It wasn't the trip. It wasn't the five games, the eight days, the three time zones or the midnight runs to McDonald's because they're all that was open.
No, it was all the back and forth.
I love writing. It's what I'll always do. But for a whole bunch of reasons, all cemented in covering the entirety of the Penguins' big trip just now, I'm about to begin offering what I write in a more ... finite form. One that feels a lot less like the old-school, 1965-era newspaper column, and a lot more like what someone might consume in the here and now.
They'll be quicker, but they won't cheat anyone. If I have a point to make, I'll put forth the same effort to fortify it. If I have multiple points to make, I'll offer multiple entries in a similar spirit. But what they'll ideally mitigate is the nightly investment of 3-4 hours in producing the longer-form version ... and yeah, that's pretty much how much time's required.
I don't need a break, I swear. And neither I nor the company's in a position for me to cut back on the multimedia, partly because that's where 100% of our business growth's been, partly because the shows have become bona fide fun to do, and partly because they're infinitely less time-consuming. I can create six videos/podcasts in the same time it takes to do a single column ... and with far fewer fingernails lost in figuring out how to transition from one paragraph to the next.
Further laying all this out: I just have no life anymore outside this. Split Enz, one of my favorite bands, is doing a once-in-a-lifetime tour of Australia and New Zealand, and I can't go. My own family just landed in the Netherlands for a weeklong vacation, and I didn't go. And I really can't keep doing this sort of thing into eternity.
No big announcement here. Truth is, this'll be a change not many would've even noticed if I hadn't brought it up. But I feel compelled to share.
Happy to talk it over with subscribers in comments, as always.
INSIDE THE WORKS
• I'll be right back at the rink today here at PPG Paints Arena, then for two more home games before a six-day stay in New York to cover the entire season-opening series between the Pirates and Mets, then the massive meeting between the Penguins and Islanders the next night in nearby Elmont, N.Y. That'll all be solo.
• At month's end, Chris Halicke will fly to Phoenix to cover the annual NFL Meetings.
• Across the bottom of the app, there are six buttons: Home, Steelers, Penguins, Pirates, SOMETHING and Multimedia. It's you who chooses what that something is. Tap your Profile (top left corner), thumb down to Customize App and tap Edit, and the rest's obvious. Just pick a college or team of your choice.
• A reminder I'll be making a lot: A subscription to this app/site covers only that. It doesn't apply to any of the memberships we offer on YouTube. And the same is true, obviously, in reverse. The reason: The platforms have nothing in common from the commerce perspective.
• Our video views for our most recent full seven-day span, March 13-19, were 256,806. Our most-watched program was our Friday Double Shot of Steelers on the Steelers' new arrivals, at 10,283.
• Our page-view numbers, also for March 13-19, were 750,638. Our most-read original piece was my Grind from Denver on the Penguins annihilating the Avalanche, at 11,893.
THE ASYLUM
Site Stuff: Perils of split priorities
It wasn't the trip. It wasn't the five games, the eight days, the three time zones or the midnight runs to McDonald's because they're all that was open.
No, it was all the back and forth.
I love writing. It's what I'll always do. But for a whole bunch of reasons, all cemented in covering the entirety of the Penguins' big trip just now, I'm about to begin offering what I write in a more ... finite form. One that feels a lot less like the old-school, 1965-era newspaper column, and a lot more like what someone might consume in the here and now.
They'll be quicker, but they won't cheat anyone. If I have a point to make, I'll put forth the same effort to fortify it. If I have multiple points to make, I'll offer multiple entries in a similar spirit. But what they'll ideally mitigate is the nightly investment of 3-4 hours in producing the longer-form version ... and yeah, that's pretty much how much time's required.
I don't need a break, I swear. And neither I nor the company's in a position for me to cut back on the multimedia, partly because that's where 100% of our business growth's been, partly because the shows have become bona fide fun to do, and partly because they're infinitely less time-consuming. I can create six videos/podcasts in the same time it takes to do a single column ... and with far fewer fingernails lost in figuring out how to transition from one paragraph to the next.
Further laying all this out: I just have no life anymore outside this. Split Enz, one of my favorite bands, is doing a once-in-a-lifetime tour of Australia and New Zealand, and I can't go. My own family just landed in the Netherlands for a weeklong vacation, and I didn't go. And I really can't keep doing this sort of thing into eternity.
No big announcement here. Truth is, this'll be a change not many would've even noticed if I hadn't brought it up. But I feel compelled to share.
Happy to talk it over with subscribers in comments, as always.
INSIDE THE WORKS
• I'll be right back at the rink today here at PPG Paints Arena, then for two more home games before a six-day stay in New York to cover the entire season-opening series between the Pirates and Mets, then the massive meeting between the Penguins and Islanders the next night in nearby Elmont, N.Y. That'll all be solo.
• At month's end, Chris Halicke will fly to Phoenix to cover the annual NFL Meetings.
• Across the bottom of the app, there are six buttons: Home, Steelers, Penguins, Pirates, SOMETHING and Multimedia. It's you who chooses what that something is. Tap your Profile (top left corner), thumb down to Customize App and tap Edit, and the rest's obvious. Just pick a college or team of your choice.
• A reminder I'll be making a lot: A subscription to this app/site covers only that. It doesn't apply to any of the memberships we offer on YouTube. And the same is true, obviously, in reverse. The reason: The platforms have nothing in common from the commerce perspective.
• We're hiring. Big-league resume's a must. Email: Jobs@DKPittsburghSports.com
BACK TO BUSINESS
• Our video views for our most recent full seven-day span, March 13-19, were 256,806. Our most-watched program was our Friday Double Shot of Steelers on the Steelers' new arrivals, at 10,283.
• Our page-view numbers, also for March 13-19, were 750,638. Our most-read original piece was my Grind from Denver on the Penguins annihilating the Avalanche, at 11,893.
• Our company social media: 72,035 followers on Facebook, 61,181 on X, 58,990 on YouTube, 17,790 on Instagram, 8,819 on TikTok, 6,723 on Threads.
• We make mistakes. If you see one, email: Typos@DKPittsburghSports.com
• The Downtown HQ/shop's open Tuesday-Saturday, 12-6 p.m., while our company-themed merch can be had in our online store.
• Anything you need, email: Help@DKPittsburghSports.com
• Thanks for supporting this proud, family-owned, wholly independent Pittsburgh venture.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits!
We’d love to have you!