DJ Ramirez: It's not goodbye, Waco, it's see y'all later

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The first time I stepped foot in Waco was for Baylor orientation when I was 18 years old.

I had already enrolled despite not seeing the campus or the city before Baylor had been one of only two schools I applied to, after all (and I cant tell you if that was confidence, naivety or just a lot of hope).

For better or worse, Waco would be my home for the next four years.

But then, four years turned into seven (if were skipping the year I spent interning in DFW).

It hasnt been an easy year and I kind of knew that it would probably be my last one writing for the Waco Trib.

It wasnt an easy decision, but it was time.

When Trib sports editor Brice Cherry first offered me the job back in 2022, he asked me what I saw myself doing in five years (typical interview question, am I right?).

I told him, Brice, I dont know what Im doing next week, much less in five years.

The truth is, Ive kind of always known what I wanted but trying to figure out how to make it happen and finding the courage to do it was always the hard part.

I still have a lot of work to do to get started but now is a better time than any to try.

Im sure going to miss Waco, though.

Waco allowed me to grow up.

It gave me the time to realize that I didnt need to be perfect at everything, that it was okay to make mistakes as long as you learned from them and that the only person you needed to be better than was the person you were the day before.

Ive also learned the difference between solitude and loneliness being alone and being lonely are not the same thing.

Ive experienced my fair share of both having been on my own pretty much since the pandemic started.

But its helped me come to terms with the fact that it's okay to ask for help sometimes.

However, some of my favorite memories in Waco were when I got to discover things on my own.

(And I can probably write a whole article on that alone, but yall will probably have to wait for me to set up a blog or something.) The biggest surprise for me, however, was just how much I ended up enjoying covering high school football.

Baseball will always be my No.

1 but high school football made me a stronger person and a stronger writer.

(And I will die on the hill that every sportswriter worth their salt should cover high school sports at some point in their career.) So, to all the kids and coaches whose stories Ive gotten to tell, whose hard work and persistence Ive gotten to witness, thank you so much for trusting me to do so.

To all the high school athletes in particular: keep going, keep dreaming, keep caring about what you do and how you treat people and dont let anyone or anything outside of yourself define you.

And please dont give up on getting an education no matter what form that takes.

College may not be for everyone but learning and challenging the way you think and see the world will always be worth it.

From China Springs win over Carthage in the baseball regional in Prosper to its football state title that next winter, to University breaking its 13-year playoff drought, to watching La Vega girls basketball team make back-to-back runs for titles, to Abbotts baseball championship, to witnessing Marts Armando Chavez breaking the national extra-point record, to La Vegas return to the state title game in football this season it was all special.

There are many more moments and memories I could talk about, but wed be here all day.

But I cant leave without talking about baseball, right? When I was a sophomore at Baylor, my first season covering the Bears for the Lariat, I went to Minute Maid Park to cover the Shriners College Classic.

Nothing went to plan.

I had to get a hotel downtown last minute because my original lodging plans fell through.

Driving in Houston after never really driving in a big city before was really stressful, and Baylor happened to lose its first game of the season.

I wasnt used to talking to coaches after losses yet and since the team hadnt checked into its own hotel yet, I was given time to ask Steve Rodriguez only two questions.

They werent great questions, and I had no story that night.

I was on the phone with my dad after that game, crying in the front seat of my car and feeling discouraged (for not the first or last time).

My dad said to me, Mija , this is what you chose.

This is what you wanted to do.

I dried my tears, checked into my hotel and hoped for a better day.

Baylor lost again the next day to the Rice Owls.

But on Sunday, down four runs in the eighth inning against Texas State, the Bears made the comeback thanks to big hits by Richard Cunningham and Nick Loftin.

followed by a leaping catch over the bullpen by Davion Downey in the top of the ninth to secure the win.

I watched from the tunnel surrounded by Texas A&M players (who were playing the next game), determined to get a good enough interview this time.

Those two innings made the whole trip worth it because they reminded me why I was there in the first place, why I loved baseball and why I chose this job.

In baseball, its not over until its over.

You could be down to your last pitch, your last out and still make the comeback.

Thank you to Steve Rodriguez and his former coaching staff, to Mitch Thompson and his staff, to all the players and managers and everyone involved with the program.

Thanks to Max Calderone for putting up with my rambling in the press box.

Ive come to believe in the notion of regression to the mean in a sort of philosophical sense.

Things cant always be good, but they also cant always be bad they have to go back to the middle.

Back to a state of balance.

The Bears are building something, so dont give up on them yet.

Thank you to Michael Woodson and Joey Scrivano for teaching me about tennis and sparking joy for a sport I knew nothing about seven years ago.

Thank you to the Baylor athletic communications staff for all their hard work helping us cover Baylor sports and just for being awesome in general.

Thanks to Steve Boggs and everyone at the Waco Trib newsroom (they probably saw more of me than they did Brice in the last three years).

Glynn Beaty, Levi Caraway, Brian Coats and Jason Orts yall are rockstars, thanks for picking up the load of high school football where I couldnt.

Thanks to Chad Conine for quitting to write a book and letting me have this job in the first place.

Thanks to Rod Aydelotte for giving me an "A" in Photo II even though I almost only submitted baseball photos for my assignments.

You know this paper would fall apart without you.

A huge shout-out to my Lariat advisors Julie Reed and Bruce Gietzen who never let me get into my head too much but also taught me how to get over myself.

Thanks to Kevin Tankersley for giving me Brices email during the fall semester of 2017 (and for giving me an "A" in Intro to Media).

Thanks to Amber Adamson, the best editing professor anyone could have (and the reason I stop in West for pastries every time I drive north).

Thank you, John Werner.

You were a beam of sunlight through the rain, and I hope youve found peace somewhere on a mountain with a great view.

Thanks Brice, for taking a chance on me.

For the patience and the knowledge.

I dont really have words for how much it means to me that you gave me this opportunity and the doors that you opened for me.

Keep dropping those Cherry Bombs, and go H-Town sports! To Michael Haag, who is not only a great journalist but an even better friend, heres the baton, kid go kick butt.

Finally, thanks to all of yall for reading.

If all goes well, Ill be back in 15 years, maybe to buy the newspaper (Haha, I'm kidding.

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