DNB Is Adding To The Roster

For over 2 years now the Dino Nation Blog has had one single voice. That would be mine. Over this past season it is becoming clear to me that needs to change for a variety of reasons. The first and foremost is a lot of the sites that are out there beyond the Dino Nation Blog have many people that contribute on a regular basis. I have been told that I am one of the hardest working people that does this. I appreciate that respect that people have said that about my work ethic. However the math does not work. Even if you are to believe that I am in fact the hardest working person that does this as other have said about me. That still does not mean that I can out produce groups of folks that are larger in numbers. So that along with some other reasons have lead to consider the idea of adding folks into the Dino Nation Blog.

You have to understand that I truly think of this thing that I have build as something that I take great pride in. I also care deeply for all of you that have read and support the Dino Nation Blog. So this is not something that I take lightly at all. I put a lot of thought and consideration into if I wanted to do this. However I feel that I have found two people that will add to the Dino Nation Blog in a very positive way. This is only the start of what I hope will be positive changes to the Dino Nation Blog. I want to grow what we are doing and how we do it. That is a factor in this as well. In adding some other people to the mix it should allow me a bit more time to focus on those things as well. At the end of the day this is being done to improve the overall product that is the Dino Nation Blog.

Not to mention the fact that is bizarre and yet thrilling that people would see being associated with this site as a positive thing for them. So that is enough about why, I hope by this point you want to know who is coming on board here.

The first person is someone I have worked with in the past. I think that at some point I mentioned that I had worked on AHL Hockey Broadcasts on C101.5. Well this is one of the other folks who worked on that broadcast. We had run into one another at a gathering for a mutual friend and I had mentioned what I was doing with myself these days. About 6 months or so later I decided to see if she would be interested in contributing to the Dino Nation Blog in some way. I honestly expected a polite decline. However I got an enthusiastic yes instead. Now this person like myself has a background in Television and Radio. She has worked for the CBC, W-TSN and is actually doing some CIS Basketball locally on Cable 14 here in Hamilton covering McMaster Basketball. She has always been a basketball fan and I am sure at some point in this will try to convince me the WNBA has more to offer than Candace Parker the sister of former Raptor Anthony Parker. Anyway this is her first experience getting into blogging or writing on the internet but with her media experience I am sure she will catch on. Heck if I can do it... I am sure she can. She is a Laker Fan she says from birth and also now that Raptors came a long likes them as well. She also hopes Toronto one day will get a WNBA Franchise. If that happens maybe will have a spinoff blog like a successful T.V show. Her name is Danielle De Graauw and she is going to be doing a weekly feature in the blog (starting next Tuesday). The plan is for it to be a bit more league based than Raptor based. However as I have told Danielle this is her thing and she can do it as she sees fit.

I want both of the people I am adding to be themselves and have control of what they are doing here. I also want to give them the chance for them to introduce themselves to you and have you know them and hopefully eventually them know you.. As for this second person some of you already know him and I got to know him through The Score. Anas Ahmed did some writing for the Court Surfing Blog and I got to know him through that. Anas wrote his own Bio and had this to say about joining the team here at the DNB.

Anas Ahmed is a recent Journalism graduate from the University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto. He joins the Dino Nation team after writing for RealGM.com and The Score's Court Surfing blog. He spent last year as an intern in The Score's NBA department and brings a great passion for all things NBA. He also really likes Black Diamond Cheese Strings. And ranch dip. He cites conquering seasons one through five of The Office in under one month as one of his greatest victories. He is a firm believer that combining Butch Carter and Kevin O'neill would form the greatest coach in Raptors franchise history. He would name him Butch O'neill over Kevin Carter so as not to confuse the combo for a Kevin Willis-Vince Carter hybrid (a giant, high-flying, injury-prone centre with a mean mustache who would have somehow managed to play into his early 60's). He also believes that Canada's laughable mainstream coverage of basketball is rivaled only by the American coverage of hockey. You can hit him up at anas.ahmed11@gmail.com or follow him @thisisanas on Twitter. He also doesn't know why he wrote this bio in the third-person but he, I mean I, really enjoyed it.

We have not exactly defined a role as to what Anas will be doing here. I would suspect he will be helping out giving his 2 and sometimes even 3 cents on the Raptors. Although as a recent grad you never want to give to much money away.

Ultimately we end up with a Big 3....Hey it worked for the Celtics. But seriously we have 2 very talented people here that I feel fortunate to welcome into my little world I have created here. They also like me have experience beyond just writing and that will likely lead to looking to do more exciting things in the future taking into account our backgrounds in broadcasting. If I hit the lottery tomorrow the Dino Nation Blog Television Show will start production in a week. If not we may just have some form of audio and video content for you as this grows and expands in the future.

But for now I just ask you all to welcome them and support the work they do here. Like I said at the start of this it is not a choice that did not have a lot of thinking behind it. I have had offers from folks to write for the blog in the past. I kindly declined. In part with some because of timing and others because I didn't feel they fit with what I had built here. I feel that both Danielle and Anas will fit in well and contribute to the DNB in a positive way that will help expand on what I have been doing for over 2 years. I also find it exciting to have a female be a part of the Dino Nation Blog. I think that adds an interesting element to the mix and hopefully you will as well.

So please make both Danielle and Anas feel welcome and treat them with respect and love as you folks have done towards me for the most part over 2 + years.