Passing the baton
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Passing the baton
This will be one of the more difficult blog posts to write because I have nothing but great things to say about my three-plus seasons on the 76ers beat.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, will be my last day at the Inquirer and my last day covering the Sixers. As of tomorrow, this blog -- Deep Sixer -- will belong to John Mitchell, who will be taking over the beat for the Inquirer. John will also take over the Twitter handle of @DeepSixer3. Because I'm leaving for a new job at ESPN (one not involving much NBA coverage), I'll be keeping my Twitter account, but changing the username. (That's still undecided, but if you follow me now, you'll follow me when I change the username!)
I just wanted to thank everyone for all of their correspondence -- both complimentary, constructive, and critical -- throughout the last three years. Although there were many difficult times, there were just as many great moments.
My first blog post, I believe, included a rather elementary mistake (I see that now) regarding the Sixers' roster going into the 2008-09 season. I took some heat for the error, but those same readers were willing to stick with the coverage as the Sixers started training camp at Penn State.
I think what I learned throughout the last three years is that Philly is looking for only one thing: passion and effort. I made a lot of mistakes, some more noticeable than others, but I can say that nearly all Sixers' fans were willing to forgive those errors if it came accompanied with additional effort: a long blog post after a crucial win or loss -- one at least attempting to explain some of the things that had happened on the court that night.
Thanks to all the e-mailers and posters who took the time to add to the discussion, especially here on Deep Sixer. I was grateful the dialogue rarely devolved; it was always my goal to talk basketball and X's and O's.
So, again, thanks to everyone for following the coverage. I don't want to write too long because, well, this part has absolutely nothing to do with basketball. And that was never what this blog was about.
Thank you for a wonderful three years,
--Kate
Each week, Kate will check in from the road and answer fan questions about the Sixers. Click here to ask Kate a question or e-mail her at kfagan@phillynews.com.
You will definitely be missed, Kate. Think you really mastered the way a journalist could kind of ride-the-wave-of-enthusiasm people have for the team they love. I remember e-mailing you a few years ago to see what you thought about the Sixers' pursuing Raymond Felton (we didn't have Jrue at the time and needed a PG), and I got a reply e-mail 20 minutes later that started out "Just got off of the phone with Eddie Jordan about Felton..." That was incredible. It's those types of efforts that connect with your audience in a special way. Don't ever lose that, Kate, it really stands out. Great luck to you.— AnEaglesSixersFlyersPhilliesPSUBig5FanGrowsInBrooklyn- the best ones always move on...congrats— peteike
Best of luck Kate. You are/were the best beat writer for the Sixers by far. God speed- Good luck and great job here Kate. The only thing I won't miss is you trying to trade Igoudala for a sack of basketballs.— brannigan73
- Kate, you were great at what you did @Inquirer. Philly's loss, ESPN's gain. Good luck.— BigPapiChulo
- Kate
I have been compulsive reader of sports pages and particularly philly sports pages for 5 decades. usually the writing is reporting what I saw or knew or it provides gossip.
YOUR WORK IS EXTRAORDINARY. I LEARNED MUCH FROM YOUR COLUMNS ABOUT BASKETBALL AND I SAW THE GAME DIFFERENTLY
(this explains my first comment because you are head and shoulders and qualitatively above the many others)
I do not know what is in your future but you have a special talent: telling me what I did not know and helping me appreciate what I see
KEEP IT UP BECAUSE YOUR SKILL IS VERY SPECIAL— ronsimon - Kate...Been with you since day one. I hope that your move to ESPN is a step up for you. I doubt that Deep Sixer can be any good without you. Good luck Hon.— rbecker1963
- Ms. Fagan,
I am a die-hard Sixers fan, and your articles were the ones I looked most forward to during my morning dump. Looking forward to seeing how ESPN uses you... Sports Nation... possibly a third anchor?— asianbutta - I looked forward to every blog post. Great job and good luck. Thanks.— phils_tnj1
- Get ready to do nothing but biased sports coverage over at ESPN.— Penfold18
- Hi Kate Our loss is ESPN'S gain. You have a great future in sports journalism. You always tell it like it is! Best Wishes!— Dooz13
- Kate thank you for your effort which was always evident. You were thorough, professional and objective, as well as entertaining in your reporting on a team which was often none of these.
Best of luck!— frd - Thank you for the hard work and dedication. We will miss your intelligent insight and well crafted prose. Good Luck. Knock 'em dead.— johnny eagle
- SIGH ...
You will be missed Kate, as you can tell from these posts.
I join the other posters in wishing you all the best.
FFF~— FishFryFrank 
You did a good job.
HappyBob "speaker of the truth on the board of footie-ball non-sense" has spoken!— HappyBob
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
