It’s gratifying to know that my little blog is being more widely read all the time. Statistics show that, on average, 120-140 people stop by my website each and every day. And a fair number of those visitors head straight to the blog. (To those blog-only readers, I’d remind you: the rest of the website is pretty interesting too. )

I was hit by an epiphany the other day. I don’t have to just rotely list the blog entries that get the most hits during a month. (Heck, it’s my blog, I can do anything I want…) I can instead talk list noticeable trends on the blog. So, that’s what I’ve done here, and that’s why I’ve renamed this entry. What follows, then, are some observations about the blog trends for the month, not just a recitation of the most-visited stories.

I should say, there are some entries that continue to get a lot of hits each and every month, and may-well permanently be at the top of the list forever. (All the more reason to talk about “trends,” not “most popular” entries). For example, my posting about the “five phantom fouls” from last year’s NBA Finals consistently continues to be the single-most-read blog entry; month in and month out. Which is weird to me, because I haven’t thought about the issue in a long time. I’m too busy savoring the Mav’s current 11-game win streak, and the emergence of Erik Dampier (where did that guy come from?!!! And what happened to the old Dampier? Not that I want him back…).

Another entry consistently near the top each month is my blog on Dan Fogelberg. Nice to see he still has a lot of fans out there. And, no, I don’t know how he’s doing healthwise. I just go by what I read on his website too.

Buck O’Neil died last month. And, ever since, folks have been stopping by to read this entry about him. It’s not a “top five” pick, but it’s jumped up noticeably. Which pleases me. Because Buck deserves to be remembered.

So does my friend Ed Upton. And, for reasons I can’t rightly figure, this eulogy of Ed has been getting lots of notice the past few months. It’s not at the top of the list, but somebody is reading it, and more than I’d expect. Maybe Ed’s friends are passing it along to other friends, I don’t know. But Ed was a good friend and mentor to me, and deserves to be remembered too.

And rounding out a list of blogs about specific people, a notable number of folks stopped by to read this entry on Judge Merrill Hartman. Since he is in the last weeks before his retirement, it seems good and right that folks are reading about him. He deservers our thanks for his years of service, and for his witness of how to serve the community.
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