This feels a little strange. I have to admit that right from the start.

 

   Consider this my introductory blog post as a new contributor to the UC Athletics Web site. Why does this feel weird? A few reasons:

 

1.       I am writing in the first person and probably will be a lot. Because that's what blogs do. I'm a former newspaper reporter, and reporters were always taught that they were not the story and no reader cared about them. But over the last five years or so, media outlets have been asking reporters to blog and chat with readers about their personal experiences. Heck, former Enquirer reporter Dustin Dow once blogged about buying shoes in Italy when covering the Winter Olympics and it was considered hilarious and fascinating stuff by his editor: Me. I'll try to get used to this quickly.

 

2.       I am allowed to write for a UC-related Web site.  Let me explain that.

 

   I was in newspapers for most of the last 25 years (not anymore, obviously). I have covered sports at just about every level - high school, college, pros, international.

  

   The majority of my reporting career was spent covering college basketball at Purdue, Xavier and Cincinnati (the Steve Logan years). I became deputy sports editor of the Cincinnati Enquirer in 2002 and sports editor in 2004.

 

   Reporters and editors pride themselves on objectivity. I may own clothes with a team logo on them, but I would not wear them in public. You can't let anyone perceive that you have a bias.

 

   Quick story: When my first child was born, I was the Xavier beat reporter. One night the kid was sick and I had to quickly dash to Kroger for medicine. It was cold. I reached into the closet and grabbed a sweatshirt. It happened to be a UC sweatshirt. Hadn't worn it for years. Well, sure enough, there I am going down an aisle and I get stopped by a Xavier fan who knows I cover the Musketeers and wants to ask me a recruiting question. But I notice that he can't take his eyes off my sweatshirt. He did not comment on it, but I am grateful he was not running home to post on a chat board that the Xavier reporter is a UC fan. I did not make that "mistake" again.

 

   Where was I?

 

   Oh yea, objectivity. Not a concern with this blog.

 

   Here in this space, my charge is to help link the past and present of University of Cincinnati sports. That means I may write some items with historical perspective (whatever that means), I will track down some former players and write about what they're up to, and other than that I plan to make things up as I go.

 

   Just to establish a little Bearcat credibility:

 

   I am a 1984 UC graduate. I covered the 1992 Final Four team for what was then called Horizons, the alumni magazine. I wrote the book "Tales from Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball" in 2004 after interviewing 75 to 80 former UC basketball players, coaches and staff members. I was editor of the book "Cheer Cincinnati: The Bearcats' Special Season," which was produced by Enquirer Media and came out at the beginning of this year. I am a former News Record sports editor and editor. I am teaching advanced journalism at UC this quarter and serve on several UC-related committees. And, I am working on a few new side projects that involve UC sports (more on those some other time).

 

   I hope to have fun here, but mostly I want to keep this interesting. Feel free to send me questions, comments, ideas and former players you'd like to know about in any sport.

 

   One final thought for this post: I find blogging to be kind of like doing a radio interview. I never think anyone's listening or reading or paying attention until later when I run into someone who comments on something I said.

 

   So, don't hesitate to lemme know if you're out there.

 

   And if you are one of my former Calhoun Hall dorm mates who used to use my News Record articles to line your bird cages ... get your printer ready - I'm back! :)