Newness to Start 2011

Happy 2011 to all of you.

Before you check the newness elsewhere, let me talk about what’s going on here.

Some of you have recently come upon A Sports Scribe because of this and this (click J.E. Skeets' link). Let me welcome you all to the blog and hope you stick around. Take the time to read my bio and the About Scribe page. In case you were wondering, I dislike briefcases, hence why I use my backpack. As for Walt Frazier’s jacket, respect due to him and MSG for delivering the goods.

For those who have followed the Scribe journey since its inception in May 2007, thanks for sticking with it. It’s a constant work-in-progress – or as my fellow Babson College alums would say, “WIP” – but something that strives for better with each post.

For those who have come along in the last two years through Twitter, you’ve been fantastic. The words on here may not have the acerbic tone as far more popular sites, but when I post something here, it’s to make people think or ask questions or just once in a while, appreciate something a bit more. Let’s keep the conversations going in a civil, but still fun manner.

For those who are wondering where to find my ‘legit’ work with the New York Beacon, if you see it in city newsstands, support the hustle and pick up a copy every Thursday.

*deep breath*

Now that we got those words out of the way, let me break down where Scribe is going in 2011.

For the past year, many of you were well aware that the site took a step back because of the MBA studies. Something I learned at Babson while working with its internet radio station was that sometimes, you need to fall back to move forward; take a deeper and more honest look at operations to find the bottlenecks, holes and glitches. You have to fix issues as you are also creating new offerings.

The MBA program – frustration of 45 missed weekends and all – provided an opportunity to flesh out some previous plans fully while developing new ones. The Facebook page is an example of a new wrinkle that may have not been considered for a lot longer time if not for being in an academic and professional incubator that is Metropolitan’s Media Management program. There are countless people who have been wonderful enough to devote time to speak with me about improving Scribe. In lieu of money and Knicks tickets, my gratitude can be best repaid through making this site better based on your thoughts and suggestions.

[I could use some money and Knicks tickets, though, so if any of you have one or both, feel free to let me ‘safeguard’ them.]

What to expect from Scribe this year?

• More original posts: interviews with respected people in the business, roundtables like the popular NBA discussion from last season and personal/professional observations
• Better videos: there will be a couple of unpublished videos uploaded in the coming weeks, but I’m already planning for a couple of stadium visits during the spring and early summer
• Podcasts: yes, you already have enough of these to listen to, but depending on the feedback, the frequency will increase from a monthly podcast to possible weekly editions
• The long-delayed redesign: it exists, people!
• Greater social media: Twitter is tremendous, but for those who love to read via Facebook, you’ll get more. Tumblr may see a shift, but not immediately

So, 2011. It’s going to be fun.

Speaking of fun, 2011 begins with three new contributions.

• In Thursday’s Beacon, you’ll see the obituary for the 2010 New York Giants. If the PDF is made available online, you’ll see it posted on all things Scribe.
• Just as throughout the NFL season, there will be recaps of each round of the NFL playoffs on The Perpetual Post. This Friday, the NFL roundtable will reconvene to give predictions and other thoughts. If you have yet to do so, check the latest; Week 17 in the NFL and a discussion on Donald Fehr as NHL Players Association boss.
• Sticking with hockey, Norman Einstein’s Magazine is back with edition #20. I discuss the raised stakes of the recent NHL Winter Classic between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals. The best, as usual, comes from the rest of my teammates, so please read it all and enjoy. Many thanks to Ozman51, Lizz Robbins and Ken Fang for their contributions.

Go forth and be merry, friends of Scribe.