Happy Festivus … and Goodbye

Today is Festivus, a holiday that sprang from the loins or our pop culture, specifically the TV show Seinfeld. Read more about it here. Two elements of Festivus … the airing of the grievances and incredible feats of strength.

Given it's a creation of pop culture of nebulous meaning ... Festivus seems an appropriate day to shut pressdog.com down. Bonus: It’s close enough to Christmas that everyone elbowing coworkers aside to get away from work and start the Bataan Death March of holiday travel may just give me the introvert ghost-away I am hoping for.

BE THAT AS IT MAY … I have no grievances to air. Honestly. Oh, there have been conflicts over the years, but all of them laughably minor in the grand scheme of things. So let’s not squander our time revisiting them here. As for feats of strength, the only one I claim is durability, as evidenced by the decade-long life of this blog.

I've been contemplating this for some time, and in the end it felt wrong to just let pressdog drift untended, adding to the abandoned ruins of blogs strewn across the Internet. Cause of death is the most common of all among blogs: day job, family, enjoying an empty nest with my wife of nearly 30 years, other interests, including writing books have consumed the time needed to keep pressdog.com going properly.

But, before I click “Publish” one last time, indulge me in some thank-yous:

Number one, always, race fans. The main reason I created pressdog.com was to share ideas and opinions with other fans. Maybe make a few of them chortle. Thank you for reading. And thanks also for writing … in the comment section. Reading your comments was a huge motivation for keeping pressdog going. I said “I hadn’t thought of it that way” in response to a comment so many times I lost count.

Second: all the drivers, team officials, league officials and others who gave me the time of day, let alone agreed to be interviewed.

If I allow myself a moment of self-indulgence, it’s possible my interviews were also a feat of strength. I tried very hard to build a reputation as someone who would be fair to the interviewee. My only motivation was to convey the interviewee’s responses to my questions accurately and fairly, no matter what those responses were. And doing interviews is a lot of work. I have to get psyched for them before hand and go into a quiet, dark place after, but when they go right, they're magic. It’s tempting to list some of my “favorite” interviews, but in reality I enjoyed them all, and there were probably 100 of them over the years. I came to personally enjoy talking with some of the people I interviewed off and on over the years, so I'll miss the access pressdog.com created.

Third: Lou Ann Baker, who urged me to start this blog when she was Sarah Fisher’s PR queen way back when, and former IndyCar PR honcho Amy Konrath. Amy was an advocate for accommodating IndyCar bloggers way way back when I was the only one. She was my reference for track credentials in the early days. Without Lou Ann and Amy, I doubt pressdog would lasted more than a few years.

Alas it’s time to go. pressdog.com will hang in space, capped by this post, for a few years at least. Lets stay in touch on Twitter (@pressdog).

So … one last time: thank you.

/clicks Publish/

Comments

[Tom Taylor]

Thanks for the great reading material, PDog. I'll miss this place. I hope you'll stay on twitter.

[Oilpressure]

So long as you're on Twitter and Facebook, you won't be far. We'll miss the snarkiness and your racing perspective. We didn't always agree, but that's what made for good discussion. I'm still hoping to see you at a track at some point in the future.

All the best to you and your family this Christmas, Bill. We will miss you in the blogosphere.

[Sylvia Louch]

Thankyou PD for your insight into the world of IRS. I have learned from and enjoyed your blogs for many years and I will miss them dearly. I sincerely hope that you will write a book, I'll read it, doesn't matter the subject.
Future good luck to you and see you on Twitter my friend.

[Pat W]

Wow, didn't think I'd see the day.

I probably won't be the first to say that yours was the first IndyCar-related blog, possibly even the first motor racing blog, that I ever read regularly.

Thanks for all the years of great posts and interviews. And for all the plugging, back along. :)

Writing properly like you do is much harder than my half-assed effort at blogging (and that's hard enough). Can't say I blame you for wanting more time for other things. Enjoy it, it is well-earned.

Cheers.

[Mark Wilkinson]

Aloha, Bill. I've always enjoyed your longer form insight and perspective. It will be missed. I still look forward to your epigrammatic and much more immediate responses on Twitter.

[sejarzo]

Thanks for the blog, but above all...your friendship.

Drink, ye bastard!

[Chris]

This makes me sad.

[Chris Lukens]

I don’t think I can add much to the previous comments, but I am really going to miss PressDog.com too.
I have said it before and I’ll say it again; you are one of the best interviewers in the business. You have the rare ability to get these people to really open up and not speak in “bumperstickereze” or “approved PR speak”. It is obvious that they trust you, and in today’s media climate, that a biggie.
I wish you well in where ever your path now leads you.

[Sidney]

Sorry to see you leave the blogverse. Enjoyed your articles and your insight!! Hope you enjoy the free time you might gain from not writing you blog. Thanks!

[Jack]

Sadness! Thank you for the years of insight, P-dog. I haven't been quite as invested of late (due primarily to no longer having a job that allows me to screw around online all day), but have been a loyal reader since at least fairly close to the beginning. You shall be missed. Enjoy "retirement."

[Jen]

I had goosebumps and a tear in my eye while reading your last post. You were one of the first peeps I followed on Twitter and I've enjoyed your take on the motorsports world and tips about which beer to try. You've more than lived up to the ideals you mentioned, always fair and unbiased. Enjoy retirement and your wife; if we meet at a track, beers on me!

[Mike Krapfl]

Mr.Pressdog, thanks for being a smart and funny voice on the interwebs. We'll miss you. And good luck with those books.

