Transitions Part 1

The start of a new year is a good time to take stock of things. To evaluate where you are at in life and also figure out where you want to be. As the calendar flipped from 2010 to 2011 I did just that.

Call to the Pen was launched on the FanSided.com Sports Network on March 28th, 2010 with me at the helm. It was my first foray into the waters of general baseball coverage. I won’t go into all the details right now, but if you are interested in the specifics of my journey you are more than welcome to read what I posted on my personal blog yesterday.

If you don’t want to take the time to read the details, I will provide the Readers Digest version.

In the course of taking stock on where I was at in my writing career I came to the conclusion that I am better suited to cover baseball on a team level instead of a general level. Being able to focus my writing on a specific team allows me to maximize my productivity and cover things to the degree that I want to. It also grants me the ability to transfer more of my ideas from the inner workings of my mind to a finished article.

Some people are better suited for general coverage and others are better suited for more focused team-based coverage. As I mentioned, I definitely fit into the 2nd of those two groups. My close writing friend and Co-Lead here on Call to the Pen for the last several months is exactly the opposite.

Nathaniel is better suited to cover baseball on a general level. He’s at his best when he is able to cover any organization at any time. In a format that puts me into a state of paralysis and overload, Nathaniel is able to shine.

I like to have some boundaries and parameters so I don’t – and can’t – stray too far, while Nathaniel likes the wide-open spaces and freedom to tackle any organization and any topic at any time.

I’m a perfectionist and writing about an organization other than the Twins or the Royals adds an insane amount of time to my writing process. Adding that much time to every article I craft makes it more difficult to write and publish everything that I want to. Not having the time or efficiency to write all the articles that I want is a source of frustration. Getting frustrated naturally detracts from my motivation and productivity. Without motivation, articles take even longer to write and I get stuck in a downward spiral.

The start of a new year is not only a good time to take stock in things, it’s also a good time to make changes. That is why, after a great deal of thought and a week away from writing, I have elected to step down as the Site Editor and Lead Writer of Call to the Pen. It was, in many ways, a very difficult decision for me to make. In other ways it was a relatively easy decision to make. Regardless I know that it is the right decision for myself and for Call to the Pen. The last ten months have been a learning experience and an interesting journey. It has been a journey that I have no regrets in taking but I look forward to the future in my different roles.

I am elated that Nathaniel will be taking over as the site’s Editor and Lead Writer. I am also very excited with the new direction that our network’s general baseball coverage is heading under his guidance.

In the process of closing the door on Call to the Pen I have opened a couple of other doors.

I will be returning to the position of MLB Director for the FanSided.com Sports Network that I left just 3 months ago. This time around however John Parent – who was my successor – and I will be sharing the role as “co-directors.” Our network is rapidly growing and that growth continues to add responsibilities to the plates of our network’s leadership. When it comes to the MLB side of our network, I am confident that two heads are definitely better than one. John and I also have very distinct abilities that complement one another which will allow us each to play to our strengths as FanSided continues to grow, develop, and evolve.