End of an era

As a writer, the first paragraph or lead of a story is often the most important. It's something I tend to spend a lot of time on with each story, making sure my story starts out with something that will make the reader want to keep going.

Yet as I thought about how to write this post, I realized there was no good way to start it. After more than four years with FOX Sports North, today is my last day (and the last day for all FOX Sports regional writers), and I'm on an emotional roller coaster. There are so many thoughts floating around in my mind that I struggled with how to encapsulate it all into some witty introduction.

More than four years ago, FOX Sports North gave me the opportunity of a lifetime -- a job as a Minnesota Twins beat writer. Ever since I realized that journalism was what I wanted to do for a living, my dream was to cover baseball. After a little more than a year as a sports writer at the Faribault Daily News, my job with FSN became a reality when I started covering the Twins in April of 2011.

Brian (center), Phil (right) and I at the
2014 All-Star Game at Target Field

It was a bit of an unknown at that time, as it was a new position that FSN had created. They already had a website, but there wasn't a ton of original content on it and no designated beat writers for any of the sports. For a while, I covered basically every team until we hired more writers. It's amazing to look back at what the site was now to what it is today, my last day writing for it. I'm truly proud of everything we've accomplished and am honored to have worked with great coworkers who I now consider friends. That means you, Brian Hall, Phil Ervin and Joan Niesen. Thanks also to my bosses, Dan Graf, Joe Jansen and Dave Heller, for their help over the years and for giving me the opportunity to do what I did. While Joan has since left for bigger and better things as a writer for Sports Illustrated, I'm confident that Brian and Phil will both land on their feet. They're not only great writers and hard workers, but great people, too, and I've met many other writers and media members along the way who I will also miss.

Though it didn't end how I had hoped, I'm truly thankful to FOX Sports North for the last 4+ years. My time there allowed me to cover all four major sports teams in Minnesota in some fashion, as well as many University of Minnesota teams. I got to cover a national championship (Gophers women's hockey), the final game at the Metrodome, several Twins spring trainings in Florida, the Citrus Bowl, the 2014 All-Star Game (one of the highlights of my career, hands down), and so much more. Heck, they even put me on TV a number of times, something I never would have imagined myself doing.

Along the way, I tried not to take a day of it for granted.

To everyone who has read my work and the work of my colleagues over the years, thank you. Without readers, there's not much of a point in writing, I suppose. I've always appreciated the feedback -- good and bad -- that I've received from people regarding my stories, and I've enjoyed interacting with readers on Twitter over the years. I'll still be tweeting after Tuesday, although I suppose I'll have to change my Twitter handle. Any suggestions are welcome. (Unfortunately, @tylermason is already taken...if only it were that easy.)

I truly enjoyed getting to tell the stories of the athletes and teams I covered since I began in 2011, whether it was the reason Twins pitcher J.R. Graham wears stirrups, the clothing line that former Gophers wide receiver Connor Cosgrove started to help cancer patients, the story of a blind baseball fan who traveled to all 30 parks in 30 days, my obituary of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, or my quirky story Anthony Swarzak's strange obsession with Sasquatch. I hope to keep writing in some capacity, whether it be at my next job or, at the very least, on this blog.

I'm not sure what's next for me, but I'm doing my best to stay optimistic during the job hunt. I'll continue to keep tabs on the Twins, who for the first time since I started covering them will actually have a winning record in July. And I plan on going back to Target Field and watching a game in the stands (with a cold beer) for the first time since 2010.

Just like I wasn't sure how to start this post, I'm at a loss for how to wrap it up. I'd simply like to say thanks again to everyone who has made these last 4+ years a truly memorable experience.

-Tyler