keep feeling the need to explain where I'm basically "coming from" before I explain my position on the subject at hand, resulting in my writing lengthy posts that are annoying even to me.  I'm sure several bloggers will agree on that front.  So, here's a bunch of random junk about "where I'm coming from", and hopefully you can have some idea what I'm yammering on about when/if you read my comments on other blogs, or the posts on my own page.

*  The writing and/or performance of words is how I make my living, and was also my area of education; I have a degree in Speech Communication (one of the all-time greats of impractical majors) from the University Of Tennessee.  I've made my living as a musician for the last ten years or so -- as a singer and songwriter (but NOT a "singer/songwriter") -- and I've been writing blog-type pieces on my website for the last three or four years.  I've been published in a local art mag, and a few of my non-sports blogs have been re-published on music e-zine sites.  Point is, the use of words is of utmost importance to me.

*  Modern pop country music like Big 'N Rich and Toby Keith is absolute CRAP.  I make my living playing roots/country music, and I don't want anybody here getting the impression that I like musical abominations like Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban after hearing that I do "country music".  What I do is nowhere close to that stuff.  I do country music for grown-ups, not twangy pop for soccer Moms and teenage girls.

*  While I am sort of a music snob and "roots Nazi", I can appreciate all kinds of music -- including good pop and hip-hop music, which is totally contrary to the kind of music I perform.  The point is, I appreciate good art.  Which is another reason I get so irritated at bad writing in any form, especially when I see it in a contest called "Next Great Sportswriter".

*  I don't use photos in my blogs.  Why?  I don't know how.

*  I have a natural propensity against the mentality of isolationist regions like New York and L.A., who often believe that they can think for the rest of the country.  Before all you "coasters" get all in a tizzy and start spilling your lattes and bean sprout burritos all over yourselves, I realize that everybody in those cities isn't elitist and goofy, that's just what I've seen too much of from those cities, and the general vibe I get from them.  Let me also say that I live in one of the biggest offenders of regional isolationist egotism:  Texas.  Texas is one of, if not the, most steadfast practitioners of the "We rule, and everybody else is an idiot" mentality.  I hate that about Texas.  In fact, I wrote a blog called "Get Over Yourself, Texas" -- after the death of Hunter S. Thompson, the local paper, instead of heralding Thompson's brilliance and lamenting the tragedy of his death, decided to talk about how there were writers in Texas doing "gonzo journalism" before he was doing it.  Being proud of your region is one thing, but New York, L.A., and Texas all take it way too far.

*  There are very few things on the planet that truly offend me or really get under my skin to the point of irrationality.  I realize that half the things I write are angry-sounding "I'm tired of this", and "I hate that", or "stop being a moron" rhetoric.  And yes, there are plenty of things every day that I find irritating.  And yes, there are few things I love more than a good argument, as long as it stays relatively rational.  But I'm that way because I enjoy solving difficult problems, especially when it comes to people and issues.  The final resolution of a controversial issue is one of the most satisfying things there is, whether it ends in a hug or a sock in the gut.  Being in the entertainment business, I also realize the need for "show", and the necessity of getting people talking, and the manner is sometimes secondary.

So, if you read my blogs or comments and they seem inflammatory or contrarian to you, that's because they're intended to be, for the sake of drama and frank discussion, not because I'm some sort of angry guy.  To me, talking about how great everything is can be incredibly boring.  Constant negative harping can also get boring and predictable, so I don't write about just that, either.  While I may have a blog called "Please Stop Trying To Make Me Like Soccer", I also have one called "I Think I Could Eat A Hundred Tater-Tots".  Hopefully, by writing this blog, every time I say something un-flowery and un-positive about somebody's blog, I won't have to say, "Kidding!" at the end.  You'll know it's just me being me (kinda like "Manny being Manny"), and I really mean you no harm.  Mostly.

There.  If you made it to the end of this, you care way too much about what I have to say.  Please stop stalking me, weirdo.

Kidding!