From The Publisher…

Dear Readers,

As 2008 comes to a close and we put the final touches on our last issue of the year, we would like to begin by thanking all of you for your patronage, support, and feedback this year, and to wish you all the happiest and healthiest of holiday seasons with family and friends!

2008 was a turbulent year of challenge and change, to be sure. Tough economic times arrived in the most unwelcome and unexpected of forms (as if there is ever a good time or way for that to occur)— crashing markets, a credit crisis, and prices at the pump that lived up to the notion that oil is, in fact, liquid gold, have all left us worried about the future of our country and the poorer for it, both psychologically and financially. Hurricanes and global warming…a war in Iraq…unknown terrorists still lurking in the shadowy corners of the world, planning even more horrendous, albeit cowardly, calamities to come…and an election-year cycle of political antics that make even the most experienced of used car salesmen among us green with envy. All these things—and more—have made this a trying year for North America, indeed.

But, as Americans, what will we do? Why, we will do just as we have always done so many times before; we will band together and we will persevere. We will draw on our collective strengths, and we will ride out these tough times together. We will survive, and we will emerge all the stronger and prouder for it. That’s one thing much of the world has still yet to realize and fully grasp about our country: Despite our shortcomings (and there are many), in the land of the free, hope truly does spring eternal. As a nation, we have been here before (and have endured much worse times, in fact), and we have always found our way through. In fact, by the time you read this, the political ads will have evaporated from the television airwaves, and our nation will already have a new president-elect, and (regardless of whether your guy won or not) evidence of that renewed hope for the future will already—assuredly—be on the horizon.

And, as dart players, what will we do? Why, we, too, will do just as we have always done so many times before; we will weather the storm arm-in-arm with our fellow countrymen, and we will find our moments of respite from the tribulations of the world standing at the oche playing the game we all love. [Fade up patriotic fife and drum music here.] We will belly up to the bar at our corner pubs and tournament halls to share icy cold glasses of ale with our friends; we will begin and end our games with a handshake and share our passion for competition. We will laugh. We will share good times together, and we will be reminded of all that is good about our country, the quality of the people that inhabit her and—in particular—our growing community of players and fans, and we will do so while playing the game we all know and love. We will persevere, and we will play darts.

Okay, we’ll admit it—that probably all sounded more than just a little bit sappy (especially with that damned fife music playing in the background), but…overly sentimental or not, we do nevertheless believe all of that to be completely and totally true and, frankly, we’re tired of being told by the media and the naysayers of the world that it’s not. At Bull’s-Eye News we believe that Americans are by no means perfect, but we are still proud with due cause; the United States and Canada are still among the greatest nations on earth, and darters are among the finest people in their ranks—plain and simple. And we simply felt that it was high time someone reminded us of that by saying so out loud.

So, as we close out this tumultuous and challenging year, and as you pull your loved ones close under the mistletoe this holiday season, our humble wish for you is simply that you are able to do so with a profound sense of thankfulness for the blessings we do have, of which there are so very many, including the free and democratic nations in which we live…that you are able to ring in the new year with a rich sense of hope for the future, secure in the knowledge that this too shall pass…that there are brighter days ahead…and that—most importantly— regardless of the storms yet to come, we will all weather and survive them together, just as we have always and so proudly done before.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone! Throw well… Be well… We’ll see you next year! Cheers!