Outdoor Life Network

Greetings to all those near and far in the YGLS readership which at this point may be no more than one man who may or may not have some chicken wire. My name is Keith Davis and I feel before I hit my first post a little introduction is necessary. It's only fair for me to share of myself if I ask you to place us somewhere in your bookmark list to visit daily right? No, visit a few times a week? Ok, that works.

I was part of the original YGLS effort. Everything about it was pure, fresh, raw, unedited, and difficult to do. Seeing as how only 2 of us, ok maybe 1.5, had web editing skills, it was just brutal. What's a shame though because we had a wide array of sports knowledge, and passion, that is needed to accurately follow each sport. I think this is reflected even in our one week of rebirth. We have articles from Tennis (thanks Aaron) to Soccer (thanks Josh) to NBA age limits (Thank you Christopher and Chris). And what's great is that it's not a polished unified movement. It's a blog, and that's sports. Sometimes the polished sports, the highly orchestrated efforts advance and sometimes it's the scrappers like Kelly Pavlik who train with tires in warehouses that come out on top. Sports can't be duplicated or predicted. It's the old cliche of a team being better on paper, but the game still has to be played.

Well I think this YGLS effort will be better in its reincarnation as a blog. When I wrote for the site four or five years ago I was a 22 year old frustrated Pittsburgh Steelers fan. We had been so close for so long, but hadn't reached the summit. Well since then the Steelers have a new coach, a solid foundation, and of course two Super Bowl Championships. These were the best things that could ever have happened to me. I no longer have a single focus, an inability to think rationally about sports, and frequent heart palpatations.

It was like the release of a pressure valve. Now if the Steelers are bounced from the playoffs by the Jacksonville Jaguars, it hurts, but I no longer stare at the wall for approximately 30 minutes in stunned silence. We've all been there, we know the feeling, but now I'm free. I've been able to more freely explore and enjoy my team unbiased with the blinders off for what they are, or are not.

I can also say that I've grown more deeply into my following of every sport: soccer, hockey, basketball both college and pro, and golf. I'm able to enjoy the sport and look for the beauties and strength in them. It's a slow maturation of an angry sports fan to someone who loves the beauty of each game. I don't follow baseball. Never have, never will. I can't stand the sport, so I won't pretend to understand it or make you listen to my commentary of it at all, except for maybe the occasional rant.

I expect to post some thoughts on the Stanley Cup Final. We've not touched on it and anytime a major sport awards a championship I believe it deserves to be discussed. Not to mention that I've spent the last two months of my life watching playoff hockey. No not hitting the refresh button on my browser, but actually sitting in the chair for 2.5 hours a night watching the network formally known as the Outdoor Life Network. Until then, stay classy.