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Turn out the Lights

By Gary Armida

…These are the last words I have to say
That’s why this took so long to write
There will be other words some other day…

It is with after much thought that I announce that I FCP will be closing up shop as of today. I have enjoyed writing since November of 2007, but I have come to realize something quite important over the past month. Sadly, I realize that I am older and actually require more than three hours of sleep a day. It was not an easy decision to “pull the plug” on a site that is continuing to grow and mature, but it was one that needed to be made. The daily grind of producing quality, original articles has been taking a toll. As I said, I have loved every minute of writing, every exchange between you and me, and every opportunity I got to talk baseball with so many people. Before saying the official goodbye, I do want to thank a few people.

• First, I would like to thank my wife for helping with this decision and all of her support.
• I thank my daughter for being born…it was the greatest day in the history of my life.
• I want to thank my parents who were the first two readers of the site during the days when there just four of them.
• A big thank you goes to early writers on the site, Andrew Armida and Doug Hill. Their contributions during the early days were invaluable. Also, a big thanks to our Mets Insider and voice of our early podcast, Jeff Keeperman.
• Pete Mrsich who took the time to design our banners for nothing in return. I thank my “long lost” friend of over 25 years for re-connecting, helping out, parent advice emails, and for an MLB The Show opponent.
• Scott Zahn gave me a tremendous opportunity to work with Rick Peterson. He is someone I have come to admire for his hard work, dedication, and ability to see the big picture.
• Thanks to the “Friends of FCP”, especially Mike Silva, Maury Brown, and the legendary Jimmy Scott. Each has inspired, helped, and allowed for some enjoyable reading. I will continue to be a daily reader of their sites.
• Thanks to all of the readers. It was a great give and take. I’d like to single out early readers/supporters Bill Brinkerhoff, Scott Burress,  Mike, Steve (Isles), and current readers/supporters, David Allan, Rudy, and the whole Campione crew.
• I had the absolute pleasure to speak with so many talented and insightful baseball writers. The legendary Ray Ratto was the first to say yes and I will always remember that. He gave his time to a small site with zero interviews under our belt. His interview opened the door to all of our other interviews. There are so many great writers out there and it was a pleasure to speak to them.
• One of my biggest thrills as the site grew was to talk with baseball insiders. I can tell you that Jim Duquette is one of the nicest, most intelligent men I have ever spoken with. I take away from him so much and appreciate the look into the life as a GM.
• Rick Peterson is truly a remarkable human being. He took a chance on me and I hope I delivered for him. The man’s knowledge of pitching is only surpassed by his tremendous perspective of life. He’s someone who will change the baseball world with 3P Sports. It has been a privilege to speak with him.
• I saved the biggest thank you for last…Billy Campione went from a fellow Yankees fan down the hall at work to a good, trusted friend (very rare in this world). His work on this site has been invaluable, not only for his tremendous and original content, but for the growth of the site. I kid him about his Facebook obsession, but I still cannot believe that he spent so much time helping me promote and grow the site. He was always willing to do anything for the site, even if he was in the background. He put up with me pitching so many ideas, so many site re-designs that never happened, and me wanting to talk about the Pirates and Nationals on the radio show (which he would always strike from the agenda-wise move). His selflessness and excellence helped turn FCP into a complete site. I will miss reading his weekly Channeling Harry Doyle columns, but I have no doubts that I will have many conversations for many years. I am proud that Billy has become a Markakis follower. Billy, thanks for everything on the site, the radio show, for your understanding and grace when I spoke about ending the site, and, most importantly, your friendship.

So, where does FCP go from here? Well, it will be around until at least January as the bills are paid until then. But, I won’t be posting any content here. I will head back to simply being a fan, but that doesn’t mean you won’t hear from me. I will be working as a freelance writer so you will see my name pop up from time to time (If anyone is interested in having me or Billy do some freelance pieces, drop us a line). As the Billy Joel quote says, “There will be other words some other day”.

Well, that’s it. I hope it has been as fun for you as it has for me. Thank you for letting me live out my fantasy of writing about baseball on a daily basis. I am proud of this site and pleased to be closing it on such a high note. Thanks again everybody. It has been an honor, a privilege, and a whole lot of fun.  I never took for granted that people took the time to read my stuff. It always amazed me. See ya around.

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