My nearly three-year run at WEEI has been filled with surreal moments: arguing with childhood hero Curt Schilling about QAnon; broadcasting live from the same Fenway Park studios I used to leer into as a strange teenager; receiving scorn from an entire region.
But what I’m about to write tops all of those experiences.
This is my last column for WEEI, at least in my current capacity as a full-time “brand personality”(nobody has ever quite explained to me what that means). Beginning next week, I will work in the State House as the Director of Communications for Sen. Eric Lesser. He is the leading proponent of East-West rail. My hero AOC would be proud.
I never imagined doing anything else in my life besides working in sports talk radio -- as weird as that may sound. As a high schooler, I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning editing Red Sox podcasts. In college, I once recorded said podcast on an empty bench outside my dormitory. The abyss needed to hear my take on Bobby Valentine’s disastrous summer.
That is why I always laughed at the notion that I’m not an actual sports guy. I used to spend every summer night falling asleep to Felix Hernandez or Clayton Kershaw pitching out on the West Coast. For an extended period in my life, I could name every player in the league, including the September call-ups.
But that is no longer the case, so it is time to try something new. At this stage in my life, I am more apt to live-tweet Rachel Maddow than tomorrow night’s Red Sox game. Those of you who are misfortunate enough to follow me on Twitter could’ve already guessed that.
It’s been an interesting ride for me at WEEI; one that has taken me through three different apartments and multiple boyfriends. I’ve shared some really intimate details about my personal life on the air -- I apologize to those whom I have scarred.
To be honest, most of my friends don’t understand why I am so sentimental about leaving WEEI. After all, I am in perpetual conflict with seemingly most of our audience, and my Twitter feed is more toxic than Tiger Woods’love life.
But it is weird to leave something you have always wanted to do. I was able to work my dream job; few people are able to say that.
Also, I love the battle, and WEEI provided me with an incredible platform to disseminate my worldview. I will miss driving into the studio to argue with Gerry Callahan about Donald Trump’s latest impeachable act. You are better off when you expose yourself to disagreement, even if it occasionally turns rancorous.
I don’t feel comfortable sharing any additional life lessons or tropes, because as all of you know, I am probably the last person who should be doing that. I can’t even pronounce "viola." This job exposes you like nothing else.
My first fall with "Kirk & Callahan" coincided with my first full year out of college, and thus, my journey into young adulthood. You learn a lot about yourself when you screw up within earshot of tens of thousands of people, such as violating a friend’s trust or saying something incredibly stupid about a beloved quarterback’s child.
I do want to thank all of the people who have been good to me at the station. They gave me lots of chances. Rob Bradford will now be fielding fewer panicked phone calls about perceived lack of airtime from one of his staffers. That’s for sure.
Amazingly, I am leaving on good terms, so this probably isn’t the last you’ll hear from me in this space. Team Reim, and my inflated ego, will not rest.
For the last 31 months, I woke up every day and was paid to give my opinions on the topics of the day. That is pretty cool. I hope I appreciated it enough.
Farewell for now -- or at least until the next time I enrage you with my leftist propaganda on Twitter. Something tells me you’ll be getting even more of that in the near future.