First of all, I know you get a ton of emails with complaints and problems.  Its got to be annoying and I want to say upfront that this message is not meant to convey a negative message to you.

Quite the contrary, I have been with you since the beginning.  The very beginning.  The beginning of this site and even when you first started writing for other websites which shall remain nameless.  I think your advice and analysis has always been awesome and spot on.  I read a ton of stuff, and without a doubt, you are the best fantasy analyst out there today.  When you wanted to start charging for the site, I didnt care a bit.  You deserved it and your were correct when you outlined many times how nominal the fee was compared with the value.

So I am worried about what has been going on lately.  The TRUM was always something you could count on each and everyday.  I looked forward to a cup of coffee and reading what you had to say each day.  The best and most valuable article each week has been your personal one- TMR. 

Lately, the TRUM has been missing many days during the course of a week or coming out late in the day if it shows up at all.  Look at this week, we have a TRUM from Mothers Day last Sunday and now one from Fri.  When was the last time you wrote a TMR Baseball article?  You used to write them every week and timed it so you could work your daily transactions in light of its advice.

Look, I know you are busy.  Movie stuff, ESPN, television apperances, etc.  and you deserve all this success.  You have made a lot of personal and professional sacrafices for this site, but I am worried that with everything you have going on its quality has started to suffer.  The team you have put together is very good, and Becker is great, but its you that most people who have been here since the beginning want to read and hear from.

You sold the site and when someone sells a business its not uncommon for the principal to hang around a bit for the transition period to keep clients and then fade out.  If that is what is happening here, I would just like to know.  I, along with most of your long time followers, will be bummed to hear it, but its better than waiting for you to get re-engaged only to find out its not going to happen.

I hope you take these comments positively.  I think I speak for a lot of the members when I say that we want your level of involvement to get back to what it used to be.  Regardless of how it plays out, thanks for everything you have done over these many years.

As far as the TRUM, it looks like to me that its being held to a "higher standard" now that it appears on ESPN. For instance, this week, one of the TRUM's that was to appear (I believe on Weds.) was held back by the editing staff at ESPN.

You ask when the last time he wrote a TMR baseball article: literally, it's about the time, I'm sure. I just don't think he has enough hours in a day to do everything he wants to. It's a shame really, because that's when a person's personal life and health could suffer as well. I think he's just trying to figure out how to manage his time right now, and if he could fit in another article/column he would've done it.  

Again, just my two cents.   

Dave

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I wrote a TRUM 4 (M, W, TH, FR) days this past week.  I believe only two made it the pages of ESPN.com.  So far I have not found a successful way for me to write the way I want that also works within the standards of ESPN.com.

Currently, I am doing a few full time jobs.  Running ESPN's fantasy business takes even more time than running TMR's.  Then I have to write.  But it's not just a column or blog a day.  I wrote four pieces for ESPN the Magazine this past week (one for the upcoming issue, 3 for the FF Draft Mag).... I do a daily podcast, video segments every single day.... plus still trying to deal with all the paperwork of the sale, my divorce, sale of my house, moving to a new city etc etc....

It's not ideal and yeah, I'm still trying to get into a routine.  But the TRUM runs here every day... or should.  I am not sure why Wed and Fri's didn't get posted here.  I'll look into it.

Anyways, not a lot of this helps, I suppose, except to say I agree with your assesment and I'm trying to figure out what to do about it.  So far, I haven't come up with any answers.  TMR

I appreciate you getting back to me so quickly.  Once again, this note was not meant as a knock on you or the site.  Like I said before, I have been with you since the beginning and I am not looking to leave now.

I visit this site almost everyday.  I know what you been going through both personally and professionally and how thin he must stretched right now.  I will chalk Dave Hunter's comments at the end of his reply to loyalty and his desire to be protective of you.  Given that I understand the demands on your time, I am not looking for you to get physically ill trying to write a fantasy article.  I fully understand that there are more important things in life.

As I said before, please take my comments as a compliment.  I dont normally waste my time writing meaningless emails.  I have spent the past few years looking forward everyday to the good advice and humor your provide each day.  In short- I miss it.

What I am worried about is this thing with ESPN.  It appears that their standards are coming into conflict with your creativity and humor.  Unfortunately, that is the very thing that makes this site better than every other one out there.  Your effect on fantasy writers is very clear to me.  Rotoworld, Yahoo and others are now full of pop culture/reality TV jokes and references.  That didnt exist before you guys.

As far as I have been able to tell, you have always been a guy who wants to do things your way and took issue with those who tried to edit or control you.  That is why you started this site.  I dont know when you got away from this, but I am not sure it will ever be the same if that is what ESPN is doing.  Maybe you could write a TMR and ESPN article, but I sense that your new deal doesnt allow for that. 

Let me take a second and thank you for all the work you have put into what you do for these many years.  It has not gone unnoticed or unappreciated.  I am confident you will figure this stuff out and I am sticking around to see you do it.

All the best.

Larry G.

This is a new challenge, my new role at ESPN.  It's an amazing opportunity.  And just like this site, which started as a Yahoo message board group, anything worthwhile takes time to grow, build, etc.  That's pretty much all I can say at this point.

But I thank you and everyone else for continued support, patience and most of all, for getting it.

TMR

One last thought, and I promise not to beat this dead horse anymore.  I read today's TRUM which mentioned all the things you are working on.  Most are for ESPN.

The problem is that the community doesnt have anything to do with ESPN.  If this were a free site, you could work to your heart's content on whatever you want and we would have no right to complain.

The day you made this a pay site that went away.  You may work for ESPN, but you also work for all the paying members of this site.

If I went to my boss and explained that I couldnt get all his work done because I have this other job I am so busy with, I am pretty sure I would be fired before long.

It was your choice to take two (or more) jobs.  As long as people here are paying you, we have every right to expect every bit as much of your time as we have always received.  If you cant manage it- refund everyone's money and make it a free site again.

But you have to stop using the work you are doing for ESPN (and others) as an excuse for why your involvement is declining along with the quality of your work.

Be honest with yourself, this site was a big reason you got the ESPN gig.  We supported you and helped you get there and you are still taking our money.  Maybe is only a few bucks a year to each of us, but I am sure it means something in the aggregate.  ESPN bought it after all.

You are going to have to work this out.