Good morning and Happy Monday!
Yes, we have a lot of Colts news to post and talk about, but first I wanted to give a little announcement about Stampede Blue writer Jake "The Snake" Whitacre. Jake wrote articles every Saturday for our blog, but had to leave to move on to newer things. This is what he wrote in his last Know Your Colts history article for us:
I can't get into specifics yet, but SB Nation has given me the opportunity to do something really neat, and it's something that I really need to put all my blogging efforts behind, which is why I came to the tough decision to stop writing this column.
Well, today, I can finally announce what those "specifics" are.
This morning, SB Nation lunched several new sites with the focus on regional sports coverage. One of those sites, SBNation: Washington DC has Jake Whitacre as a writer. You can read one of his first SB Nation: DC articles here. Of course, it's about John Wall and how he is going to turn the Washington Wizards into a contender, or some such nonsense.
Aside from Jake wasting his time discussing the Wizards, he will also cover other DC-area sports teams, like the Ravens, Orioles, Nationals, Capitals, along with Georgetown and Maryland college sports. Along for the ride with him are Martin Shatzer and Mike Prada, both of which blog for SB Nation at specific team sites.
SB Nation also launched regional sites in New York, Boston, Arizona, Chicago, and Detroit.
In addition to all this, SB Nation had a pretty big write-up in the NY Times. The two schmucks in the picture are my bosses. If you think people like Bob Kravitz get annoyed with my insanity, they at least don't have to work with me. These two guys have had to deal with me for over three years. The guy on the right (Tyler) was the one who first brought me on board. We also argue about football sometimes. He's a Patriots fan. Go fig.
Anyway, the Times article highlights how SB Nation has grown and developed over the years at a time when other media entities have needed to cut back. The launching of these regional sites is another example of that growth.
I'm extremely proud that Jake got this assignment, and I (of course) take full credit for his ascent up the SB Nation ladder. Just like seeing Joe "shake n bake" Baker get that gig writing for the Washington Post blog, it is very gratifying to help writers who have a passion for sports. It's one of the reasons I still do this.
Now, for some of you, I'm sure the million dollar question is "When is SB Nation: Indy headed our way?" The answer is I don't know. Unlike Detroit, Chicago, or New York, our beloved city of Indianapolis is not as big a market. Maybe, after the cover all the really big markets, they will make one for us. I certainly hope so. For now, we Hoosier sports fans can enjoy our fill at places like Stampede Blue, Indy Corn Rows, Crimson Quarry, Hammer and Rails, and Rakes of Mallow.
Congratulations to Jake, the SB Nation: DC team, and SB Nation in general for a great launch. When you can today, take the time to check out the new regional sites. Oh, and if you comment in a Jake article, make sure you remind him you are from Stampede Blue. And make fun of the Wizards while you're at it.