As I said, it's been an interesting week, which is not to say that there isn't some bad news in the mix. I got an e-mail today letting me know that "The Bagpiper Report" has officially disbanded.

For those of you who never had the opportunity to read TBR, I'll just say that TBR is to wrestling newsheets as Gordon Solie is to announcers. TBR was, IMODO, the dean of the newsheets and was the first sheet that I subscribed to.

TBR introduced me to a whole new world. It was a world that I found populated with people like me. People who had a great love for the sport, and sort of congregated together.

One thing I liked about TBR was that they did their best to maintain integrity. Their editors made it a point that rumors would not be run in the sheet. Everything they put out was either thoroughly researched, and if they were later proven wrong you could be assured that there would be a retraction later on.

Of course, nothing exists in a vacuum, and for every TBR there are a thousand sheets out there of far lesser quality. TBR was always the measuring stick I used when evaluating other newsheets. They were just that damned good.

When I had my brief run in the on-line newsletter business I tried to emulate TBR as best I could. I fell far short, but much like the kid who wants to grow up to be just like his father, I continued to try.

It is with a heavy heart that I wish TBR a final goodbye, and wish their entire staff well in their future endeavors. Charles McLauren (the original Editor-in-chief) left the sheet a while back and it shut down temporarily, only to be resurrected for a brief stint.

However, the mail I received left no doubt in my military mind that TBR is history now. I am saddened at it's departure, however it became readily apparent that it had run it's course and now was the time to bow out.

TBR, goodbye. I'll miss seeing you in my mailbox. You influenced quite a few of us, and even perhaps inspired some of us to write.

Bugler, blow taps.