After the end of last season, PSU Blogistan lost one of its citizens when Matt de Bear hung it up from VBR. Well, fear no more, dear readers! We here at Black Shoe Diaries have convinced Matt to get back in the Penn State sports blogging game (because, let's face it, none of us can stay out of it for too long), and we're incredibly pleased to announce that Matt has joined the ranks at BSD.
Matt, in his own words:
I'm back! Well, back in the Penn State blogosphere, at least. You may remember me from a run over at Victory Bell Rings awhile back, or perhaps more recently, my ongoing feud with Bill on Twitter. Just for the record, Bill is a terrible person and I very much dislike him.
As for me, if you aren’t familiar with where I came from, here’s the short version you’ll either skip right over, or forget. I am a 2005 graduate from Penn State, as well as an alumnus of the Penn State Blue Band trumpet section. To make this all the more bizarre, I grew up just outside of Columbus, going to Michigan football games with my dad, who grew up just outside of Ann Arbor, as did my mom. After spending a few years back in Columbus after graduation, I’ve been living in Michigan, about 20 minutes east of Ann Arbor, for about 3 and a half years. Between that, and a lifetime of Cleveland sports fandom, I’ve either developed an extremely thick skin, or more likely, very very jaded.
Despite that rough life experience, I ended up at Penn State, and fully immersed myself into that Penn State #culture we all love so much. My first game ever at Beaver Stadium was my first game with the Blue Band on September 1st, 2001, when Adam Talieferro did this and then well, that game against Miami happened. Even with a blowout, I was hooked from that moment on. Since then I’ve been fortunate enough to be in attendance for some of the all time great games at Beaver Stadium since the expansion.
To put it bluntly, I bleed blue and white, and the opportunity to join BSD is something I am very much looking forward to. I’ve read the site forever, and being able to join this great group of Penn State fans, and Bill, is very exciting. I expect you’ll see me chiming in on everything from football, to shooty hoops, and maybe even dabble in a bit of recruiting with Nick (for the record, I’m still at 100% in the Crystal Ball predictions).
I hope you all enjoy what I have to say here in the coming days and months. If you can’t wait for that, say hello in the comments, or give me a follow on Twitter (@PSUMatt2005).
Help us welcome Matt aboard in the comments!