Goodbye?

Let's face it, there's a reasonable chance that we won't have a hockey team this time next week. There's also a reasonable chance that this will be my last post on Bird Watchers Anonymous in the Atlanta Thrashers era. I don't know what happens if the team moves... I guess this site goes away. Maybe not right away, but eventually.

I'd like to thank all of you guys who would come here for what I always considered to be interesting, passionate conversation about the team. Unlike many other Thrashers blogs and forums, there never much DERP DERP here. Even guys I've frequently disagreed with always made very good points. You've inspired me to think harder, more critically, and more carefully about this team than I ever would have otherwise. I thank you for that.

For those of you from elsewhere who have shared condolences, it is sincerely appreciated. No fan should ever have to see their team move. Nobody. It's heartbreaking. There are no words to describe how I feel, and I'd never wish this upon anybody. No, not even Winnipeg.

For those of you from Winnipeg who think this is an appropriate place to celebrate: I'm not going to block you. You're making yourselves look like assholes in front of Thrashers fans and everybody else who stops by. Feel free. You are ignorant, occasionally racist, and taking advantage of passionate fans when they are at their lowest. You are vultures. But once your smugness and self-satisfaction wears off, you'll probably have a hockey team. I'm envious. I hope you appreciate how lucky you are.

Tomorrow, I'll be attending the tailgate. It's not a rally, as it's unlikely there's a team left to save. It's also the Thrashers Select-a-Seat, somewhat useless... except it's one last chance to sit in my seats in Philips. I'll be meeting my friends - friends I made because we all had season tickets and shared a love of the Thrashers - and joining them for one last trip inside. We'll probably give one last round of "Let's Go Thrashers!" and maybe a few "WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOs!" One last round of high-fives.

Outside, it'll be nice to see everybody again. I've made friends with plenty of you from the blog and plenty of folks I know from Twitter. I'll miss the times when somebody comes up to me and cautiously asks, "Are you Timmy? I'm so-and-so." That was always fun. You guys made me feel like a quasi-celebrity at times - thanks for inflating my ego.

I wish you all the best and I hope you find something to fill the void in your life left by the loss of our team. (And remember, it really is our team. The Atlanta Spirit never really wanted it and never cared. We failed at saving it, but many of us tried our best.) Myself, I've just started playing hockey and I hope to play more. I may not have a team to watch next year, but I can be part of a team still. I truly believe that hockey is the greatest live sport, and there's nothing more "live" than being on the ice.

Thanks for the many good years, friends. I love you guys.