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Derrick Webb: Kankakee, let's get this party started Derrick Webb
[email protected] Apr 8, 2017
Derrick Webb
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By now, you've probably read my name at the top of the Daily Journal's sports section, and you've probably thought to yourself, "I hope this guy knows what he's doing." Now, I understand there's a learning curve, but I can guarantee you this: My goal is to meet as many of the student-athletes, their coaches, teachers and families, in the coming months. A little bit about me: I'm an Ohioan, which is why you may see me sporting Cincinnati Bengals and Reds apparel — have some pity on me. I was born and raised in a city called Chillicothe — yes, the same spelling as the one here in Illinois — and come from the Chillicothe Gazette newspaper, where I was the lone sports reporter for 3 1/2 years, covering 10 area high schools. Living in an area just south of Columbus, pretty much everyone around me had what I like to call "Buckeye Fever." Me? Not so much. I follow the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and I've never been ashamed to be the oddball in the group. And if you're wondering (you probably weren't), I'm an '80s music buff. So, if you roll down the street blasting Axl Rose or Steven Tyler, I may start singing right along. But enough about me. What about you? I'm anxious and excited to learn about each of our area's two dozen high schools, and developing lasting relationships with athletic directors, coaches and student-athletes is goal No. 1. I'm a digital-first guy. So you can also expect to see enhanced sports coverage on the Journal's web page. If you're looking for each night's roundup, features and live game feeds, you can find all of that and more right there. Our sports staff has also been working on new, creative ways to cover area games and give you up-to-theminute updates on social media. These posts will include in-game situations, live video and much more. You can follow that movement by looking up #tdjs on Twitter, we're @TDJsports. It's sort of our brainchild so we're pretty proud of how it's caught on so far. We've also launched a new Facebook page, Daily Journal Sports, that will also incorporate all of things you'd find on each of our personal Twitter pages. We'd love it if you stopped by and gave it a like. As you can see, we've got big plans for the section, and I'm confident that Allan Scarabello, Kevin Newberry, Hannah Bevis and myself can accomplish our goals with a solid work ethic and a passion for what we do each night. After all, we only have a job because you folks keep reading. The least we can do to repay you for your loyalty is continue to work our tails off to make your experience that much better. Any questions, comments, advice? You can always reach me by email,
[email protected], phone, 815-937-3392, or on Twitter at @dw1509. I'm champing at the bit to get out and meet each and every one of you. But until then, don't hesitate to say hello at a game. See you on the sidelines.
JK PARAMOUNT/MEADOWVIEW THEATRE/TIVOLI ENT