Another one bites the dust

Thank you. There are few things that would mean as much to me as professionally as the kind words on this site. I've made a lot of friends here. Sports journalism is a much smaller world than most people realize, filled with many more good people then bad.

For guys like Cosmo and MustangJ, I'd like to say that I still very much believe in the business. There will always be a place for good storytellers. It's a dark time now, and it may even get worse, but at some point it's going to turn.

Slap, I promise you that beer if you call PM me next time you're in town.

Moddy, maybe if you'd have taken our SE job, we'd both still be in the business!


I'm blogging a little (<a href="http://papertigernomore.blogspot.com/">here</a>), much more personal than sports journalism, but it'll have a little sports journalism from time to time, and some thoughts on newspapers in general and Newhouse/SE Michigan specifically in the next week or so. And, of course, you couldn't get me off SJ without some sort of methadone program.

Oh, and as for the lawyering ... very personal decision. Something I always wanted to do, and very likely would have done regardless of where newspapers were headed. I don't know where it takes me, but it's an itch I put off scratching for a long time, and it was just time to do it.

Thanks again, fellas.

 

Michigan loses to Toledo today and soon after the following e-mail pops into my box from Jeff Shelman:

"Are you going to go onto The Wolverine and talk trash about your Rockets?"

 

Jim, with your big lawyer money I'll be expecting you to send me some of those delish bagels.

 

Not just Toledo, but a 1-4 Toledo team that lost to Ball State 31-0 (I think) last week. Michigan's excellent Rivals team has declared it's a worse loss than App State, because App State was, you know, good.

IJAG, I'm honestly lost on the bagels comment. But that might be a result of spending about 12 hours today on law school nonsense. Right now I'm listening to a recording of civil procedure, which is making a lot more sense the second time around.

Best bagels in the world? KC's Bagel Express, Route 23, Pompton Plains, N.J.

 

Let me add to the Jim Carty thread. Good guy, better writer.

 

This opens new doors for you. In one day, you can hit
Angelo's for breakfast, Tony Packo's for lunch, Argeiro's for dinner and the Pub for a beer.

 

I've never met Jim, and that column was the first thing of his I ever read, but some of the comments below that column make me want to cock punch some motherfuckers.

 

I think it's important to say this, because most of us have to deal with comments.

My entire viewpoint of them has completely changed since I left the paper. Before I left? I really thought a lot of people didn't like me or my viewpoints. I actually thought the comments and message board posts represented a significant portion of the readership.

Since leaving, I've receive more than 300 positive e-mails from readers, coaches and - stunningly - even a Michigan administrator who fought us tooth and nail on the academics investigation. People going out of their way to say how the column and The News is a part of their life, and that they'll feel like something is missing. Negative e-mails? Fewer than 10. A lot of people writing nice things said they often disagreed with me, but enjoyed that part of it.

I come away truly believing that the anonymous comments, and message board rips, ultimately account for a very small constituency, and probably one that you could never make happy.

Don't ever let them get you down.

And thanks again for the kind words.