On the Fourth Anniversary of Diamond Hoggers

Four years ago today I started this blog with a guy who I played baseball with in college. A lot has changed since then. In a lot of ways, four years isn’t that long ago. But in a lot of ways it’s an eternity.

When I started out I didn’t really have a vision of why I was doing this. It was just something to have fun with and enjoy along with the greatest sport on earth. I was still a kid in a lot of ways. I had just moved into my first house on my own. When I look back on those humble beginnings I think back to a lot of posts I wrote while laying on the floor. I didn’t have furniture when I first moved into my house except for my bed and my kitchen table. I’ve got furniture now and even though I am not in a position to do this full-time, I enjoy it more pretty much every day and I plan to keep doing it for as long as I can.

I hash out plans in my head of where I would like to be someday with all this; but what really goes to plan anyways in life? The reality of it is, I really enjoy it and I’m not really writing about baseball and it’s intricacies for any real reason other than to have a few laughs with you all and to accomplish the things I already have. One day, I might think of an idea that is worthy for writing a book. Hopefully that happens. But if it doesn’t I’m satisfied with what doing this has already brought me.

Writing more or less every day, and putting my sometimes meaningless thoughts down on the internet has been great. It’s led me to have great experiences, form new friendships, and learn an abundance more about the game of baseball than I knew before. Back when I started out, I would have told you that I know pretty much every thing that there is to know about baseball. I had it all figured out.

I’ve learned in that time how wrong I really was. I had a lot to still learn about the game and about life. Since this blog has begun I’ve changed jobs, relationships, players have left town, managers have been fired, and the entire world around us is totally different. Friendships are different than they were, my time commitments are different and even though I always said I would never change a bit–I’m a little different too.

The only constant that has remained the same since Diamond Hoggers launched on February 27th, 2007 is how much I love the game of baseball. I love it as much as anyone I know, sometimes probably too much. I hope that is a quality that shines through as you read new posts (even when I’m running short on fresh ideas or time to proof-read posts) and when you look back through the archives.

If I do this another 20 or 30 years, I hope sometime down the road some young guy stumbles upon these pages and says to himself; the guy who wrote this really loved the game. If I can achieve that, I’ve done what I set out to do. I’ve accomplished the only legacy I guess that I have in mind.

Here’s to another year.

(And a special thanks to my good friend Mike over at The Golden Sombrero for the ‘birthday card’ containing this gift):

Nothing says happy birthday at Diamond Hoggers headquarters like Manny Ramirez cutting off Johnny Damon’s outfield throw without reason.

Thank you for your continued support of Diamond Hoggers.