It was with shaking hands that I picked up the Dec. 1 issue of the New Pittsburgh Courier. The headline in the upper right corner caught my attention: "Courier Honors Men of Excellence."

Uh-oh, I thought to myself. The Courier has been compiling the names of 50 local African-Americans for its "Men of Excellence" list every year since 2003.

As shocking as it may sound, yours truly has yet to score a stinking nomination -- not to be bitter.

The subhead was like a tumbler of salt poured into a jagged wound: "Educators, Journalists, CEOs and Fallen Hero Among Those Feted."

The article went on to describe what sounded like an elegant awards dinner at the Rivers Club in mid-November that drew 300 people.

As it turns out, I was busy that night reviewing a lousy martial arts film for the Post-Gazette, anyway, so I wouldn't have been able to attend.

Still, after doing the math, even I couldn't overlook the scale of the snub. After seven years and 350 chances at being nominated, I had been passed over yet again.

It's especially humiliating when you realize that there aren't even 350 black men in all of Pittsburgh at any given time, yet I still can't seem to score one of those coveted "Men of Excellence" awards.

My wife blames the lack of recognition on my bad attitude and sarcastic persona. "People don't know whether you're truly evil or just pretending to be evil," she said during a family intervention once.

I never made Pittsburgh Magazine's "40 Under 40" list when I was eligible for that one, either. I've already complained in print about missing the cut of its "50 Most Beautiful" list, too. I suppose I'm just destined for obscurity.

A colleague on the editorial board advanced a theory: "Maybe they think you don't own a suit," he said with a hint of snideness. The problem is that he's not the only one at the PG who has a hard time remembering the last time I wore a suit to work. He was dropping a hint for his own selfish purposes.

As usual, the Courier devoted two full pages to coverage of the gala. I scanned the color photos of smiling black men to see if there were any interlopers who didn't belong there. To my relief, they were all worthy men, several of whom I consider friends. Most are acquaintances.

Still, I was somewhat bemused by the disproportionate number of Christian institution-related folks who received awards that night. Everyone was smiling so broadly as they clutched their crystal trophies that there couldn't have been a single atheist in the bunch.

While loudly bemoaning my fate in the PG's coffee shop, a colleague from another department tried to put everything into perspective with this pithy line: "Maybe they just don't like you, Tony."

It isn't that the Courier has anything against the PG. Several colleagues, including Erv Dyer and LaMont Jones, have made the list in past years. They're such excellent journalists, I believe they've made the list multiple times.

So, how does one explain my situation? The folks at the Courier certainly know that I exist. I like to remind them that they turned me down for a job months before the PG hired me, way back in 1988. If anyone should be bitter or resentful, it should be me. But am I? -- NO!

People who know me know that I'm not a vain man. I've won a few journalism awards. I get a decent amount of feedback from readers, both pro and con. I'm not lacking in either ego or public affirmation. All I want to know is -- how many roads must a man walk down before he gets a "Men of Excellence" award?

Honestly, I'm not campaigning for it. To paraphrase William Tecumseh Sherman, the Civil War general who famously refused to run for president: "If nominated, I will not campaign. If awarded, I will not show up."

Sooner or later, even a scoundrel gets nominated, if only because the pickings are slim. On the day I'm nominated, I'll feign complete disinterest. I might even show up if I don't have anything better to do that night.

Tony's Take on Comix by Tony Norman is featured exclusively in the Opinion section on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.