HAPPY BLOGGIVERSARY!

Today is Varsity Basketweaving's first birthday! (Awww, it's so cute at this age!)

Months after reading and commenting on other people's blogs, especially those composed by NYC sketch comedians Elephant Larry and ESPN senior writer Buster Olney, I figured I'd jump on the blogwagon myself.

In my first post, I wondered if I'd acknowledge this blog past six months, then a mysterious blogger named Nate said that most blogs "don't make it past two" and that only the "strong survive." Darwinism took hold.

After a New York Times reporter discovered my blog complaints involving the lack of Sonic Drive-In franchises in the New York metropolitan area, VB was featured in the "Paper of Record" on Aug. 28. Little did I know then that my quote about focusing on "the ridiculous and the mundane" would be a rallying cry for Basketweavers everywhere.

In Varsity Basketweaving's first year, there were 230 posts and countless links to CNN news stories that are now busted. (You'd think that my time as a TimeWarner intern would have prevented such a thing, but noooooo....) I documented personal and vicarious encounters with baseball broadcasters, comedians, actors, a singer and Bam Margera. I commented on music, sports, pop culture, news, politics and gameshows. I lost an unknown number of blog posts due to computer crashes, quintupling my expletives.

I launched a Web counter just last month, then wondered why it took me so long. Since it launched April 26, there have been 898 unique visits -- with averages of 22 visits a day and 3 minutes and 19 seconds per visit -- and 1,604 page views in total, an average of 37 a day.

And through it all, here I am, surviving in reasonably fit fashion, despite all the references to (and trips for) fast food.

In celebration of all this metaphorical weaving, here are 20 of my favorite commentary posts, in chronological order:

1. Bachelor's burden (June 21, 2005)
2. My SNL Dream Cast (June 22, 2005)
3. News Reporter Pose 101 (July 1, 2005)
4. MC Masterpiece (Aug. 18, 2005)
5. Sonic Bust (Aug. 22, 2005)
6. Belt Bling (Aug. 25, 2005)
7. Live Free Or Die (Sept. 5, 2005)
8. It ain't exactly Nas and Jay-Z, but... (Jan. 10, 2006)
9. 'New Jersey: Most of Our Elected Officials Have Not Been Indicted' (Jan. 12, 2006)
10. There she is... Miss Wilmerica... (Jan. 31, 2006)
11. 'I'm a little teacup, short and AAAAAAAAGH!!!' (Feb. 1, 2006)
12. You can't spell FlamBey without L-A-M-E* (March 16, 2006)
13. Things A Blogger Might Say (March 24, 2006)
14. Let's Go Crazy (April 4, 2006)
15. Do Not Pass Golden Gate Bridge, Do Not Collect $200 (April 24, 2006)
16. Making 'Meet The Mets' seem charming and relevant (April 29, 2006)
17. Curtis Armstrong, American Hero (May 4, 2006)
18. You know it's been a long day when... (May 8, 2006)
19. Top 10 inevitable 'Deal Or No Deal' knock-offs (May 12, 2006)
20. Stuff and Things, Part II (May 28, 2006)

*The comments for this one make it my Varsity Basketweaving fave.