I have avoided writing this post for as long as possible, but as opening day for college baseball arrives, I want to let you all know where things stand here at Red Raider Dugout and the Dinger Derby podcast.
When I started creating content centered around Texas Tech Baseball I did it because there wasn’t much coverage to be found. The national outlets did their thing and I, like many of you, grabbed what tidbits about Texas Tech I could get. So, I started the Dinger Derby podcast to provide a place for Texas Tech Baseball fans to get some level of news.
As things progressed and we launched Red Raider Dugout, I found a new medium for covering this team. I hope that any of you who know me or read my musings are aware that I do not think of myself as a journalist. I have tried to mimic one as much as possible and have tried to take the responsibility of this site seriously. I have learned a lot through friendships with Don Williams, George Watson, David Collier, Carlos Silva, and others. But deep down, I have always been a fan wanting to provide a service to other fans.
However, with my desire to do the best I can for you, I have also placed a load of expectations upon myself. It’s no secret that baseball seasons are a grind for athletes, coaches, staff, and media. They are long, there are up to five games a week, and the weather is a constant surprise. Add on fall and January practice schedules, media availabilities, and road trips and this passion project can become an all-consuming obsession.
I have done my best to balance my family, career, and other commitments but have in many cases, put baseball and Red Raider Dugout ahead of other things in my life. I have spent many late nights away from home and away from my family. Covering games, writing recaps, recording the podcast, editing, posting, interviewing – during the season it can feel like a never-ending stream of demands from the site. There are so many stories to tell, so many conversations to have, and only so many hours in the day to do it all.
Coming in some ways with my 40th birthday last April I began to reevaluate my priorities. My seven-year-old daughter, my wife of almost 10 years, a career I love, and volunteer obligations that are near and dear to my heart all need more attention than I have been giving them. Frankly, my mind and soul need my attention too. Sitting in the stands with my friends at a baseball game was once a part of my self-care, but as I ran down the road of covering the team it became another stressor demanding exceptional time and attention.
These are all demands I have happily taken on and funded out of pocket, but the time has come for a change in direction for me.
I will always be grateful to my wife for supporting me in this hobby-turned-obsession and for not judging me too harshly when I took an extra suitcase on trips to record the podcast in a hotel room or an Airbnb. I will also always be grateful to all of you as well. For reading, interacting on social media, and listening to a dude who went from heckling at first base to pretending to be a journalist a few times a week.
I also want to be sure to thank Dr. Mike Gustafson, George Watson, David Collier, and Dr. Alan Reifman for their willingness to contribute to this thing regularly while receiving nothing but a crisp high-five in return.
Make no mistake, I continue to love Texas Tech Baseball. I’ve made lifelong friends over more than 20 years of being a fan and I’ll never stop cheering for the Red Raiders. But for right now, I can no longer devote my time and energy to covering this team at the level I expect of myself, the level you all deserve. I do plan to keep the website active and will do my best to update the Red Raiders in the Pros. I’ll also pop in from time to time with an opinion or some news, but the game-by-game coverage and twice-weekly podcast episodes will not continue.
I truly appreciate you all, and I want to say how thankful I am to have had a unique seat near this great baseball program the last few years. I will still see you around the ballpark but instead of hammering out tweets (or whatever they’re called now) I’ll be enjoying a beverage with people I love and cheering on the Red Raiders with some heckles mixed in.
Thank you all for everything.
Wreck ‘Em
Keith
