A new era begins here at BTSC

As an era ends, a new one begins.

Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Jeff Hartman, and as most of you surely know I have been a contributor to BTSC for almost a year now. I typically covered news stories, game features and co-hosted both podcasts (The Standard is the Standard and Steelers Final Score) during the last football season. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here at BTSC and when Neal called me telling me he was stepping down, I knew a phone call would be coming eventually.

Football aside, let me make myself a little more human and a little less football-obsessive. I grew up in the small town of Wheeling, WV where Pittsburgh sports were all we really had. I was bred knowing the Penguins, Pirates and Steelers were the only teams, not just choices. Sundays were church and Steelers, and nothing else.

Upon leaving Wheeling I eventually graduated from Shepherd University (same alma mater as Howard Jones on the Steelers' practice squad) with a degree in Physical Education. Long story short, I met my wife at Shepherd and we reside in Maryland with our 3 (soon to be 4) children where I am a teacher and a coach.

Before I go any further, let me express my sincere gratitude to Neal Coolong for essentially training me for the past year to potentially take over this site one day. I never thought it would be this soon, but I can honestly say I wouldn't be in this situation without his help. Neal is on to bigger and better things, and I can't think of a more deserving person than him.

If you are a regular visitor and wondering what will change, the answer is not much - not right away anyways. Neal has set the bar extremely high for me, and I expect to raise the bar even higher. The content will be the same, but please be patient with me as I get my feet wet with my new job which comes with a lot more responsibility and nuances.

When the dust settles, I want this site to remain the best Pittsburgh Steelers community on the internet, and I am determined to keep that the standard here at BTSC. As Mike Tomlin always says, the Standard is the Standard, and in this case, I will do my best to uphold the standard which Neal has set for everyone who enjoys BTSC.

To finish this thing up, I am unbelievably grateful to call BTSC my ship moving forward. I will take good care of it, and let us all remember why we come here on a daily basis. The Pittsburgh Steelers. Nothing else really needs to be said. Here is to a great 2015 football season everyone!