Blog Huddle

On the Forecheck Is the Radio Star

2009-11-07T17:00:35Z

Dirk Hoag, the editor and writer of SB Nation's Nashville Predators blog On the Forecheck, is quite the radio star. Just this week alone he was on The Thom Abraham Show to discuss the Preds' injury issues and talk about the team's road trip. Hoag will also be the guest host for the next two weeks on HockeyBuzz radio. So his radio voice will get the full workout. Congrats, Dirk!

Please Welcome Sounder At Heart! SB Nation is pleased to announce the arrival of Dave Clark and...

2009-11-06T19:52:53Z

Please Welcome Sounder At Heart!

SB Nation is pleased to announce the arrival of Dave Clark and his excellent blog covering the MLS' Seattle Sounders: Sounder At Heart! With Steve Davis in the fold as our league manager for soccer and writing for Daily Soccer Fix, we are slowly expanding our soccer coverage and Dave and his Sounders blog could not be a better first step to that end. We are thrilled to have him on board!

Welcome to the team Dave!

Happy 6th Birthday, SB Nation!!!

2009-11-06T16:00:32Z

It was six years ago today (November 6, 2003) that a small typepad site called Athletics Nation: Baseball Country officially launched. It was my small foray into starting up sports coverage in a new way. The goal was for a true fan of a team to direct the conversation instead of waiting for media to set the agenda and discussion. I was tired of the top down approach that ESPN and other giant sports entities had hoisted upon me. No one was having a conversation about the Oakland Athletics in an intelligent, informed and passionate fashion.

It's been a long time since that small typepad site launched. Athletics Nation has evolved WAAAAY beyond that typepad site. Over the past six years, SB Nation has accomplished some incredible things. And in recent years, it's gone far beyond anything we could accomplish through the first three or four years. Thanks to a fantastic and remarkable tech team and a great CEO who embraces the core values this company started with, we've accomplished so much. And it's only just begun.

We've built the best blogging platform on the Web. We've brought together millions of sports fans in an entertaining and engaging way, unlike anything else out there. We purposely aimed to create blogs that are as passionate as you are. We turned strangers into friends over the common passions of their teams. We launched 220 blogs, had more than 20 million comments and one huge hub site. But more than all that, I feel like I've developed a ton of great friendships with so many people, from all our fantastic bloggers to the community members I've met at so many different events. My relationship with the bloggers has been great and even though I work with most of them from afar, I feel like they are all my brothers in arms in this new media landscape. They have made the power of our communities palpable and have helped change sports coverage forever.

On a personal note, it's amazing just to think how much my life has changed since I started this company. I've moved from Sacramento, California to Southern California. I've had one daughter and I have another one that will be born in early 2010. But SB Nation and working to build a company that will always put the fans first has been the main constant in my life. It's become the greatest job a person could ever ask for, even during its most trying times, it's better than anything else I've ever done. I've dedicated all my energy and my life to making sure that this network will always be of, by and for the fans. No matter what we do, it will always be about empowering you and giving you a place to show your true colors.

Happy Birthday, SB Nation. Here's to many, many more.

Seven of 10 Top College Blogs Are SB Nation Blogs

2009-11-06T03:14:17Z

Yes, you read that right, according to the Sports Media Challenge, seven of the top 10 college football blogs are SB Nation blogs. The list looks like this:

Sports Blogs Index™
Top 10 College Football Blogs

MGO Blog

Tomahawk Nation

Everyday Should be Saturday

Rocky Top Talk

The Wiz of Odds

Roll Bama Roll

Black Heart, Gold Pants

Burnt Orange Nation

Black Shoe Diaries

Eleven Warriors

Congratulations to Tomahawk Nation, Every Day Should be Saturday, Rocky Top Talk, Roll Bama Roll, Black Heart Gold Pants, Burnt Orange Nation and Black Shoe Diaries! And congrats to the others on the list as well. It's a great accomplishment.

Edmonton Oilers Prospect Visits Copper & Blue

2009-11-05T19:00:32Z

SB Nation has always strived to bring fans closer to players before they become the big stars. That tradition continues with Copper & Blue who had the chance to talk with top Edmonton Oiler prospect Teemu Hartikainen. It's great to see these kids before they turn into the stars of tomorrow.

