In honor of this – the most wonderful time of the year – we bring you a Christmas poem.
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the land
The Daily Dose was suspending operations, would this decision stand?
The stories were chosen with the greatest of care,
From Arnie to Sweetness – the best-ever Bear;
The final edits for December had been all put to bed;
With so many features to choose from, could all be read?
The best jerseys, top colors, greatest helmets and caps,
The Iron Nun, Jack LaLanne and Sir Roger’s last lap,
We wrote of Halas, and rodeo, discussed Marichal’s last batter,
And covered Stickum and Gatorade; even infield chatter;
Four-and-a-half years, it’s gone by like a flash,
It all started with Dick Stockton at our Launch Party bash.
Our intent from the outset was to put readers in the know,
Like the Fight of the Century between Muhammad and Joe;
Dose-iples awaken and great stories appear,
Of The Bambino and The Birkie and the night of Dime Beer.
We told stories of legends like Teddy Ballgame and The Mick,
And of Magic and his nemesis — the Hick from French Lick;
To enlighten, inform and entertain was my aim,
Sometimes dog shows or mascots, perhaps the finest from Notre Dame?
Over a thousand new stories with some flashbacks we’d mix in,
Now Steel Curtain! Now Fearsome Foursome! Now great linebackers blitzin’!
To the shortest of players! And the others so tall!
We told of Fathers and Sons and classic World Series calls.
To the wins and the losses and the games Do or Die,
It’s with a mix of pride, joy and sadness that I say goodbye;
To The Sport of Kings, Breeder’s Cup and Churchill Downs with its views,
To Secretariat, Man o’ War and the great Seattle Slew;
For Fenway and Wrigley and other parks with no roof,
These venues we covet; to them we shall hoof.
We’ve shared the legend of The Doctor and the dunks he threw down,
Of Big O and Michael and of Charles – the Round Mound;
For those who like kickers, we told of Vinatieri’s right foot,
We covered discus and hurdles but never shot put.
Sir Edmund Hillary scaled Everest with his gear on his back,
While Augusta belonged to Hogan and Tiger and Jack;
The Dodgers featured Scully – the Cubs and Sox they had Harry,
And the greatest Detroit Lion of all was their running back – Barry.
We told the tale of the Ten-Year War between Woody and Bo,
Of the groundskeeper, Toma, and the grass that he’d grow;
You read of a knuckleballer named Wood and of Wilbur’s big belly,
Then the fiercest of waves and a Slater named Kelly.
Though story ideas came from everywhere, I wrote each myself,
The idea was journalism, not growing my wealth;
My favorite athlete is John Unitas for the comebacks he led,
Along with Joe Willie Namath and a cool golfer named Fred.
Creating the Dose was a passion [and a whole lot of work],
And it was richly rewarding; that was my perk;
We covered the Winter Classic along with the Sugar and Rose,
Is that this publication’s legacy as we draw to a close?
To think we have but a week left makes many folks bristle,
So rather than do that, let’s play to the whistle;
Sharing mornings has been a blast, I’ll say this if I might —
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!