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A new era begins here at BTSC

If you follow the site closely, you know Mr. Neal Coolong has moved on to greener pastures, which left the editor's chair vacant. Turns out, SB Nation has removed the interim tag off my title and named me the new managing editor of BTSC.

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

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!