Up until a few years ago, I would never read one of my columns once it appeared in the paper. I'd give it a quick once-over after it was written, but once it was transmitted in the general direction of the editors, I never saw it again.
I used to consider that a humble trait, given that I didn't like looking at my "finished product" once it landed in the driveway. Then I realized that while it might hint at some sort of humility, it was also stupid. When you read your final product, you almost always learn something. For instance, a sentence that made perfect sense when written, might be quite awkward upon reading. So next time, you presumably remember that and word things differently.
Then there are facts. Or the omission of them, on occasion.
Last week, I got a letter that ran in the "Hey Willie" column, from someone accusing me of being a "homer" for voting for Tim Tebow for the Heisman Trophy. In my response, I mentioned how I'd also voted for a couple of FSU quarterbacks over the years (Cholly Ward and Ol' Man Weinke). The next day, I read that column in print and something was gnawing at me -- that old feeling of, "I'm forgetting something."
I was.
Later, as I read a story about the closest Heisman votes in history, it hit me: Back in 2001, I voted for Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch over Florida's Rex Grossman, even though I'd personally watched Grossman play a half-dozen games that year, while watching only parts of several games involving Crouch's Cornhuskers.
Right about then I realized, hey, maybe I'm not a homer.
And for a minute or two, I felt better about myself.
I'll get over it.
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