As a jack of all trades, I think I hit the jackpot

Lou Gehrig said it best.

“Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.”

I will never be the man Gehrig was. But today, as I write this farewell, I couldn’t agree with him more.

I am fortunate to have been involved with the Daily Bruin, working with people of integrity and witnessing breathtaking events as a reporter.

I’d like to think that in one small way, I was similar to Gehrig. I was an iron man of sorts at the Daily Bruin, as I worked for four years on senior staff, wrote nearly 500 articles, and worked more than 100 shifts on the Copy desk after two years as a Sports editor.

My amount of involvement with the country’s best college newspaper contributed to some personal and academic struggles, but I learned many useful things along the way.

I’ve learned that working all day is no big deal when you find something you’re passionate about. I’ve learned that two minds are better than one, and when you get a collection of dedicated people who know what they’re doing, they can do things better than you’ve ever seen them done. I’ve learned that, despite all I did for the paper, I needed the Daily Bruin more than it ever needed me.

As Sports editor, I was in charge of a section thousands of people read every day. To all of those who e-mailed or called me, I thank you, even the angry, incoherent and unprintable ones.

Covering sports has meant so much more to me than seeing competitive games, championship teams and world-class athletes. Sports writing became less about writing about the game and more about focusing on the people involved.

I’ve talked to tearful athletes and coaches during the emotional times in their lives. I’ve had people write me long, heartfelt and genuine thank-you notes for stories I wrote. And on the other end of the spectrum, I’ve had people call for my firing because of stories I’ve written or allowed to run.

As for my Copy years, there is no bigger rush than knowing you are the last line of defense. We knew that if we didn’t fix something, no one would. It was there I learned to be a perfectionist.

All of those experiences I had, lessons I learned, and people I worked with and became friends with are what made my time at the Daily Bruin so valuable for me. Why shouldn’t I agree with Gehrig?

Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.

Quiñonez was on the 2006-2007 Sports senior staff. He has also been an assistant Sports editor, Copy deputy, designer, columnist and reporter during his time at the Daily Bruin.