Stay Classy, Will

Back when we started this site in late 2005, it was mostly to share funny tidbits from around the internet, mixed in with some original content that a few of us could laugh at and enjoy two or three times a week.

We didn't look to break news or offer some hardcore analysis on pinch hitting player X over player Y in the 8th inning of a random Tuesday night game. We just wanted to be another voice on the internet for our handful of fans (us), hopefully entertaining them (us) along the way. And if we picked up a reader here or there as they searched for nipple slips and went home disappointed, that's cool.

We had a few influences for starting it all up, one of which was a new sports blog called Deadspin. It's become the Chet Pleban of blogs. You've all heard of it. You're honored that you have read it. You brag to your friends when it talks to you.

Our loyalty as Cardinal fans has helped us build a friendly relationship with soon-to-be former editor of Deadspin Will Leitch, beginning back in summer of 2006 when he posted the "Best Fantasy Blunders" article to the blogdome. We got something like 1100 or 1200 hits that day, which was about 1100 or 1200 times the normal amount of hits per day. In a 2007 article, the poetic waxing of our own Big Head is featured here. And this past Saturday, Sir and Big Head's Omaha trip was also blogdome'd.

We kept in touch with Will a couple times during the Cardinals post-season run in '06, and a few months ago he had the honor of posing for a picture with yours truly at his book signing. Two internet superstars in one place - it rivaled any Pacino/DeNiro flick, maybe better. Will was also our celebrity voter in the Tournament of Death earlier this year, something I'm assuming is at the top of his resume (in bold italics with little stars around it).

But now Will is moving on to a new venture at New York magazine. If you have a chance, check out his posts on Deadspin this week; lots of good stuff (and who doesn't love a Carl Monday flashback?).

From the whole crew at BertFlex.com, we'd like to wish good luck to Will, and thanks for being the mainstream voice of Cardinal fans everywhere. As a public message to him: any time you want to write up a Rick Ankiel man-crush column, we'll be happy to post it.