one (plus 31)-and-done

[shockey]

yup, my 32-year career in the newspaper biz ends today. it's been a fabulous ride, fulfilling every hope i ever had about never learning what it means to really work for a living.

it's not ending in the manner i would've chosen but that is no one's fault except thr health gods. guess they felt i had had it too good for too long.

sadly for my SportsJournalists.com buds this doesn't mean my days bantering with y'all are ending as well. no such luck. it simply means i'll be opining as a bitter civilian instead of a bitter ol' hack.

how does it feel? well, the unknown is a terrifying road, especially with three boys 20 or less and the youngest still needing navigation through his last 2-and-a-half years of h.s. to navigate. but it sure will be interesting to monitor....

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!!!

shockey

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Man, that sucks to hear.

I hope you're OK. If you got 32 years out of this business you did about 18 years better than I did.

Best of luck...

 

[PCLoadLetter]

Best of luck, Shockey. Hope your health allows you to enjoy whatever comes next. Sorry you couldn't go out on your terms.

 

[2underpar]

Good luck down the road and more importantly, take care of yourself.

 

[BYH]

Damn man that sucks. Lousy way to go out, I hope your health improves.

Always enjoy bantering with you, so I look forward to many more posts in which I tell you you're a dope for the mancrush on Jeter!

 

[SF_Express]

Sorry to hear this, but as long as you retain your solid curmudgeonly bitterness, all is not lost.

Obviously, best wishes on your health issues and whatever the near and distant future might bring.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Good luck, Shock. From your posts, sounds like you had a helluva career in journalism. And I hope you feel better soon.

 

[Elliotte Friedman]

Glad, at least, that you are staying on the board. Good luck, I enjoy hearing your stories.

 

[2underpar]

will you subscribe (or continue to subscribe) to a newspaper?
or will you rely solely on the Internet?

 

[playthrough]

All the best, man. You're an asset to this crazy place.

 

[goalmouth]

Sorry to hear you're leaving but glad you will be around.

 

[amraeder]

Best of luck. Congrats!

 

[Colton]

Aw, man, Shock, sorry to hear.

Wishing you all the best.

 

[Lugnuts]

Congrats on a wonderful career, and good luck with those boys, as always.

This may not make you feel better, but only a lucky few get to retire when/how they want to. That's often the tradeoff for working in a really cool career field. And I don't know about you, but that's a tradeoff I'll gladly take.

 

[spnited]

Shockey my friend and former colleague, you know I wish you only the best with full understanding of your physical situation and the situation with your now former employer.
I know perhaps better than most here what a true pro you are and always will be.
Hang in there, my friend.

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

Good luck to you, shockey.

 

[SoCalDude]

Hopefully, removing the rigors of work will aid in improving your health.
Best wishes to you and your family.

 

[Turtle Wexler]

Well, 32 years sounds like a hell of a run. Best wishes to you in the next chapter.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Dear Shockey: All my best wishes, especially for a return to full health. As for leaving newspapers, I can only say as someone who lasted almost as long as you did that honest work is not so bad, it's just a lot duller. From what you have posted and thankfully will continue to post on this board, it doesn't seem as if you are the sort of person who lets life get dull just because work is.

 

[OTD]

Good luck, Shockey. I hope you have a great retirement--I know you deserve it.