Eulogies for MVN Throughout the Blogging Land

Below are a few tributes for MVN, which closed just about a month ago. The bloggers chosen are many of those who I felt could convey the first ever blog network's impact best. Some pretty interesting stuff.

"Without MVN, there's no way I end up writing for Ring magazine, "The Bible of Boxing;" without MVN, there's no way I get my blog work picked up in The Wall Street Journal's Daily Fix; without MVN, there's no way I get to be credentialed media ringside at major fights; and so on and so on. MVN gave me a platform, an institutional anchor and a professional-looking website that I couldn't have mustered on my own. Evan plucked me from the obscurity of a blogspot.com address and offered exposure and support. I thank him for everything he did for me. MVN will be missed." -- Tim Starks, The Queensberry Rules

"I first became aware of MVN during the early days. I read several of the blogs and even collaborated with several of the bloggers for the Spurscast and Project Spurs.

I realized early on that it was a good collection of bloggers who were true fans that knew their team. Soon after that I met Evan Brunell and got to know him and a lot of the other staff, who I've grown to admire and respect. For me, MVN was always the measuring stick. I knew if I got to write for MVN, I was doing a good job and would be amongst some of the best sports bloggers.

That came to fruition about two years ago when not only was Project Spurs asked to join the network, but I got a chance to work for MVN. I really enjoyed my time working with such great people and I hate seeing that something that was likely ahead of its time is now going away.

I'll always be grateful for getting the chance to work with and learn from some of the best, and while it's sad that MVN is going away, the legacy of the network will live within me and all of my colleagues that came through MVN and put us on the right path." -- Michael De Leon, Project Spurs

"I spent 5 years writing for Most Valuable Network, and I am saddened to hear of its demise. I am appreciative for my time there, as I was able to hone my craft as a sportswriter. It was my experience at MVN that opened the door for me to be recruited to a media organization and was able to move to the next level. Also, the site that I wrote for in my time at MVN (Thoughts from the Dark Side), despite being at another network, will always be a part of MVN's legacy." -- Patrick A. Patterson, Thoughts From the Dark Side

"I have a million things to say about MVN, I was only a part of MVN for the last few months and other than recruiting and such I was never really able to contribute as much as I would have liked. I enjoyed running the Beantown Beatdown for the little time it lasted. The content on MVN was always fresh and we really had some great contributors. When I think of MVN I'll think of the great people I was able to meet through MVN. Cory Humes was always there to help me with any questions. I mean I could thank a million people, especially Evan and Dave for giving me the opportunity to learn about internet marketing, recruiting, effective communication with writers, etc.

When I first started at MVN I really had no idea about how the sports blogs worked. With the help of Dave, Evan and Cory, I caught on... (SLOWLY!)... I would read the Bronx Block, Firebrand, Celtics17, and others everyday and occasionally I'd entertain myself by reading some of "The Dude" from Fins Nation. What a great experience, I'm sad to see it go! Thanks to everyone who helped make MVN such a great site. A special thanks to Cory, Dave and Evan who put in more time and work than I think anyone will ever know!" -- Richie Denis, former blogger, employee, for MVN

"I got my start in blogging on MVN thanks to my wife's friend Mike Boehm, who was writing about the Orioles and Ravens at the time.  I had a job with limited responsibilities, outside of the fact that I was tied to a desk.  As many unproductive, desk-tiee and phone mongering drones know, it is more than detrimental to your emotional and physical health.  Thanks to MVN, I was able to provide something valuable during those long days on the phone, which was some much needed Celtics coverage.  At the time they were a lowly team and one the only one of the four major sports in New England, that hadn't already been claimed by an MVN writer.  It suited a glutton for punishments like myself.  Soon afterwards, I began podcasting on 360thepitch with the help of Brandon Rosage, who had become part of the MVN product at around the same time.  Since then I have secured media credentials to the team, posed a question to Kevin Garnett in his post Game 6 championship press conference, and have been featured in a full-length feature film chronicling the Celtics 17th championship.  At the beginning of a unique start in sports media, was MVN.  Thanks to Evan and Dave for that!" -- Justin Poulin, Celtics Stuff Live

"Not many people realize just how ahead of the curve MVN was. In 2003, nobody else was doing this kind of thing. Fast forward and you have a crowded field of companies and people looking to capitalize on this emerging space. MVN and Evan are responsible for a lot of the early momentum in the spots blog movement." -- Ben Koo, CEO Bloguin

"I started out as a small site talking about my journey towards becoming a better tennis player. Eventually I started commenting on a few matches here and there and Evan invited me to join MVN. After five years, our blog TennisDiary had five writers around the world and received press credentials to three of the four Masters level tournaments in North America - Masters events are only one level below the majors. Along the way we learned - along with MVN - how to write about sports, interact with sporting events, get interviews, and wrangle with the endless barrage of digital tools out there. When I decided to spend more time doing freelance writing, the site was valuable enough to appeal to new owner Zach Kleiman who has taken over.

Thanks for your perseverance Evan and I'll see you on ESPN (or your own network) some day." -- Nina Rota, Tennis Diary