A reader called this terrific blog post to my attention.  In it, the unidentified author noted how Bill Kristol has become punditry’s equivalent of a wrestling “heel”, antagonizing the left like a latter day Nikolai Volkoff insulting a crowd of 1980’s wrestling fans.  I was flattered by the fact that the author noticed that I played the “Mean Gene Okerlund” role while interviewing Kristol, allowing Bill to more effectively antagonize any liberals who happened to be listening.

Secret confession time – one of the things that I love about what I do is the wrestling villain aspect of it.  Please, understand where I’m coming from on this.  I was a big wrestling fan back in the 1980’s.  I even went to many of the matches at Boston Garden, or “the Boston Gardens” as WWF denizens invariably referred to our ancient and decrepit arena.  I especially loved the fans who didn’t realize it was a put-on.  They would scream to get the referee’s attention when he “bungled” into allowing some sort of skullduggery by the heels.  Wrestling manager and classic old school heel “Classy” Freddy Blassie used to joke, “What has nine teeth and an IQ of 90?  The front row of a wrestling crowd.”

Once again, don’t get me wrong.  Everything I do here is serious, except for the things that are obviously jokes.  For instance, contra my post yesterday, Bill Kristol and I don’t terrorize Boston with our posse in tow while touring the town in my pimped out Honda Element.  Even though my element has XM Radio, I’m not sure that officially qualifies it as “pimped out”.

 But our antagonists do sometimes remind me of wrestling fans because of their wholly inappropriate anger and wild hyperbole.  Yesterday, I made what I thought was a fairly benign post on Michael Vick.  In it, I suggested that Oakland Raider owner Al Davis was the most likely candidate to attempt to resuscitate Vick’s career.  Given Davis’ well-documented penchant for hiring rebels, misfits and miscreants, I didn’t think this notion would cause any offense. 

Wrong!  One embittered Oakland Raider fan obviously took great umbrage, and responded with little restraint. “ What does it take these days,” he began, “to become a writer for a local newspaper?  Evidently not much because your work leaves ALOT to be desired. If anything you should be thanking Al Davis for the Faketriots fraudulent dynasty.  WE started it.  Just in case your (sic) too dumb to figure that one out, its (sic) a game called Snow Job.  Ring a bell? Nevermind (sic).  Your (sic) a waste of time, just like your (this time he got it right) article.   Have a fantastic day!”

He was just getting warmed up.  A minute and five seconds later, after thinking things over a bit, my obstreperous correspondent sent along an addendum.  “Bring (your Cairn terrier) Stinky to Tucson, AZ.  She'd make a nice meal for my pit bull BAM-BAM.  Bitch.”

Some bloggers would hie to their fainting couch after receiving such missives.  Others would publish a woe-is-me-I-can’t-believe-I-get-such-hate-mail post.  Me, I laughed for about a half hour as a pictured my correspondent feeding Bam-Bam some red meat to get him ready to chow down on my beloved Stinky. 

OF COURSE, IT’S NOT just anonymous letter writers who let their emotions outweigh their common sense.  As I noted when I interviewed Bill Kristol, he has officially become the man the left loves to hate.  No less an authority than Matthew Yglesias, a fellow who oddly considers himself a deep and serious thinker, has incongruously crowned Bill “America’s Most Dangerous Columnist”.  The fact that columnists are about as dangerous as Yorkers seems to have eluded Young Master Matthew’s grasp.

There are others.  There’s one bloggers who calls me and Hugh “The Bulls**t Twins”.  I’ve suggested to Hugh that we trademark the phrase and sell t-shirts, mugs and ball-caps featuring our new calling card.  Everything either one of us says enrages the guy who gave us this sobriquet.  One of my friends is convinced I must have killed his dog.  For the record, I didn’t.  He’s just excitable and angry.  And unintentionally hilarious.

Tonight, I’ll be sitting in for the majority partner of “Bulls**t Twin” enterprises.  Bill Kristol will be appearing, and we will spend some time discussing his unlimited villainy.  After Bill, the Standard’s resident expert on professional wrestling, Jonathan V. Last, will come on and dissect whether or not Bill is really cutting it as a first-rate heel.  (My opinion – I knew the Honkytonks Man.  The Honkytonks Man was a friend of mine.  You, Bill Kristol, are no Honkytonks Man.) As if that weren’t enough show for one night, we also have Stein, Lileks, terrorism expert Walled Pares and the owner/developer of the Bilinear Golf Course in Colorado, quite possibly the world’s greatest golf course. 

I’ll also probably manage to take some cheap shots at Ron Paul supporters.  Oooh-yeah!  Chowdah-madness is running wild!

Compliments? Complaints? Contact me at Soxblog@aol.com