Congratulations to Pinstripe Alley and the New York Yankees

2009-11-05T06:11:34Z

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

2 days ago: New York Yankees Mariano Rivera, left, Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher, right, hold up the championship trophy after winning the Major League Baseball World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009, in New York.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Browse more photos »

27 World Championships is impressive no matter the arguments against it (believe me, I've used them all myself). I just wanted to congratulate the good folks over at SB Nation's Yankee blog Pinstripe Alley. And a word of thanks to the Phillies who put up a, pardon the expression, Good Phight. Given the Devils in 2000 and 2001, I know how tough it is to come this close to winning it back to back only to fall short. It hurts. For a long time.

Podium Cafe Interviews Tyler Farrar

2009-11-04T15:49:56Z

There isn't really an American rider right now that has captured more attention in 2009 than Tyler Farrar. Well unless your name is Armstrong, but Armstrong didn't have nearly the success in this calendar year that Farrar did. Podium Cafe, SB Nation's outstanding cycling community, had the recent opportunity to interview Farrar about his remarkable year.

Here is Farrar on how he plans on challenging Mark Cavendish's dominance in 2010:

PdC: So the plan is if you have enough of a competing train you can wrest control from Columbia?

Tyler Farrar: I hope so, yeah. There’s not really an argument this year that Columbia was the best team in the world in leading out sprints, they don’t make mistakes often, but next year’s a new season, and I think you can see with my team as the season went on they started to get confidence in me and believe in me more, and that always helps guys commit to riding the sprints. Actually a lot of the guys had never really tried to lead anyone out before, so it was really a learning experience for a lot of the guys on our team. Looking to next year now the guys have a bit more experience, they have confidence in me, and we brought in some more guys with experience already, so I think we’ll have a strong team for next year.

The Slipper Still Fits to be on Spokane Radio Show about Zags

2009-11-02T20:00:35Z

SB Nation's Gonzaga blog The Slipper Still Fits will be on local Spokane station 1510 KGA Radio, which is the flagship station for Gonzaga basketball. If you happen to live in the area, you can tune in at 1:20 p.m. PST/4:20 p.m. EST on Monday, November 2.

Golden State of Mind Night at a Warriors Game

2009-11-02T15:00:49Z

Our communities are all about empowering the fan. And part of that is getting the fans all together at times for a big celebration of friendship and camaraderie. SB Nation community Golden State of Mind is one of the largest trafficked sites in our network. And it shows based on the gatherings that GSoM has at Warriors games. They recently had one of their biggest and you can see how it turned out here. You can see even more photos here.

Edmonton Journal Interviews Copper and Blue About Dustin Penner

2009-11-02T06:19:44Z

SB Nation Edmonton Oilers blog Copper and Blue loves Dustin Penner and has expressed so throughout the years. The Edmonton Journal decided that this particular love and statistical fawning deserved some extra attention, so they interviewed editor Derek Zona.

Better Know a Blogger: The Good Phight's Peter Baker

2009-11-01T15:00:24Z

It's good to be Peter Baker. The Philadelphia Phillies blogger at SB Nation's The Good Phight is enjoying a gold age of baseball in the City of Brotherly Love, cheesesteaks, Liberty Bells and people running up stairs pretending to be Rocky Balboa.

But I figured there was no better time to interview our Phillies blogger than during the middle of the Phillies second straight World Series appearance. So without further ado, let's get to know the guy who blogs about Philadelphia baseball for SB Nation, Peter Baker.

Tyler Bleszinski: Tell me about how you came to be a blogger.

Peter Baker: I "met" my co-bloggers (dajafi, David S. Cohen, and jonk) on the PhilliesPhans.com message board back in 2003-2004. We found ourselves agreeing with each other quite a bit, during a pretty frustrating time in Phillies history. One of us (I think it was dajafi?) was reading Daily Kos one day and read about the startup sports blog network called SBNation that Markos was helping to launch, and it needed a Phillies blog. Emails were sent, discussions took place, and here we are.

Bleszinski: Not many of our bloggers have had the experience of getting to the pinnacle two years in a row. Probably just our Penguins and Red Wings bloggers and both felt the agony of defeat one year. Does it feel like the eyes of the network are on you and is that a lot of extra pressure?

