Many of you know that I just had a birthday, and I loved all the wishes I got on Facebook and elsewhere. Since my previous birthday, my life has changed quite a bit, due largely to professional reasons. So I could not help but air out some thoughts that have piled up since then.
(One disclaimer: I work for a digital media company.)
- Attending high school sports events is fun. The atmosphere is friendly, filled with the excitement of youth and the friendliness of neighborhood camaraderie.
- Covering high school sports is a lot of work. Games are at night, which creates a deadline crunch. NFL writers have the best jobs — one game a week, almost always a daytime start.
- Digital media is more powerful than many people think, including some who work in digital media. Newspapers and TV can make gratuitous mentions and do superficial stories to appear in touch. But the interactivity and information potential always amaze me.
- Municipal festivals are fun. My first 10K run came in Cochran, GA, a small town in mid-Georgia. Memories from that are as special as those from my participation in the 1991 LA Marathon.
- I’m glad bands from the pre-MTV era keep touring; warm fuzzies are hard to beat. However, hope they all know that the time comes for everyone to hang it up. (Memo to the alleged Beach Boys …)
- People have a right to be skeptical of government at all levels. They set policies and have to take responsibility for the results. However, their work is just as hard as what you do for a living.
- Special interests are a big factor in political parties at all levels. Money talks.
- It takes a special person to bear up under Southern summer heat.
- I like SEC football, but that league’s dominance is not good for college football. It comes from getting more TV money than the other conferences do, and that goes into facilities, recruiting, etc.
- I need to take a few pounds off the middle, and I’m looking forward to it.






