I am pleased to announce that the "Friends of Metro Sports Report.com" campaign has gotten off to a good start.

Pleased, and relieved.

There's always a danger of starting a campaign like this and having it fall on deaf ears. That would have been embarrassing. Unlikely in this case, but still embarrassing.

Anytime you ask somebody for money, it's possible they'll smile, pat you on the back and decline to get involved. I've done it myself and probably had a pretty good excuse (or maybe a lame one).

TO JOIN FRIENDS OF METRO SPORTS REPORT CLICK HERE

In any case, not to worry.

We introduced the "Friends of MSR" last Sunday and the registration forms began arriving in the mail on Wednesday. That's pretty fast work for people to fill out the registration form, write a check and mail it in.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

We've made nine "Friends" during the first week of the campaign. Many of them were friends already, but this kind of makes it official.

I admit, nine "Friends" in one week is not exactly a flood, but many other people have dropped me an e-mail and said they plan to join in the near future. I'm sure they will and look forward to adding them to the list.

Some of the comments on the "Friends" campaign have been downright flattering.

"Great work by you and your staff!!," wrote Tom Kelly of northwest Cedar Rapids, who has seven grandkids and says he reads the Metro Sports Report twice a day.

"You guys do such an awesome job," wrote Ron Biery of Marion. "Keep up the great work and thank-you for what your crew does."

"Read every day. Keep up the good work," wrote John Lewis, the former Kirkwood baseball coach who lives in Fairfax.

Darren Lewis, one of John's sons, also has joined "Friends" and we delivered both of their T-shirts on Sunday. John and Darren, who played in the Chicago Cubs organization, run a baseball program called Line Drive Hitting if you'd like to get a son or daughter involved.

In case you missed the introductory story last Sunday, we began the campaign to heighten awareness of our website and quite frankly raise a little money for our coffers. We're asking for $25 for a one-year membership in the club, and in return you get a handsome "Friends of Metro Sports Report.com" shirt and get your name listed on the website.

It's very simple to join. You can click on the "Friends of Metro Sports Report.com" ad that appears on the upper-right side of the main home page and go to the special page we've created for this campaign. From there, you simply click on the link to the registration form and go from there.

If you'd like to save a step or two, you can also CLICK ON THIS LINK to the registration page.

Eric Wylie, the computer genius who runs Wylie Creative Communications, was the first person to join the "Friends" club. Wylie is the guy who designed and built our website, which we launched in January of 2011 and are still using today.

Jim Lizarraga, an old pal from our days when we ran the Junior Cougars baseball program, has joined the club. His sons, Chico and Sammy, were star baseball players at Kennedy and are now playing in college. Chico is a catcher at Mount Mercy and Sammy is a pitcher at Iowa.

The entire staff from the athletic department at Kirkwood Community College have joined the club, led by athletic director Doug Wagemester. In addition, Kirkwood women's basketball coach Kim Muhl has joined on his own account.

I've jokingly asked Muhl to wear his "Friends of Metro Sports Report.com" T-shirt whenever one of the local TV stations comes to his games, so we'll keep an eye on that!

We've also had a Marion resident join the team, but he wants to remain Anonymous and is listed that way on the website. I'm sure he has a good reason for staying Anonymous and we thank him nonetheless.

Nobody from The Gazette has joined the club yet, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time (just kidding). We'll keep checking the mail, though, to see what shows up.

Thanks very much to everyone who has already joined the team. And thanks to everyone who is thinking about it.

Please take a few minutes and become an official "Friend." The $25 annual donation comes to about 7 cents per day. I hope you think we're worth it.