An emotional day

I almost cried.

The final out had been recorded, and I fired off a tweet that read as follows:

And with that, I've now covered my last #MNTwins game for @fsnorth. I can't thank you all enough for following/reading over the years.

— Tyler Mason (@FSNtylermason) June 24, 2015

There had been plenty of build-up to Wednesday, my last day covering the Minnesota Twins for FOX Sports North. But after sending that tweet is when it finally hit me: it was all over. I did my best to compose myself since I didn't want to go down for interviews with my eyes all watery.

As many of you may know by now, FOX Sports laid off all of its regional web writers across numerous sites. That includes myself and my two great coworkers, Phil Ervin and Brian Hall. June 30 is our last day, meaning yesterday (June 24) was my last home Twins game with FSN. It was a day that I was dreading, as I knew it meant the end of an era -- the end of my dream job, really.

When I first shared the news about a month ago that my time at FSN was almost over, I was met with an outpouring of responses, well-wishes and other thoughtful messages. The same happened yesterday when I sent that tweet. Everyone from friends to fellow media members to Twins fans I've never met to Twins employees I've known for years all sent their best wishes. Some told me to let them know if I needed help in the job hunting process. Others offered words of encouragement, telling me I'll land on my feet.

To be honest, I was completely overwhelmed and truly humbled by the kindness and the support I received. To hear and see that many people reach out was truly amazing and unexpected. To everyone who did send me a note or a message or said kind words, thank you so much. Your support during what has been a difficult time has meant a lot. 

I was truly blown away by what the Twins organization did yesterday. It happened before the game, and I received the news during the end of manager Paul Molitor's regular pregame media availability. I asked a question to Molitor about returning to Milwaukee this weekend. When Molitor was done, Dustin Morse, the Twins' director of baseball communications, shared with the room that the Twins invited me to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Wednesday's game since it was my last day on the beat.

I was glad I didn't bounce the first pitch.

According to those in the room -- and I'll take their word for it, since I couldn't see it for myself -- my eyes almost bugged out of my head and my face turned flush. I was caught off guard; I was shocked. Perhaps I was thinking about the potential embarrassment of bouncing the ball, or thrown it 50 Cent style, in front of thousands of people. But I think the strongest emotion at that point was the amazement that they'd go that far out of their way to do something like that for me. I was touched. Making the moment even more special was the fact that my dad left work and fought traffic just to come see my throw out the pitch. He made it just in time.

I had about an hour to think about the first pitch, which was plenty of time for me to worry about screwing it up. Thankfully, I didn't bounce it, nor did I sail it over the head of Twins second baseman Brian Dozier, who came out to catch the first pitch. Once that was all done, I could finally go back to focusing on the game -- well, sort of -- that was about to unfold.

The game was played, and the Twins beat up on Chris Sale and the White Sox to the tune of a 6-1 win. It was an easy enough story angle that day, though I almost hoped I would have a tougher time thinking of what to write, just to cherish my time in the press box a little bit longer. I also wanted to enjoy the time I had left with my fellow media members, many of whom have become my close friends.

Wednesday was the final high-and-low swing of emotions during what has been a roller coaster month. Since I found out I was getting laid off, I've gone through the spectrum of emotions. In no particular order, I've felt: anger, shock, disappointment, frustration, annoyance and fear. But it hasn't been all negative emotions. I've also felt optimistic, appreciated, lucky, proud and eager to tackle whatever happens next.

I went for a walk today in one of my favorite places, Willow River State Park, and saw a notification on my phone that my friend Dan Myers had written a blog post about me. His kind words and recollection of our time together at Twins games was partially what inspired me to write this, although I had been hoping to start a blog to try to keep my writing skills sharp. I'm not sure how often I'll write in this space, or what exactly I'll write about. Sometimes it may be sports. Sometimes it may be a random rambling. But I love to write, and I'm not ready to give that up just yet.

During my walk, I had my headphones in when one of my favorite songs came on -- "Drive" by Incubus. One of the lyrics that I've always loved in that song goes, "Whatever tomorrow brings I'll be there, with open arms and open eyes." That's how I'm trying to approach this chapter of my life -- with an open mind and a willingness to take on whatever tomorrow brings. I have no idea what's next. I've send out job applications and even had a phone interview, but nothing has materialized into a job just yet. For now, I'll enjoy my last few days as a sports writer while keeping a hopeful eye on the future.

We had a saying in the Wisconsin marching band that my director, Mike Leckrone, used often, particularly at the end of each season. As Mike would say, "We never say goodbye, because we know we'll see you somewhere down the road. So instead we say, we'll see you real soon."

So, this isn't goodbye. Instead, I'll see you real soon. 

-Tyler