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"Its story, about a punk club fighter from the back streets of Philly who gets a crack at the world championship, has been told a hundred times before. A description of it would sound like a cliche from beginning to end. But “Rocky” isn’t about a story, it’s about a hero. And it’s inhabited with supreme confidence by a star."
~ From Roger Ebert’s review of “Rocky“ from Jan. 1, 1976.
This past week, after weeks of reflection, I turned out the lights at my Detroit Tigers blog, The Daily Fungo.
Every year at this time I’d weigh the pros and cons of writing – for free – another baseball season’s worth of Tigers-related stuff. And depending on which way the wind blew, I was ready to call it quits, or not. But then the Tigers would make a big trade or sign a premium free agent and I’d be re-energized. This year I waited for that energy boost … and it never came.
I planned on writing here about my decision and what drove it, but my friend Ian wrote something far superior to what I could:
Six years is a long time to grind out regular content. The beast continued to get hungrier as the Tigers have become a playoff contender during that period. But as much fun as following a good team’s postseason run can be, it can also really wear you down. I think I can speak for Mike and most other Tigers bloggers when I say this past October became pretty grueling. It almost gets to the point where you want to see your team lose because it means you’ll get a break.
Since I pulled the plug I’ve received many kind comments and notes from readers of The Daily Fungo. It makes me feel good about the blog and how Tigers fans included it in the news-gathering mix about their favorite team.
Will I miss writing about the Tigers when spring training begins in a few months? Yep. And I just might write something about my hometown boys along the way.
But then again, maybe I won’t.