Tag: retirement

Breaking News: My retirement from writing

· 1 Comment ·

Writing and I are getting a divorce. Pour a drink, pull up a chair, and play the Michael Bolton music. There may be some man tear dust in the air here soon.

An old man once told me. Get out before you stink up the profession. Never mind the fact that he was drinking warm red bull and picking up a half eaten sandwich at Union Station, Perhaps, profound thoughts occur at your lowest point. Maybe he was really hungry and didn’t want to pity any fools. Either way, as old man advice will do, it hangs with you through the years.

The time has come for me to hang up the writing gloves and do something else.

il_570xn-1064612319_r95t

What else? Badminton tournaments are an option. I’m not just talking about a middle school P.E. class battle between a punk kid and the overweight female gym teacher who doesn’t shave. I am talking about the biggest and baddest players on the earth. Natural geographic carnage. I’d seek these people out.

I could go to Francis Park and whisper sweet nothings into the statue by the fountain. Is there a fountain in Francis Park? Let’s table that one.

I could work at Dairy Queen for obvious reasons.

I could go out and get a real job.

Worldwide coffee shop philanderer could work. Go around the world, beg for coffee, get really worked up, and come home to recount my tales.

The radio business is soaking up some time so I could just talk more there. Being the voice that literally wakes up St. Louis takes time so I could work on that.

Writing is hard shit, bro. It’s homework for life. An everlasting chore. A need to impose a will that most find annoying. Delivering white hot passionate takes about the Cardinals only gets you 20 parody accounts and hate DM’s. What’s the worth?

Why write about who to find in the free agent trade market when a hundred other sets of hands are writing the same thing? It isn’t like Baseball Reference is special to just a few writers. WAR, OPS+, DRS. How about GTFOOH? Get the fuck out of here. Try that out. Oh, wait. You can’t say fuck. Family site. Too bad. Let Quentin Tarantino work it into his last film.

I could finally finish one of my seventeen screenplays. Wait, that’s writing. Scratched.

I could travel around and interview the safe zone dwellers who were struck down by the Donald Trump election triumph. We could discuss their future in dark caves in remote locations where all they can eat is ramen noodle and spam. Talk about Huff Post Podcast worthy.

I could be a better husband and father. Stop telling Vinny hold on or give me a minute while I finish an article. The minute really is an hour anyway. No, this won’t happen.

I now understand when people say enough is enough or a passion dies a thousand deaths in the right time of November with the temperature under 40 degrees. Sometimes, a thing just can’t last.

I could blame it on Tate Donovan. What a prick.

Hilary Clinton deleted my urge to inform.

Gordan Ramsay told me I had fat fingers.

The keyboard thinks I’m ugly and filed a lawsuit against my hands.

Tom Cruise didn’t run enough in my articles.

Hollywood wants to reboot my writing so I have to stop.

Bruno(the #1 Twitter handle for Cardinals knowledge, not the actor or musician) made me do it. (Imagining the sound of his high pitched voice telling me how bad I am makes my stomach hurt).

Daniel Winnett was no longer optimistic about my writing’s future.

John Mozeliak finished second in negotiating for my writing to continue.

Real Housewives wouldn’t whine about it.

The Bachelor didn’t give my writing a rose.

My writing went to the same restaurant that Tony Soprano went to before the fade to black and Journey song.

It went to the same doomed construction site that Stringer Bell went to.

It met Negan and that barbed wire baseball bat.

Let’s just say I have had enough and will retire from writing at the tender age of 34.

It started with 3,000 word email/rants to a group of friends.

It ends with KSDK, St. Louis Game Time, and Inside STL ramblings that look semi professional.

This is the end. Thanks for reading if you did. If not, thanks for leading to this decision.

 

 

 

 

 

By the way, this is all bullshit. There’s no way in hell that I’m stopping.

November FOOLS! Yes, that’s a new thing. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

 

 

Bryce Salvador: Captain of No Quit

· Leave a comment ·

Most young kids get on a rink and all they can think about is wanting to be the next Alexander Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby. The next NHL sensation. It’s all they think about. A few wouldn’t mind playing in the NHL and putting together a respected career. While it’s not as sexy as leading the league in goals or hoisting The Stanley Cup, a 14 year career in the NHL is something to be extremely proud of.  Bryce Salvador played 14 years in the NHL, splitting time between the St. Louis Blues and New Jersey Devils. Salvador is calling it quits.

To Blues fans, he is the young kid who came to St. Louis in 2000 and played seven seasons with the Blues. He never put up gaudy point totals or was a perennial All Star, but he was a durable tough and solid defenseman for a playoff team. How can you forget Salvador’s game winning goal against San Jose in the playoffs in 2001? Many will know who Salvador was traded for(Cam Janssen) instead of the stout seasons he put in guarding the blue line. He was understated and did his job well. Not bad for a kid who was selected in the 138th spot in the sixth round and told by NHL scouts he would never play a single game in the league.

To Devils fans, he was the bullet headed lefty brick wall who solidified their blue line for the final seven years of his career, even after enduring a terrible puck shot to the face that almost ended his career. As Salvador revealed today in his heart pouring retirement blog for The Players Tribune(a website dedicated to providing players with a voice) the road back wasn’t an easy one. His issue were rooted in his vestibular system. Basically, his eyes weren’t working together anymore and were causing him to be constantly dizzy, nauseous and out of it. The shot had knocked his system out of wack. After a recovery that took several months and simple child like activities like spinning in a chair, Salvador came back in 2012, playing all 82 games. He made sure that he went out his way. The lights getting turned off when he said so.

To me, he will always be the quiet yet cool and polite neighbor. I met Salvador during his playing days with the Blues. He lived in a condo in Brentwood Forest, a suburban community in St. Louis county, next door to me. There were instances when fellow players like Jamal Mayers and Jamie McClennan knocked on my door instead of his. Salvador didn’t talk much but I did get to talk hockey with him after a couple games. One time, he came home after a game with a black eye and I had to commend him on the fight he won. He came home after the San Jose goal and I talked to him about it. It was cool living next to a hockey player. While I never got a 1 on 1 lesson like you would see in the movies, I couldn’t complain.

Salvador won’t get an extended clip reel on Sportscenter or be remembered for scoring a ton of goals(24 goals in 746 games). He will be remembered for hard work, defiance and playing the toughest position in hockey quite well for two teams and 14 seasons. He played in 74 playoff games and will be remembered for his 2011-12 postseason where he scored 4 goals and assisted on 10 others. When it comes to the little things forgotten by most NHL fans, Salvador leads the league in those. The gritty aspects that don’t fit into a website and must be seen in person in order to appreciate.

Take a moment and read Salvador’s career ending blog. It’s got detail, hope, fight, and all the power you would expect from a guy who just wouldn’t quit. He’s an embodiment of endurance that can’t be forgotten among young players, which is why Salvador’s post career will involve working with youth hockey leagues in New Jersey. He’s a testament to never believing in doubt and always placing your money on sweat equity. The next time your son gets told he isn’t good enough at hockey practice or at a tryout, just tell them about Bryce Salvador.