Through the end of summer and into fall I was going back and forth on whether I wanted to keep this site running.  I finally posted on November 29th that I was done, citing a busier schedule that left me jaded, among other things.  I was tired and the site had become more of a chore than a hobby.  But while I was trying to decide what to do with the site, the real reasons why I’ve spent so many hours maintaining PBNW/BBT escaped me.

The comments that poured in on that final post, my email, Twitter, etc. were absolutely amazing.  I had no idea the site meant that much to so many people, and I’ll admit it was touching enough that I wanted to yell “nevermind!” right then and there.  A couple weeks later, after GM Jack Zduriencik made a flurry of moves, I was reminded that I killed my biggest outlet for formulating my thoughts and discussing the M’s given that none of my “real life” friends are into baseball, and forums tend to move too fast for me to bother keeping up.  And I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that those moves– bringing in Chone Figgins and Cliff Lee, then later Milton Bradley– re-energized my fandom a little bit.  You know I’m not a fairweather fan– I started blogging in the depths of the Bavasi years, just months before the Bedard trade– but these recent moves took me from being excited about being a fan of a team on the rise to “I want to be a part of this.”  It was an exciting series of deals.

And while I downplayed the opportunities presented to me in the initial “retirement” post, I have been able to do some things I wouldn’t have done without this site and I would like to continue them.  I recently submitted an article for a soon to be announced project that you all will love.  I’ve done guest posts on various websites.  I’ve been on the radio a couple times.  I’ve gotten a byline at scout.com.  And minor league press credentials may be the biggest one.  How can I give up free baseball?

My schedule is much busier now than it used to be; they say it’s a sign of progress.  And with the holidays out of the way my schedule has gotten even busier– at least temporarily– compared to when I pulled the plug in November.  But I’ve decided to keep this site going.  It’s an enjoyable and fruitful part of my life as long as I don’t let it bog me down.

And I won’t. I’ll try not to put so many deadlines on myself (the toughest editor is the one in your head) and I’ll be a little more receptive to help.  Three guys that have been with the site in limited roles will continue to help out, possibly in expanded roles.  Scott Weber (weebs) will be helping PBNW stay on top of breaking news and should produce a little more analysis than he has in the past (he has 9 posts on this site, going back to the Blogspot days).  Rob Turkel, 25 posts, will continue to help me oversee the site and will churn out his fair share of content come draft time and should otherwise pop up here and there.  Dustin, 26 posts since moving over to our own site and several others back on Blogspot, will continue to be my utility player, chipping in with breaking news, helping run the site when I go MIA and perhaps posting analysis/observations a couple times per month.

Those are the guys that were already part of PBNW.  I’m in contact with several people that are interested in contributing somewhat regularly, and hopefully a few of them will pan out.  I’m not going to announce anyone as a permanent writer ahead of time, opting rather to put them on probation and let them write their way onto the roster.

So welcome back.  I’m sorry for the disturbance.  Here’s to a successful 2010!