Why Read Me?

Hello Everybody,

My name is Roberto Ruiz, and I love sports. In a lot of ways I am your casual fan. I live and die with seemingly every play in football (pitch in baseball, shot in basketball, etc.) What differentiates me from the common fan is that I was at one time a professional writer. I sat in the press box, I interviewed and joked around with the players, I was hated by some coaches, and I got to meet the very same people that I had idolized not too long ago. The biggest lesson that I took away from attending these games was that I did not have what it took to be a sports writer. I did not make enough money doing this to be able to live, instead having to turn to a full-time job to supply me with regular income while I was trying to handle being a full-time student at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Do I love writing? Like you wouldn't believe. Do I love sports? Words can't begin to explain my love for two things in my life: my fiancee, and sports. Did I have the energy to wake up at 6:00 am every morning, and not arrive back home until (usually) midnight? At first the adrenaline rush of realizing my dream allowed me to survive. What suffered was my education, my relationships, and my mind. Think about this for a second, how many big sports writers do you know that don't have grey hair? As I sat in press row, I looked at who I was sitting next to. Everybody from the Journal Sentinel had grey hair. Everybody who worked at ESPN Milwaukee had wrinkles on their forehead and a full family at home. I would talk with my colleagues and they all marveled at my age, my stamina, and my ability to rattle off obscure stats. I would love to realize my dream and become a sports writer for a major publication, but the reality is that for now that has to be put on the back-burner. In the meantime, I will periodically write a blog to keep my writing relatively rust-free. It doesn't hurt that I love giving my opinion. So, read if you want to, pass it along if you feel like it, and bash my opinions if you must.

Sorry about that previous paragraph. I wrote that more for myself than for you, but that was basically meant as an intro into who I am and why I am not just another couch quarterback. I (sometimes) know what I am talking about. I will try to write at least twice a week. Probably once on Sunday and another at some point in the middle of the week. I am always open to topics, so if you have some let me know at facebook.com/Roberto.Ruiz.Maki

Thanks for reading!