Melick: So long, and thanks for all the fishBy Ray Melick -- The Birmingham News May 17, 2010, 5:45AMSo, I am often asked, what are you going to write about next? That's an appropriate question for this, my last "X's and Uh-Oh's'' blog for The Birmingham News. After 27 years writing and talking about sports in this city -- the last four and a half with The News -- I am doing something I never, ever dreamed I'd do: walking away from the newspaper. On the occasions when I've been asked to talk to students about journalism, I have always told them, "If you can imagine yourself doing something else, do it. If you can't, God help you." For the greater part of my adult life, I have not been able to imagine myself doing anything other than writing sports for a daily newspaper. But that's no longer the case. I have started imagining doing something else. And when I found myself suddenly afforded the opportunity to see what "something else'' might be, I accepted. So this is it, at least for now. I could spend a lot of time talking about how the business has changed, but that would make me sound like a curmudgeon. I could talk about all the great events I've been blessed to witness first hand, but that might sound like bragging. I could talk about the great, life-long friends I've made among coaches, players, athletic directors, officials, the media, and fans, but that might sound self-serving. The point is, it's been fun knowing every day I was getting paid to do something I enjoyed doing and being around people I enjoyed even more. There have been very few days I haven't gotten up looking forward to going to "work.'' I have never been comfortable being the story. The only reason I even write this is because, after being a somewhat visible part of this sporting community for so long, I was told I needed to say "goodbye." When people ask me "what are you going to do?'' all I know to say is, "we'll see.'' One thing I do want to do is spend more time with my sons before they go off to college. For a guy who has gone to as many ballgames as I have in my life, I have gone to very few with my own boys, because who takes their kids to work? And as much fun as being paid to go to games has been, there was always an interview to do, a story to write, a deadline to meet after the game was over. My wife knew what the newspaper life was like when she married me (and I thank her for marrying me anyway); my children didn't have that choice. But I would like to say what a great pleasure it has been knowing so many of you and being part of your lives. Even those of you who made it clear you didn't think very much of me and will be happy to see me go contributed, in your own way, to my life, and I thank you for that. And if you're wondering about the headline I put on this blog -- well, it's the title of the fourth book of a series called "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy,'' which I read while wandering Europe a long time ago. I always thought the phrase was an appropriate epitaph for someone in this business of writing for -- as my friend Doug Layton always called it -- "the morning fish-wrapper.'' I don't know how many fish my work wound up wrapping over the years, or how many bird cages my face wound up on the bottom of or how many dog pens I lined, but every one represented one more newspaper bought that was, hopefully, read before finding its final resting place. For that I say simply: So long, and thanks for everything. Even the fish.
At first, he makes it sound like he was afforded a new opportunity...then, later he sounds like he was fired.Maybe he didn't use enough tongue, or he bit down?
They're firing people left and right at that place.
Newspapers are slowly going the way of the buffalo ($1 to MxPx). By the time you pick up your morning paper, the news cycle has turned around four times again already.
That's funny, I know of a newspaper that not only made a profit this past year but is bringing on more employees. I wonder what that's about?
11 Replies
1780 Views