August 20, 2007
It Is Time - Hanging It Up
Back in October 1997, Dean Smith tried to get motivated to start his 37th season as head basketball coach at UNC and found he couldn't muster the fire. Coaching is a hard job and requires immense amounts of commitment and intensity. When it's not there, you can't fake it. Coach Smith knew the signs and so retired.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not really comparing blogging to coaching an ACC basketball team, but like Dean Smith, I just can't summon the necessary motivation to keep this thing going. Life has stepped up around me - work, family, work #2 - and to compete with that and keep this blog as good (OK, nearly as good) as I want it to be would require effort I can't provide.
I've known this for a while now but just couldn't bring myself to write a coda. I like this blog! It's been a lot of fun and while it didn't turn out to be what I wanted, it did become more than I ever really deserved. Even now, due largely to the bizarre workings of Google Images and despite the lack of any significant content in months, this site gets quite a bit of traffic. Sure, it's not really good traffic, but it still amazes me that so many people click over here, even by accident.
So, this is it. Sure, I could find time here and there to write little posts about things I find interesting or amusing (like before and after pics of Ralph Friedgen), but I think it's best if I just walk away. Leave it as it is. It's really best that way.
The one thing I'm unsure about is my content. What to do with it all? Do I take it all down? Leave it up there to collect dust and cobwebs like your grandmother's attic? I really don't know what's best. For now, I'm going with "leave it up there," but at some point I might have to rethink that.
Lastly I want to thank everyone who has ever read, commented on, emailed about or linked to one of my articles. Those little nuggets of feedback, whether it was a whole blog post about what I wrote or just a counter-tick on my web stats, kept me going.
Thank you.
(p.s. As a final gift to you, my readers - Sail With The Pilot!)
Comments
Sorry to see you hang it up. Glad you could bring yourself to it though; felt it coming for months. You gotta find a place to archive old posts; so the soccer folks can keep getting on line and arguing who is better. Oh, and put me down for that Zidane guy. I think he sounds good.
That soccer thread is great isn't it? God knows what compels folks to keep adding comments to it.
I'll keep the content up here for a while. It lives on a box in my house, so I'm not paying for hosting. As long as it doesn't get overrun with spammers, I'll probably keep it alive.
I'll keep the content up here for a while. It lives on a box in my house, so I'm not paying for hosting. As long as it doesn't get overrun with spammers, I'll probably keep it alive.
| Herb wrote: |
| At least Friedgen doesn't look like Dr. Phil anymore... |
He looks like he ate Dr. Phil. And Oprah too.
As a Duke fan, I have really enjoyed your blog over the years. Even though you let your preferences be know, you did a very good job of being unbiased. I will miss it.
Dave,
Your old content should live on. There are just too many good things in it for it to disappear in a whiff.
Your old content should live on. There are just too many good things in it for it to disappear in a whiff.
Dave, sad to see you go, always liked getting the UVA perspective from you, but I definitely know how a blog can hold you captive in a sense. Good luck with future endeavors.
I may try to contact you in the future for some opinions for my site, so hopefully your email address won't change.
I may try to contact you in the future for some opinions for my site, so hopefully your email address won't change.
Thanks to everyone who has posted something here. Thanks also to those who have emailed me or posted comments on other sites. It's good to be missed.
The content here won't be going anywhere anytime soon. To be honest, I'm a bit of a pack rat, so I'm more likely to hold on too long than let go too soon.
My email address, daveirwin1@yahoo.com (go spammers!!), shouldn't be changing either. You will be able to reach me there for the foreseeable future.
The content here won't be going anywhere anytime soon. To be honest, I'm a bit of a pack rat, so I'm more likely to hold on too long than let go too soon.
My email address, daveirwin1@yahoo.com (go spammers!!), shouldn't be changing either. You will be able to reach me there for the foreseeable future.
Dave - I hate to see you go, but I understand. This site was a first stop in the morning for me during basketball season, and I checked most other days as well. Thanks for hanging in there as long as you did.
If you find yourself without an outlet though, consider submitting a column to sportsfilter. Your voice would fit nicely there.
If you find yourself without an outlet though, consider submitting a column to sportsfilter. Your voice would fit nicely there.
