And so it ends...

Dear MZone Reader,

The first post ever here on the MZone, way back in on October 5, 2005, was short, brief and (sadly) semi-naked co-ed free:

And so it begins...

What is this blog? Well, it's about Michigan football. Comments, critiques, compliments, criticisms and a little funny thrown in for good measure.

Three of my M alum friends and I have been emailing back and forth, everyday, during each football season for the last couple of years. Sometimes our emails number close to 30 after big wins or tough losses. And while we're all huge Michigan fans, that doesn't mean we don't disagree often (as you'll soon find out). So I figured, if we can procrastinate that much during the week, let's see if others want to join in. Hey, if we're not going to get any work done, why not drag some complete strangers down with us.

So, here it is. This is my first blog so pardon the rookie mistakes I'm bound to make as I get this up and running (hell, I don't even know how to add pictures yet).

Welcome and...

Go Blue!

Little did I know back then just how many "strangers" we'd get to procrastinate with us - almost 4 million as I write these words tonight; a "little funny" morphed into (hopefully) a lot of funny for you, the reader; and thankfully, I did learn to add a picture or two to the posts.

It has been a hell of a fun ride.

But even the best of college football seasons has a final play as all things must come to an end. And like a football coach knowing when it's time to walk away from the game, it is time for me, and thus the MZone, to exit the blogosphere.

By last fall, my team of fellow MZone bloggers has dwindled down to just yours truly, which is no great surprise as running a daily blog can be a grind at times. That's why I have such respect for the many fellow bloggers I've gotten to know during the course of running the MZone who do it and do it so well.

But for me, it's gotten to be too much to continue on my own. Besides, half the fun of it was doing it with friends. And as much as I enjoy and enjoyed blogging, it was never a goal for it to be anything more than a hobby. Except for a brief flirtation with Google AdSense, we turned down each and every advertising offer we received. Because it wasn't about the making money. Hopefully that came through as you read over the last (not quite) three years.

Thus, rather than ever get to a point where people say, "Man, the MZone used to be so good. But now it sucks giant, Michigan-owning Buckeye nuts," I'd rather end it here on a high note and the old vaudevillian credo of "Leave them wanting more...caption contests and Photoshopped gems." And while I won't say never in terms of the MZone returning somewhere down the line - or in some other incarnation - if the passion returns, right now it's time to simply say farewell.

So thanks to all the fellow bloggers out there who have become, dare I say, cyberfriends during our little run. While I won't be posting here, you can bet I'll be lurking around your sites which I've grown to really enjoy over the last (not quite) three years.

Thanks to all our regular contributors who, quite literally, made the site possible with their great ideas, tips and suggestions. Without you, this site would have gone dark long ago.

Finally, thanks to you, the MZone reader for making the last (not quite) three years so much damn fun and rewarding. Your emails and kind words are what kept me doing it. All those, "You start my day with a laugh each morning" put a smile on my face as much as you said the site did for you. That's by far the hardest part to leave behind.

Go Blue!

Yost