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Wow. Lot's of reaction to yesterday's announcement. Very little of it good, that is if you read the mainstream media, which I do, because it's mainstream. It's what I'm supposed to read. And the mainstream media, which in my case includes print sportswriters, regional and national sports channels and radio talk show hosts, doesn't want people to read this blog. Why? Because I'm not mainstream. Yet here's the funny thing: They all wrote about this blog today. Check out the Post or the Daily News. They quoted me. Yes, some was taken out of context and twisted a bit. But the irony here is how the mainstream bashed me and this High & Tight blog, yet in doing so, publicized it and led you here today to read it. As my mother used to say when watching me dress for a night out with my friends in the mid-80s, "How queer."

The media is mad at me. I've always spoken to them and been there for them, whether I pitched like a star or like a thirsty double-humped camel. I've opened up and made myself available to pretty much anyone who wanted to talk. But now, since I won't be there for them, there is concern. Suppose I start a movement. Suppose, across the country, other big name players do this. Suppose it happens in the NBA, the NFL, the NHL, Professional Bull Riding. What if we all decide to blog instead of speak?

The media would be out of jobs.

Don't worry. This won't happen. It takes too much effort. I've been doing this since November and you'll see if you look back how some days are interesting and some quite dull. To rehab, do stuff with my family, worry about things, and then also keep in my head that I have to write this blog each day... It's too much for most guys (and "gals," as my mother used to, and I think still does, call ladies). So, my media friends, do not worry. Your jobs are safe. You just won't be getting any scoops from me.

I got seventeen calls on my cell phone yesterday by noon, all from news organizations asking me to discuss my "open letter." I picked up a few times and told them to write their questions in the comment section. I'd answer there. But as most athletes are too lazy to blog every day, most reporters, it seems, are too set in their ways to do something different. Write me a question. I'll answer it. I'm just not going to give you a verbal quote anymore. But they don't want to do this. Why should they print what has, in effect, already been printed if it's automatically "published" in this blog? I know they have deadlines, but what if I don't answer quickly enough? Plus, if they did print my answer, they'd have to lift it directly from what I said because if they change the context, tone or quote, anyone can look right back here and see they were being disingenuous to meet their own agendas. Quite the conundrum for them.

I'm sticking with this. To go back would make me disingenuous. I know I appear arrogant and selfish. But I'm really not. I'm just tired of doing it the same old way. And, if you read yesterday's, uh, thing that I wrote, you'll see I'm mad too. The game has changed. The players have changed. There's a new, young generation of guys who are incredibly talented. Most are good people. Some are amazingly stupid. If they don't want to listen to reason, if they want to go through their average 3 year career as truly arrogant and selfish, then they will end up reading about what they've done right here. Without the filter of a PR person or city editor. I'm my own filter now. And I've got lots of holes.

Finally, to those of you who keep calling and insisting on a statement from me about this new path I am taking, I have one word for you:

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