IT'S BEEN A GREAT RIDE

When my obsession about discussing OSU sports (football in particular) began back in 2011, www.myfavoritecowboys.com was simply intended to be an outlet for me.

My wife has absolutely NO interest in discussing Oklahoma State Athletics, and there definitely aren't Cowboys/Cowgirls fans standing on street corners in Stamford, CT. I could only spend so much time on the phone talking to my brother.

So I started a blog just so I could get my opinions about OSU football and baskeball off my chest.

A lot has changed since then, and while it's been an absolute blast managing and co-managing Cowboys Ride For Free, the time has come to hand the reins to someone else. A recent job change has altered my time constraints, so I'm no longer able to give the site the daily attention it, and you, deserve.

Chris Ross, who stepped up as a co-manager during 2014, has been indispensable in keeping things moving, or I would have had to step aside during football season.

I'm not totally leaving the site, and will remain as an occasional contributor (will probably keep you up to date on Squinky), as well as hanging out on Twitter.

Follow @RobertW_CRFF

I want to say thanks to all of our readers for tolerating my opinions, sound or ridiculous. I love the comments section, especially during gamethreads. That collective joy and agony is something to behold, every time.

A word of thanks as well to the local and national media personalities that lent their opinions along the way. I've been lucky enough to meet a few of them (from the Tulsa World and the Oklahoman), and they were genuine and generous. I was always humbled when I discovered any of them had read a post from the site, particularly mine. We are all amateurs at this, so when real professionals take the time to review your work, it means something.

Would like to tip my hat to the athletes and/or coaches who might have perused our posts. That likely took some thick skin.

Words of appreciation go to my fellow Big 12 SB Nation managers and contributors. We've collaborated on many posts (not as many as we should have), and it was always fun and informative.

Thanks to Luke Zimmerman of SB Nation, who offered me the opportunity to take over management of the site. Turns out I was the first person he ever interviewed and hired at SB Nation, so I cross my fingers that reflects well on his judgement. Thanks to Matt Brown for his help in finding contributors and offering constructive criticism along the way.

Also want to mention my gratitude for the guys at Pistols Firing, especially Kyle Porter. His Daily Bullets are a staple for OSU fans, and while our sites compete somewhat for readers, he never hesitated to include links to our stuff on a daily basis, and that played a large part in our growth over the last two years. We have always maintained a professional (and friendly) relationship. A lot of you are on my OSU "bucket" list, and I'm hoping to cross Kyle off sometime in February.

Most of all, though, I want to pay homage to our contributors.

A site is only as good as the quality and regularity of its content, and those past and present are the reason this small sports blog has over doubled in size since the beginning of the 2013 football season. They've always been ready to chip in when somebody needed help, and the email threads are basically free entertainment, even when we argue. There is generally no monetary reward for writing on this blog, so everyone you read is contributing because they want to. As the cliche goes, words can never express how grateful I am for their efforts. Please continue to support them, as your readership is their main impetus for improvement.

If I forgot to mention anyone here, then I stand ready to be flogged.

As I close, I would also ask this of you.

Keep in mind that this is just about sports. Make sure you know how to separate the "sports" hate from real life compassion and understanding for other human beings. I may bash Baylor Athletics, but I don't "hate" anyone there, including Shawn Oakman. One of my favorite quotes, don't know where it came from..."Negative emotional energy is the single biggest waste of a human being's potential." Doesn't mean we can't be angry or upset, but just be aware that if you stay that way for more than 5 minutes, you've chosen that, and it will eventually suck you into the abyss.

Hope to see you soon on this site, Twitter, or maybe in person.

GOD BLESS AND GO POKES!!!