The Thrill of Covering Sports in the Greatest City in the World, and the Difficult Exit

The thrill of covering sports in the greatest city in the world is well-documented, but they don't prepare you for your eventual, unceremonious exit. Only NJ Transit can do that.

The F Train doesn't run nearly long enough to find spiritual continuity, or to feel confident enough in one's health to live an unhinged lifestyle in a city that, quite frankly, could use some sleep every now and then.

As a company grows, the ability to write articles....like this decreases. The standard of acceptance for such things increases dramatically, including the work flow. It's only fair, and I'm grateful to have seen this website through from a small office in Times Square to a multi-floor (!!) conglomerate just blocks away from the World's Most Famous Arena. That might not mean much to most of you, but when you've worked 12-hour days and suffered countless sleepless nights to help make a website not just readable, but successful, you'll understand.

12up is a creation that's gone far beyond the sum of its parts, and most of that's due to the dramatic improvement of an incredible group of creative-types who, like the rest of us, just needed the right opportunity to show they belonged in this sports media hell-hole industry.

If you've made it this far, I thank you.

The next chapter of an unpredictably personal story takes place in Pittsburgh. A place that, while not nearing the per-capita sports interest of a New York City, remains as passionate as they come with fans consistently ranking among the most well-traveled in any league. There's an audience, and I'm tremendously excited to deliver.

This starts with the obvious, opinionated content I typically cater to. That will not change, whether you like me or not. However, the potential for growth -- both personally and professionally -- through articles which deliver background you couldn't have possibly understood without some basic assistance and a respectable storyteller, has a strong potential to increase. My goal is to provide the news and fan opinion, but also pair it with original stories you couldn't get elsewhere. That's the entire point of sports journalism. If I can't provide this, then how can I claim to be a journalist at all?

If you're wondering if I hijacked this article to disclose my personal journey, you'd be correct. Writing (professionally) about sports in New York City was always a dream of mine.

The truth is, very rarely do you get to be at the epicenter of the sports journalism universe (or feel like it, at the very least), responsibly write about subjects you're passionate about, and receive an active response. It doesn't happen in this world; not this quickly. That is what I'll miss about this city -- and this group of people -- the most. The immediate feedback, paired with the inability to escape it, can mold a young writer into...whatever this is.

Nostalgia has taken hold, but there is no subway stop to get off at this time around.