Re-Introducing Myself

I don’t really know how to start this, so I’ll just jump right in. By now you know that Ben is leaving the site, and that I’ll be taking over as OTM’s manager. While I’m incredibly excited, I’m also incredibly sad. It’s impossible to overstate how amazing Ben and Marc have been for this website and the Red Sox community as a whole. They’ve built what is truly the best and most fun resource for Sox fans, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified at the prospect of following in their immense footsteps. I’m anxious by nature, I guess.

At the same time, I’m honored to be given the opportunity and will pledge to do everything in my power not to screw it up. The vast majority of you already know me, since I’ve been posting here for almost five years now. I don’t really like talking about myself, but I’ll provide a minimal amount of background on myself. I’ve been a Red Sox fan for essentially my entire life (I assume I was rooting for them when I was one, but who really knows), though the earliest season I remember watching with any real interest was in 1999. I was raised on Pedro Martinez, grew into adulthood with David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, and am moving into this stage of my life with Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts. My only regret is that Mauricio Dubon will not be part of that last group.

As for the future of the site, I want to ensure everyone that things will mostly stay the same. Like I said at the top, I’m in awe of the community Ben and Marc have built here and I surely wouldn’t come in here and try to screw things up. We’ll still be doing the same features, game recap styles (though I obviously have some big shoes to fill in that regard), minor lines and everything else you’ve come to love. In fact, you can expect the top prospect polling to start very soon.

On top of what already makes the community great, there are a few ideas I have in mind to grow even more. The podcast has been on and off since I’ve been here, and I am planning on bringing that back on a consistent basis as soon as possible. I’d also like to put a little more of an emphasis on Fanposts. If you don’t know, these give you the opportunity to write your own pieces to share with the rest of the community. I’d like to push more of these to the front page, and to see what creative ideas you all can come up with. Along those same lines, I’m also likely going to be looking for other contributors for the site, and Fanposts are one way to show off your skills. I’ll have another post with more details on that one soon, though.

Finally, this is the part where I throw things to you. You all know what you like and what you don’t like, so let me know. What absolutely needs to stay? What would like to see more of in the future? My ultimate goal is to make this community as enjoyable for all you as humanly possible, and any input would be much appreciated.

Like I said I’m both incredibly nervous to try to fill these huge shoes and even more excited about what’s coming next. Together, we can get Andrew Benintendi to grow his hair back. That is my pledge to you.