I can't blame you Dave I can just thank you for making my downtime at work a bright part of the day. I found your site on a Google search for "Randolph Childress" and got hooked once I looked around. As martin said this became a daily stop during basketball season. I'll miss the blog. I wish you all the best Dave.
I'm a bit late to the game in thanking you dave (law school starting will do that) but I just wanted to let you know that I'm sad you're giving up the blog but I understand your motivations.
I really enjoyed coming here and seeing what you had to say, not to mention having a Hoo in the blogoshphere.
All the best moving forward man.
I really enjoyed coming here and seeing what you had to say, not to mention having a Hoo in the blogoshphere.
All the best moving forward man.
Thanks again to everyone for all the kind words. It is nice to be missed!
I had forgotten that the Big Ten Wonk was hanging it up. If he isn't the best blog writer out there, I don't know who is. He did say that he'll still be blogging, just not at his same site.
Hey Evan, good luck with law school. It's a bitch! I watched my wife go through that and while the topics looked interesting (well, most of them), it was way too much work for me.
I had forgotten that the Big Ten Wonk was hanging it up. If he isn't the best blog writer out there, I don't know who is. He did say that he'll still be blogging, just not at his same site.
Hey Evan, good luck with law school. It's a bitch! I watched my wife go through that and while the topics looked interesting (well, most of them), it was way too much work for me.
I am not buying it. This is too good of a site to just stop. I really can't see this site not continuing, so I doubt that such a thing will happen.
Nevertheless, with respect to content, you probably can transfer it to a Google blogspot for free, if your current arrangement costs something. There is definitely content on here that should continue to be made available to future fans.
Nevertheless, with respect to content, you probably can transfer it to a Google blogspot for free, if your current arrangement costs something. There is definitely content on here that should continue to be made available to future fans.
Come on, Dave, fall's coming, Midnight Madness is in the air. Admit it, you feel the pull.
(Just wandered over here because your link is still up at the Frog.)
(Just wandered over here because your link is still up at the Frog.)
| steve wrote: |
| Come on, Dave, fall's coming, Midnight Madness is in the air. Admit it, you feel the pull.
(Just wandered over here because your link is still up at the Frog.) |
Oh, I've had lots of ideas for posts, but I still don't really have the time.
Well crap. What fun is the ACC season without its best commentator? Dave, you're sorely missed. Best of luck in everything you do. I am certain you will succeed.
| Matt wrote: |
| Well crap. What fun is the ACC season without its best commentator? Dave, you're sorely missed. Best of luck in everything you do. I am certain you will succeed. |
Thanks Matt. I have to admit, with hoops starting up, it's hard to hold back. I still don't have the bandwidth to do it properly.
Just in time Dave! Something MUST be amiss in the ACC hoops world:
"After playing almost strictly man-to-man for his entire career, Krzyzewski is using the 2-3 zone he learned from Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim when they coached Team USA during the summer. "I send tapes after each game to Boeheim," Krzyzewski said. "And he critiques me.""
(http://www.charlotte.com/sports/story/356142.html)
I LOVE IT!! The ACC god is being taught by "Coaching's Favorite Curmudgeon" (-Commemoritive SI cover, '03 National Champions) ... from the Big East, no less! Ha!
Does this mean we'll have to resort to email pissing contests again?! Isn't that what started this whole thing?
"After playing almost strictly man-to-man for his entire career, Krzyzewski is using the 2-3 zone he learned from Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim when they coached Team USA during the summer. "I send tapes after each game to Boeheim," Krzyzewski said. "And he critiques me.""
(http://www.charlotte.com/sports/story/356142.html)
I LOVE IT!! The ACC god is being taught by "Coaching's Favorite Curmudgeon" (-Commemoritive SI cover, '03 National Champions) ... from the Big East, no less! Ha!
Does this mean we'll have to resort to email pissing contests again?! Isn't that what started this whole thing?
| MarkG wrote: |
| I LOVE IT!! The ACC god is being taught by "Coaching's Favorite Curmudgeon" (-Commemoritive SI cover, '03 National Champions) ... from the Big East, no less! Ha! |
These must be the end times.
| MarkG wrote: |
| Ioes this mean we'll have to resort to email pissing contests again?! Isn't that what started this whole thing? |
Well, we can always use this message board instead. And yeah, those old battles were definitely part of Dave Sez's genesis.
