And Now For Something Completely Similar

It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

When I joined Lookout Landing as a contributor just a few months ago, I was thrilled just to be a part of the website I read every day for the past 6 years. Maybe it was longer. I couldn't count of the number of times I read this site and laughed, learned. Lookout Landing helped shape the baseball fan I am today. When Jeff stepped down, it was devastating to all of us. His impact on me cannot be measured. Jeff is a legend, and is the reason this site has such an incredible community.

When Jon took over, I was excited he was the network's choice. I'd worked with Jon before on other Mariner blogs, and was happy to be working with him again. I was fortunate just to be on the staff of a site like this.

Sometimes things change in a hurry. As I started to write, I found myself immersed in Lookout Landing, the staff we'd assembled. I made mistakes, I took criticism. I learned, adapted. My posts became more frequent, my collaboration with the staff more natural. When I came back from vacation, the first thing I wanted to do was get back to work. The past several weeks have been a whirlwind - writing, collaborating, brainstorming. Eventually, Jon told me he was stepping down. Somehow only 8 weeks after I had begun here, I found myself in a position to command the ship. I graciously accepted, and here we are.

I'm taking over as the new Managing Editor. There won't be major changes. Jon put a lot of great things into place here, and I am not here to rock the boat. Over the past few months, the site has started to settle into a nice groove, and I am blessed to be surrounded with a number of talented writers who all bring a unique voice that fits the culture you've helped to shape. We can always improve, and that may mean a few new voices, giving LL the wide base of analysis that it has always had and deserves.

Note from Jon:

It was an honor being recruited to fill the shoes of a blogging legend, and a fantastic experience building a writing staff and getting Lookout Landing back up off the ground. Unfortunately, it became clear almost immediately that my schedule was missing the time and flexibility required to manage this site effectively, never mind actually producing my own original content. It wasn't the fit I had hoped it would be.

I was happy with the work I put in behind the scenes over the past few months but knew it wouldn't have worked long-term. Rather than dragging it out I've opted to step down now to make way for someone with the time, flexibility and motivation required to push Lookout Landing onward and upward.

I've known Scott for nearly six years and am very happy that the network tabbed him as my replacement. He seems like a great fit for this position and I know he's excited and ready to make the most of the opportunity.

Thank you for being so welcoming upon my appointment back in March. I wish it could have worked out a little better. An extra-special thank you to any of you who have supported me going back to Bleeding Blue and Teal or Pro Ball NW. You've been great.

All my best,

Jon Shields

Consider this Lookout Landing 2.1, not 3.0. I have exciting visions for what this site can do, and I intend to pursue those possibilities. There's even more that we can do here, and I'm looking forward to taking LL to another level, whatever that may be.

Some of you may not know much about me. Let's change that. I'm 29 years old. I graduated from the University of Washington in 2006. I co-hosted a music radio show in college. I spent parts of the last nine years reviewing mediocre pop-punk bands at Absolutepunk.net, and once had a band write a song about me after a negative review. I wrote about the Mariners at Bleeding Blue and Teal and again when it became Pro Ball NW, and spent some time contributing to ESPN.com, writing power ranking blurbs and hosting Baseball Tonight chats.

Please reach out to me with your questions and concerns. I'm always available via email or Twitter. When you see tweets from @LookoutLanding, that's me. You can also follow me at my personal account, @scottyweebs.

This wouldn't have been possible without Jon, Justin Bopp, and Eric Simon. I'll approach this responsibility with both confidence and humility, knowing that I'm not anyone else who's led this site and I'll never be. I'm me, and I'll be the best version of me that I can give. This is your site more than it is mine, or any of our other staff writers. We can all work together to make this the best Lookout Landing that it can possibly be. I can't wait to get started.

Eternally yours,

Scott Weber
scottweber@gmail.com