I’m not doing a campers post this year (Steve has that covered). Nor am I going to do a liveblog of the Yankees’ first televised exhibition game, nor my Spring Training game capsules. After eight-plus seasons, I’m taking a step back from blogging about the Yankees. It may be presumptuous of me, but I thought you should know.
To observant and loyal readers who have noticed that I haven’t written for this site since early November, that might not come as a huge surprise, though my posts were often sporadic at best during the winter when I wrote for Bronx Banter, as well.
This is different. As a full-time stay-at-home dad and, now, much to my surprise and delight, one of the most frequent contributors to SI.com’s baseball coverage, I’ve simply run out of time and energy to keep up what has become, out of necessity, my third job. That doesn't necessarily mean I won't be writing for the Pinstriped Bible at all this season. Steve and I are trying to find some sort of arrangement that would allow me to contribute on a semi-regular, but significantly-less-frequent basis. It does, however, mean that what you have come to expect from me over the past eight-plus years at my own blog, Bronx Banter, and here, won't be there.
As I did when I left Bronx Banter to come here, I have mixed emotions about this. Part of me is, frankly, ecstatic, because what's keeping me from blogging about the Yankees are the realizations of two dreams: being not just a dad, but a dad who is able to say home with my child, and being not just a professional baseball writer, but a major contributor at a leading sports institution. At the same time, I will not only miss doing the sort of blogging I've done for close to a decade, but I can't shake feeling as though I'm turning my back on the people who got me where I am today (the writer part, not the dad part, but thanks for the offers), my readers.
I know at least some of you have been reading me since the beginning back at Clifford's Big Red Blog, and there's no way I'd be writing this now if you weren't reading me then, or at Bronx Banter, or here, or at SI. I have had some wonderful interactions with my readers over the years, in comments, via email, and in person. In fact, when it comes to my work blogging about the Yankees, I've had almost exclusively wonderful interactions with my readers. I've also become a better writer and analyst (at least, I hope I have) thanks to the questions, discussions, and constructive criticisms I have received from readers. I want you to know how valuable your comments have been. I used to eagerly await your feedback and missed it greatly when I first started writing for SI.com in 2007 (twitter has since helped compensate for the lack of comments a bit, but not enough for my taste).
Of course, I owe a great deal to Steven Goldman. I started reading Steve in 1999, when he was writing the Monument Park Project at the old, pre-integrated Yankees.com. I quickly recognized a kindred spirit and made some effort to engage him in debates via email. He quickly recognized a publishing-house email, which kept the conversation going, and our on-line conversations quickly evolved into a friendship even before our first meeting at a now-legendary mid-town bookstore event Steve did in late 2003 to promote this column (which was also where I first met, among others, Alex Belth and Jay Jaffe).
Since then, Steve has been a great friend, confidant, and supporter. Would that I had the time and energy to pursue every idea he has had for our collaborations. Joining him and Jay (another good friend, supporter, and source of inspiration), here at the Pinstriped Bible as supposed equals was a great honor and another dream-come-true. (Roughly a decade ago, I emailed Steve asking him for advice on pursuing a gig like his, writing baseball commentary for pay without having to travel with a team. This being what must have been moments before baseball blogs began to take off, likely even before Jay launched Futility Infielder, Steve essentially told me, tough luck, he was lucky to be in the right place at the right time, but there are no other jobs like that. Steve doesn't remember that exchange. He also doesn' t like when I tell that story).
So, it is not without remorse that I take this step back from the Pinstriped Bible and blogging about the Yankees, nor is it without a great amount of gratitude to everyone reading this as well as to those who have helped me down the path (to whom I should add Jacob Luft, and SI.com's Paul Fichtenbaum, Larry Burke, Ted Keith, and Gennaro Felice). I hope you all continue to read me over at SI.com, and that there will be more from me to come in other places as well, the Pinstriped Bible included.
Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.