Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself...

(As I said long ago, the Chronicle is going through some changes at the moment. Here, at long last, is our brand new columnist, for your instruction and delight. Enjoy or die. -Ed.)

It's not often you get offered opportunities that you can't say "No" to.

This is one of those opportunities. The Blueland Chronicle has offered me an opportunity to voice an opinion that has never been presented to me before. It's an opportunity to articulate thoughts and ideas in a forum that I believe in and open myself up to the feedback of the masses. Most people knock on impenetrable doors and make phone calls that go unanswered to try and get their foot in the door to do something like this. I'm fortunate enough that all I had to do was get to know the TBC staff over an adult beverage (or 7...was it 7?), be forced to speak with individuals like Big Shooter and Razor Catch Prey, and this opportunity was offered to me.

As far as the insight I can offer you, what makes me different from the other writers? Well, if my intel's correct, the entire TBC staff are season ticket holders. I have no financial investment in this team outside of what I'd like/want to spend on them. I am the fringe fan that the entire Atlanta Spirit ownership group values and is trying to covet. I wanted to invest in this team before the season started, but my skepticism kept me from doing so. My worries have been put to rest (to some extent) in the fact that a certain former Chicago Blackhawk can actually play defense (side note--Where you at NOW, Jeremy Roenick?) and the team's 4 lines seem to be consistently scoring. Like most of you, I've been waiting for a team worthy of such a significant financial and emotional investment. I still won't be writing any checks to Levinson et Al. anytime soon, but they're slowly starting to break down the pessimism I'd built around this organization.

As for me personally, my background's a degree in Psychology, a plethora of Thrasher games in person, and being a successful convert to the sport that I've never played, but now love more than any other. There's very little about me to set myself apart from the rest of you who read this site...but I hope to tackle the mental side of the game a little bit more. There's a few "disorders" that I would LOVE to diagnose the Thrashers as having, but all of these are ideas I hope to develop as the season continues. I've been fortunate that I've also recruited a "frozen correspondent" from the Rocky Mountains who knows what it's like to be a dislocated die-hard Thrashers fan to give an outsider's perspective. Somebody who's not as invested in the team as, say, you and I are.

Ultimately, my voice is going to be different from the TBC staff in that it's a "fresh" perspective. My name won't start with "Razor" or end in "Peacock." My ultimate goal, at the end of the day, is to get even more of you commenting here on TBC. There's not many blogs out there that offer the kind of opportunity that this site offers. As somebody who's been commenting here for awhile, it's the hope that all of you who "lurk" and read the content on the site will make yourselves known. If you've got the website bookmarked or on your list of "must-visit" sites...I sincerely want you to get up off you ass and say something. Because when you do finally stand up and say something, you'll find there's good people and a good time awaiting you.

I've joined the most dysfunctional family in the Thrasher world that isn't our ownership group, and I sincerely hope all of you join in as well.

On that note, Go Thrashers. Make Tampa your bitch this evening.

Sincerely,

Go Puck Yourself