Baker: It is kind of weird, but it's definitely not unpleasant, especially for a team with as spotty a history as the Phillies. There's a lot of work, a little bit of "stage fright," but overall we just keep doing what we've been doing, and we're proud of our work.

Bleszinski: What's been your favorite part about blogging about the Phillies?

Baker: Having an outlet to communicate with other Phillies fans. A couple years after we launched, I moved from Philadelphia to northern New Jersey -- Mets/Yankees Country -- and so the opportunity to chat with other Phillies fans on a daily basis disappeared overnight. The Internet in general, and blogs like The Good Phight in particular, has enabled a scattered fanbase to find like-minded people to shoot the bull with. We have regulars from all around the country, and even overseas. It's pretty awesome.

Bleszinski: What's been the hardest?

Baker: Trying to balance the early stages of a legal career with running the blog. For six-plus months of the year, baseball requires significant daily upkeep in the form of game threads, recaps, breaking news, etc. The "team" nature of our blog -- with dajafi, Cohen, jonk and I all handling daily responsibilities -- has made it all possible and kept it fun.

Bleszinski: Who is your all-time favorite Phil and your favorite from this current team?

Baker: All-time: Mike Schmidt. I'm too young to have experienced his early career, but I was a huge, huge fan of his in the 1980s, when he was putting the capstone on his Hall of Fame career. Best ever at his position, inner-circle Hall of Famer, and a bright guy with some interesting opinions.

Current: It's weird, but -- Jayson Werth. There's something very relatable about his slovenly appearance and whack-a-doodle personality, best exemplified at the parade last season with his antics and red "Hulk Fist" beverage holder... and then he goes out and just crushes the baseball and plays a great right field. As far as who I respect most as a ballplayer, it's Chase Utley, hands down. Although Ryan Howard is a pretty sweet dude as well... can you tell I really like this team?

Bleszinski: I imagine last year might be your all-time favorite Phillies moment, no?

Baker: Oh my yes. If I had to pick a favorite single "moment" from the 2008 postseason, though, it has to be Matt Stairs' pinch hit home run in Game Four of the NLCS. The sheer improbability of it, the absolute clobbering he gave the ball, the series-turning nature, and the look of shock on Mary Hart's place in her rotten Dodgers cardigan, is a memory I'll always treasure. I nearly wore out my DVR going frame-by-frame on the replay throughout the offseason.

Bleszinski: How do you describe the community over at The Good Phight?

Baker: It's a healthy mix; the "Blog Lords" all strive to be objective, analytical, and fair, but it can be hard to remain somewhat emotionally detached from a team that has done what this team has done over the last two seasons. The name "The Good Phight" was chosen because we kind of positioned ourselves as defenders of analysis and objectivity, particularly when it came to Bobby Abreu, who was and remains a very controversial player in Phillies history. We loved him, and felt that baseless criticism of his desire, heart, hustle, etc., was wrong-headed and counterproductive.

We also have passionate, biased "homers," which keeps things fun. And of course, being Philadelphia, all with a healthy dose of righteous anger. I think it's a good representation of all the good things about the Phillies fan base.

Bleszinski: How would you like to see the community grow and evolve?

Baker: I'd like to see more "FanPosting" by the readers. It's something that some of the site communities seem to take to very quickly, while for others it's a slower process. They've been picking up lately, though.

Bleszinski: Give me a prediction on the World Series.

Baker: Phillies in 7. Cliff Lee wins Game 7 in relief.

Bleszinski: Tell me something about yourself that might surprise your readers.

Baker: I'm licensed to practice law in two states? I'm nearly 6'4"? I married and "converted" a very nice looking Yankees fan? I once got my hair cut with Magglio Ordonez?

Not much to say here. I'm more or less an open book and I lead a Zevonian "quiet, normal life."

Bleszinski: Thanks so much for your time and good luck to your team in the World Series.

Baker: Thanks, Tyler... don't forget, you founded the blog that covers the most successful sports franchise (in terms of championships) in Philadelphia professional sports history.

Happy Halloween! All NBA Previews Now Posted at CelticsBlog

2009-10-31T17:00:34Z

I already mentioned earlier this week how CelticsBlog has been running NBA season previews from all around the SB Nation network. Well the project is now complete and all of the blogs have officially posted their team previews. No matter what team you follow, you can find some detailed coverage over at Jeff Clark's CelticsBlog. Enjoy.

