When the "Corbett Report" project started, I was providing commentary of softball games that I never attended. It became a big joke. "Have you seen this man?" became a running joke at games that I was never present at. "Who's this guy writing these funny articles? Did you make him up?" Nope. I was always real. Always lurking in the background. Always willing to poke Andy with a sharp stick in the back to point out how damn goofy he was. The funny thing was, it never seemed to phase him. So I'd kick it up a notch, and another notch, and another.

I guess there was a prevailing theory with Andy that there's no such thing as bad publicity. He ate it right up. He loved it. He kept asking for more.

In the end, I gave him a whole season's worth. Hell, it was fun. I loved to write. Andy loved to act out. The articles became less about the game and more about what absolutely insane thing he did at the game the night before. It got to the point, that before I could even log into my computer in the morning, his teammates would come up to me and say "Ask Andy about what happened at the game last night!" Of course, at that time, Andy would roll in around 1pm, so I would have to wait a while for the full story... or one of his tragically misspelled "Game Summaries".

So it was that the "Corbett Report" project transitioned from covering softball to covering one person. And, in the end, that one person provided the bulk of my material.

File photo of M.J. Corbett.  (Wolan)

After the 2004 season, however, I stopped providing commentary. I had been given more and more responsibility at work... hell, at life, and I didn't have time for such things anymore. Also, due to my realized fear of creating a monster in 2004 (lord knows I heard the term "Corbett Report" a reported 8,157,602 times), I thought it would be best to let things cool off between Andy and the "CR". Maybe they could just be friends now.

However, Andy would keep asking for "Special Edition Corbett Reports" here and there, but I would have to turn him down. He took polls on his website as to whether or not I should write an end-of-season, 2005, final report. Didn't happen. He put out feelers, early in the 2006 season, as to who would be willing to replace me. No takers. Andy would go close to two years without hearing from me in that capacity.

But something inspired me to fire up the engine one more time: Andy no longer works at GD anymore.

I came back to my cubicle one day this week to find the following note:

"Contact Andy when you get back."

After several failed attempts to reach him, he finally visited me. He broke the news. He had finally had enough. This place had gotten the better of him, and he was going to pull up stakes and take his travelling circus on the road.

In the stories he told me of why he wanted out, he told me that Friday would be his last day. He didn't make it that far. I know now that as of Thursday morning, he was escorted out of here by security (standard procedure, really), presumably to begin a career working in his father's machine shop.

Before he left though, he had one dying wish.... one last "Corbett Report", for old time's sake. Normally, this is followed by a "no", a "hell no", or a "shit no". I didn't feel like I could say no this time. After all, there will be no more after this. This will be his, and by extension, my swan song. If this were the Bible, this would be the book of Revelations.

Wolan was GD's own "Jared".  (Subway.co.uk)

And all he really wanted mentioned, in all of his insane legacy, was that he played in 49 consecutive softball games between the seasons of 2003-2006, finally missing a game for the first time last Sunday. That's it. That's all he really cared about. Wierdo. But I'll oblige him.

So it is that the Corbett Report comes to a sudden, abrupt end. Andy was quite the character around here, famous to anybody who saw him running at a full sprint through the hallways, carrying his Subway bag, opening his box of Yankee Candles back at his desk in order to diffuse some of the smell of onions emanating from his sandwich.

Now he's gone... hopefully on to bigger and better (and possibly crazier) things.

Happy Trails, Andy Wolan. We'll miss you!

Mike Corbett is a reporter for MLSB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Softball or its clubs.