I’m not sure I can remember the last time I said “I” in a story. Since I started at CelticsBlog way back when, I’ve never had much need for the first person. I was writing about what someone else did or said or thought. I was just here to observe and analyze. But now I’m here to say goodbye.
This is my final post on CelticsBlog. Once I clicked publish on this piece, I completed my departure to join USA Today Sports Media Group and form the new site Celtics Wire. It’s something I’m very excited about, but even parting here on good terms is a vexing task. My face will still pop up here via the Garden Report Post Game Show, but I will no longer be writing here. This is a particularly biting taste of bittersweet.
Just writing here alone was an unforeseen accomplishment. I was a Celtics fan growing up, going to nearly every home game with my dad from before I was born -- Mama Weiss technically had the ticket to that one -- until my senior year of college at BU. I watched in awe at Larry Bird – allegedly; I was two – Antoine Walker, Paul Pierce, Jiri Welsch [most importantly], Rajon Rondo, Al Jefferson, and so many others. Then the Big Three era began like a whirlwind and I finally got to experience and understand all the tales my father passed down from the Garden balcony going all the way back to ’75. He worked his way down from way up there to the fifth row over 30 years, with me getting to tag along for the ride of my life.
The 21-point comeback against the Nets. The mystery game where we all threw our glow sticks on the court to celebrate a last-second bucket that I still can’t track down. Game 7 of the ’08 ECF with the greatest duel I’ve seen in person. The non-stop party of Game 6 of the ’08 Finals and the celebration in the streets that followed. These were the moments in my life that still serve as checkpoints for who I was and what I was doing. I remember life events in my childhood more by who the Celtics played in the playoffs than my actual age.
I read CelticsBlog every day when I was younger, soaking up whatever I could. Reading Bob Ryan and Jackie Mac wasn’t enough when I was a kid. I needed every little detail, every angle, every everything. Most of my close friends weren’t big into sports and I found most classmates I talked to were too busy debating NBA Live ratings -- not a typo -- or watching Sportscenter’s top plays to have a nuanced understanding of the game. Celticsblog satisfied that itch I badly needed to scratch. I sat in the stands and while everyone else was cheering, I was quietly sitting there, biting my nails, reading the defense, and whispering the plays to my dad. The only time I’d scream was when a wing was cutting backdoor and Mark Blount was too busy counting his money to rotate over.
I found a home in the CelticsBlog forums under the name of ILoveGettingRondod – named after the low-budget Reebok commercial he filmed with Vince Wilfork that probably never actually aired on TV, for all I know. Going back to watch them now, not only are the commercials pretty brutal, but he’s not even in them for some reason. Vintage Rondo. I got a chance to debate and argue with people who actually knew what they were talking about most of the time. Between curating my Facebook page, working the summer at Panera, and the CB forums, I had everything I could need to be a delusional aspiring teenager.
Cut to the locker room years later and I’m out of college, doing something I never thought was feasible or reasonable. I found a yearbook photo from fourth grade not too long ago that listed my dream job as a basketball reporter. Now I was doing it for real. I gained some valuable input from so many readers here. As I went further into my career, I found myself so detached from being a fan that I couldn’t even empathize with them anymore. While that is ideal for being a good reporter, it has its drawbacks. I even found myself having trouble discussing basketball with my father, struggling to reconcile my cold and objective understanding with his optimism and exuberance – and unrelenting affection for Jahlil Okafor.
Being able to interact with all of you in the comments and on twitter has helped me maintain that awareness and helped me communicate my observations, insight, knowledge, and analysis better to you. At the end of the day, that’s the idealized goal for even the most objective reporter or analyst. We want to make the fans more informed, smarter, and better at what they do. I want you to root for the Celtics because they play great basketball and are an enjoyable mix of entertaining and admirable people. Not out of an obligation to them and a hatred for their opponent. You should never let your fandom prevent you from enjoying great basketball. So if you’re reading this and thinking that if I can be a reporter, then literally any idiot can do it, just try to be objective, balanced and unique.
I owe a great debt of gratitude to Jeff Clark for letting me run wild here and pursue any story I wanted. He allowed me to write columns in my own intricate and absurdist voice, showing patience and flexibility while I fit all of this in between my day job and my work for CLNS Media Network. I thank Bill Sy, Keith Smith, and Kevin O’Connor among many others for being great partners in crime and inspirations. This site has and always will remain in great hands and serve as an institution for experiencing the Celtics. It was an honor and a privilege to be a part of the legacy here. I’m excited to see how it will continue to grow and chronicle another exciting era of Celtics basketball. I’ll be over at CeticsWire.USAToday.com, but you’re not allowed to go there until you’ve read every article and clicked on every ad on this site first.
I’ve often been referred to as Ron Burgundy around here, probably because I sleep in a blazer and do vocal warmups that would make George Carlin write a strongly worded the FCC. It’s fitting, because at this moment I am trapped in a glass case of emotion. I’ll miss all the wonderful people that make this site run and interacting with the tremendous and fervent commenters that flood our articles. Thank you all for everything.
You stay classy, CelticsBlog.