Sophomore Jinx

"When a true genius appears, you can know him by this sign: that all the dunces are in confederacy against him."
- Jonathan Swift

My first blog was so well received (it's possible that at least one person read it) that I have decided to post my second blog. I feel a bit like John Kennedy Toole, who wrote one of the great American novels - Confederacy of Dunces. No, it is not the tale of the 2012 Republican candidates. Instead it is one of the best depictions of life in New Orleans ever put to paper. Eleven years after his suicide, his mother, with the help of another great Southern literary figure, Walker Percy, finally got JK Tooles book in print. It is now a classic. My point is not that my first blog, or any subsequent blogs, is a classic (surely they ain't), but rather that one lonely reader can be enough to make the writing process seem worthwhile.

But the title of this blog is Sophomore Jinx, not Confederacy of Dunces. And that brings us to the legendary singer/songwriter Willis Alan Ramsey. Willis Alan put out an album around 1970 on Shelter Records. Like the book, Confederacy of Dunces, it is a classic. Songs like The Ballad of Spider John and Northeast Texas Women sounds as fresh today as they did 40 years ago. Willis Alan solved the dilemma of the sophomore jinx by doing something few, if any artists ever do - he has yet to release another album. Like Jim Brown, he retired at the top of his game. Legend has it that he is a compulsive perfectionist who has yet to put together just the right follow-up to his first album.

Fortunately I am neither compulsive, nor a perfectionist (ask my wife, please). Therefore, this is my sophomore effort at blogging. Sorry, but there are more to come. My next blog will explain why my blog is called Johnny's Garden. For you Stephen Stills fans, you may already know.

Virgin Post

So this is my first blog, my maiden voyage. What to write? Profound? Funny? Poignant? Angry? Edgy? I know, college football. First to College Station for the UTexas/aTm game. Two great universities. One legendary rivalry. Both teams left it all on the field. Aggies will be talking about the Personal Foul call for helmet-to-helmet on UT's winning drive for the next 118 years. Was it a questionable call? Possibly, but there was helmet-to-helmet contact. I'm not sure refs get to grade on the curve. It either is, or it isn't. And it was. Texas has a PF called on a phantom horse collar in the first half. It all balances out. But IMHO the big difference in schools was played out on the field - at halftime. The Longhorn Band spelled out aTm and Thanks, while playing "Thanks for the Memories.". The Aggie Band did a "saw 'em off" routine that signifies the desecration of the Horn's mascot, Bevo. One school showed their class, while the other showed their ass.

In other news from the sport's desk, Andrew Luck deserves the Heisman. He is the best player in college football today, and a terrific young man. In high school he played basketball against my son. Most kid's with his talent for football would have passed on basketball, a somewhat brutal sport at the high school level with huge potential for injury. But he played because he loved it - all four years. Great family, too (even they did go to rival high school, Stratford).

And I saw today (via Twitter first) that the NBA Lockout has been resolved. Lockout? You mean they're not playing? Who knew!? Wake me up when the play-offs start. Wait, never mind.

Well that's it for the maiden voyage. Not that good actually, but I promise they will get better. Or not.