Phoenix Stan Unplugged

As this Suns site and the larger superpower known as SBNation becomes an increasingly important part of the overall sports media landscape, I have decided to unmask the alias "Phoenix Stan."

People who don't live in the online world -- which included me until fairly recently -- are not used to dealing with bloggers who hide behind fake names. You don't have relationships with people you don't "know" and you don't do business with someone named "Broker Bob."  

I get that. I am not a child of the digital world and only recently have become comfortable with its norms and memes (there's that damn word again!).

I have nothing to hide and no reason NOT to reveal my true identity, as one might if they were a person of import and substance. I am neither of those, but I am Seth R. Pollack, born 1970 in the Mets neighborhood of New York.

The birth of Suns fan (and Lakers hater) ...

I grew up on the West Side of Phoenix and became a Suns fans the old fashion way -- I was dragged to games by my uncle, father and grandfather. Like most young boys, I suffered through years of only enjoying the ice cream and Hamburger Works before finally, around the age of 8, succumbing to the beauty that was Walter Davis, Paul Westphal, Alvan Adams and Joe Proski's huge hair.

Listening to Al McCoy on a transistor radio hidden under my covers at night hooked me for life on the Suns (and hating the Lakers). For the next ten years, I followed the team right up to my graduation from Maryvale High which happened to fall on the night of a playoff game. I, of course, hid a Walk Man under my gown. Damn Lakers again.

The formative years ...

Right out of high school I enlisted in the Army and had quite the adventurous 8 years, that took me to exotic foreign places like Iraq, Bosnia and Alabama. I spent a lot of that time drinking and flying around Germany in the back of helicopters (often at the same time). I did some things I can't talk about (at least without a few beers) and I spent a lot of nights going to school to get my undergrad degree in Criminal Justice.

After I got out, I used your tax money (thanks!) to get a graduate degree in business. Some people also call that an M.B.A. but I am more humble than that (or am I?).

These days ...

For the last decade or so, I have been back in Phoenix raising my family and goofing around with various start-up companies that generally focus on the internet and technology. Thrown in between a couple of those endeavors, I was an organization development consultant, which I think fully qualifies me now to throw unsolicited advise at our favorite sports team.

A blogger is born ...

I stumbled onto blogging when I was tired of my dog not reacting to my brilliant insight. Like most of you, I was attracted to the community aspect of SBN and found myself sucked in to the collaborative, creative and analytical nature of the form.

A couple years in now and this clearly has taken on a life of its own. SB Nation is poised to be a major player in reshaping of the sports media world. As the teams themselves play a greater role in information distribution and the traditional news outlets cut back on their beat coverage, there is a natural fit between what we do and what they are doing.

Professional journalists like a Paul Coro are invaluable and the fantastic content produced by Suns.com is undeniable.

Our place serves a role between those, and is very similar to that of the talk radio host -- opinion and analysis, but using all the new tools of the internet generation. Those crazy kids and their intertubes.

The playing field is wide open and, unlike the radio dial, there is unlimited space for good content. The ethos of blogging is cooperation and interaction, and the discussions we have using both new tools and face-to-face dialog always make for more robust opinion. The virtual sports bar meets real life.

At the same time, there clearly is a successful business model available for those that are fortunate enough to be on the ground floor of the right building just when the elevator is getting ready to ascend. Time to get on board for the ride.

Blogging on the shoulders of giants ...

I have been supremely fortunate to follow after this site's original founder, Dan Hilton, and his successor, TexSun. They were both crazy enough to leave this world for different pastures and I was lucky enough to benefit from that. They started and built this community and I am just the next in what will surely be a long line of care-takers. This medium may be relatively new, but it is going to be here for a long time to come.

This site is not about me or my online nicknames. It is about all the people that gather here to discuss the Phoenix Suns and, on occasion, other topics as well. It is also about the other current contributing authors and those that have yet to discover their hidden talents.

Blogging about sports is, at its core, just a new take on old themes. We preview and recap games. We discuss and analyze trades. We jeer and we cheer. Most importantly, we do it together as sure as if we were neighbors on the front porch or a group of friends sitting at the local bar.

We welcome differences and encourage (civil) argument and there's always room for one more voice.