After two years of covering everything Long Beach sports at LBPOSTsports.com, this will be the final post from the two of us.  Words can’t express how much we’ve enjoyed creating this website, or what a difficult decision it was to leave.

Since we launched in 2008 we’ve combined for 4,660 articles, 339 videos and 128 audio podcasts.  This is to say nothing of the thousands of photos, articles and box scores contributed by some of the finest this area has to offer.

We’re proud to say that the sports content has been viewed over two million times, and has been seen in all but twelve of the world’s countries.  That pride comes not from the knowledge that we were promoting ourselves, but from knowing that we were promoting the city, its schools, and its athletes.

This time two years ago, we had both recently left unsatisfying jobs in search of something fulfilling that we could pour ourselves into.  The idea for the site was simple enough, but we knew it would take a lot of hard work, and Shaun Lumachi and Robert Garcia were crazy enough to let us try.

The website literally wouldn’t have existed without the incredible and around-the-clock work by Angie Yen and Sharleen Higa.  They pushed themselves to make a great product, and that made us want to work harder.  Along for the whole ride was Ryan ZumMallen, our close friend since college, who opened the door at the Post, and was a valued partner in our coverage throughout.  Matt Guardabascio provided equipment, encouragement, and a willingness to work his butt off to help get us going.

The site would have felt empty without amazing contributions from photographers Stephen Dachman, John Fajardo, Jim Cayer and parent volunteers like Bill Sampson, Bob Sykes and Jose Pena, among others.

We’re not the only writers on this site.  Brian Baiotto brought a professional’s hand and an outsider’s perspective to this community, and in our opinion there isn’t a better high school wrestling or baseball writer around.  Sergio Ascencio drove to UCLA three times one weekend to cover LBSU softball, and was there for the bumpy road in the beginning.  Tucker Savoye took half a day out of a family vacation to cover LBSU basketball in Kentucky.

Ryan Thies was our most consistent written contributor, and even when he was infuriating the entire nations of Uruguay or England, we loved having a smart, local look at national stories on the site week in and week out.

This would also have been impossible without the polished reports from LBSU and LBCC Sports Information Departments and the consistent support from Jim Lineberger and the Moore League Secretary’s Office.  Also, the coaches of Long Beach welcomed us at practices and games with open arms, and our respect for them grows daily.

We would be remiss not to thank all the generous sponsors, in particular, Gene Rotondo and George Medak at Legends; and Mark Ziegenhagen, Steve Hoy, Ben Goldberg, and Dave Sissons at Beach Club.

And finally, to you the reader.  We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: this would not work in any other city.  Your emails, handshakes, and comments (well, most of them) have made this an immeasurably more enjoyable job, and we’re so happy you welcomed us into your homes. 

While it’s a new day for the two of us, and a new day for LBPOSTsports.com, we know the sun will never set on the City of Champions.

J.J. Fiddler
Managing Editor
LBPOSTsports.com

Mike Guardabascio
Managing Editor
LBPOSTsports.com