Bleed Cubbie Blue Introduces Cubs Fans to New Owner

2009-10-30T21:32:38Z

SB Nation Chicago Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue had editor in chief Al Yellon at the press conference for the new Cubs owner Tom Ricketts today. Ricketts made the bold proclamation that the Cubs would win the World Series. He swears that he didn't confuse Halloween with April Fool's Day either.

Waggle Room Interviews Golf Legend Tom Watson

2009-10-30T05:15:47Z

SB Nation golf blog Waggle Room is bringing some remarkable content to golf fans. And on Thursday, October 29, Ryan Ballengee brought the Waggle Room readership an exclusive interview with golf legend Tom Watson. It doesn't get much bigger than that in the golf world.

Stephen Hidgon on New Houston Astros Manager

2009-10-29T04:00:34Z

SB Nation Houston Astros blogger Stephen Hidgon from Crawfish Boxes appeared on ESPN 97.5 The Ticket in Texas to talk about the hiring of the new Astros manager Brad Mills. Take a listen and you'll hear why Hidgon thinks that Mills is a very nice hiring. Hidgon on the blitz

A Sea of Blue Interviews Kentucky Legend Kyle Macy

2009-10-28T16:00:44Z

Kyle Macy is a legend in the lore of Kentucky basketball. And Kentucky site A Sea of Blue goes into great detail about exactly why Macy is such a legend for the Wildcat faithful. To top it all off, the site also features an interview with Macy.

DeMarcus Ware Drops Some Green on Blogging the Boys

2009-10-28T05:52:28Z

DeMarcus Ware is a rich Dallas Cowboy. And he stopped by to share some details about it with SB Nation Cowboys site Blogging the Boys.

Here is a little of that detail:

The Cowboys owner approached Ware on Monday after the new contract extension was finalized. It's a six-year, $78 million deal that guarantees him at least $40 million, running through the 2015 season, and making him the highest-paid Cowboy ever.

"He gave me this,'' Ware told me as he pulled from his pocket a crinkled $1 bill. "Read it.''

On the dollar, Jones had written:

"THIS IS MY LAST OFFER. YOUR [sic] GREAT. JERRY JONES''

CelticsBlog Has Your NBA Previews Right Here

2009-10-27T06:00:27Z

The NBA season is upon us and SB Nation Boston Celtics blog CelticsBlog has been bringing faithful readers NBA previews from blogs all over the Internet. The best part? It's not over yet and it won't be over until October 30. See the remaining schedule right here. So will anyone challenge the Lakers this year for NBA supremacy?

Team Speed Kills was named SportsNation's Site of the Day for Monday.

2009-10-27T00:29:02Z

Team Speed Kills was named SportsNation's Site of the Day for Monday.

Better Know a Blogger: Bright Side of the Sun's Seth Pollack

2009-10-24T18:01:51Z

The basketball season is upon us already and I figured it was a good time to get to know one of our most prolific and entertaining basketball writers in Seth Pollack of the SB Nation Phoenix Suns site Bright Side of the Sun. As you'll read, Seth came to us in kind of a round about way but I'm very thankful that he did. Seth has been not only a great blogger but a huge advocate for things like adding WNBA coverage to the network. He's also regularly credentialed at the Suns practices and games.

Without further ado, let's get to know Seth a little better:

Tyler Bleszinski: How did you wind up coming to SB Nation?

Seth Pollack: The old fashion way. I was reading a certain liberal website (who's name I won't mention in fear of attracting the wrong kind of crowd via key word search) when the proprietor and name sake happened to mention this sports blog site thing. I was a Suns season ticket holder at the time and decided to check it out. That was in 2006. I haven't left since. Literally, my browser window has been open to Bright Side of the Sun for this entire last 3 1/2 years.

I started as a reader and then became a commenter and then a regular and eventually I got promoted to the front page. After gathering my forces and making a few alliances, I staged a coup and took over the site in early 2008.

Bleszinski: How'd you become a Suns fan?

Pollack: The old fashion way. My family had season tickets in late '70s and early to mid '80s and I went to games with my father, uncle, brother and grandfather. Those were the days when Alvan Adams was playing and not the Sr VP for Facilities Management and Paul Westphal was running the floor in short-shorts instead of pacing the sidelines in a suit. He looks better now btw.

