Where We Say Goodbye, But Not Farewell

Back in the summer of 2010, Jon Franz sent me an email and asked if I'd like to be a front page contributor for the then The Rivalry, Esq. I was flattered, and agreed wholeheartedly.  I was already writing over at The Daily Norseman, and getting another outlet to write about college football was pretty cool.  I jumped right in and didn't look back, and it's been fun watching this site grow and expand from just a few commenters to literally hundreds, almost every day.

One of the main reasons I jumped at the chance was because SB Nation had, to put it mildly, trouble keeping OSU blogs in the network for the longest time, for whatever reason.  There was an OSU void, and I did my best to try and fill that for the time being.  Granted, it was generally profane, sub par, and wildly unintelligible, but when you work for free, you get what you pay for, amirite?

Whether it was a Michigan cocktail party hate piece hit job, a 10,000 word opus with Jesse, a somewhat inebriated post-Sugar Bowl victory post, or some ridiculous floating heads piece, I hope you've enjoyed reading them as much as I have enjoyed writing them.

But now, there's a fantastic OSU site in Land Grant Holy Land on SB Nation that's definitely here to stay, and the staff here is as good as any SB Nation staff anywhere.  And with the expansion into basketball, hockey, and other stuff, OTE is going to continue to grow and expand, and even though I won't be writing, I'll be reading every word, every day.  And because I can no longer give up so much spare time to write for OTE, it's time that another OSU writer pick up the baton and run with it.  This site deserves more time than I can give to it anymore, and our OSU coverage hasn't been where it needs to be.

This site is unique in that it's a gathering place for all Big Ten fans, and the writers here are all fantastic.  But it's time to let another OSU writer step up, as I will be stepping down.  Real life sometimes gets in the way of fun stuff like this, and when that happens, the fun stuff needs to be put aside.

And this has been a hoot.

So, thank you Graham and Jon, for giving me an opportunity to be a jackass and ruin your up until then unvarnished reputation write with no boundaries or restrictions, and speak my mind about whatever the topic was.

Thank you, Jesse Collins, for making me think outside the box on our collaborative pieces.  Did we bring peace to the Mideast?  No, we did not. But if nothing else, we were thought provoking. Verbose, but thought provoking.  Really verbose. You also picked up the weekly power poll for me this year when I couldn't commit to do it every week, and it's gotten better than ever.

Thank you, Hilary and Chad.  Your writing and your passion for your schools comes out in your writing.  But Chad, seriously, stop with the 11-2 predictions for Northwestern, okay? Okay.  And Hilary, your baffles are quite possibly the greatest contribution to blogging since the invention of the Internet.

Thank you JDMill and GoAUpher.  Thanks for writing great stuff about my home state team, and inviting me over to The Daily Gopher from time to time. I'm always going to have a soft spot for Minnesota, and your writing will always give me an unvarnished look at Gopher football.

Thank you to Brian Gillis.  Almost every time I wrote a serious piece on Michigan, I received an unsolicited email from Brian telling me 'good job, great piece', and telling me to keep up the good work.  It sure beat the unsolicited emails from other Michigan fans telling me I was full of shit.

Thank you to Mike Jones.  You picked up the banner after Bama Hawkeye left and continued to bring quality Iowa stuff.

Thank you to Candystripes For Breakfast and Green Akers.  We didn't have an Indiana or MSU writer for the longest time, and you guys put out the best stuff anywhere.  And it's going to be fun every week knowing what CFB won't be drinking.

Thank you to Aaron Yorke for your great work on Penn State.  Whether it was fallout from...that...or Bill O'Brien leaving, or anything else regarding the goings on in Happy Valley, your work is spot on.

And thanks to all the other writers that have come and gone.  You all left your mark in one way or another.  Whether it was MSULaxer's 1-11 call on Purdue, or Bama Hawkeye's phenomenal work, the writing here has always been top notch, and always will be.

But most importantly, thank you, the commentariat here at OTE.  I can honestly say every time I read through the comments on a post someone writes, I do two things: I learn something new, and I laugh.  Usually both more than once.  I like reading the comments here on more than any other site, because there's no telling where a thread will end up.  And you're never shy about your opinion when I wrote something, even though I was always right and you were always wrong, haha.

I won't be disappearing completely.  You can still read my rantings over at The Daily Norseman, and I'll drop in over here from time to time, but I just don't have the time to write for more than one blog anymore.  I wish I did, but like I said, real life and all.  I hope you understand.

Thanks, and Godspeed.

Ted