I've been blogging for the past few years at Sporting News, but they've recently, literally, sold out. The new regime is trying to do things "differently" which in this case appears to mean worse, particularly for those in the blogging part of the website. It appears they're shutting us down, or at least on the verge of doing so. Ergo, it behooves me to find a new blogging home. Hopefully I can find it here at CBSsports, where for a time I was a regular  fantasy player. 
It feels a little strange, like dating again or something. So much of blogging to me has been more than what you say, it's to whom you say it. It's the readers, the comments, and the friends that you make along the way that make blogging the hobby it has become to me. Now I have to meet new friends and in many ways, "start over." In some ways this is sad, but in many ways, I'm also looking forward to this process as I can meet and learn from  a whole new group of bloggers. So here's to new blogs and new friendships!
So, I think in my inaugural blog here on this site, I'll tell you a little bit about my sports mentality and give you a taste of what future blogs may bring. 

Above All Sports Things, I am a St. Louis Cardinals fan. 

I was ten years old when i started watching baseball. As of yet I had no favorite team. Living in North Dakota at the time, but not from there, I felt no particular allegiance to anyone, so I just declared to myself one morning as I was getting ready for school, that the next team named on the radio would be my favorite. As I did so, the announcer uttered "the St. Louis Cardinals lost to...." and the Cardinals became my favorite player then and there. That was about 33 years ago, and the Cards remain my favorite team to this day. I think Albert Pujols is the greatest right handed hitter of all time, and I  think that Adam Wainwright should win the Cy Young this year (or at least he's the present front runner) but I try and keep my bias out of my blogs. I think Albert is the best right handed hitter of all time because he has the highest OPS of any right hander in history. I think that Adam Wainwright deserves Cy Young because he's been the best pitcher in baseball this year, as evidenced by the fact that he is tied for the most wins and the lowest ERA. I try not to be too biased,, and sometimes I'm even successful! Of course maybe sometimes I'm not. 

I Don't Always Take the Popular Opinion

I think the criticism of LeBron has been overblown. He's not helping himself by any stretch with some of the things he's done, but he's certainly not as horrible as some people make it out to be. When people argue that it's not "what he did but how he did it" I have trouble accepting that. If he had announced he was staying in Cleveland those who complain now wouldn't have had a problem with "how" he did it. It seems to me the problem is with what he did, but it's hard to say that he was wrong to finish a contract and then sign somewhere in free agency so it becomes about "how" he did it. "How" he  did it garnered about $2.5 million for charity without garnering any more attention than he would have gotten otherwise. To argue differently is to suggest that ESPN wouldn't have spent at least an hour talking about the ramifications of his "decision" any other way. I'm not afraid to criticize a player, but I'm willing to defend them if I think it's unfair. 

I Like Most Sports but not All of Them

I am however, a fan of the sports fan. I am a bigger fan of the hockey fan than I am of hockey, though I have to say watching the Hawks take home the Cup last season got the blood pumping. I say this because it's what makes it fun for me to read your blogs. I don't have to be a fan of your sport or your team to be a fan of your fandom. You'll see me around, making comments on a variety of blogs. To me, it's all part of the fun. Well, I guess that's enough for now. I'm looking forward to meeting a whole new community of bloggers and reading your blogs as well.