First off, let me apologize because I know you got a lot of emails this week from Joe Blogs. Well, hey, it was launch week, and you probably know that I get a little bit carried away. The pace will definitely slow down, I promise. Even I can’t keep this up.
I did want to fill you in on a few things.
Thing 1: The first week was a massive success
Thank you, thank you, thank you for signing up as a paid or free subscriber. I’m thrilled that you want to be a part of all this madness.
Thing 2: The schedule
So, as part of the launch, you’ll be getting a lot of free content this week. I’ll be doing a Football 101 entry every day; the Cleveland Browns Diary (sigh) is starting on Monday, there are some baseball things coming, and there might be a surprise or two. Again, everything will be free this week.
Starting next week, things will begin to shift. The Football 101 will come out three times a week for the rest of the Football season (with a few exceptions). Baseball playoff pennant race and postseason stuff will heat up. The week of Sept. 27, when The Baseball 100 comes out, I’m planning to give subscribers some bonus Baseball 100 essays. It’s going to be a lot of fun.
And I should say: Many of the pieces — like the Baseball 100 bonus essays, most of the Football 101 essays, etc. — will begin to go behind the paywall starting next week. There will always be free stuff here, but a lot of what I write will be for paid subscribers.
I hope that you’ll subscribe. Here’s a nifty little button to do so just in case you feel like doing so now:
Thing 3: Sections
So, Substack has added something cool called “Sections.” This allows me to put different stories in different, um, sections — we have a Baseball Section, a Football 101 Section, a Cleveland Browns Diary section, a Greatest of All Time Section, and the more general “A Few Words” section.
I tell you this because you now have the option to control which emails come to your inbox. You simply go to your Substack page and can choose to click out of any of the sections. Let’s say you are not interested in the Cleveland Browns and would rather not get the Browns Diary. You can simply click out that button, and you won’t get Browns’ emails. You can always read everything at Joe Blogs if you would like.
Thing 4: Renewals
I realize that the renewal situation has been a little confusing, but here’s how I think it breaks down: If you are a paid subscriber, and you are still using the same credit card that you used to subscribe, your subscription should automatically renew.
However, many of you — most of you, I would guess — are probably using a different card than you used to subscribe. And if that’s the case, your subscription will not renew. Instead, you will get an email telling you that your subscription has run out, and it will ask you if you would like to renew.
Thing 5: The PosCast
Lots of you have asked if The PosCast or any part of it will be for paid subscribers only. It will not. Mike Schur and I are working on something that we think/hope will be really cool, and we will announce it just as soon as we wrap up all the details. But I can tell you for sure that:
The PosCast will be free and available for everybody.
I will try and integrate some fun bonus subscriber features that I will get into once we figure everything else out.
To reiterate, The PosCast will be free and available for everybody.
Thing 6: Meet Larry Burke
Some of you may know — and may be able to tell from this email — that I might include a typo in my stories now and then (and by “now and then,” I mean “repeatedly”). Well, you should know that Joe Blogs now has an editor, my friend Larry Burke.
Larry has had an amazing career in sports — he was the editor of “Inside Sports,” a Senior Editor at Sports Illustrated, he was the founding editor at “Sports On Earth,” he co-wrote a book with the Ripken brothers, etc. As editor here, Larry’s job is much larger than just fixing my dumb mistakes; he is a guiding influence on Joe Blogs and what it will look like in the years ahead. But, yeah, he probably will fix many of my dumb mistakes too.
I will admit sending this one out without Larry’s editing — I didn’t want to bother him on a Sunday night — so apologies for the many typos that undoubtedly included.
OK, I’ve already said too much. Thank you for being a part of Joe Blogs. We’re going to have a lot of fun here.
Just read the Stan Musial chapter in The Baseball 100. I especially enjoyed reading about Stan’s attendance at his first MLB game. I had a similar experience, although the roles were reversed. I was 9 years old in 1959 when I attended my first MLB game at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. It was a night game, and I’ll never forget how the field shone like a brightly-lit emerald. But what I remember most was seeing my very first ball player as I walked up the concourse to the section where my seat was located. He was out in right field shagging balls and a big red #6 was on his back. It was “Stan the Man” himself! About 7 years later I was in St Louis and had dinner at “Stan and Biggies” Restaurant. As usual, Stan was working the room going from table to table chatting with the patrons. When he came to our table, I told him he was the first big leaguer I’d ever seen, and he smiled from ear to ear. He reached down, picked up my menu, and signed his autograph. I still have that menu these 56 years later.
joe, the baseball 100 was one of the greatest journalistic achievements and pleasures ever. but have to say, having the book in my hand, in my chair, with a glass of wine is even better. thanks for the work. a labor of love, it seems.