Can I just add what an absolute thrill is it to run into Adams all the time; that I've interviewed Walter Davis and Paul Westphal; and that I get to hang out and work in the Al McCoy media center and have sat about 6 feet from the hall of famer himself during Suns games. Al McCoy for those who don't know, is an absolute legend of a broadcaster and was the guy I listened to on my transistor radio under the covers at night when I was supposed to be sleeping.

Note to young folk: A transistor radio was like an iPod but you had to hand-crank it to make sound come out.

Bleszinski: Who is your all-time favorite Suns player and moment?

Pollack: Suns history is under appreciated by the rest of sports world for being filled with hard luck moments. The coin toss that sent Lew Alcindor to Minnesota (we got Neal Walk). The blown call in the 1976 finals against the Celtics. The blown call(s) in every playoff game against the Spurs. Decades of being good but not good enough to get past the Lakers. I guess we need a fancy curse like the Red Sox or the Cubs to get the appropriate amount of pity.

I was out of the country from 1990-1994 so I missed the Barkley era and the 1993 finals run (damn you, John Paxton!) and the recent stuff is too recent to be nostalgic about. So I suppose I will just go with growing up a Suns fan and going to games with my family as my "moment".

As for players, Phoenix has had so many greats but I'll say Connie Hawkins. He was a little before my time but when he came to the Suns in their second year of existence he turned a 16 win team into a playoff team and started a winning tradition and put Phoenix on the sports map. He's also a great guy. Before getting cancer last year, I would regularly see him playing tennis at the local city park. Everyone loved him and he was always gracious. He is reportedly recovering now but hasn't been active since his illness.

Bleszinski: What's your favorite part about blogging? And something you might not enjoy as much.

Pollack: In sports there's a fine line between confidence and cocky. A shooter needs to believe that his next shot is going to fall and a batter needs to believe that he can hit the next pitch. But some guys take it too far and they are just arrogant jerks. That's me.

Blogging gives me a soap box to stand on and scream whatever idiotic idea that pops into my head into the wide world of the internets. You have to have some confidence to do that but that's a double-edged two handed sword. (those of you who played Dungeons &Dragons with paper, books and dice know exactly the sword I am talking about!)

There are times when it feels like a job and you just don't want to do another recap of another so-so game at 1 a.m. I think we all wonder about how many hours we are putting into this and honestly, I've tried to cut back before. But the power (?) is addictive.

Even if no one is reading, there's just something about seeing your words on the same screen as you read the NY Times that lends it a certain mystique. I am not a great speaker. I don't really get along with a lot of people and don't have a lot of real life friends. Writing in this format has turned out (surprisingly) to be a creative, competitive and ego outlet for me. That's both good and bad.

Bleszinski: You're one of the guys blazing a new path for bloggers as you have credentials to the Suns. Tell me what that is like for a blogger.

Pollack: It has definitely been an interesting experience and I've learned a lot about basketball, journalism and myself.

Aside from the obvious thrills with the childhood heroes mentioned above, it quickly became something that wasn't so much "cool" and "thrilling" as something that I immediately took as a challenge. You can't (or at least I can't) be around these players, coaches, staff and other professional media types and not have a lot of respect for what I had always treated as "just a game".

In that way it's been a difficult adjustment to having access and I've had to rethink my approach to a lot of things.

It is easy to sit back behind the computer and call Amare Stoudemire a lazy slug because he only grabbed 2 rebounds in 38 minutes but can you face him the next day after doing that? And more importantly, was it ever fair to call anyone a slug in the first place and not just be critical of his performance without denigrating him as a person?

I determined early on that I would fall back on my "professional" training and really approach my time with the team with as much respect and personal dignity as I could. And yet I've been determined also to not refrain from asking the tough questions or being critical in my analysis when warranted. It's a style that works for who I am. An arrogant jerk.

Unfortunately, I feel like I've lost some of my humorous edge as well. When you are at a game 2 hours before tip and for another hour or two after and you spend 15 minutes in the coaches office and you see Shaq with his pants down it can't help but change you.

I am working on that though. I am trying to find the right balance between being both professional, respectful and credible while still being irreverent and lighthearted. I don't really feel like a fan anymore which is kind of sad (but don't worry, I still hate the Lakers).

