It is a bit disconcerting to get scooped on your own move, but, well, this is the world where we live.
You may have heard … I am leaving Sports Illustrated for a new venture. I can't really go into details about the venture except to say that it's a joint thing between the new USA Today Sports Group and MLB Advanced Media, and it's obviously very exciting. It is, for me, a chance to work with old friends on new things. I'm obviously thrilled about it.
What I can talk about for a minute is Sports Illustrated. I love the place. I love it with every fiber of my being. I love it today exactly as much as I loved it the day they hired me. I believe it features the best sports writing and sports editing in America … and many of the best people. It breaks my heart to leave. More than once over the last week or so I have thought about that line in Amadeus where Mozart, unable to choose between two wigs, shouted: "Why can't I have two heads?"
I've written this before -- my dream, from the time I was just starting out in this business, was to write for Sports Illustrated. My first story was about how tall Dustin Pedroia was, and seeing that in print was one of the joys of my life. My first cover story was about Albert Pujols, and that took me to an even higher-high. I talked writing with Gary Smith, podcasted with Peter King (twice -- my technology skills aren't the best), chatted baseball with Tom Verducci, hung out with the awesome golf guys and listened to jaw dropping stories at dinners with the legendary Terry McDonell. And much more. At least 100 times, I looked around and thought, "Is this really happening?" It was three of the greatest years of my life, and leaving has been a persistent kick to the stomach ever since I made the decision.
But … tearing myself away from a place as great as SI might tell you just how psyched I am about this new thing.
Sports Illustrated, of course, will continue to be fabulous. And as far as the new thing, well, it is indeed somewhat secretive, kind of a Project X, but I can tell you that I will be doing some writing leading up to it. Details to follow on that. In the meantime, thank you all for reading. I have been pulled in a million directions these last few months, and am still being pulled apart for a while longer, but I can tell you that I have many posts about Derek Jeter, infomercials, Tiger Woods, LeBron, Harry Potter, that impossibly bad Spandau Ballet commercial and pixifoods lined up. Hope you'll stick with me.