A Final Goodbye And New Hello

Somehow I really did think this would be a whole hell of a lot easier to write. But as I sit down to write my first post as the sole managing editor of Blueshirt Banter, the sentences that usually formulate so quickly are suddenly hard to find.

On one hand, I'm excited. I've know that I would be taking this fantastic site over for weeks now, but somehow it hasn't really hit me until today. When Jim brought me on as a writer he literally gave me a blank canvas, upon which I was instructed to add my own flair and style to the site.

It was overwhelming at the time, and back then we were only getting about 200 unique visitors to the site on a daily basis. Had I of known how big Blueshirt Banter would have become, it probably would have been even more suffocating.

But even as a scared 20-year-old kid I realized just how special the site was. All of a sudden I was creating relationships with all of the readers as the site was quickly moving away from a traditional webpage and rapidly moving towards an open and welcoming enviornment for all Rangers fans.

You can say what you want about the people who write for this site, and they are all fantastic, but it's you (the readers) that make this site what it is. We would literally be nothing without the constant eyeballs and opinions you all voice here each and every day.

Join me after the jump for more.

None of you know this, but Jim and I probably spent over 40 hours a week in the beginning few months talking to each other about ways to make the site better. That number is probably less than the actual one, I'm not kidding.

If anything this shows just how much Jim really put into this site. I'll take my share of credit as well (what would I be without my ego?) but Jim really got the ball rolling. I still remember the first day when we hit 1,000 unique visitors. We literally pulled the final view with about three minutes to go. Jim sent out a congratulatory e-mail, and somehow it felt like we were no longer a writing staff, but a family.

That, also, is a tribute to all of you. This website has grown beyond our wildest dreams, and you are all the biggest part of that transition. I can honestly say that I know many of you, despite never having actually met you. That's the beauty of this website, that is something that will never change.

If you are worried, don't be. The site will not change at all. We will still bring you the most up to date, comprehensive and interactive Rangers content on the internet. As one of the founders of this site, I would never let that change. You're all in good hands, I swear (see that ego?).

Now comes the hardest part of this speech: Thanking Jim.

Jim I really don't know what to say. You took a chance on me over two years ago, and I can only hope that I have repaid you in some way for everything you have done for me. You have become more than just a friend, and I mean that. No one believed in my in the sports journalism world, and I believe I am where I am today because you took a chance on me two years ago.

You put up with my hectic work schedule, allowed me to settle into an actual sports journalism job with a newspaper, dealt with my insanity and you're taking another chance on me now.

I would wish you luck moving forward, but I know you will make your own.

Jim, I still remember that first e-mail you sent me. The one where you asked me to join the Banter. I never told you this, but I almost didn't. I almost said no, basically, because I was scared. Good thing I didn't.

I can think of no better way to end this sappy post then by quoting from it.

Let me know if you are interested, I'd love to bring you on board, and if you like, we can maybe have a phone conversation and I can go over all the features of the site with you. SI.com has been linking to our site, and soon Yahoo will be as well, so traffic should really go thru the roof. A lot of people will be reading your stuff. We broke our record yesterday for visits, we had 486 different visitors. Considering that 2 weeks ago we were getting 150, that's pretty impressive.

Just look at how far we've come ...