Brownlee brings the thunder
16 years ago
(Robin Brownlee’s business manager, young Sam Brownlee)
Robin Brownlee can come up in here with his “facts” and his “typewriter” and his “press pass.” We’re sure that he has a lot of things he wants to tell the OilersNation that may be way cooler than what we have to say, but we aren’t scared. We don’t need any of that award-winning stuff. We write from down here in the ballular region. We write from the heart not the mind, we write from the soul not the brain.
— publish.oilersnation.com, March 6
Given this ham-handed introduction by “The Nation,” I’m guessing these guys write from “down here” in their momma’s basement and not a press box; from their backsides, not their brains… Maybe that’s just me. And, by the way, Gretz says stop writing him or he’ll make a call and have Sammy slap you around until you cry like Mess when they lifted his linen at Rexall Place. But I digress.
I look forward to the chance to crossover from mainstream media—a career change prompted when the Edmonton Sun told me to turn in my laptop (“It’s not you, it’s us”) in January 2007—to what we have here. I trust it’ll be a better choice than my decision to leave the Journal after 11 years for the tab in 2000—unless it turns out I suck at this.
It’s been a transition made easier by the birth of my son Sam and the time I’ve had at home with him after 10 years traversing the continent with the Oilers. I do miss the camaraderie of the road, of being a wingman for hall-of-famers Rod Phillips and Jim Matheson, not to mention Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge in Nashville. But not that much. Sam, by the way, is my business manager. When I asked him whether I should take this gig, he pooped his pants. Actually, so did my wife.
Old school scribe at heart or not, it’s obvious to me there’s a lot worth reading out there in the blogosphere. Information is no longer the sole domain of newspapers. Insight isn’t the exclusive property of talking heads on national TV or ink-stained wretches on the beat.
Fans need only check out websites like the Battle of Alberta, The Cult of Hockey and countless others to understand that. It’s my intention to use my “press pass” and “typewriter” to help make publish.oilersnation.com required reading for fans with a passion for hockey in general and the Edmonton Oilers in particular.
Starting today, I’ll tell you what I know. I’ll tell you what I think. I’ll take you inside the dressing room, into the scrums and behind the scenes. I’ll break a story or two. Along the way, we’ll have some fun. How can it not be way cooler than what those other guys have to say?
Listen to Robin Brownlee every Thursday from 4 to 5 pm on Total Sports with Bob Stauffer on Team 1260.
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