Catching Up & Looking Ahead
It has been a minute. Channelling my inner Grinch. Recapping a tough, crazy couple of weeks, and gearing up for the holiday season in the sports world. Oh, and saying hello to some new subscribers!
Hello TSSB Crew!
Okay, I’m going to level with you, I’ve been trying to think of a nickname for all my brilliant subscribers, readers and supporters but, so far, I’ve failed to stick the landing. The weak effort above is proof positive of that.
If you can come up with better - and I’m sure you can - feel free to let me know in the comments below and we’ll work with it!
Anyway, allow me to begin by apologizing to you all for being absent the last couple of weeks. Consistency is the key to everything and I don’t want to make a habit of vanishing for a week or two.
You all deserve better than that.
But, before I dive deep into that, we’ve had a few new subscribers join the community here at The Steele Sports Bar.
Please join me in welcoming the following new members to the family!
Tyler Dunne
Scott Galdo
Richard Hornby
Welcome to The Steele Sports Bar! It means the absolute world to me that you have chosen to give up some of your valuable time by becoming a subscriber. I’m trying to build something really special here, a one-stop virtual community for the everyman sports fan and I’m so pumped all three of you have decided to come along for the ride.
So, Tyler, Scott and Richard, welcome again and I hope you enjoy your time at The Steele Sports Bar.
Grab a cold one and let’s talk sports!
It is a particular thrill to have Tyler aboard. For those of you who don’t know, Tyler runs the incredible and trailblazing Go Long site (also on substack).
If you don’t already, I urge you all to subscribe right now by clicking HERE.
For my money, Tyler is the best long-form writer in sports right now and he’s proving why good old school, in-depth, investigative journalism is still relevant and crucial in today’s world of clickbait crappiness and social media slop.
If you crave something more than the low calorie clicks that plague modern journalism, then Tyler is the guy for you and Go Long should be your next stop.
So, again, thank you so much to Tyler, Scott and Richard for deciding to become valued members of The Steele Sports Bar - you won’t regret it.
Now let’s get down to business.
As I touched on at the top, I am sorry for doing my best Harry Houdini impression and disappearing over the past couple of weeks.
That wasn’t my intention, obviously, but life is pretty good at throwing us all curveballs and the last 14 days or so have been a blur.
I’ve watched as my best friend since childhood was forced to navigate the toughest and most heartbreaking time of his life. I’ve been reminded once again that the path to greatness and doing what makes you happy can be a lonely one. I’ve been forced to swim in the murky waters of some family drama and all that comes with that. Oh, and let’s not forget the unnecessary rush and panic that comes not so perfectly wrapped with the holiday season. I’ve decided to work this year but, despite that, I’ve still found myself running around like a crazy person with holiday obligations out the wazoo. Call me a grinch, but I’m not a fan of the commercial dumpster fire Christmas has become. Give me Thanksgiving, where food, football and time with your chosen loved ones are the order of the day, over the pressure-cooker, gift-obsessed, commercially-dripped birthday of Baby Jesus every day of the week.
Anyway, that’s the crux of the matter as it pertains to my silence over these past couple of weeks. Again, life has a funny way of getting in the way of things sometimes and causing absolute havoc.
As Woody Allen once said: “If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.”
There were certain things that needed every ounce of my focus and attention, and sometimes you just have to go handle your business the best way that you can.
It has been frustrating not writing, I won’t lie, especially because this isn’t just a job or a side gig or a passion project for me. This is my entire life. This whole thing, writing and covering sports is who I am. It is at the core of my very identity. Without this, I’m nothing. Without this, my life has no purpose.
Not writing sucks. And being silent for as long as I have been has worn on me, I can promise you that. It has gnawed away at me every single day, bit by bit, chunk by chunk. Like a rat picking at a dead body.
Yes, you can always rely on me for some dramatic, over the top imagery.
So, suffice to say, it feels damn good to be back writing and I have to thank a very dear friend of mine who delivered the ultimate pick-me-up this week. The most thoughtful, heartfelt and beautiful package that reminded me why I’m on the path I’m on. That stunning gift is all the motivation I need from here on out. Also, I’m a firm believer in chosen family and I’m beyond lucky to have a group of friends who are in my corner no matter what.
Speaking of looking ahead, consider me well and truly back now. There is a lot going on across the sports world right now, and I mean A LOT. A hell of a freaking lot, to be more precise.
So much so that, if you miss a minute, you miss a lot. As I’ve found out to my cost.
It seems as if the entire sports world has been flipped upside down since I last put out an article.
The Los Angeles Dodgers won the offseason by signing Shohei Ohtani to a jaw-dropping and historic $700 million deal (more on that shortly). They then traded for Tyler Glasnow from the Rays. And, if those two splashes weren’t big enough, the Dodgers then proceeded to sign the second best free agent available by giving a 12-year, $325 million contract to Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The Cincinnati Bengals continue to show life after Joe Burrow. Matthew Stafford and the Rams suddenly look like a Super Bowl contender. The Eagles are a mess. The Jets? Well, let’s not go there.
The New York Rangers continue to show tangible signs that a first Stanley Cup since 1994 could be within reach. And we may be heading for a repeat of the 1994 Stanley Cup Final seeing how dominant the Vancouver Canucks have been to start the year. Patrick Kane looks back to his best. Connor Bedard continues to live up to the hype.
Can I start to get excited about my New York Knicks yet? I think so. The Warriors as we know them are cooked. Welcome back, OKC!
And, oh, the Detroit Pistons are proving that a whole new level of stinking out the building does exist! Twenty-five (yes, 25) consecutive losses for that team now. And counting.
Yes, there is a lot going on and I’m going to be across all of it. Christmas is always a crazy time in the sports calendar, and I’ll be active across the weekend and on Christmas Day itself. Expect plenty of baseball talk over the next couple of days. I’ll also have a couple of surprises in store for you too.
It is good to be back.
Now let’s get on with the show.
Addressing The Substack Stuff
I love Substack.
They’ve made all this possible and there are some really exciting things going on in the background that will help to elevate The Steele Sports Bar to a whole new level.
However, if you aren’t aware, Substack has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons this week.
I’m not going to dive into the weeds of why because it really isn’t my place to do so. I’ll leave that to people far more intelligent than myself. But, also, I’ve been abundantly clear from day one that this is a politics / drama free zone and I want it to stay that way.
Call me a coward if you want, but I’m not going to harm the mission of this site by playing in those murky waters.
What I will say with confidence, though, is that the issues currently biting Substack in the ass won’t impact you or this site. Far from it. While other newsletters on this platform have decided to jump ship, I’m staying put and that won’t change.
Again, none of this would be possible without Substack, and they are working on more tools to help me grow this community further and turn it into the absolute juggernaut I know and passionately believe it can be. And will be.
I am staying put and taking this site / newsletter elsewhere has never been an option. Nor will it be.
The kind of issue currently impacting Substack will pop up to impact nearly every other site anyway, because that’s how the world works. So jumping ship wouldn’t solve anything anyway.
Substack has been nothing but good to me, and I also know this is just the start of this blossoming relationship. I’m looking forward to a boatload of exciting days ahead.
This probably doesn’t make any sense to most of you, but I felt I needed to make it absolutely crystal clear that the current shitstorm engulfing Substack won’t impact this site.
Back to your regular programming.
Okay, I think that is enough for now.
It feels good to be getting back into a groove and I’ve got a plethora of thoughts ready to unload on you all throughout the weekend.
See you then.