Please allow me to inflate all of your egos for a few minutes.

But first a brief story.

At some point in 2010 I fell away from blogging actual content. It became a chore and I was really getting into Twitter. It’s actually comical how few new posts I wrote in 2011 and I fell to being the 64th most-read “Fan Blog” in the network. Part of the reason for that was my twitter account (@BrewerNation) having gained a modest following and it simply being easier to blast my thoughts out in 140 characters or less than taking the time to sit, write, find pictures, grab supporting information, etc.

This game deserves more than that, in my opinion. The Brewers deserved more than that, in my opinion. As I would disseminate news, I would have to tweet three or four times to get all of the related information posted. Getting back to blogging has allowed me to have a point of reference for events and milestones and has allowed me to flex my creative muscle from time to time among all of the news items.

This year I finished as the eighth-most-read fan blog and it honestly feels pretty darn good.

I’ve always said that part of the reason I decided to start blogging in the first place was because as a fan who constantly seeks information about his favorite team in his favorite sport, I would be finding out most of what I share anyway. And why should I keep that to myself? Why not start a Facebook profile to provide a community to foster discussion among friends? Why not start a Twitter feed so that people can simply follow along if they want to to save themselves a few minutes of searching for any pertinent Brewers-related happenings?

It began when I decided to bring back my “Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers” season preview series. It wasn’t always to make each deadline but setting the same helped keep me honest in the goal to get back to blogging on a consistent basis. It took time to build

In short, while I do this to scratch an itch of my own and I’d keep blogging even if no one read them…it sure is a whole lot more fun having everyone else along for the ride from time to time.

Brewers fans are awesome and I’m proud to count myself among our numbers. We fill Miller Park, nobody tailgates like us, we’re passionate, informed (more or less…but I’m trying to help in that regard), and players consistently say that our energy and enthusiasm is felt and appreciated. That’s pretty cool. That some of you out there would give my little space here at MLBlogs.com a sliver of that energy is humbling and appreciated.

Thank you for following, reading, being my “friend”, commenting, interacting, messaging, emailing, listening (when we actually record the occasional podcast), and making this labor of love more love than labor.

The number 8 is one that will likely adorn the facade at Miller Park one day. I will take immense pride in representing the #8 proudly throughout 2013 in the MLBlogs.com Network. But without you reading my content and being interested in the Brewers, it simply wouldn’t have happened.

For that, I say “Thank you, Brewer Nation!”

Here’s to a successful 2013 on the field for the Brewers. If that translates to something here for me…well, that’d be alright too.