Bill Richardson’s Monday column opens up with these words: “Who could have ever predicted the college football season would play out this way? It’s been the craziest in recent memory. And it has resulted in BCS mayhem.” If any of that sounds familiar to readers of the Lexington Herald, it’s because Richardson has written them – and the 672 that follow – each of the last four years at this time.

            “I’ve been a columnist at the Herald for 27 years,” said Richardson. “I ran out of original ideas way back in 1984. Then a few years back I realized there were certain columns I didn’t even need to re-formulate. I could just send the same one in each year and hope no one notices.”

            The BCS column is the first column Richardson did that with two years ago.

            “Well, the BCS is crazy,” said Richardson. “Do I need to say why in a different way every year? I found a good way to say it four years ago, and I’m sticking with it. They don’t tell Toyota to make their cars different from one year to the next. They found a good way to do it and they’re sticking with it.”

            Emboldened by not being caught on the BCS column, Richardson has since re-submitted columns on overpaid athletes, misbehaving athletes and rules he’d like to see changed in sports, among others.

            “Soon I’ll have built up a catalog of columns that will allow me to never write anything even a tiny bit original again,” says Richardson. “It’s what every columnist works for: having the reputation and readership to one day be able to start mailing it in without having to worry.”