SportDork - In England!!
Welcome to SportDork.com! I feel like I have some explaining to do. Many of you have come to this site to see what Shannon and I are up to while we spend the year in England - and you're wondering what's up with the name SportDork. A little background - About six months ago (when the only notable thing about England as far as Shannon and I were concerned was that it was one of many countries we had never been to) I decided that if I was going to watch just about every sport put on television and, when not watching, spend most of my free time talking sports, I might as well start writing about it. I initially convinced myself that starting a sports blog would be a more productive pursuit than just sitting on my ass and watching sports, but I'm not sure "productive" is the right word. More like a logical extension of my sports fanaticism - and writing always has a scholarly feel to it. Those of you who know me know that I have a little bit of procrastination in me, but my wife does not. So, when I mentioned a blog to Shannon, while I began mentally preparing to do something about it by no later than 2008, she jumped into action and reserved a few domain names for me. Without her, I'd still be talking about how I've been thinking of starting a blog. Of course, I still managed to do a pretty good job of procrastinating, since it's now August, and I've had this domain name since February.
Well, things change. It's August, and we're living in England for the next year. Shannon got a great opportunity with her company, I took a leave of absence from my job, we shipped the cats from Atlanta to San Francisco (thank you, Brian and Colleen), and here we are. Given the substantial amount of free time that I've stumbled into, I decided it was time to get this thing up and running. Ironically, I am now living in a country that only recognizes soccer, cricket, rugby and darts as sports, so while I now have plenty of time to write about sports, I'm not exactly in the best location to be authoring a sports blog that anyone from the U.S. would find remotely entertaining. Fortunately, amid the 16 sports channels that exclusively televise the "big four" mentioned above, is NASN (The North American Sports Network), which is my sole source for U.S. sports. Allegedly, NASN will be showing some select college football games during the fall, as well as a few NFL games, so I may actually find the opportunity to use this blog for it's originally intended purpose every once in a while. But until then, the primary purpose of SportDork.com will be to keep everyone up to speed on what we are up to during our year in England (I was going to write "our year on the Rock", but I couldn't do it - can't bring myself to say "cheers" yet, either).
One note: My intention is to set up this blog in much the same style as the annual holiday letter. For those of you unfamiliar with the holiday letter, this means it will contain a significant amount of trivial, and in most cases, useless information that is not intended in any way to inform or educate.
One note: My intention is to set up this blog in much the same style as the annual holiday letter. For those of you unfamiliar with the holiday letter, this means it will contain a significant amount of trivial, and in most cases, useless information that is not intended in any way to inform or educate.
Most of you also know that I am far from a technical whiz, but my plan is to set this thing up to allow for comments/responses - a decision that I realize I may quickly regret.
Finally, I hope you enjoy the Billy D picture in the header. It's there because I love the Gators - and Shannon thinks he's hot.
You're right. You are a Dork, sport.
Reply to this
The SportDork thanks you for your support.
Reply to this
This is hilarious-Alex, you should convert this blog into a book, ala "Coffee, Tea or Me"-you could call it "Two Peaches on the Rock"-and you probably need something on the rocks after all this furniture adventure! Mel
Reply to this
What an honour (English spelling) to have Atlanta's greatest real estate agent as a reader of SportDork.com. If anyone out there ever needs an agent, for any reason, and I say this with a sincerity not often found on the pages of SportDork.com, let me know and I will put you in touch with Melody. Her competence is unparalleled. There is no one better.
I'm happy to hear you've found it entertaining. A book could be part of the SD long-term strategic plan. I have to confer with my head of business development - Mrs. SportDork.
Speaking of something on the rocks, I recently procured (meaning yesterday) a bottle of Woodford Reserve Bourbon from our local grocery store. I was perusing the 87 types of Scotch they have for sale when I saw a lone bottle of Woodford on the shelf. I did a double take and looked around for a hidden camera because I was sure it was a sick practical joke, but it was the real deal. Ah, sweet nectar.
Reply to this
how is the english diet going, skinny?
Reply to this
Congratulations!! Your not-so-subtle sarcasm regarding my weight has earned you Comment Of The Week honors!!
I can only assume that your inquiry is directly related to the circled area in the following picture from the "Anybody Got An Extra Bathing Suit? (The Ibiza Chronicles, Part III)" entry:
I'm not sure how this happened, but I can assure you that this picture is a gross misrepresentation of my current physical condition. I swear - I'm not pregnant. It's amazing how lighting and camera angle can distort an image. In my defense, I have been exercising regularly and have lost about ten pounds since moving to England. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I guess all this picture proves is that I must have been really fat when we got here.
Reply to this
Jordan, they say a camera can add 10 pounds...obviously the shot was taken with 3 cameras pointed at SD.
I am new to the blog as of today and so far I have these two opinions to share with the millions of Sportdorkers out there in cyberspace. First, I should have stopped reading this blog when the remedy for taking care of the cats was not a burlap sack, a brick and bucket of water instead it was a cross country adventure to a Cat Spa. Also, so far my sport to dork ratio meter is at 10 to 90. Lets mix in a little man thought for the knuckle draggers.
I have missed you.
Reply to this
Welcome Aboard!! Before I go any further, I should point out that your posted name has been ever-so-slightly modified by none other than me - The SportDork. That's because here at SportDork.com, we like to keep things on the up and up - for the kids. Keep that in mind going forward, or I will strip you of your posting privileges so fast you won't know what hit you. The power is intoxicating, and I'll use it.
I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to have you on board. I have waited for over two months for someone to play the antagonist to the protagonist that is The SportDork. As an English major, you know that every hero needs a good foil. I had hoped that Mr. Blackmon would assume the role, but to date he has been a quiet observer on SportDork.com, leaving the post open for another reader. But here you are to save the day. First, let me say that I commend you for going with an animal cruelty joke right out of the box. A bold move, particularly given the Michael Vick case and the sensitivity to that kind of humor right now, but you clearly understand what it takes to draw the ire of an entire community of blog readers - and quickly. Well played. Second, as you know, my chemical composition is about 10 to 90, sport to dork, so it should be of no surprise that SportDork.com has followed suit. I think it may be slightly closer to 20/80, so perhaps you should read all of the entries before providing an assessment. Just a thought. Finally, I have missed you too, but in order to avoid any confusion by my readers, I feel compelled to add that it has been in a much more manly, heterosexually-oriented, old-fraternity brother kind of way than was implied by your statement. Just throwing it out there.
As a big Kurt Vonnegut fan, I thought you might appreciate the attached file, particularly given his recent passing. You may have already seen it. I could do without some of the analysis and commentary, but in much the same way as I feel about you, at the end of the day I found it moderately insightful and mildly amusing. : )
Kurt Vonnegut Statements
Reply to this