Over the past few years, I've made a habit out of writing a post on Opening Day updating the state of the blog. I've often taken the occasion to celebrate some sort of major development: in 2009, the re-naming and redesigning of the site; and in 2010, my newly formed partnerships with ESPN.com and the Star Tribune.
I'm very happy with how far this little site has come along. So, for this year, my goal is simply to keep up with it and make it the best it can be.
That won't always be easy, I'm sure. Contrary to common belief, I have a life outside of obsessing over baseball and it can be demanding at times. Even within the realm of this hobby I've tried to diversify and broaden my brush stroke.
The exposure to much larger audiences through the ESPN.com and Star Tribune outlets has been gratifying, not to mention highly amusing (the comment section "troll" in action is a fascinating phenomenon).
I'll also continue doing a few regular radio spots this year, which is different but enjoyable. (Shout-outs to my friends on the airwaves: Dean DeBoer in Austin, Trent Condon in Des Moines, R.J. Richards in Grand Forks, and of course Doogie Wolfson at ESPN 1500.)
In addition, I'll continue to produce a couple weekly columns at Rotoworld. If you happen to play fantasy baseball, I hope you'll check them out. I should mention that one of the columns is accessible only to those who've purchased the Season Pass membership, but doing so is a no-brainer if you're hardcore.
That lame bit of self-promotion aside, my top writing priority has been and will continue to be this blog. I've got plenty on my plate, but my goal this year is to continue pumping out quality content with as much frequency as anyone else out there covering the Twins. Little will change going forward content-wise, but one feature I have added to the blog this year that I'm pretty excited about is the integration of TiqIQ as an avenue for fans trying to track down tickets to games.
Beyond that, it'll be business as usual, starting with a post on Monday that will undoubtedly contain some rumination about this weekend's series against the Blue Jays. This series, not to mention the one in New York that follows, strikes me as a fitting start to what will be a challenging year for the Twins. I wish I felt more optimistic about their chances, but from any perspective the 2011 season is shaping up to be an exciting and entertaining one. I hope you'll keep checking in regularly so we can share the ride. Your readership and interaction, as always, are what make this time-consuming hobby worthwhile.
Now let's freaking play ball already.
6 comments:
"(the comment section "troll" in action is a fascinating phenomenon)"
Haha, welcome to the internet culture Nick. Where things you would normally never say to another human being all of the sudden become okay because a computer screen separates you and them. Let the haters hate, man, they're not writing for ESPN. Anyways, lookin' forward to the the season and some thought-provoking and intriguing articles from you.
Keep up the good work Nick, I really enjoy reading your stuff.
Keep up the good work Nick. While I don't always agree with many of the things you write, you do often make a pretty good argument for them. Even if I don't always agree in my baseball heart. So in the end I simply look forward to a another great competitive season from the Twins, until they meet the Yankees in the post-season...again, and...wait for it....lose...again. Thus the eternal words of spring, "maybe this year."
Nick, if there was one thing that you'd do to improve the content if you had an extra few hours a week, what would it be? Maybe something like a minor league report, or a preview of upcoming opponents. I don't think that most of us have an appreciation for how much effort you put in every day to make it happen. Maybe some of the regular readers/posters would be willing to do some research to help in that regard.
Nick, if there was one thing that you'd do to improve the content if you had an extra few hours a week, what would it be?
That's a great question. As you mention, I think it would be nice to do more research-based pieces, but those tend to be the most time-consuming. I like your suggestion of possibly doing some collective research, if we can find a worthy topic to delve into.
Nick,
Your content has provided thousands of hours of thought and conversation between fans. I remember 15 years ago scouring through baseball america or baseball weekly for a whopping 200 word column. Thanks to you(and others) it's never been easier to stay so informed.
Arlen Specter, jr counsel W.C.
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