Greener pastures

I've always described journalism as a calling to people. It's like the priesthood. If you're not devoted to it, it just won't work. If it ever stops feeling like the best line of work in the world, you should stop doing it.

I've hit that point with sports journalism. Don't get me wrong, it can be fun. Covering games and writing features can be some of the most rewarding work you can do. You get to know young student-athletes and record what they do. But for every minute you get to do the fun stuff, there are 10 minutes of designing pages, dealing with irate callers or answering calls so you can take a swimming meet.

Between that and an onslaught of frustrations with my current job, I'm getting out. I'm going over to the daylight side. I'm returning to my roots somewhat, going back to Lima (Ohio) to take a news-writing job covering Putnam County.

I'm looking forward to it. Will I miss sportswriting? Absolutely. Will I miss sports editing? Not for a second.

It's been a tough couple months since I moved to Delaware. We're talking about 60-hour weeks at a minimum and 80-hour weeks at the worst. I had two 18-hour days in the same week a couple weeks ago. I've been doing the work of two or three guys -- literally -- and I don't mean Larry, Curly and Moe.

Anybody who knows me knows I hate to give up. I hate to quit. It's not in my nature. But I'm also realistic enough to know that if I stuck around here much longer, I'd become such a bitter hack that I'd hate what I do. I don't want to hate journalism. It's all I've ever wanted to do since I grew out of the 5-year-old "I want to be a fireman" phase.

I'll send out the relevant contact information to those "on the list" once I find a place in my new corner of the state. I'm excited about the change. I'm excited about taking a writing-only job, and it'll be challenging to tackle new types of stories.

One of the most common reactions I've gotten at my current paper when I put in my notice was this: "News? How can you do news? You're a sports guy." First off, that feeds into one of my most frustrating stereotypes, that sports guys somehow aren't real journalists.

Second, it's worth mentioning that news jobs were what I'd chased coming out of college. My internship was in news. I wanted a news job out of college, but bless his soul, Lima News sports editor Paul Smith talked me into applying for his sports job.

It's been a lot of fun ever since, and it's taken me places I'm not sure news would have. I've seen the Browns' first game. I've covered a Georgia Southern-Furman football game in Georgia with a conference championship on the line. I watched Virginia Tech topple Miami last season. And at this moment I'm sitting in Ohio Stadium, awaiting the Michigan-Ohio State game in what might be the last football game I ever cover.

What a way to go out, huh?