This will be my last post on Dewey’s House.  It’s been a blast, and allowed me to have an outlet to share some of my thoughts and opinions on two of the things I love most in this world; baseball and the Boston Red Sox.  Lo and behold, some of you even liked to hear what I had to say.  What this opportunity that Jeff Kuhn extended to me three years ago has also afforded me is one of the most unlikely and special friendships I have ever forged with another individual.

Over the last two-plus years, Rich Lederer, proprietor and chief contributor of the Baseball Analysts, has become a real pal.  If you read this site from time to time, you most likely know of Rich’s site, its widespread influence and consistent high-quality output.  What you probably do not know is the coincidental circumstances that led to our friendship. 

Rich lives in Long Beach, California, about a half-mile from where my wife grew up.  While we would trade emails and IM’s from time to time about baseball, it was not until we discovered these coincidences that our frienship started to blossom.  Rich’s son Joe even went to middle school with my wife Johanna.     

Rich joined a bunch of my best pals at Trump National LA for a golf outing on Thursday, December 28 and attended my wedding last Saturday, the 30th.  The ceremony was held at a church that more or less split the difference between Rich’s house and Johanna’s childhood home, and then Rich joined us for one helluva party in Palos Verdes.  I left for Cabo San Lucas on New Year’s Eve, returned on Thursday and met up with Rich for some Happy Hour cocktails back in Long Beach last Friday.

It was there that we solidified plans for me to become a contributor to his site.  It was one of the most flattering offers I have ever received and a no-brainer for a couple of reasons.  One, with my new job, I have less time to update as often as I would like.  I have been posting a paragraph here and there every now and again but have not been producing anything of real length or quality (though I was pleased with my long JD Drew entry).  I will be posting just once a week on Rich’s site, and his editing and idea generation will help me to maximize my output given my time, and let’s face it, ability constraints.  The second reason is obvious.  Rich’s site is a real standout in an increasingly crowded blogosphere, and his invitation allows me a larger platform.  I don’t do this professionally and don’t think I have any real ambition with respect to writing, but I do want to be the best writer I can be and joining the Baseball Analysts helps me to pursue that end.

Finally, I would like to thank Jeff.  Jeff started Dewey’s House, is its most creative and thoughtful voice and knows more about baseball than most people have forgotten.  I would never have even considered blogging had Jeff not extended this invite.  Three-and-a-half years, a friend for life and one helluva cool opportunity later, I can safely say that blogging has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.  Jeff has told me that he does not have plans for the future of the site yet, but will make an announcement shortly.

Thanks for stopping by over the years and I look forward to your continued readership at the Baseball Analysts.