Happy First Birthday to The Nugg Doctor

(Boulder-CO) It was exactly 365 days ago today that The Nugg Doctor was created by a friend of mine after I had just graduated from Colorado State University that previous August. I had gotten cold feet on a couple of job offers and I was at a dead-end finding any newspapers or magazines that wanted to take a chance on a fresh-out-of-college 22-year old. I always knew my knowledge of basketball was undisputed, and after a bad loss for the Nuggets, my friend Zeke had the idea for me to start a blog.

After that game I went on a rant. Pointing out every deficiency that last year’s Nuggets had and prescribing what they could do better. There is an old joke that my friends and I always use on each other and it revolves around when someone is really on their soap box, and typically on the booze. When someone is done with their rant, someone else usually always chimes in with a, “Thank you, Doctor.” And in this case, it was Zeke who would timely use me and my ranting to get a laugh out of the peanut gallery. At that precise moment the name was born. I was ranting on the Nuggets and it seemed so perfect that I had been busted with our timeless saying. I was The Nugg Doctor. The next morning Zeke came over to hang-out after class and he had taken it upon himself to start this site and to talk a little garbage in the first post.

I leave that post there to give tribute to my good friend, Zeke, because without his initiative to start this blog who knows where I would be right now. I can tell you this much… I certainly wouldn’t have had the opportunity to become a contributing writer for www.hoopsaddict.com (thanks, Ryan), work with the likes of Marcel Mutoni of www.SLAMonline.com (thanks, Mu), make guest appearances with Tas and Skeets on www.thebasketballjones.net’s podcast (I appreciate it, guys), been involved with the NBA Blog Previews (thanks, Jeff, over at www.celticsblog.com), hosted the 36th Carnival of the NBA (thanks, Matt, at www.blogabull.com), been quoted by the NBA (thanks, John Schuhmann of www.nba.com), or been able to contribute to www.ESPN.com’s team season preview for the Denver Nuggets (thanks, Henry of www.truehoop.com).

Things around here have changed a couple of times too. My original logo is gone, but can still be seen over at www.nuggetshoops.com (thanks, ‘Switz). Even my second logo is extinct except for every other week on the bottom of www.hoopsaddict.com. My current logo even has its days numbered, but was part of the most major change which came by way of the magic of the one and only Natalie Sitto of www.need4sheed.com a few months back (I forever owe you one, Nat).

The point of all this is that I wouldn’t have been able to get where I am without the help of everyone that I have just shamelessly plugged and the rest of the good folks that make- up my ever-growing blog roll. Between stopping by and reading what I have to say day-to-day, to including me in all of your blog rolls it has truly been a gratifying experience to work with all of you, despite not having met anyone of you. And one more thing… All of you guys are great writers! I frequent nearly all the sites that I link to on the daily to not only keep up on the game that I love, but to support those who have supported me.

And how could I forget my readership? Some of you guys have been supporting this site since its infancy and it is because of the tremendous amount of return visitors that have been just as critical part of The Nugg Doctor’s success as the aforementioned crew that I am able to keep my dream alive. My gratitude and continued dedication is something that you can count on because without you, my readers, there would cease to be a Nugg Doctor.

I love this blog just as much as the Nuggets and basketball itself. It has become a thread of my daily being and without it I don’t know what I would do. Thanks again to all of you that continue to make all of this possible. It truly is the most gratifying thing as a writer to see your work appreciated in so many forms and your readership to continually grow! More good stuff is on the way along with all the other staples that you have come to know and love. Tell a friend, tell your boss, but above all, thanks to everyone for everything. Go Nuggets!

Humbly Yours,

The Nugg Doctor