In my weekly column at the DG, I write about my recent triumphs in my Pigskin Pick'em group, as well as some of my fears and phobias.

Here's an excerpt:

"Last week, for the first time ever, I took sole possession of first place in my Pigskin Pick’em group.

How did I respond to this unlikely triumph? By bragging away.

'Ha ha ha ha,' I wrote, when I blogged my football picks on the Gazette’s website. 'I don’t know how long this will last, but I’m going to enjoy it while I can!'

For the uninitiated: Pigskin Pick’em is a contest in which participants — there are about 15 in my little group — try to guess which NFL teams will prevail each week.

Usually I finish in the bottom third, undone by a devastating midseason slump from which it is impossible to recover. What makes this all the more galling is that the leader of my Pigskin Pick’em group is an obnoxious friend from high school. I feel like he’s been beating me at things for 20 years. He still likes to mention the time he beat me at cribbage 27 times in a row. But now, at least for the time being, I am in first place in Pigskin Pick’em. And I am seven points ahead of my obnoxious friend, which certainly counts for something.

Even so, I wasn’t sure I should brag about this achievement."

Click here to read the whole thing.