[Savage Henry]

Thanks for the grear years Bill. We'll miss you

[Diane McG]

No, thank you! Will miss reading your posts to my
husband. We both loved your way with words
& recap of races we had watched. Sad to know we
may never read "cue the circus music" or about
the 'clown car' during cautions. Hopefully you will
throw us a bone (in honor of Chester) on Twitter.
Oh & your 'women of Pressdog'. Never might
have heard of some of them if not for you.
Thanks again!!

[Elephino]

/Clicks comment/

Always a good read here.

[Dave]

Thanks, Bill. Always enjoyed the musings of P-dog.

Where can I return my used p-dog merchandise? Or do you see a collector's market for it in a few years?

[Thecrookedcap]

Thanks for all the years of amazing writing. I'm the only IndyCar fan among my circle, so blogs like yours were my major outlet to see that other IndyCar fans existed. I've laughed more times than I can count to your recaps and learned tons from the interviews.

[Vintageracer53]

OH NO! My Christmas is not going to be what I hoped. Best luck PD and "DYB"!

[Karen]

Thank you for your many years of service to a Indy Car fans! I will miss reading your blog, and getting your perspective on things.

[Allen]

Thank you for all the articles, interviews, sarcasm, wit and laughs. I always looked forward to your articles and thoughts.

[Tammy Kaehler]

Thanks for the support and entertainment. I'm awfully glad your blog was here so I could get to know you. See you on Twitter!

[Roy Hobbson]

There goes Bill Zahren...the best there ever was.

[vern]

Sorry to see you & your blog go as it was always entertaining & had good insight & interviews. Best wishes going forward always--thanks for many yrs--this site will be missed Iam sure by many.

[billytheskink]

My first thought was, naturally, "NOOOOOOOOO! We've already lost too many..."

I'm sad to hear this for myself and for racing fans everywhere, but understand these things cannot last forever. Thank you, Bill, for the years and years of great work. The interviews, the humor, the well-informed opinions... you've done a great service for us fans. See you around the comments sections.

[Ron Ford]

Well, what the hell?! First I read that chocolate is becoming scarce and now this:(
I will be sad that you are leaving, but happy that you were here. Perhaps you will have another epiphany by the asparagus and come back from time to time. I particularly want to thank you for making race fans more aware of all the women in racing. Rest assured that whenever I see a clown I will think of you. (Oh wait, that didn't come out right)

I wish you and your family the very best. Merry Christmas:)

[The Speedgeek]

This makes me sad. Though I have to say that I'd be sadder if I didn't know that we'd all be seeing "blog posts" in 140 character sized bites on Twitter during and between races.

Many thanks to you, Bill, for everything you did here. This has been one of the first 2-3 stops I've made on Monday mornings after races for about six years now, there'll definitely be a 'Dog-shaped void in my week. Thanks, also, for hanging at the track, even though your introvert nature probably was silently screaming at me to go away and leave you alone (no offense taken...I've got a pretty healthy introvert streak as well). We'll always have pork chops and Leinie's to remember, right?

[grateful Brian McKay in Florida]

The first racing blogs that I found, after I relocated in 2009, were Pressdog & Oilprsssure.
Good luck in your OTHER endeavors, Bill!

[OSCA]

Sorry to see you go...it seems that more and more people with a real love of racing are saying, "Time to quit" in all types of ways. I'll miss you and your opinion which always seemed fair...even when I disagreed.

So a final "Well done"...to a friend of racing!!

[Robbie]

Bill...for what it's worth, I read the recently released book on Flight 232 and was pleasantly surprised to run into your name. I'd taken a few years off from reading Indycar blogs but returned to yours.

You've had a humor and wit that you brought to your writing that nobody else can hope to equal. It's a sad day for racing.

You've seemed like a pretty cool dude and I've enjoyed it all. Hopefully our paths cross again.

[DZ]

I would like to accept this resignation from the blogosphere with a feeling of joy in that Bill will be enjoying much better things than writing (and receiving comments) about the tempestuous world of auto racing in the US. Alas, I can not.

As many before him, other things, better things have brought to an end the time one can allow to be devoted to sharing with the world via blogs.

I first became aware of Pressdog in the, now vaunted, hallows of the Silent Pagoda comment section, which lead me to his blog.

Bill's skills were considerable and understated in the least. I always appreciated (and generally shared) his sense of fair play and his penchant for the underdog. More often than not, that underdog took the form of the 'lesser-haves' teams/drivers or the disgruntled/disenfranchised Indycar fan.

Count me in with the masses who will not fully appreciate the conspicuous absence of "The 'Dog" from the Indycar scene anymore.

Hope to catch you at a track now and again. Can't help but think of you when the next yellow light comes on for some boneheadedness on the track. We'll always need you to "queue the circus music".

Godspeed, Bill.

[pressdog]

Thanks for all the kind comments. As I said in my post, one of the things I'll miss most is reading comments. They were 99.9% civil (I deleted maybe three of the nearly 13,000 comments on this blog) and 100% interesting to read.

[Olderfan]

Bill,

Thanks for all the interesting topics and interviews covered over the years. It doesn't seem fair that Pressdog, and it's exceptional coverage of Indycar goes away, yet sites for the intellectually challenged, such as the IRL Defender's Wordpress site still grind on to insult our intelligence.

Enjoy yourself, and have a few cold ones on me!

[Kristin Swartzlander]

Sorry to see you go, Bill. I've loved reading your interviews, especially, over the years. I hope you enjoy the extra time and get some extra racing in during your 'retirement'!

Best,
Kristin
DirtyMouthCommunications.com

[Brian McKay]

Enjoy a blessed new year, Bill.

[IndyRaceReviewer]

Best blog I ever ate at Bill, and the inspiration for our silly little start up site. If you're a fan of the p-dog then whatever you do, don't read IRR. By comparison we're just awful!