Mental Ward: Goodbye, Royals Review

I take my leave of you.

It has been six years since my first FanPost, and if you feel like digging through the archives you will find that most of my early FanPosts were garbage. But, I stuck around Royals Review. The community made me better. You increased my understanding of the game, and diversified my opinions. I will always be grateful for that.

It has been three years since I was put on staff, though I can only rightfully claim to have written for two years of that time. I have had to take some long hiatuses from writing, due to other writing projects, grad school, etc.

This is article #431 of mine at Royals Review. There will not be a #432.

Part of it is life, as most things tend to be. Still working on my grad thesis, and I also have a couple of other writing projects in hand that distract me when I get a moment. Between that and starting a new full-time job, the scant time I have been able to devote to Royals Review over the past year or so has continuously shrunk, pushing baseball further and further down my priority list as I try and see what I can make of myself.

Part of it, honestly, is Vox. After spending three years writing for a penny a word, it gets to a point where you have to make a decision. As our world and our life becomes further and further stratified, and particularly now and in this time when labor is consistently and thoroughly being devalued across the country, it became a bit hypocritical of me to advocate for wage equality while participating in a system that knowingly undercuts labor as much as it can. Particularly when that system is entirely voluntary.

This is not about Max or Royals Review. Max has been generous – more than generous – with me and my time and my needs, given the constraints he has been given. Other things are heeding my attention, particularly in light of the fact that we are all on fire every day, and have been for the past nine months or so.

I started writing about baseball seven years ago as an outlet for expression. It has always been that for me first. As my brief and nondescript stint at MLB Daily Dish will tell you, I am not good at the churn. I live in the long form. I could not write 250 words effectively. Half of the time, I needed 500 to even get to my point.

Thank you for reading.

I have enjoyed my time with you all. I want to thank Max, Matt, Josh, and everyone else on staff for all of your work and understanding. It has been a sincere pleasure to work with you backstage to put on this production for the past few years.

But the blue curtain is drawing on my final call. Another stage on another night in another hall. But not here or now or ever again. Goodnight, so long, farewell, my friend.

Go Royals.