A new space, a new place ...
I've decided to enter the world of Substack. A few words about why I'm starting now.
First off, about the photo. Yes, I once did my job on a manual typewriter. No, it wasn’t as old as THAT one. Yes, there was plenty of clickity clacking. No, I don’t miss that sound (as romantic as that image may seem).
All of this is to say I’ve been writing (and been paid to write) for quite some time. More than four decades, to be exact, in my career as a sportswriter. Newspapers, magazines, websites, even game programs for an NHL team … you may well have stumbled upon my prose somewhere along the line.
And now I hope you’ll come follow me here.
My ‘day job’ requires me to be an editor 100 per cent of the time. And while I’ve always enjoyed the challenge and opportunity to make other people’s writing better, it hardly takes the place of being the writer yourself. That is, quite frankly, THE reason I got into this world in the first place. I’m a guy who believes he’s got a bit of talent for writing, and who truly admires anyone who can do it better than me (and trust me, that’s a very large number of folks).
I’m also a guy who’s been a sports fan since he was a kid, and figured out pretty quickly that nobody was going to pay me to play the games (they wouldn’t let me pay them, if we’re being honest here). But finding a way to marry those two passions together? Well, that was the ticket for me to the best of career options.
But what happens when you don’t have a place to write anymore? Well, you have a find a place to create a new space … and that brings me here to Substack. I have been intrigued by the platform for awhile and, having done some blogging in years gone by, I know there’s nothing better than the freedom it can provide to your writing.
Don’t get me wrong. I have had many wonderful editors over the years, men and women who have pushed me in ways that made me a better writer and reporter and columnist. I’m grateful for every one of them. Despite what certain people in this industry may tell you, editors are valuable to the creation of the products you read every day, either in print or online. They are not mere commodities to be discarded on a whim, and that is a proverbial hill I am willing to die on. Full stop.
All that being said, I’ve missed the idea of just writing for fun. Putting down words that come to mind because some event or some person’s actions inspire you to share some thoughts about it all. I think back to 2013 and a brief period of time when my current employer afforded me the chance to do some writing for the web. A certain college football game ended with one of those ‘holy shit, that really happened?’ moments and, even though nobody was standing over my shoulder and saying ‘write something!’ I hammered out a web post that captured the emotions coursing through my veins at that very time. And damn, did that ever feel good (if I tell you the game happened in November 2013 and you’re a fan of college ball, you can probably identify exactly what craziness I’m talking about).
https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1333407574020984836
So what sorts of things will you read here? Well, I'm obviously passionate about sports and journalism, so start right there. As the paragraph above suggests, college football is large in my world (to put it mildly). You can’t live in Canada without having some thoughts about hockey, right? And if you’ve followed my writing for any length of time, you know I’ve spent many, many hours in cold arenas charting the paths of some of the world’s top figure skaters. Yeah, football, hockey and figure skating might seem like a strange combination of likes, but I am who I am. And happy to say so.
If you’re looking for a heaping dose of snark … well, you’ve probably come to the wrong place. Think of me as the Ted Lasso of Substack in temperament (although, I’ll admit I have a bit of Roy Kent in me every now and then).
Beyond that, who knows where this place will take me (although I can promise you I’ll be staying right out of politics. I have no interest in wading into that world, as polarizing as it has become these days. You can yell and rant about those topics somewhere else, please and thank you). That’s the fun of all of this. I can write what I want, when I want … hopefully, in a way that will bring you back here again and again.
Anyways, that’s a snapshot of what you’ll see in the days and weeks to come. You’ll see me here at least once a week (or at least that’s the plan). And I’d love it if you subscribe and follow along with me. Just hop into the box below, send us an email address and you’re on your way.
See you back here again … very soon!