Making the best of getting the boot

Well, here I am, on the eve of 2010, and also on the eve of being on the streets -- job-wise that is. After spending the better part of the last three years as Washington Wizards beat writer for The Washington Times, I'm now an unrestricted free agent. The Times -- in an attempt to become a "21st Century Multimedia News Company" -- has scrapped sports and basically all things local and will strictly focus on political news in hopes of becoming a national publication. I could go on and on about the foolishness of such a decision, especially since there are plenty of national outlets and not enough local news outlets, but I won't waste my time.

I don't know what's next for me. I'm confident given my resume, my talents and drive to succeed that I can land somewhere relatively quickly, and hopefully in the D.C. area. But for now, I'll use this space to offer my voice and perspective. I've been exclusively focused on the Wizards since Jan. 23, 2008, and three months before that I started writing the NBA report for the Times. I'll continue to keep a pulse on the Wiz Kids and NBA, but I'll also write about the Redskins, Caps, Nationals, Georgetown, Maryland, or whatever else strikes my fancy.

In the past I haven't been too hot on blogs, partially because any Joe on the streets could sign up for one and proclaim himself an authority on any topic. Meanwhile, my fellow journalists and I scratched, pecked and clawed our way to the positions we held. But with the media constantly changing -- and with nothing better to do for now -- I might as well jump in and continue to use the talents God gave me rather than sitting around in silence while I throw darts out there in pursuit of every job opportunity I can.

This is the second time I have faced a layoff. Last time, back in 2005 when The Fauquier Citizen -- the award-winning weekly for whom I served as sports editor -- was sold to the competition in my hometown of Warrenton, Va., I was fortunate enough to move onto something better. I had two opportunities actually: a copy editor position with The Washington Times, and an agate clerk/copy editor gig with the Virginian-Pilot. I chose TWT because I was offered the chance to write on the side, which I saw as a way to get my foot in the door and take the next step toward making my dream of covering pro sports a reality. It worked. After two years of writing features here and there, I received the opportunity to write the weekly NBA report. Three months later, I landed the Wizards' beat. So, something better definitely came from the initial newspaper death of my career, and I'm convinced something better will come from this.

My new beginning isn't likely to be in newspapers, but that's fine. You've got to adapt to the changes around you. The internet is full of opportunities, so here I go.
Stay tuned because this is just the beginning. I'll be on here cranking out anything from short takes a few times a day to longer column-type pieces here and there.

-- Mike Jones