Welcome to The Big Lead

Before the written word, stories were spoken and passed down from generation, like a game of Telephone carrying the stakes of understanding who we were, who we are, and where we are going. Then came the furious scribbling, a way to preserve thoughts for the future. Countless scholars have studied history attempting to cull what's really important from the ashes of one civilization and the towering edifices of another. Many worthwhile things have been authored. Wars and peace have been achieved through varied interpretations. Loose lips have sunken ships and rising tides of encouragement have risen all hopes.

One thing we can all agree on is that Semisonic was the entity most capable of reaching into the human condition and distilling it into a sentence. In Closing Time, the seminal track off 1998's Feeling Strangely Fine, Dan Wilson sings:

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.

Fun fact: this song is not only, as most people assumed in the freewheeling 1990s, about a bar, or a relationship. According to Wilson, it's about the birth of his daughter. But that's neither here nor there. The important takeaway: it's a good line.

And it's fitting for today, the first day at The Big Lead, reimagined. You've probably noticed things look a bit different around here. The logo, colors, the layout, the font, the indefinable je ne sais.

Congratulations on your powers of perception. And thanks for your patronage, as always. We're excited -- and you should be excited -- about the changes. As many of you read IN THE TRADES, Minute Media acquired The Big Lead in March. For the past six months, we've gone through a bit of a transition. It's not unlike when an interim coach takes over with that interim tag. Things are definitely different -- but the continuity is there.

That period is over. Like Ed Orgeron getting all the keys, or a capo getting his stripes, we are now outwardly fully in The Family -- a place we've felt we've been internally for some time.

So what does it all mean? Well, hopefully, a better user experience. A Guy Fieri inspired fresh new take on a bold classic. Basically, if we can follow the Mayor of Flavortown's blueprint, we'll be in a good place. We want to bring you the same sports and media coverage you enjoy with different accents and seasoning.

Time to open the doors and let this thing out into the world.