“It’s possible that these video montages are the only time in a guy’s life that he’ll cry in front of another guy.”

So I have a penchant for blog polls: How many of you have witnessed a man crying? Show of hands, please.

I’m going to guess the answer is a small number.

One more question for ya: Any idea to what the above quote is referring?

That’s right, the horrible corny song-cum-video-clips that CBS strings together at the end of the NCAA Men’s college basketball tournament, and yes, we all sit around after the game is over and wait for it, because, yes, it IS touching.

So it was this article that I happened upon on the train into work that prompted me to realize that us guys show emotion at all the wrong times and for all the wrong reasons.

And it’s the endless barrage of ads for the sexy Gabriel Byrne in his new HBO drama “In Treatment” that has made me realize how much HBO has been dying for a show that women will watch (nope, “Deadwood” didn’t really cut it).

And the convergence of these and other signs in my daily life has led me to the over-blown topic of why men don’t like to talk, think, ruminate, experience, or express emotions. And is it really true?

I will admit: I tear up during a few movies, the most prominent (and one of my favorites) being “Before Night Falls,” but I don’t cry all that often. And while I don’t think it’s because I’m of the male persuasion and I want to maintain some sort of machismo, I do believe that there is a cultural taboo about “emotional” men and how they’re softies (read: not really manly). So what do you think? And why do you cry?

In a future post, I think I’ll go to the streets and interview real-life men and ask them if they think they are emotion-less creatures except, of course, when it comes to sports. But in this post, I’m looking for your reactions and thoughts on men and the ever-elusive tear, and why/why not we need a hankie; so, please, sound off.