This show has come a long way from when it first started in December of last year. We had to go through what every blog/podcast goes through when they first started up, and that is getting attention. Getting your name out there. Getting respectable guests. And most importantly, getting someone to listen!

A month into our show, I had to switch co-hosts. The transition from Gary the Numbers Guy, who did know his sports but wanted to mainly talk about numerology, to Dan Brock, who hit a home run on his first show, even though he was given two days notice. I then had to decide whether I even wanted to continue the show. I had just moved to Michigan and would be 3 hours away from the studio. But being the trooper I am, I would drive 3 hours to Cleveland every Saturday to do the show, and then 3 hours back to Michigan after the show. This lasted for about 4 months until I moved back to Cleveland.

But all of this was worth it, because we got to do a live broadcast from “Blogs with Balls” in New York City this past Saturday. It was only proper that the “Mecca of Sports-Blogging” was being held down the street from the “Mecca of Sports Entertainment”, Madison Square Garden. With a jam-packed cellar in the restaurant Stout, sports bloggers from all over the country joined and for the most part, met face to face for the first time ever. After Twittering, emailing, referencing each other’s blogs, we finally got to see the face behind the keyboard.

As soon as I stepped into the cellar, Don and Chris from HHR greeted me like I have been their friend for years. Yea, DSS is just a little ole sports talk radio show, but these guys treated me with the same respect and attention they gave Sports Illustrated, who had a booth on the other side of the wall from us. Internet, well that was another story. Kyle Bunch, who you can listen to our pre-”Blogs with Balls” interview here, donated his Verizon Wireless Wi-Fi router for us to use for our broadcast. Turned out to be just what we needed, because without it, we would have had NO broadcast.

I was unable to hear most of the panels as we were broadcasting from 12-3 and I had to make my way over to join the Project Spurs crew for their podcast. But from what I heard from other people, it was truly an success. The panels gave us an insight on how sports-blogging will change the face of sports media in the years, no, months to come. Everyone who attended walked away with new information, new friends, new goals, and new motivation to do what they love and that is talk and write about sports.

Our show was packed with guests. Amanda Rykoff from ESPN, Dan Levy from On the DL Podcast, Matt Sebek (twice) from JoeSportsFan, Erica Boeke from GoGameFace, Jeff Garcia from the Project Spurs, Sarah Spain from Mouthpiece Sports, John Karalis from RedsArmy, Corey Wilson from GQ, Michael Artsis from RootZoo, Trey Jones from Sports Business Digest, and finally, Chris Lucas, Co-Founder of “Blogs with Balls” and from HHR all made appearances on the show and their time and insight were greatly appreciated.

I came to this event not knowing what to expect. I was hoping at least ONE person would have recongized the name of our show and hopefully would have listened. But as the day went on, I had people come up to me and say they love the show and listen to it whenever they can, if not live, but when it becomes available to download. Was it worth coming all the way to New York City from Cleveland to do an live broadcast? Of course. Will I be at “Blogs with Balls” 2.0 in Las Vegas in October? You betcha.

But most importanly, I left this event a very humbled sports blogger.

Again, thanks to HHR to putting on such a great event. And I wish to work with everyone I met and form partnerships that last a lifetime! Also thanks to everyone who listened live to our show! Without you, we could not have made this the highest watched episode in DSS history.

You can also listen to our show from “Blogs with Balls” here.

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