This isn’t goodbye. This is…actually, I don’t know what the hell this is. It’s not as if this will not be the last post on With Leather. Hell, this won’t even be my last post on With Leather, but it will be my last post as the site’s managing editor. Still, even now I’m reluctant to make any incredibly personal remarks. Most of you realize that after two years on the site full-time, I’m burned out and just looking for a break. It’s a good time for me and for the site to step aside.
I seriously have no blinding prepared. I don’t have any bosses to badmouth or any topics of rage whatsoever. And I really just don’t like talking about myself, partly because I’m a boring guy. If I was a 17-year-old Korean lesbian, I would write about myself all the time. Tuesday: Went to the market. Played with my breasts. Ran away to America. I would totally read that.
I remember when Dick Enberg announced during the NCAA tournament last year that he was leaving CBS. There was a big to do about it, and they even interviewed Enberg during halftime of one of the games. All I could think to myself was, “Who cares? I just wanna watch basketball.” Even being on the other end of that now, I feel the same way. I hope that some of you will indulge me as I finish my run as editor here with a simple message.
Duke sucks.
No, actually what I meant to say was “Thank you.”
I want to thank Matt Ufford for the amazing site that he created in 2006 and the support that he gave me when I stepped into his shoes two years ago. Matt, I never thought I could be more impressed of what you did before I tried to duplicate your efforts. I hope that I came close enough to what you saw in me to affirm your recommendation.
Thanks to the guys at Uproxx for letting me come in and, for the most part, do whatever I wanted. Jarret and Brian are battling for eyeballs like a lot of independent sites out there now, and I expect them to continue to win that battle. And I have to mention Jerry Thompson, our miracle worker in tech support. He may not be God, but that has never stopped him from being in several places at once.
Thanks to all the other writers that contributed either alongside me or in my absense. I once told Ryan Walsh to go blow his father. I wonder if he ever did that when he wasn’t creating great content for us. Weed Against Speed was a trusted ally from the Deadspin commenting days, and always willing and able to help when I needed him, often on short notice. Shane Bacon and his V-necked T-shirts were always good for some laughs. Amber Jones was amazing (and still is), and mornings were always better when waking up to her work.
Shakey is a treasure, and my life and my podcast both are richer for having him in it. Brandon Moskal is perennially hilarious, and I regret not forcing him into the blogging game sooner. Mike Tunison‘s creativity and Simpsons trivia knowledge are unparalleled, and I appreciate what he did for the site while I was in charge. If you own or run a blog and you’re looking for driven, independent personalities, get in touch with some of these people. All of them delivered excellent work to me and to you, and it was privilege to have their talents on loan for this space.
I’m also grateful for the people with whom I work presently. I know that Burnsy juggles so much during his day, and I was always happy to get him during the mornings, perhaps at his freshest. I was happy to welcome Brandon Stroud, who is already putting his own ass groove into the captain’s chair. I look forward to seeing his future successes with the site, and to being a resource for him in the future if needed.
I hope that was everyone. Hey, I had a lot of writers.
I want to definitely thank John, who travels ’round these parts as Upstate Underdog, my favorite commenter on this or any other site. UU is always great for a pun, a joke, or a movie quote. I appreciate his contributions to all the discussions we had over the years, some of which actually pertained to sports. Knowing that even my most incoherent posts on this site were going to get at least one comment from Upstate Underdog was a very comforting thought when creative juices were running dry.
Some folks reached out and delivered some extraordinary opportunities to me, and I have to mention them as well. That list easily begins with Don Povia and the other smiling faces at Taylor PR in New York, including Christian, Brian, Rich, Cassie, Heather, Megan and I know I’m forgetting someone here. I was grateful for the access to athletes and products that you offered me, and I hope that relationship doesn’t end here.
I also must thank Lisa Wheeler and all that the Greasie Wheels team did for me in Vegas last summer, covering the WSOP. My heart goes out to them and all the others employed by the poker industry in these uncertain times for their game.
And Kaitlin Kerns was the devilish mind behind sending a pantsless woman to my apartment last summer. Oh, Kaitlin. You know me so well. There are many others, but the Wrap It Up light just flicked on.
Thanks to everyone that sent in tips, commented on, linked, shared, forwarded, discussed or simply read the work that we put on this site every day. I hope you were entertained or, at worst, only mildly annoyed.
I also want to thank the other writers from around this fun little place that we call our blogosphere. You are all wonderful people, and I consider you–from the mighty Spencer Hall to the upstart Brendon O’Hare–colleagues and friends. Even some of you traditional media people have been quite wonderful. Keeping up with all of you has worn my ass out, and I’m happy to take a break from the day-to-day and watch the rest of you. For now.
I’ll see you around, plus I’m still doing my weekly NFL podcast, and I’m still at KSK. You can follow my Twitter feed or my Facebook page to keep up with the latest, and I hope you do. If my next project doesn’t make all of your fluids vacate your body instantly, then I will have failed.
Alright, so that was way too long, but what could I possibly have cut out of that? Until next time, I’ll see you on the internet.
