Thanks in no small part to the help of our Fearless Leader and Editor in Chief Tyler, I have been granted a press pass for all of this season's home football games. This is of course very big for me personally and I hope for Hail to the Orange as a growing Illini sports community.

So what does it mean for you, the fan and loyal reader.

Well for one thing I hope to offer s bit more access and in depth coverage of the team moving forward. SB Nation's connections and assets such as its amazing platform are an Abrams tank that when properly directed can have awesome results.

I hope to bring you more humor, and more of the sort of stories that you wont get from traditional media sources. It will be alot like my coverage of Big Ten Media days in that regard. My main goal will not be to get an easy sound bite or recap of the game but hopefully to get at aspects that other outlets will miss or gloss over.

I will still be moderating and running the Gameday open threads, but hopefully this time I can provide input other than what you can see at home on your couch, or even in the stands.

If you happen to be at the game and are into that sort of thing, I will also be updating my twitter with in game thoughts and news from the sideline or elsewhere. That way no matter what you can benefit from this new arrangement.

Most importantly though, tell your friends and have them get involved. I think we have had some fun discussions here recently but would really like to see the community aspect grow even more. With this blog you have a direct line to me and what you want to hear more about, who you want to hear from and what questions you want answered. Its a great opportunity for you the fan to enjoy as much access to information as the press, I encourage you to use it.

Some general changes may be made from this, but I wouldn't expect it to affect anyone too much. I will strive for a touch more professionalism (which is why I am now blogging under my real name) and may 
be a bit more selective on what sort of comments get through. But I assure you, my humor is still childish and often absurd and i have no plan to ever grow up and get a real job.

With your help though, we can really take full advantage of this really cool opportunity.