10,000

All I want to say is...damn, wrong forum!

Well, 10-freakin'-thousand. My wife is sobbing in the corner right now wondering what happened to that non-computer geek she met 10 years ago.

Truth is, she got hooked too.

That's what this BBS will do to you. It hooks into you and it won't let go.

It's really funny to think that Clutch and I met over the net in 1996 when he was first doing this site and I was doing a silly little site myself. We didn't even meet in person until 2000 but carried on a pretty good friendship nevertheless.

The growth and success of this site has taught me a few things (indulge me, it's my 10,000):

1. Communities don't just mean neighborhoods, cities, towns or physical places. I've made some good friends through this site. I've even found a business partner here. I've hung out with people. I've played basketball with people (and whopped them mercilessly...ahem...rimbaud). It's great.

People are here all the time to help and criticize and crack jokes. It's like a big family.

2. Language and geography are not barriers. After being on the net for nearly 10 years now and meeting so many people here from around the country and around the world, borders are nothing but dotted lines on a map to me now. I can't imagine life now without the ability to hear about the weather down under or the World Cup in Germany or dealing with terrorism in the middle east or the latest report on Yao from China.

The coolest part is that I can hear it from people who ACTUALLY LIVE THERE. That is simply amazing.

3. Religion, race, gender mean nothing. For all I know, BrianKagy could be a woman. Oh, strike that, I've met him.

But seriously, I've had great conversations with people of all races, religions and ethnic backgrounds. Even a few women have found their way onto the BBS which, IMO, is good for us because the testosterone level around here can get pretty high. All of this conversing done without even the realization that the person on the other end of that computer could be in a place or of a race or religion you never imagined. Really incredible.

4. We can all agree that we won't agree on everything, yet we share a common bond...

Being pissed at TroyBaros. J/K.

Really truly a blessing that a sports team could bring us all together and, despite our disagreements, we can still find common ground.

5. We are unique. Just like Jim Rome has clones, we have loyalists too. We understand not just the meaning of "maybe maybe no" but the origin. We can crack inside jokes and never miss a beat. That is totally cool.

Finally, I'd like to say a significant thank you to everyone who has chatted with me on this board over the years. Some of us have argued pretty vehemently and many of us have never met, but it is always a blast to talk about the Rockets or politics or music or the Simpsons with everyone here.

Also, I want to take this opportunity to say a most sincere thank you to Clutch. Not only is he my close friend and business associate, the guy is an inspiration. I don't know anyone that would give so much of himself for the benefit of a website, a basketball team and a community of strangers. The guy should be put up for sainthood or something.

Quite honestly, I wouldn't even have gotten the skills necessary to make a living the way I do if it wasn't for his patience and knowledge. Whatever I have been able to accomplish on the internet as a designer and whatever I've done to help the Rockets, I owe a significant portion of that to Clutch. You're the best.

Lastly, I want to say to my wife...I'm really, REALLY sorry. She's laughing right now.

I know the next 10,000 will be as interesting as the first.