As most who read Mr Botta's Point Blank blog already know he has decided to stop doing his blog on July 7th.
I can only speak for myself here but would like to share my experience in this department being that I shut down Islanders-Sound Tigers a few years ago after seven years where I picked a date and stuck to what I said I would do.
It was a tough decision but I was tired at the time with a very busy schedule and I felt if I could not do things to the standard I set over the years I did not want it to continue because I would not like the quality of the product I presented.
In the beginning I needed the time off, did not miss all the time it took to do updates or follow things but after a while you see something go on regarding the Isles or hockey in general and find you have no place to discuss it and there is a void and you question that decision.
You find that you miss it more than you thought and just love talking hockey with everyone which brings you back to the reasons you started a mailing list in the first place.
Mr Botta will do what he's going to do. He was part of the Isles for twenty years and did not blog until last season so everyone's circumstances are different. My impression is he enjoyed writing about hockey, connecting with the fans and will miss it as I did when I stopped sooner than he thinks.
What I discovered looking back is at the time I should have kept things going a little differently to fit my schedule better and not been so strict about it.
I guess this is my little request/story to Mr Botta and I hope it's something if he takes the time to read and will consider before he stops blogging on 7/7.
For those wondering if this is about loyality because of the blog box I can tell you I never met the man and this has nothing to do with that.
For me it just seems he enjoys talking Islanders and it's something that makes the experience of being a fan better because of his knowledge and passion for what he writes about.
I hope he reconsiders and keeps blogging past July 7th or maybe takes some time off and picks it up at a later date.
No reason for not keeping your options open. I learned from experience a few years ago about this.