No More Gray Squirrels

“Hey Peter,” my friend Marc asked me on a cold Boston day back in April, “do you have any interest in blogging about baseball?”

I enjoyed writing and I enjoyed baseball, so I thought this would be a fun opportunity. Never did I expect to meet and engage with so many interesting and intelligent people during the season.

Now, as I bid farewell, I want to thank each and every person who has read Beyond the Boxscore. I know that sounds corny, but it’s true: we write for you, and I’m flattered that you took time out of your day to read our thoughts, analysis and ramblings. I appreciate your comments, compliments, and criticism. I appreciate your insights and incisive questions, and I enjoyed discussing the glorious game of baseball with you. You pushed me to be a better writer, a better analyst, and a better baseball fan.

I especially want to thank Marc Normandin and RJ Anderson for offering this opportunity to lowly ol’ me, and for not sending me to low-A ball after they saw what I could (or couldn’t) do. I want to thank Dan Turkenkopf and Sky Kalkman for being such excellent colleagues, along with Harry Pavlidis and Chris Quick, who I didn’t get to know as well but, judging from their work on BtB and elsewhere, will help take Beyond the Boxscore to new heights. I also want to thank David Appleman for the opportunity to contribute to the excellent community over at Fangraphs, as well as Dave Studeman at Hardball Times for hosting an article I co-wrote. 

As for you, reader, I only ask that you keep on reading. There is some incredible stuff being done, both here on BtB and in other places across the web. Keep asking questions, keep testing ideas, and keep watching baseball. The baseball community is a large and welcoming place, and there is room for many different people with many different opinions. Only through research, discussion and criticism can we begin to unravel our favorite pasttime’s mysteries, mysteries that keep us up at night, mysteries that keep us warm in the winter, and mysteries that enthrall us throughout the summer months.

As I prepare to engage in the next chapter of my life, I hear Branch Rickey’s words in my head: “Never surrender opportunity for security.” And, as I seek out my next opportunity, I know that BtB has dedicated writers – and incredible people – who will continue to move baseball analysis further beyond the boxscore.