The Blog Turns Ten

Ten years ago today, a blog was born. Ducksnorts first launched in 1997, but the blog (a word that didn’t exist back then) came into being on June 12, 2001.

I contemplated celebrating this occasion by highlighting the blog’s “greatest hits” from years past. Two problems:

  1. That seems like a lot of work, and I’m lazy.
  2. I hate reading my old stuff. It becomes an exercise in second-guessing and keeps me from moving forward into the future, where I hope my best work lies.

Instead, I asked myself why I’ve been doing this for so long. The answer is simple and clear: It is because of you.

I write, and you read. Every day, this amazes me. And at times — more often than I’d like to admit — when my mind is clouded by self-doubt and I wonder who the hell I am to think that my words should matter to anyone, you remind me that they matter to you.

I cannot begin to describe how humbling this is. I cannot thank you enough for your generous gift of readership. And I cannot think of a better way to celebrate this blog’s 10-year anniversary than by pausing for a moment to reflect on what we have accomplished together.

Then, when we have finished patting each other on the back, we get back to work. There is so much yet to be done.

Thanks for everything. Let’s go make it happen…

18 Responses »

  1. Congrats, Geoff. Keep on keepin’ on.

  2. Your words do indeed matter to me … well said! And they have created a community here … and that community matters to me also. Well done, friend! It’s been a great 10 years! (Some better than others? You bet! Just like it oughta be :-) )

    $BackPatOff

  3. Congratulations Geoff! This blog was one of the main reasons that I became a fan.

  4. It is always a pleasure to visit this site and read your work. Here’s to another 10, no..20 years.

  5. Yes, your words matter! Thank you, Geoff, for providing a place to read intelligent, interesting and funny stuff about the team and the sport I love!

  6. Bass is on the way!

  7. Just got into this blog a couple months ago. Now I can’t get enough! Keep up the good work, Geoff

  8. This is one of maybe five sites that I visit every day. I don’t know what I’d do if this site disappeared. Congrats on ten years! Here’s to ten more.

  9. Congratulations! I’m not obsessed with baseball like a lot of folks around here, but I enjoy your blog as a glimpse into that strange world of mysterious abbreviations. And I will remember your adjective phrase, “allegedly switch-hitting,” for years to come.

  10. And I should add a hearty congratulations, Geoff!!! 10 years is a HUGE accomplishment! Well done!

  11. Let me echo everyone by offering congrats to you for 10 years of Ducksnorts. There’s no better Padre site on the web!

  12. Thanks, Geoff. Congratulations on ten years.

  13. Congrats – 10 years is a long time to stick with anything, much less pump out high quality reading for the common folk.

    I don’t comment a lot, but I do swing by every morning to see what great new insight there is in Padre land. It’s been my routine since the early-2000′s, when I stumbled across the blog. At the time, I couldn’t believe that someone actually wrote about the PADRES! As I waded through a few entries, I realized that what made the blog great wasn’t the Padres, but the quality analysis and writing therein. The fact that the Padres are the topic is just a bonus. At the time, I didn’t have internet at home, so I read as much as I could right then and there. I believe there was a PDF which had basically the entire years worth of entries to that point – I printed it, all 250 pages (and again, I wasn’t at home at the time) to pour through in my leisure.

    Anyway, just wanted to say your efforts are much appreciated. You’ve created a nice little community of well informed fans here, which has always been a nice escape from the local Yankee fans (or possibly even worse, the Mets fans) here in NY. Thanks.

  14. thanks, GY. and congrats on Mrs. Ducksnort on putting up with all your blogging mistakes/misspellings for longer than that. :p we got the good stuff, lucky us.
    ha…ha…ha…

    seriously, though, how could we put up with season like the last 2 months were it not for this site. thanks much for all your hard work, it’s much appreciated.

  15. Thanks Geoff. I have a blog at work and know how difficult it is to do it consistently, week after week. Ten years is just ridiculous. On a different note, how about a Delillo reference, for giggles.

  16. You’re the best, around! Nobody’s gonna ever bring you down…

    Awesome blog, thank you so much for keeping up the great work. It takes the sting out of being a Padres fan knowing that others also suffer from the same malady.

  17. Thanks, all, for the kind words… very much appreciated!

  18. Congratulations Geoff! 10 years is a long time. Nice work!
    Lynda