In my mind, I’ve written the first sentence of this column thousands of times. I’ve also rewritten this second sentence too many times to count.

I could never find the right words to express my thoughts.

Yet, here we are in the third paragraph. Journalism protocol is begging me to write a nut graph right here to explain this column’s purpose. But, no. I’m not ready yet. Plus, you read the amusing headline.

Since this is one of my last times rearranging letters of the alphabet for the Minot Daily News, I think I’m allowed to break the rules. Prolong the inevitable.

Or, I could just admit I’ve binge-watched too much “Community” on Netflix over the past two months, and this metacommentary has overstayed its usefulness. (Note to self: Resist the urge to include a “Community” reference that most readers won’t understand or even notice.)

So, I guess this is the part where I say goodbye.

When I arrived in Minot as a recent college graduate in 2016, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It was my first real-world job and my first time living on my own, doing so 16-plus hours away from family and friends back in Michigan.

I’m not going to lie. It was challenging, but I adapted. It’s truly hard to complain about anything when you get paid to write about sports and are semi-prepared for the extreme cold.

I want to first thank former MDN sports editor and irrational Chicago sports fan, Garrick Hodge, for

taking a chance on me and bringing me to the Magic City.

In a little over four years of being part of the sports department, I worked closely with six different reporters: Hodge, Mark Jones, Ashton Gerard, Justin Martinez, Brandon Carr and Jimmy Lafakis. I have a tremendous amount of respect for all of them, and I’m incredibly proud of what we managed to accomplish together.

It takes a dedicated team to put together a quality daily sports section while facing an unwavering time crunch at the end of each night. This team also includes the often-overlooked page designers. Special thanks to paginator Rex Larson, who I’ve directly worked with the longest, for your flexibility and dependability as we raced to beat the impending press deadline.

I’m going to miss that adrenaline rush.

To the local athletic directors, coaches and players: Thanks for putting up with my pestering interviews. I know talking to me after a blowout defeat or any bad news is the last thing you wanted to do. I appreciate all the conversations we had — on and off the record. I have deeply enjoyed being immersed in the Minot-area sports scene and getting to tell your stories.

To the parents and spectators: Please enjoy watching your loved ones compete. As we have seen during this COVID-19 pandemic, sports can disappear at a moment’s notice. Stay positive and supportive.

To everyone else: Thank you for reading — local news is essential.

There are way more people I’d like to express my gratitude to but I don’t want this to turn into an extensive list of names where I end up missing a bunch of awesome people. So, I’ll depart with this universal farewell.

Thank you to the Minot community for the lasting memories.

Oh, wait, I should probably get back to that nut graph.

Today is my last day as sports editor for the Minot Daily News. The Our Redeemer’s vs. Bishop Ryan rivalry volleyball match tonight will be my final byline in the newspaper.

I’m moving back home to Michigan as a freelancer. I’m not quite sure what the future holds, but neither does anybody else. I’m confident in my abilities and dignified that I’m leaving on my own terms.

For as many times as I pondered how this column would start, I never pictured how it would end. But, somehow, we finally ended up here.

Cool. Cool, cool, cool.

This is the opinion of Alex Eisen. He covered Minot State athletics, the Minot Minotauros and high school sports. You can still follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.