Dave --
I've started reading The Big Lead since you're not around. Interestingly, there was an interview with Rob Daniels from the Greensboro N&R yesterday. Obviously, they talked much hoops, but one topic that came up was that for a region with so much going on sports-wise, there were relatively few good blogs:
http://thebiglead.com/?p=3858
This doesn't even address the fact that there are NO good UVA blogs. Note also that Daniels wrote the UVA BB beat for the Daily Progress for a couple of years during the Jeff Jones era.
Hope all's well.
Matt
I've started reading The Big Lead since you're not around. Interestingly, there was an interview with Rob Daniels from the Greensboro N&R yesterday. Obviously, they talked much hoops, but one topic that came up was that for a region with so much going on sports-wise, there were relatively few good blogs:
http://thebiglead.com/?p=3858
This doesn't even address the fact that there are NO good UVA blogs. Note also that Daniels wrote the UVA BB beat for the Daily Progress for a couple of years during the Jeff Jones era.
Hope all's well.
Matt
| Matt wrote: |
| Dave --
I've started reading The Big Lead since you're not around. Interestingly, there was an interview with Rob Daniels from the Greensboro N&R yesterday. Obviously, they talked much hoops, but one topic that came up was that for a region with so much going on sports-wise, there were relatively few good blogs: http://thebiglead.com/?p=3858 This doesn't even address the fact that there are NO good UVA blogs. Note also that Daniels wrote the UVA BB beat for the Daily Progress for a couple of years during the Jeff Jones era. Hope all's well. Matt |
Thanks, Matt. That was an interesting read. My first instinct from what you posted was to protest, but Rob did bring up the dukebasketballreport.com. I agree with him there. There are a few other good ones, but I guess there aren't any other behemoths. ACC Basketblog is a good source of links to news articles. StateFans Nation does a good job with NC State sports. For UVA blogs, the one at the Sabre isn't too bad, although like StateFans Nation, it can be too biased.
It would be nice if the ACC had an equivalent of the now-defunct Big Ten Wonk.
| william wrote: |
| You must be on Christmas break by now.... |
Almost! But it's still somewhat crazy, but in a different way. I'm changing jobs. My last day at the current job is Friday and I start the new one in January.
Even if I found time to write something now, it would just be a tease, because I expect to be busy at the new place.
For those that celebrate it, have a merry Christmas! If you don't, I hope you don't get too annoyed by all the Christmas stuff around and manage to enjoy the holiday season.
I thought you were in law school, don't know where I got that idea. I really miss your site and your comments.
I haven't had a chance to stop by in awhile and I was just thinking about your blog after the Duke/Maryland game (don't ask me, I think it was due to reading Maryland fans talking about their next game, against UVA). Anyhoo, I pop in and see you are retired!
Well, all the best to you. I always enjoyed this blog and it will be greatly missed. Perhaps I'll see you at the Swamp one day.
Well, all the best to you. I always enjoyed this blog and it will be greatly missed. Perhaps I'll see you at the Swamp one day.
Hey Dave, you still around?
Hope you don't mind if I leave a link here.
http://www.bethecoachbasketball.com/
It's a college basketball game that ACC hoops fans should like.
Hope you don't mind if I leave a link here.
http://www.bethecoachbasketball.com/
It's a college basketball game that ACC hoops fans should like.
| Brett wrote: |
| Hey Dave, you still around?
Hope you don't mind if I leave a link here. http://www.bethecoachbasketball.com/ It's a college basketball game that ACC hoops fans should like. |
Yeah, I'm still here. I checked out your site. Pretty interesting. The one thing to me is that playing a season is kinda tedious. You have to just keep clicking on Play and Next Week without making any decisions. You might as well just show the full season results with one click or maybe allow lineup changes or something.
Very cool start though.
Thanks Dave!
I'm thinking about changing it so that you can assign playing time but I want to keep the right mix of mindless fun.
I'm thinking about changing it so that you can assign playing time but I want to keep the right mix of mindless fun.
Dave, are you there? How could I reach you? My email address is dane_huffman@yahoo.com. I couldnt get your email to pop up.
Posted by Dave at August 20, 2007 01:44 PM
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