Welcome back... kinda
Been a little while. Let's check in.
Hey everyone! Apologies, but it’s been a little while. The goal of today’s piece is to explain why and hopefully lay the groundwork for what you’ll find here. Whether we achieve those goals remains to be seen but if there’s one thing I want to hammer home, it’s this: From here on out, no more months-long absences on this account.
I guess that’s as good a starting point as any. What happened?
Honestly? Life happened. It turns out working from home and juggling a two-year-old isn’t exactly the best ecosystem for the kind of focus needed to maintain the kind of Substack I wanted to. Little Man just turned three and seems a little better at not putting himself in mortal danger, so I might be able to look away from time to time.
Kids aside, well, to be frank, over the last year, my focus has been rebuilding the podcast and the community around it. Not to get too technical, but essentially, whenever you move a podcast feed, the algorithm chops it up. Combine that with finding a distributor that understands the market and suffice it to say, the podcast industry can be quite the motherbleeper.
Fortunately, in Audacy I’ve found a company that understands how to monetize pods in ways I just haven’t seen from others and, critically, a partner that believes in my vision. When I said we should build out a miniature network of the best Lakers podcasts out there, Audacy simply asked what I had in mind and what kind of support I’d need. Fast-forward to now, and Lakers Lounge, Buha’s Block and Laker Film Room make up a pretty damn good start to that endeavor.
As Kobe would say, job’s not done (it never is), but I’m at least comfortable with the progress we’ve made to redistribute some resources to this project.
Speaking of, I also wanted to figure out what “this project” could be.
At first, I figured I’d try bringing all my exclusive reporting to this site and build with that as the foundation. Problem there is as soon as it’s aggregated once, there is zero reason for anyone to pay for the content. So, for the time being and hopefully for a nice, long time moving forward, my reporting will still go to ClutchPoints first.
Thing is, though: Reporting about what the Lakers may or may not do is such a small part of the story, and I miss sitting down and writing up a legit take. It’s what I got into the business to do in the first place. I also have thoughts on all kinds of things outside Lakers coverage.
Also, there are nuances and backstories to reporting that help tell a fuller story. This is where I’ll be jotting down those thoughts and morsels.
Now, I understand that vast majority of people subscribed to this came into the tent because of my Lakers work, but we all have different interests that I’d like to explore with you. If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know how much I love my Dodgers and Vikings. I also love movies and tv, and somehow don’t think ClutchPoints is all that interested in what I think of that awful “Mandalorian” trailer.
My final explanation for my absence and subsequent return? I’m healthier.
I’m not going to ramble on too much here but over the years, I’ve been everything from a poorly functioning alcoholic to a recovering one. I’m not sober and there are certainly times where I think that might make the most sense for me, but for now, I’ve found a way to control my drinking and lifestyle habits in a way that has increased my energy, focus and direction. Hell, that entire ongoing process can be another thing we talk about on here from time to time, too. Who knows.
So, enough about me. To those who have stuck around, thank you. To those coming back, welcome back. I totally understand your decision to leave in the first place. To those who are just linking up, welcome. This community has grown in a way that legitimately blows me away. Let’s keep that momentum going with this weird addition to the offerings, all made possible by your support. So, until the next time, have a great rest of your day, make somebody else’s and I’ll talk to you in a bit.