A Quick Note

On this week, December 9 to be exact, in 2009 I started Bearcats Blog. In the aftermath of the Pittsburgh game, I wanted to read a Cincinnati blog that didn't exist. I wanted to talk with other Bearcat fans about how awesome the game was and how great the season was. There weren't any back then, so I started one myself. Who knows how different things would be if Chris or Matt started their sites a few months before mine? It's an odd thing to think about.

I wanted to say a quick thanks to many, many people. First of all, I want to thank everyone who reads the site. I want to thank everyone who follows along on twitter. I'm dumping this at 5 pm on a Friday because I don't want to make too big a deal about it, but I'm really thankful for everyone out there. You guys and gals are all awesome. I wouldn't still be doing this if it wasn't for everyone out there. That's the damn truth.

A huge thanks to Stuart Gilchrist. He volunteered to write about recruiting. He does it because he's interested in it. I think he does a tremendous job. One guy told Stuart that he only read the blog for Stuart's posts. I know this because Stuart mentioned me in one of the tweets so I looked at the conversation for context. It made me feel good. For Stuart at least. Not so much for me. I've written nearly every post on this site. Recruiting is something I'm really not interested in. Stuart filled a major hole. Thank you, Stuart.

Like I just said, I have written nearly everything, but not everything, on the site. A couple of other people, like Bucky Cooper and Danielle Mitsch, have chipped in some articles. I believe Bucky wrote about UC players in the summer league a couple years ago. Danielle wrote a great piece about the students a week ago. I want to thank the both of them and also encourage someone reading this to write something if they feel so compelled.

A huge thanks to the man Paul Dehner Jr. He linked me when no one else did. He writes a lot of excellent things that have helped give me ideas for pieces of my own. He covers the Bengals and doesn't really do the Go Bearcats thing as much as he did, but it's always great when he does. He's helped me a whole lot in terms of giving me advice and just by being the standard.

I want to thank Chris and Matt at Cincy on the Prowl and Down the Drive respectively. It would be easy for us to be combative, but outside of everyone trying to do the best work they can, there isn't any of that. I think we all compliment each other pretty well.

My biggest influence for doing any of this at all is Mike Rutherford at Card Chronicle. Not only is Mike a great writer and great guy, he set up something at CC that I wanted to recreate, no matter how poorly, here. It didn't work out like that, but it has worked out pretty well. Mike has been a major influence in a lot of ways, too many to mention. He has been very helpful. Some of the biggest page views have come from things linked on CC. I definitely wouldn't have started a blog if it weren't for Card Chronicle.

Another person who greatly helped me was Sean Keeley from Nunes Magician. He is another great writer who never gave me a copy of his book. He had me on the only podcast I have been a guest on. It was about MasterChef, it was very good. In this same vain, I want to thank Brian Harrison from Orange 44 as well. His ability to predict the scores of UC-Syracuse games is uncanny.

I also want to thank everyone that has let me interview them and ask them questions or just was awesome. People like one of my favorites, Celebrity Hot Tub, Dallas Latos, Peter Berkes, Mark at Paint Touches, Andrew formerly of the UConn Blog, Jamie and Colin and all the Voodoo 5 people, Norman from Rumble in the Garden, Senator Giggity, Mark Ennis who is great, Courtney Dang because pandas, Dan Wolken, Hot Hot, that American Preview is coming one day, the person who let me interview the volleyball team, Toria Douglas for the dance team interview, Ryan who got me into the Marquette game and so many other people I can't think of right now.

Finally, I want to thank the UC players and coaches. They have given me many things to write about. Even though I have been critical of some of them for various reasons at times, I mean nothing personal. I want them all to succeed on and off the field. I would never say anything harsh about a college athlete. I honestly apologize if any of them have taken it that way. I have no idea if any of them have, but it's something I have thought about when saying 'this guy can't shoot' or whatever.

Thanks again, everyone. Onward and upward.