Happy Trails. An Open Letter To Red Sox Nation.

Oct 15, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; A Boston Red Sox hat and glove on the field prior to game three of the American League Championship Series baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Brothers. Sisters. Nation. The Red Sox have won it all in the most improbable way and like the long in the tooth veteran who knows when to get out when he’s on top I’m calling it quits as Editor of Bosox Injection in a few weeks. What a ride, what a year, what a writing staff, what a fan base, what a team!

From the end of 2012’s humiliating season through the long grind of fall ball, the winter meetings and the eventual cathartic date when pitchers and catchers reported in Fort Myers the chatter was continuous. If you stuck with BSI there was always something every day to read and react to.

Through Truck Day and rains delays, Red Sox fans start chewing the fat in grocery stores, gas stations, hair salons, bars, cars and living rooms about the Sox and all their moves. No team in professional sports is inspected in a more microscopic and intense way than are the Red Sox. And that’s what makes each season’s journey so engaging. The Sox may end up worst, first or somewhere in between but for the Nation we are reborn each spring and stick with our team through warm sunshine and see your breath cold – if you’re lucky – at the end of October.

When following and writing about this team I didn’t always get it right and sure enough, just as fans harshly judge the team when they screw up, so too was I taken to task.

I learned that it doesn’t matter whether you are on the field or reporting the proceedings, Red Sox fans hold you to a standard that makes you better. My already thick New England skin grew another layer during my tenure at the helm at Bosox Injection.

I was supported and vilified depending on the post. One thing was certain. What you said counted and most times you always got a rise out of someone. That’s why writers write – not out of ego or hubris but because we want to connect. At BSI the connection was strong. I was reminded of that on a daily basis because that’s how often I posted, which get’s me around to my final point.

Oct 30, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz waves to the crowd after being named series MVP after game six of the MLB baseball World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park. The Red Sox won 6-1 to win the series four games to two. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Baseball is a grind. It takes a strong team to be successful. Likewise, writing can be a grind when it’s done day in and day out for nearly two years. Moving me along like the crest of a wave were a host of writers, each bringing their unique perspective and voice to the BSI writing team.

On the staff we have stats machines, emotive thinkers, baseball historians, farm team focused diggers, social commentators, hard-boiled old salts and up-and-coming young bucks who in sum total make for a rich reading experience.

If one writer isn’t your cup of tea, try another. I am certain that with a little persistence you’ll find your writer and also come to appreciate the variety of opinion and insightful commentary on this site that goes far beyond game recaps (but we’ve got those too and they’re great!).

I’m incredibly proud of the quality content that our staff churns out day after day. In the wild west world of blogging being your own editor can be a tough gig. My staff did it and will continue to do it with professionalism and passion, two hallmarks that make for great stuff. The Red Sox and BSI were a killer combination this year.

In some small measure if I have enhanced your understanding and appreciation of the game then my job is done and I have been richly rewarded for my efforts.

As I tell the staff at the end of each message to them, “Write On!” There’s so much more to come at Bosox Injection. Rest assured I’ll be reading right along with the rest of you.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my wife, who has allowed me to indulge all my baseball obsessions over the years. BSI was no different. Baby, I’m coming home!