Here's my take on columns: any idiot can write one. It doesn't take much effort to place your viewpoint in print and wait for a community, should it prefer, to respond. Follow me here: I began this opinion piece by giving my opinion on opinion pieces. Not real hard, right?

Though in more than three years of being a sports writer for this publication, I have written more columns than I care to remember. In part because I'm a reporter first, not a columnist. In part because it can be unsettling knowing an audience can put a face with a byline, which means I better not slip. In part because to be an effective columnist, you must gain a certain level of insight that only comes with having spent years thoroughly covering a beat as a reporter.

So this won't be much of a column, but more of an assessment of what I hope we can do to improve our section as it pertains to you.

As the sports editor, it's my job to make sure you are caught up on most, if not all, things athletic at Penn State. Obviously, Penn State football coverage is our first priority. And we do as good a job as any newspaper educating you about the team.

Just this week we broke a story about tailback Austin Scott intending to redshirt this season that as of yesterday, no other news outlet covering the team has reported on. We also told you where and how student tickets for Notre Dame could be purchased because we know not everyone logs on to the athletic department's Web site.

But at a school where there is always something happening, we don't always know where to look for sporting events that historically are not on the front-page. That's where you -- the reader, the consumer -- come in.

We want to hear from you. We want to know if every semester you organize a softball event for a particular cause, or if on Fridays you and your friends get together for some quirky event that we could cover. We want to know if you're a club sport that feels uncovered and unnoticed.

But I must caution you. If you've been keeping tabs on the current state of the newspaper business, space is at a premium on all levels, not just here. There are days when varsity coverage doesn't make the paper because we simply can't fit it.

But recently the Collegian re-designed its Web site to accommodate more news. We all know space is unlimited on the Web and we'd love to profile you in your element. It's a good way to break up the monotony. Besides, we live in a world that has become more Web-friendly anyhow. So contact us, drop us an e-mail.

I haven't been reporting lately, but I hear the Nittany Lions are playing Youngstown State at Beaver Stadium tomorrow. Perhaps we can debate who goes on front - you or them.