So it looks like they'll be giving the hook to the entity that is known as "Sportsbubbler" on Monday or Tuesday....so we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past, talk about the future, and make fun of some people.
Admirals Short Shifts started when my friend Dan Walsh (who essentially ran the Bubbler) called me and asked if I would be interested in writing a blog about the Admirals. I was a bit hesitant at first....where was I going to find the time, how much unpaid work did I really want to do, yadda yadda yadda. Dan said he'd pay me in six packs of beer, and I'm not sure we've received any to date... but anyway, I agreed and started looking for someone to do all the REAL work.
Enter Eric Kent. While I had the Milwaukee media background, Eric had the sports journalism background, as he was a sports anchor at some TV stations elsewhere in Wisconsin and Michigan. I don't think I remember how I got him to agree to do this blog thing, but I'm sure there was blackmail of some kind involved.
So here we are today, a season and a half into our existence, and about to make the move over to JSOnline.
The question had been brought up whether people will need to establish an account at JSOnline to be able to leave comments on our posts. The answer is: I don't know yet. I've made it very clear to them that our readers have been very responsible with the anonymous posting priviledges, and that we'd like them to be able to continue in that fashion. So we're fighting that fight right now. If we lose that fight, we encourage you all to take a few minutes and sign up and get a login name. The signing in will be a minor inconvenience, and will take a little bit of creativity out of some of the names we've seen in our comments sections, but we hope that you'll play the game and still be a part of our conversations at Admirals Short Shifts. We can have all the page hits in the world, but the conversations are what we look forward to the most.
If you've bookmarked this URL, you don't need to change anything right away, as you'll be automatically transported to the new site if you try to come back here. Once over there, you can update your bookmarks and all will be right with your browser.
As far as our future at JSOnline? We're okay going there for now. If they piss us off, we'll find another home somewhere else, be it SBNation or Wordpress or whatever. And we'll keep you posted.
And if they shut us down in some NBC/Conan-style madness, keep an eye on our Twitter page for details of what's happening.
To close out this State Of The Shifts address, here are the top ten things we've learned so far this season.
10. Chris Jerina takes amazing photos, and we're lucky to have his permission to use them. Thanks Chris!
9. We need some new goals, since our goals of being cited on Puck Daddy and Wikipedia have been achieved.
8. We enjoy giving out nicknames more than people enjoy reading about them, but it doesn't deter us from dishing them out. I wonder if Mark Santorelli knows about his situation, and if he does, we wonder if he is amused at all... FiC? Can you advise?
7. Nashville has some great bloggers, and we're thrilled to be part of their network.
6. Barry Trotz is actually a really great interview. You just need to ask the right questions.
5. We still aren't on speaking terms with the CBA....the waiver process section in particular.
4. John Glennon of the Tennessean knows who we are....and probably won't be sending us any Christmas cards anytime soon.
3. Twitter is actually a really great way to spread news to a niche audience. It's not just for 14 year olds to tell their friends what color their nails are, or what level of Final Fantasy XXXVIII they got to. Many thanks to Sutty for getting us in gear on Twitter, and for being a rockstar behind the scenes.
2. It's pretty fun to be a goal judge.
1. Of course we didn't just learn it this season, but it's worth mentioning again....it's our readers make this worthwhile for us. Thank you for your continued support, and we'll see you at the game tonight, and on the "other side" early next week.