KCJohnny
11-20-2008, 06:38 AM
On the Occasion of my 10,000<SUP>th</SUP> Post
I noticed a message at the top of my page this evening marking my 10,000<SUP>th</SUP> post on Chiefs Planet. Since it is a milestone (totally bereft of any meaning whatsoever) worth the moderator’s recognition, I too will pause for reflection on this momentous occasion.
For those not living in the greater KC area, Chiefs Planet is a lifeline to all things Chiefs.
I and a handful of others (you know who you are) migrated here from the old KC Star Chiefs bulletin board site back when Elvis was still in the building, the Chiefs were 2<SUP>nd</SUP> in the AFC in sacks (54), Gunther Cunningham was micromanaging parking space assignments for his staff (and getting a whopping 3 hours of sleep per night), and gas was about $1 a gallon. Most of us were using dial up for internet connection.
The value of Chiefs Planet for me has always been the discussion of Chiefs football. In the KCJohnny universe, football is entertainment, and the discussion of it is a rather meaningless diversion from other responsibilities we are decisively engaged in throughout the year. Whether one is right or wrong (and I have frequently been wrong) is ultimately harmless and inconsequential – it’s a game, folks.
From Gun’s CARE package to Ramifization to controversies about the meanings of Army slogans to Iraq and back twice to the joyous assignment at Fort Leavenworth where I was able to see my first ever live-at-Arrowhead Chiefs game – these 9 years have flown by and the world has changed.
Although I have dumped a few hundred posts in the DC/Promised Land bin during this most recent election cycle, for the most part I have come here to talk Chiefs football and to read your comments, remarks, and insights about the game we love and the team we passionately root for year in and year out, come what may.
I became a Chiefs fan as a 4th grader in 1970. I’ll never forget Christmas Day 1971 staring at our tiny B&W TV in disbelief with hot tears running down my cheeks as the Chiefs succumbed to the Miami Dolphins 27-24 in the longest game in NFL history. I was just ten, but I always believed that someday that heart wrenching loss would be avenged. It hasn’t yet, and I refuse to give up hope.
Many of you have been very kind to me, and profoundly supportive of my vocation as a Soldier. I am in your debt, and I count it a privilege to serve such fine citizens and patriots. To those of you who have acted uncharitably towards me, no hard feelings from my end. As wonderful as the internet is, it cannot convey vocal inflection, body language, or emotional tone and the naked text often risks serious misinterpretation. Messages are misinterpreted here by nearly all of us at one time or another. That is the weakness of virtual communities.
Finally, to me it doesn’t really matter whose view on Cover 2 or RBbC or MartyBall or R2P2 prevails. Chiefs Planet is about people communicating with other people. People are more important than games, than stats, and even more important than championships. When we let our better angels prevail, this site offers spirited discussion, valuable exchange of experience and advice, and even friendship. To that end, a toast to all Chiefs fans, from KCJohnny to you.
:toast:
KCJohnny
:arrow:
I noticed a message at the top of my page this evening marking my 10,000<SUP>th</SUP> post on Chiefs Planet. Since it is a milestone (totally bereft of any meaning whatsoever) worth the moderator’s recognition, I too will pause for reflection on this momentous occasion.
For those not living in the greater KC area, Chiefs Planet is a lifeline to all things Chiefs.
I and a handful of others (you know who you are) migrated here from the old KC Star Chiefs bulletin board site back when Elvis was still in the building, the Chiefs were 2<SUP>nd</SUP> in the AFC in sacks (54), Gunther Cunningham was micromanaging parking space assignments for his staff (and getting a whopping 3 hours of sleep per night), and gas was about $1 a gallon. Most of us were using dial up for internet connection.
The value of Chiefs Planet for me has always been the discussion of Chiefs football. In the KCJohnny universe, football is entertainment, and the discussion of it is a rather meaningless diversion from other responsibilities we are decisively engaged in throughout the year. Whether one is right or wrong (and I have frequently been wrong) is ultimately harmless and inconsequential – it’s a game, folks.
From Gun’s CARE package to Ramifization to controversies about the meanings of Army slogans to Iraq and back twice to the joyous assignment at Fort Leavenworth where I was able to see my first ever live-at-Arrowhead Chiefs game – these 9 years have flown by and the world has changed.
Although I have dumped a few hundred posts in the DC/Promised Land bin during this most recent election cycle, for the most part I have come here to talk Chiefs football and to read your comments, remarks, and insights about the game we love and the team we passionately root for year in and year out, come what may.
I became a Chiefs fan as a 4th grader in 1970. I’ll never forget Christmas Day 1971 staring at our tiny B&W TV in disbelief with hot tears running down my cheeks as the Chiefs succumbed to the Miami Dolphins 27-24 in the longest game in NFL history. I was just ten, but I always believed that someday that heart wrenching loss would be avenged. It hasn’t yet, and I refuse to give up hope.
Many of you have been very kind to me, and profoundly supportive of my vocation as a Soldier. I am in your debt, and I count it a privilege to serve such fine citizens and patriots. To those of you who have acted uncharitably towards me, no hard feelings from my end. As wonderful as the internet is, it cannot convey vocal inflection, body language, or emotional tone and the naked text often risks serious misinterpretation. Messages are misinterpreted here by nearly all of us at one time or another. That is the weakness of virtual communities.
Finally, to me it doesn’t really matter whose view on Cover 2 or RBbC or MartyBall or R2P2 prevails. Chiefs Planet is about people communicating with other people. People are more important than games, than stats, and even more important than championships. When we let our better angels prevail, this site offers spirited discussion, valuable exchange of experience and advice, and even friendship. To that end, a toast to all Chiefs fans, from KCJohnny to you.
:toast:
KCJohnny
:arrow: