The Hunters

Tomorrow I am taking off to do a little trout fishing with my father and my son. We're going to have a little "man time."

This got me thinking. Lately, it seems manliness is about as dead as rock and roll or pay phones. We have the metrosexual boom invading our culture, and taking away testosterone in the process. Males are shaving parts of their bodies not shaved since the Egyptians. Women are writing books asking whether we even matter anymore.

What the hell happened?

Now, I don't profess to be the Marlboro man or the pirate Captain Kidd, but I do think I have a good handle on my masculinity. And that said, I think it is time that I, and those of us who still have hair on our chests, celebrate it again.

With that in mind, here is a short list of some of the manliest men in history, in no particular order:

Richard Branson: Let's face it, in the world of multi-millionaires, he is the coolest. He's the anti-Trump. You gotta admire a man who makes his fortune and spends his free time seeking out adventure.

Wyatt Earp: Based only on what was true about his his story, he'd still make this list. Just say "Gunfight at the OK Corral" and you know what I mean. Add to it the legend of this man and you have one of the manliest of all time. Anyone with that kind of legacy is cool with me. I'd definitely let him win at cards, though.

Theodore Roosevelt: He was a cowboy, a war hero, an adventurer and an author. He also was a politician with the guts to stand up for what he believed in and was even bold enough to tackle big business (imagine that). Yeah, add him to the list.

Ted Williams: Maybe Ted is a manly name, who knows? The Splendid Splinter isn't on here for his baseball, though hitting .406 in '41 and being one of the three best (all natural) hitters of all time certainly has its points. No, he's on the list because he was also a big time war hero -- in TWO WARS!!! He was John Glenn's wingman for crying out loud.

Frank Sinatra: He probably didn't do much of anything to warrant being put on this list. I mean think about it, he's just a really popular singer, that's all. But what a macho image, huh? And only Rush's 2112 may be more masculine than his music.

Miyamoto Musashi: Who, you ask? Only Japan's greatest swordsman and most famous samurai. He "retired" from duty and wrote a book entitled The Book of Five Rings. The book, though it is about swordsmanship, is one of the most sought after books by men of business both east and west.

Edmund Hillary: Denali. Everest. Whatever you want to call it. He was first.

Ernest Shackleton: If you don't know the story of the Endurance, then go by the book of the same name. Talk about leadership under stressful conditions. To think not one of his men died during the ordeal amazes me to this day.

Ernest Hemingway: I think my next son will be named Ernest Theodore. Who is cooler and more masculine than Papa?

Jimmy Buffett: There is something to be said for living life on your own terms. Perhaps no one has ever defined that notion better than the Mayor of Margaritaville. Singer/songwriter, author (and one of only six to top the New York Times bestseller list in both fiction and nonfiction -- Hemingway happens to have been another), surfer, fisherman, pilot, sailor and adventurer. Oh, and I heard he mixes one hell of a cocktail.

So that's the short list. Now, if you'll excuse me. I got some fish to catch.