Happy Birthday, Caught Looking!

From middle school up through college, I always had this vision of playing an entire 162-game season of video game baseball.  Each year I would buy the newest edition of the hottest baseball console game (in the beginning it was Hardball 5 for the PC (right), at the end it was MVP Baseball 2004 for Ninentendo Game Cube), build a roster, and start a full season with the intention of playing all 162-games plus the playoffs.  Despite my annual wave of determination, I don't think I ever made it past game 40 or 50 - by that point, I was always ready to move on to something new.  It was easy to say that I'd battle through an entire video game baseball season but, as I found out year after year, almost impossible for me to do.

Exactly one year ago today, in contrast, I started Caught Looking and wrote my first ever blog post.  Since then, I've posted 120 times (including this one).  I've covered games I've attended in person, things I've watched on TV or read in magazines, books I've read and grumblings I've heard.  I've added video clips, photos (both "stolen" and original), block quotes and hyperlinks.  I've written from my home computer, my old work Blackberry (in South Africa), and my current Android smartphone (most recently while in Los Angeles).  I've been to, and blogged about, sporting events in South Africa, New York, Durham, Los Angeles, the Bay Area and more.  And, most importantly, I've had a great time doing it all and I'm still going strong.

Unlike MVP Baseball seasons past, I have no intention of giving up on Caught Looking, and if anything I'm more committed to the blog than ever.  The response from family and friends has been great, and even people that I hardly know / don't know at all have started to check in regularly.  Just last night I was out with friends when someone's first question to me was "How's your blog going?"  And while I'm very happy that people have been reading (and, I think enjoying) the posts, I get perhaps as much or more satisfaction from just writing them.  Caught Looking  has given me the perfect excuse to log my sports-related experiences, observations and opinions, and I know I'll continue to enjoy looking back on old posts as time goes by and as the sports world continues to change.

All that being said, there's still a part of that video game-playing kid in me who gets bored and needs change every now that then.  Without further ado, (and as promised under my 2011 Blogging Resolutions), welcome to the brand new Caught Looking website!  I'm very proud to unveil the new logo and site layout in time for the blog's one-year anniversay today, and hope you are as pleased with the changes as I am.  While the look and feel may have changed, though, I'm still very committed to continuously posting the kinds of material that has made Caught Looking "famous."  Thank you again to all of you for sticking by me for a year, and please let me know if you have any suggestions for blog improvements.