Always, MNchiefsfan

The first time I saw Arrowhead Pride, I was 24 years old. I only had one kid (what???). I was working at a steel stamping plant and thinking about maybe going back to school one day.

I was a guy in Minnesota who just wanted someone to talk Chiefs with. ESPN boards were a place of darkness and despair. The KC Star comments were a place of some dude obsessed with Herm Edwards. Everywhere else felt devoid of substance. But not AP. I’d finally found a home.

After a bit, I began to contribute an article here and there. Then BOOM, seven years later I find myself having written hundreds of articles and gained some followers on Twitter (even receiving a blue checkmark!).

During that time, you guys shared my life with me. When I’ve had children, you celebrated with me. When I graduated law school, you whooped it up. When I lost one of my friends to cancer and a baby to miscarriage, you grieved with me. We had countless jokes and maybe even more countless fights.

So anyways, here it is: This is my last article at Arrowhead Pride.

I’m taking my obsessive film review and incessant parenthetical asides to a new corner of the world. Out of respect for the (unbelievably awesome) site you’re reading, there’s no need to talk about where or what or whatever else. But just know that it took something I never thought would come my way to pull me from here. I love this place. I really do.

You’ll still find me on Twitter, rolling through film like a guy who doesn’t have 5 kids and 2 other jobs. And I’ll be popping in the comments from time to time. And of course, you can always contact me via email. So it’s not goodbye. It’s just goodbye to a certain phase.

I want to publicly and repeatedly thank Joel Thorman for taking a shot on me, helping me grow as a writer, and being the best boss I’ve ever had. If it weren’t for him, nothing that’s happened in the last few years for me professionally would have been possible.

I also want to thank all the incredible contributors here over the years, too many to even count. Every one of you left an impression on me as a writer, fan and person.

Finally, thanks to every one of you for reading, and for turning this into something way bigger than I could have imagined. I want to tell any of you who are thinking about trying out this “football writing” gig... do it. Because if it can turn into something big for me, it can turn into something big for anyone. Write a fanpost and see what happens. That’s how it started for me back on July 31, 2010, the first time I ever wrote about football.

Welp, this is the part where I wrap it up. Thanks for the last near-decade, everyone. I’ll catch you around, I have no doubt. I wish I knew something to say that would do what this means to me justice, but for once... I find myself at a loss for words.