The End Of The Daily Quickie

You might have missed the big announcement this morning on ESPN.com, if you're the type of person who doesn't get up at ungodly hours just to chat with strangers: "Daily Quickie" writer Dan Shanoff is ending his column on Thursday, August 31. The next two weeks will be a Quickie retrospective, which we have a sneaking suspicion will occasionally include the construction "Best. (INSERT NOUN.) Ever."

Or, as the case may be: "Two Words: ALL. DONE."

In his chat this morning, Shanoff said:

"It IS sad, but nonetheless it's progress. The site is a lot different than four years ago when the column launched. ... To be honest, I have no idea what happens on 9/1. But, through 8/31, lots of clarity! ... Anyway, there'll be plenty of time for reminiscing about the column over the next two weeks — though I refuse to have a maudlin, "Friends"-style countdown ending."

Well, that's a relief, though we think it would be funny if he had a little monkey. Truthfully, we never actually made it through any of those 9 a.m. Quickie chats, and, to Shanoff's credit, anybody who gets up that early just to talk to people online deserves some sort of medal. The column has just more than two weeks left, so, you know, saddle up.

Daily Quickie [ESPN] Daily Quickie Announcement [ESPN Insider]