We have no idea.
That's the correct answer to the question some readers have been kind enough to ask when expressing concern for what happens to this sports journalism operation when there are no sports.
We can't know any more than anyone else where the novel coronavirus COVID-19 will take us as a country, as a city, as a culture and, as such, we can't begin to guess what it'll mean for anyone, including this little business. Even if the virus were magically eradicated in a month -- it most assuredly won't be -- there'll be economic damage, it appears, unlike any we've seen in a decade.
Already, shops and restaurants and the entire travel and hospitality industries have been ravaged. There's more to come. Pittsburgh banned all gatherings of 250 or more people, effective Monday, and there's word that any businesses deemed non-essential will be closed to consumer traffic.
Scary stuff.
But I can state this with certainty: We'll get through this. And we'll get through it three ways:
1. Excellent content
It'll be harder than ever to produce, with no games, no practices and scant access. (Only the Pirates made someone available yesterday to reporters by arranging a Jameson Taillon via conference call, and it was appreciated.) But none of that's an excuse for good stories to dry up. We'll call people ourselves, we'll work sources, we'll find colorful background, and we'll share that with you in what we hope is an entertaining and enlightening way.
And hey, we're available to anyone anywhere, quarantine or not!
Dale Lolley and I had a long talk about this last night. He's determined, in particular, to deliver a quality Friday Insider all through this, which wasn't the direction I'd been thinking at all, so that's cool. His thoughts are just below.
To continue reading, log into your account:
