Welcome to The Duckpin!
I’ve been writing online now for over fifteen years. I was one of the many legions of “bloggers” who started “blogging” when that was the next big thing. “Blogs” kind of gave way to websites, which are still to, a certain extent, blogs. But I’m still writing. That’s not going to change.
For several years I wrote at my old, eponymous, site. That was mainly focused on Maryland state and local politics, with some national and politics. There’s going to be a lot of that here.
For 13 years, until last week, I wrote at Red Maryland. That was (almost) solely focused on Maryland state and local politics. That parlayed itself into opportunities to write for The Baltimore Sun and, currently, The Annapolis Capital. There’s going to be a lot of that here.
But if you are expecting The Duckpin to be a clone of Red Maryland, you are going to be disappointed. While Maryland’s state and local politics remain a passion, it’s not the only thing I enjoy talking about.
I enjoy professional wrestling. I enjoy music. I enjoy traveling. I enjoy meteorology. I enjoy beer. I enjoy sports. And anybody will tell you that baseball, not politics, was my first love.
You’re going to read a little bit of a lot of things here over. And I’m not going to be doing it alone. Here are just a few of the people that we have lined up.
Jim Fossel is a columnist for the Portland Press-Herald. He writes extensively on Maine and national politics. But he is also interested in weather as well as a massive sports fan.
Marc Uncapheris joining us after a stint at Red Maryland. He will bring his years of legal expertise and political activism to provide serious analysis.
Justin Ready will be writing for us about college football. Yes, you read that correctly, college football.
The mysterious Father Kenau will be writing entertainment, sports, and things that might fall somewhere in between.
Jeff Quinton will return to writing, occasionally writing about professional wrestling and other topics.
Liam Butler is a new name to published writing, but he brings over a decade of expertise in analysis into his writing.
You may have talked to WBAL Producer Colin Jones when calling into some of your favorite shows.
And writer, podcast, and Jim Braswell will offer his unique perspective.
Right now, there’s no plan to make this a money-making operation. None. Why? Because it’s difficult to monetize content. Especially in this economy. Sure, we might make ads available. We might use Substack’s premium content feature to make premium content. But going into online media right now without substantial capital behind you has been shown to be a winning strategy.
There will be podcasts. Not yet. But soon enough. There are already a few shows lined up and coming down the pike.
There will be videos. What kind? Hard to say. But if we’re gonna have fun, let’s have fun.
And fun is the reason why we’re trying this experiment. I don’t want to regurgitate what I’ve said before, but prior projects lost the fun element. Writing is an enjoyable (and frankly, cathartic) exercise for me. I enjoy putting stuff out there. I enjoy sharing my opinions about things, no matter how many people don’t like what I have to say (and, let me say, that’s an extensive list). This is fun for me. If it’s not fun, why bother?
I hope you join the ride with me and everybody else who’s come aboard. Be sure to sign up for the emails and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. If you have any questions, email me.
But whatever happens, let’s have some fun.
Good Luck Brian. I like the lineup you have so far. Looking forward to making this a frequent stop. Skip
All the best for this wacky ride you are on.