Well folks, this is it. What you read here is the curtain call to four illustrious years as a sportswriter at this fine newspaper.
I've been thinking about what I'm going to say here for weeks because it is like many of your memories here at Ohio -so hard to put into words. But as a journalist, I'm expected to be able to do that.
So I'm going to try (not to break down) to say goodbye the best way I can -through sports and the music I love.
Four years ago, I walked into The Post's newsroom as a reporter who had no idea what a quote was. Now I leave with many great quotes and their value ringing in my ears. All of the athletes, coaches and administrators I've had the opportunity, and for the most part, the honor, of speaking with gave my words color and a melody.
Every week, I invaded The Convo, the Aquatic Center and Athens Country Club, and every week Bobcats gave me something I could use. And most importantly, they treated my work and my questions with professionalism. Thank you.
I learned on the fly and matured as a reporter only to jump into a phone booth and make a quick change into what my colleagues at the paper call the dark side of public relations. Now I'm taking another leap into corporate communications.
I'll be giving up the comfortable confines of Athens -The Front Room, the Cat's Eye and Ping Center -for Pittsburgh, Duquesne University and a Master's degree. This is huge for me. All of the graduating seniors can relate. But there is one thing I'm going to miss more than anything else...
I won't be seeing the green and white anymore, nor the hatred that arises when Miami or Kent State come to town. I'll have to settle for navy and red and the Atlantic 10, where the rivalries just don't compare.
After four years of giving my heart, my soul, my mind to writing about players and coaches I genuinely cared about, I can't imagine what it will be like to stand in The Convo for one last time knowing that I'll never find a place like it again.
There is no doubt in my mind that what I've learned here -not so much in the classroom as in the newsroom and the pressroom -will stick with me forever, as will the people I've gotten to know.
The last few weeks have been emotional, so I've surrounded myself with sounds I love. At the risk of getting stuck in a moment and blubbering the rest of the way through this column, I leave you with these lyrics written by my hero.
Who's to say where the wind will take you