Any advice along those lines is most welcome.

On balance, it is a major plus. The ability to ask exactly what questions I want to ask. To gain greater insight into the team and what it's doing and thinking and feeling. To meet these players and coaches and see how their personalities off the court translate to what happens on the court. There's no question that it's made our site better and given our readers access to information and analysis that they aren't getting anywhere else. For me, that's the thrill.

Bleszinski: How do you think the Suns are going to do this year?

Pollack: I guess you didn't read our 10,000 word, Five Part Season Preview Series. To skip right to the end, I would say the Suns at best will win about 46 games and be a 7th or 8th seed.

This is a team in transition that isn't good enough to compete and isn't bad enough to rebuild.

The early signs are positive that this year they will not be satisfied with only being "entertaining". They are already showing some fight and spunk that haven't exactly been hallmarks of Phoenix Suns basketball. If that continues it will be an enjoyable season. All we can ask for is that they play hard and as Steve Nash told me the other day, "earn it". I am guessing he had recently watched Saving Private Ryan but I failed to asked that critical follow up question.

Bleszinski: You have also been a trailblazer in terms of being an advocate for the WNBA on Bright Side of the Sun. What's been the motivating factor for you on that front? Do you think the women's game is just as good as the men's?

Pollack: To be honest with you (and no one is reading this, right?) I went into it with three very self serving objectives. 1) To occupy a very long off season with something basketball related 2) To get better at my writing and coverage and 3) To suck up to the team a little and make some new relationships within the Suns organization. Mission Accomplished, as the man said.

It only took about a week though to discover just how entertaining and enjoyable the WNBA is. From the quality of play to the entire game experience it's just goooood. The locker rooms smell considerably better as well which is an underrated factor.

It is a myth that all NBA players are young arrogant punks but they are certainly there and even the guys who aren't jerks still operate on an entirely different plane of existence. When you are 6'7" and making millions you can't help but look down on people at least somewhat.

It's never like that with the women. I didn't once meet at WNBA player that wasn't a fantastic, smart, and dedicated individual. They make between $35k as a rookie up to the max salary of $95k in the WNBA. They play because they love to play and because they are very good at what they do. I don't think it's just because I like women more than men when I say that covering the girls is a far more rewarding personal experience. It just feels more like real people.

It doesn't hurt either that the Mercury won the WNBA championship and despite what Ben from Blazer's Edge said I don't think there is a correlation between their winning and my coverage. It was an absolute joy however, to follow the team from being a preseason long shot to winning it all.

You can learn a lot by being around winners. You pick up on how they behave and how they respond to adversity. Those are lessons that apply to all parts of life. From a sporting experience it is a rare opportunity and I feel very fortunate to have been part of it and to have lucked into such a tremendous assortment of talent. Besides, it's not like the Suns are going to win a ring anytime soon. Band-wagoning gets a bad rap.

I fully admit that now I am just annoying zealot convert screaming at everyone about how great this thing is that they are ignoring. If the WNBA season was 8 months long instead of only 3 months I would consider covering it exclusively.

To answer the question, yes. It is certainly equal to but very different than the men's game.

Bleszinski: Tell me something about yourself that many people wouldn't expect.

Pollack: I went back and forth with Tyler on this one. It's a surprisingly tough question. How do I know what you expect? Tyler said to go with something "about myself".

He might as well have asked me to describe basketball to a Martian. Where do you start?

I am left handed. I sometimes play tennis - my forehand is decent and my (one-handed) back hand sucks. I grew up in Phoenix and went to high school with Darren Woodson and Phillippi Sparks. I spent 8 years in the Army and 4 of that in Germany and did two combat tours (Iraq v 1.0 and Bosnia in '96) and almost crashed in a helicopter which makes it much easier to not freak out when two of your team's players leave the bench and get suspended. I have 4 kids but I've managed to kick the oldest one out of the house so only 3 left. I sometimes like 80's ballads and enjoy moonlit strolls on the beach which is difficult since I live in the desert.

If there's anything else you want to know, you can email me at one of five addresses, phone me at any of three locations, fax me, twitter me or face book me. I am not hard to find.

Bleszinski: Thanks so much for your time and good luck to your Suns this year.

Pollack: Thank you and good luck on all of your seasons.