What should I write about? That question can be very simple.

At times, there are instances where I lose the motivation or the thought I had.

Admittedly, I'm still recovering from multiple years of burnout wiring. I'm much better than I was near the end of 2024,but I know full well that I'm nowhere near my old self completely. Not yet, anyway.

Typing this draft the evening of Jan 13, 2026, I was about to take our puppy, Ozzy, on a walk down the street, as I was wracking my brain trying to figure out a topic to write about.

Should I go with something in the sports realm? 

Maybe it's better to discuss a hobby or something else completely unrelated?

With burnout wiring still having a lingering effect or even external influences (which I will not discuss today) bogging down my motivation, I wondered as I walked back into the house with our pup: “Why not both?”

If you understand that reference from commercials, I applaud you.

So here are some thoughts or tidbits that I am allowed to share from sources or just things I've learned myself that I guess you could call an open journal. We won't exclusively go all-in on sports. 

NOTE: All of this writing took place prior to the Browns hiring Todd Monkin as head coach.

The Guardians Offseason

I know Cleveland Guardians fans have bemoaned a lack of spending in the 2025-26 offseason. While the organization has signed a couple of relievers to Major League deals, excluding the re-signing of Austin Hedges, the acknowledgment from Chris Antonetti of the need for offense has not yet translated into any actionable movement.

The Guardians have looked at players on the trade market, including a rumor or two that I have heard that while enticing, would be very unrealistic to come to fruition.

Up until the other day, it felt as if superagent Scott Boras was holding up the free agent market until Alex Bregman signed with the Chicago Cubs.

Then we had the move of Nolan Arenado to Arizona. The chain reaction has started and now it's wait and see.

Jose Ramirez

I often see the narrative from fans that the Guardians lied to Jose Ramirez.

He took the under market contract extension, and that would help reinvest into the team. Full disclosure: The Jose Ramirez extension from Jan. 24 happened well after this journal was drafted and edited.

First off, they didn't lie to Ramirez. They also lost around $40 million with their 2025 payroll compared to the year before. That was in large part to the Regional Sports Network collapse and lesser payments from Major League Baseball's TV production.

However, there have been a couple of deals this offseason that have basically screwed the Guardians out of the free agent market. I can't get into the exact player or players in order to protect my sources, but the most likely avenue to improve the club's offense through external additions was going to come through trades.

I am as confused as some of the fans are at the lack of movement to date. Perhaps some of the recent movement right before we hit the midpoint of January will finally see something shift in the Guardians favor.

Kevin Stefanski

Perhaps I'll address this matter more in-depth at a later time, but the fact that Andrew Berry wasn't fired along with Kevin Stefanski told me two things:

  • Berry is only employed by the Browns as of this moment because of politics. One good draft and finding a kicker is enough to save Berry, but Stefanski gets the boot? You keep both or keep none and if the Browns even wanted a shot at John Harbaugh, then they'd have had to fire Berry.
  • Someone else is pulling the strings behind the scenes in Berea. Jimmy Haslam was asked about the Joe Flacco trade that caught the head coach off-guard and sidestepped the question. It was very telling to me that he could have just answered that honestly but instead chose not to.

My credibility

When it comes to my credibility, that is one topic I take seriously. I'm not going to name anyone in particular in this article, but when those who think they know better have stated that I don't have sources or that I'm faking information, that does get under my skin.

One of the things I've learned in my time in journalism – which feels a lot longer than it has been – is there are a lot of things that people should not know, and that people will not know.

Cryptic, right?

If I make mistakes I own up to them. But what about the people that led me to jot down this note?

Their responses were hypocritical. There are a lot of snakes in this industry, and they're willing to put people down just because they don't agree with your viewpoint or just don't want to believe you.

When I post information, it always comes after very careful thought and consideration. If I'm not certain about something, or if I don't know something at all, I'm not going to post it, or if it's more concept than fact, I'll state it's speculation.

Bad drivers

Why have I continually brought up bad drivers?

The coincidental irony of our very first story when I relaunched Fitz On Sports as a podcast on Voltage Live was when I discussed the death of a hockey player and his brother following a drunken driver crashing into them the night before their sister's wedding.

Coincidentally, I recently had an encounter around that time in Aug. 2024 where I really believe I was almost certainly going to die. That was why I kind of took a bit of a break at one point last summer.

Speaking of the podcast… I've always wanted to do a behind the scenes of how I edit the podcast, knowing they're likely different methods and potentially more efficient ones than how I go about it.

During those several breaks I took last year, I just couldn't get myself to produce the show every week or most weeks for that matter. When I really felt dialed in, it was when I got creative and just let loose.

There were so many podcasts that were recorded that I shelved because I wasn't happy with them, or they contained information that could not be shared. So, I think my main thing going forward is going for quality over quantity.

The goal for me this year is to get around 20ish or so episodes out. It may seem like not enough to some, but I don't like sloppy work.

I don't really have much else to add. I guess it's got some thoughts out that I've been wanting to share, while saving some things for later.

I'm not sure how often I'll do these, but if I feel like I am stressed over multiple article ideas, then maybe this is the solution.