Top 10 Blogs of the Year

One of our current goals here at the Chronicle is to not only put out a solid and informative print issue each week, but to provide our readers with interesting daily content on our website, whether that be breaking news, a review of the previous night's big show, or a Downton Abbey recap.

Here are 10 blogs that resonated with our readers in 2012. We hope you enjoy the look back and please add us to your daily online routine. We'll make you glad you did.

1) "GOP Opposes Critical Thinking," June 27: Chronicle writer (and blogger) extraordinaire Richard Whittaker penned the blog that got the most views from our readers. Whittaker rails on the GOP's "head-in-the-sand, pretend-the-Enlightenment-never-happened thinking" – "[N]ext time some Tea Partier tells you the GOP is all about freedom and liberty, remind them that the GOP doesn't want people to learn how to think critically. Because people who can think critically might start looking at their platform. "

2) "Surprise Dave Chappelle Show," June 19: This wasn't even a review of Dave Chappelle's now-infamous heckler-ridden performance at the Paramount in 2012, but an announcement of it. Nonetheless, the country's thirst for news regarding this appearance led them down every Google-able path.

3) "The State of the Ricky Williams Foundation," July 23: Chronicle Sports blogger Alex Dunlap went into this interview with Ricky Williams thinking it would be a fluff piece on one of his favorite football players and came out with a story (which broke nationally) on Williams' involvement with Gary Douglas and his Access Consciousness organization. Douglas claims he can speak with molecules, teach others to read minds, and heal the wounded with his bare hands.

4) "'The NFL Beat': 2012 Draft Needs," Feb. 11: Alex Dunlap not only broke the Williams' story for us, but also contributed a very popular weekly fantasy football and football news column, "The NFL Beat." In fact, two of his columns ranked in our Top 10 for blogs on the year. Alex hosts RosterWatch on 104.9FM ESPN Radio Austin and San Antonio, is the founder of Rosterwatch.com, is a featured expert contributor to the FantasyPros.com network, and an NFL draft analyst for PlayTheDraft.com.]

5) "Toke the Vote," Nov. 2: Jordan Smith keep our readers informed on the latest in pot legislation and readers responded to this blog on some states ending pot prohibition. But don't hold your breath (or hit) for it happening in Texas anytime soon.

6) "Traveling Barbecue Road," Oct. 3: Visiting German journalist Takis Würger didn't know what a brisket was before his trip to Texas last year. He sure does now and he did an excellent job of documenting his Lone Star State barbecue experiences.

7) "Chris Jericho: From Y2J to 'Sin and Bones'," Aug. 14: Most likely due to Chris Jehrico's large fan base and social media followers, this blog on the rock & roll wrestler reached a large number of readers. But that's not a slight on the charming entertainer, but a testament to his hard work.

8) "Barrera Killer Dead?," Jan. 26: The news on New Year's Day of the murder of beloved music fan and friend Esme Barrera has shocked the city to this day. The suicide of Barrera's suspected killer, James Loren Brown, was documented in this blog. APD has recently closed the case stating "that sufficient probable cause exists to approve the filing of an affidavit for an arrest warrant for the suspect James Brown. If not for the fact that James Brown is now deceased, the Travis County District Attorney's Office would have accepted the case for prosecution for the offense of murder."

9) "Westboro Baptists Hate Formula One," Nov. 13: The infamous idiots from the Westboro Baptist Church couldn't stop themselves from weighing in on F1 with their typical brilliant insight: "These sporting events resemble the patriotic worship-the-flag pep rallies masquerading as sodlier's funerals in that this Bible-ignorant fools worship these race car drivers like they are little gods!"

10) "ACL vs. Fun Fun Fun: Infographic," July 13: Local music fans were delighted by our own Shelley Hiam's hilarious infographic which helped them decide whether the Austin City Limits Music Festival or the Fun Fun Fun Fest was better suited for them.