From KSDK to InsideSTL

A nomad struggles to call any place his home. It's a trial to even sleep in the same place two night in a row, sometimes.

Such is the life of a roaming sportswriter. When you start out, you think you'll find one gig and stick with it until the day you retire. However, as time goes on, you quickly begin to realize that the faces change over time and you're probably going to fall in the same line. The critically acclaimed ones -- the guys that stick out when you hear the term "sports journalist" -- usually can find one place to call home. Then, you find guys like me ... wait, that came out wrong.

I'm not bad, I'm just not Grantland Rice or Red Smith... or Larry Wigge, for you hockey fans.

Don't worry, I don't use this every time.
Nonetheless, the point of this post is to make my readers and friends aware that I will no longer be writing for KSDK NewsChannel 5. The time has come for me to pick up my napsack, tie my boots, head west and travel down lonely Locust and end up at InsideSTL/CBS Sports Radio 920.

Before I get into my new position, I want to divulge my eternal gratitude to the people at KSDK. When I started writing for the station's website (November 2013), I was actually living in Dallas with a previous writing position. They wanted to use my articles from TheHockeyWriters.com for their own site, grabbing some more attention to the sport we all know and love. After speaking with the man who was at the heart of this partnership, it was obvious to me that he was genuine; he truly was listening to the fan base and wanted to provide them with as much hockey coverage as he could possibly give them.

I moved back to St. Louis in February 2014 and worked harder with KSDK to get more hockey coverage onto the website and into the news. It even led to one of the greatest ventures of my life: The Face Off Show. I worked alongside Mike Poepping to develop this webcast and turn it into a show that provided fans with humor, insight and, most importantly, knowledge about the depths of the game. I'm confident that Mr. Poepping will continue to provide this show with the integrity and purity that it deserves.

Now, on to InsideSTL.

As difficult as it was to leave KSDK, the future with InsideSTL.com is a whole new adventure that promises some very exciting things. Not only will I be working alongside talented writer Brian Haenchen, but I'll be dominating much of the Blues sports page. Brian covers college basketball and will be able to focus his energy on that, yet still cover the Blues when he can.

I will continue to serve as an NHL media member. I'll have all of my Blues posts in one spot and will be a voice for the company;  I'm the Blues guy.

You can still follow me on Twitter (@jponder94) for your Blues news, and I still invite you to be my friend on Facebook. Nothing like that will change. I'll still be writing for The Hockey Writers, as well.

All that changes is where you can find my Blues posts, which is right here.

I still encourage you to follow my good friend Mike Poepping (@pep30) and use the hashtag #FaceOffShow on Twitter. Read his posts on KSDK.com here. Also, don't forget to follow Brian Haenchen (@Brian_Haenchen) as well.

My first post for InsideSTL.com will be on Tuesday. Thanks to everyone for reading (if you made it this far) and make sure to follow InsideSTL on Twitter, as well as CBS Sports Radio 920!

Former professional tennis player Arthur Ashe probably said it best: "Success is a journey, not a destination. the doing is often more important than the outcome."

There isn't another nomad that agrees with this more than me.

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