After four years of reading my words in this space, would it shock anybody if I let it slip that I am a fan of all things Chicago? Probably not, thanks to Tom Delaney dropping that bombshell a few weeks ago. At least my lake isn’t flammable.

Two of the most fun experiences that writing for this paper has afforded me came when writing about Chicago rivals, but I contend that they have nothing to do with my personal bias.

The first came two years ago; I wrote about the St. Louis Cardinals. I thought that I was appealing to the masses, as there is no denying that St. Louis is one of the most intense baseball towns in the country.

A commentary that I wrote on the topic of the upcoming 2005 baseball season ran during that February; it was titled “Wake up, Cardinal Nation.” I may have ripped on the Cardinals a little bit in it, but ultimately concluded that they would likely win the NL Central (which was true), but with the caveat that they would not win 100 games (which was also true).

Shortly after that article ran, a nasty e-mail hit my inbox. Unfortunately, I don’t have the letter anymore, nor do I remember who sent it, but a few of the points that I made were logically refuted. But the e-mail ended with the writer, whom I had never met, claiming that no Cubs fan should ever be allowed to author an opinion about baseball. Come on, man, there has to be at least one competent Cubs fan out there, just give us a chance!

The next was a bit more recent, but this time meaner. During the 2005 football season, debate was raging over whether Brett Favre should retire at the end of the season. Favre was having the worst season of his career and appeared to be at the end. To make matters worse, it seemed as though the Green Bay Packers were not likely to go out and get the aging quarterback the receiver help that he needed. I even researched this article, used some pretty cool-looking numbers and cited some specific plays.

Just a few days after the article ran, Delaney, then the editor of our section, forwarded an e-mail to me that he had received, and the body of Delaney’s e-mail was fairly comical. I opened the attachment and found another letter.

But this guy put the first to shame; it was laden with personal attacks, name-calling and a serious lack of salient content. Cardinals Guy, I’d like to set you up for a dinner with Packers Guy to learn a thing or two from him, provided that I knew who either of you are.

Kidding aside, I’ve enjoyed my spot in these pages. I got to see the 2006 College Cup from the relative warmth of the press box, and I got to see what it’s like to spend the night on the relative discomfort of my bathroom floor, courtesy of the Chartwells food that was provided for the press. I’ve interviewed Billikens who are now professional athletes, and I’ve interviewed Billikens who are now stand-up professionals in something other than sports.

I saw Reggie Bryant’s toe on the line against Arizona and Anthony Drejaj’s foot far behind it against Iowa. I watched Vedad Ibisevic break opponents’ hearts with mind-blowing goals and saw the fallout after Ibisevic broke SLU’s back by turning pro only weeks before the start of what would be his sophomore season.

I was at the press conference when Rick Majerus was hired, though I wish that I would have been able to shake Brad Soderberg’s hand one last time.

Speaking of wishes, I wish that I would be here to see Majerus’ first game with the Bills and his first tournament run.

I wish that I would be here to see Shimmy Gray-Miller’s first crack at the Big Dance, because her team is well on the way there.

I wish that I could be here to see Chaifetz Arena open its doors. After all, I was supposed to graduate there.

I wish that I would be here to see the softball team get a real field to play on. I’ve never understood why nobody is allowed on either soccer field or the baseball field, but we play intramural games on the softball field. That diamond, by the way, is about as hard as concrete and less predictable than Rainman.

I wish that I, or any student, could see a tennis match, swimming meet or field hockey game. There has to be a way to get all of our teams on campus.

I wish to thank everybody in the Sports Information Department who has helped me along over the last few years for things like running box scores and ignoring the times that I forgot my credentials. And for pointing out any of the screw-ups that I’ve run. Actually, I’m not so thankful for that. Ignorance really is bliss.

I wish to thank all of my editors: Jack, Bert, Tom, KJ and Andy. I really am sorry for turning everything in late.

And thanks to anybody who has ever read my ramblings. I know that there’s at least two of you out there.