Allow me to introduce...

You may or may not have heard about Emily Pitek. If you haven't, chances are you will. Cat used to drop Em's name or sometimes just refer to her as 'my friend from 'Bama'. The first time I ever saw her, I was sitting at my computer in our hotel room at the World Series and Cat said, "Look! Look! Emily's on tv!" I leaned over and this is what I saw.

I watched in awe as she led cheers. I had to meet her, and I did a day or two later at the hotel. I walked up to her and was introduced by Cat. Although denied a greeting hug, I was immediately infatuated with her. I couldn't stop laughing as long as I was around her even though our season had just been bitterly ended by UCLA for the second year in a row. I poured confetti over her head and even some in her mouth.

Those five minutes are the only ones I've ever spent with Emily.

Emily can be a pain in the ass. She's stubborn and has a bad temper. She's impatient. She'll put on a smiley face, but she's very hard to get close to. She's all about the shits and giggles, but she'll tell you that's not who she really is. She won't open up to people. Her redeeming qualities? She's brutally honest, fiercy loyal to people she loves, sees beyond the bullshit, and despite her act she's real. She would fight someone for me in a heartbeat, would have my back.

She does everything on her own terms, so she'll get to the root of your motives in a hurry and drop you cold if you're not coming correct. I've spent all of five minutes with her ever, but I can go a week or more without talking to her at all, call her at 2 in the morning, and talk to her for an hour like I've always known her.

I've got to wrap this up, because she's only got a few more minutes online before she's gone for a week for soccer preseason, and she's being impatient.

Some things I've learned from Emmy P



How to be a badass. She just broke this chick's nose.



Sometimes you should just play dead.



And you don't have to brush your hair to look pretty.