Eyes & Ears Everywhere...

KEY TO A BLOG'S SUCCESS: HAVING EYES AND EARS EVERYWHERE

Seems that every time I post a blog questioning something or asking sharp and probing questions, then people who get offended go into overdrive. They begin calling and emailing my friends and wanting to know what and when they told me something--and usually I didn't hear a thing from their "beloved friend." In the past year I've heard from officials all over everywhere and people in leadership and on committees so its give me great assurance that they are reading the blog (even though some of the most vehement say they detest it and never read it or give it a second thought.)

Blogs function primarily by keeping your eyes and ears open and watching things happen around you. My greatest sources of information come from people around the state and country who believe in officials and want things done honestly and in order. When people or organizations violate those principles then we begin to get calls and emails asking us to write about the problem.

Blogs are a great source of information for the average official since those in leadership (and Texas especially) do very little to inform officials of important events, issues, and things that interest them. I do find it strange that some in leadership used to email and ask me to print things on the blog but when I questioned some things they had done--the requests quickly went away.

The good thing about a blog is that we can get information into the hands of officials all over everywhere with the click of a mouse... We will always post items of interest for officials and do our best to keep them informed about things that interest them. We have even offered to set up a blog for some in leadership in Texas but their response was, "I'm afraid of a blog and don't know what to say." Its not really that hard--just keep your eyes and ears open and the rest will come naturally.

We will always blog about injustices, ineptness, and untruthfulness. Sadly, these three things happen all too frequently in our tennis officiating world. The Bible teaches us that the lovers of darkness hate the light so its easy to understand the vitriolic responses of some when we bring light to what they are doing. The best way to not get offended is to not do bad or inept things...

Another aspect of a blog is the pure enjoyment that comes from hearing from people and sharing things of interest. Its always fun to laugh together and officials always enjoy hearing what others are doing. The way we get information like this is to simply keep our eyes and ears open and listen toofficials from all over the world.

The good thing about blogging is that you bless some and get under the skin of others. That's just how it works. If you get offended too easily--then get over yourself. You probably brought it on yourself... You will never go very far in this life if you take yourself too seriously and get offended over anything and everything. For instance, its not my fault that the officials at the women's tournament in Ft. Worth didn't do their job. I just heard about it and reported what I was told. As one writer said, "if the shoe fits, wear it."

Sometimes I get a little weary of hearing the cheap petty criticisms leveled by some but then I realize that's part of being a public blog. It goes with the territory and sure isn't worth losing any sleep over. We have numerous friends all over the world because of the blog--and its here to stay, to love, support, question, and even to sometimes torment...

Come enjoy the ride with us...