Back at home in Northern Virginia, our country music man Dennis McCafferty is reflecting today. Forty eight hours in Nashville surrounded by country musicians, their entourages and the press pack following them can do that to a guy. The backstage press room where the CMA award winners were interviewed was a whole new and surprising experience, Dennis says.

"The country music press openly gushed about and literally applauded each performer who came out. 'Boy,' I remarked to a magazine writer I was seated next to. 'I guess the sports press box rule doesn't apply here.'

'What sports press box rule?' the writer replied.

'The one about not cheering or otherwise looking like a homer for the people you're covering,' I said.

'Oh no,' the writer said, laughing. 'That certainly doesn't apply here!'

There were too many  breathless '(Insert first name of CMA winner here), you've clearly achieved a great milestone in your already brilliant, groundbreaking career. Describe for us the very emotions that you're experiencing right at this moment?' questions. And, among other lowlights, one scribe asked Kenny Chesney if he would consider not cheering for his beloved University of Tennessee Volunteers and switch to the scribe's 'Bama Crimson Tide instead. (You can imagine the awkward silence that followed. The rest of us in the room couldn't get to the next question quickly enough.)

Overall, I'll remember that Chesney and the other performers fielded all questions with grace and wit. And seeing a clearly emotionally overwhelmed Tracy Lawrence after winning his first CMA touched everyone in the room. There was no crime in being a 'homey' at that moment."