Happy 6th Birthday, Hustle Belt!

You know that feeling when you've woken up and you feel as if something momentous is about to happen? Well, today is that day for us as a blog.

We're six years old and big enough to tie our shoelaces, thank you very much Maaaaaaaaahm.

We also expect an ice cream cake with tons of sprinkles in the shape of Rufus the Bobcat beating up Brutus Buckeye, a "Get Some #MACtion!" t-shirt and tickets to the MAC non-conference opener between Central Michigan and Presbyterian because dangit, we can't wait for football to start. (That and we heard Dog Central was pretty good.)

In today's world of viral trends and social network after social network becoming "The Next Big Thing" and dying off a month later, it is a testament to our strength and steadiness that we have made it to six years as a blog covering the Mid-American Conference.

We don't have a single member of that initial staff on board anymore, but our staff of 23 writers and editors have kept the proud tradition of Hustle Belt going. (Aside: thanks, Bryan M. Vance for taking a chance on me. I'm very grateful for what you've done for me.)

Our sixth birthday is also a testament to you, our readers, for being willing to stick around and allowing us to find our voice as a blog and interacting with us on a daily basis. We are immensely proud to represent your interests and humbly move forward with providing the best coverage that we can of football, basketball and other sports.

We will be returning some old favorites this season, including MAC Pick 'Em and the Hustle Belt Fantasy League for you to follow, and have introduced new segments in recent months, including Tuesday Night Lights and Football Sundays that we hope you will fall in love with.

We are also planning on utilizing new social media technology for the first time this season to cover the #MACtion in new and exciting ways, including a post-gameday breakdown on Facebook Live as the sporting seasons progress.

Of course, we will continue to provide the best coverage that we can in all MAC-related sports and interact with you on gamedays on open chats, as per our tradition.

If you want to be part of that experience and work with our crafty group of fellow #MACtion-lovers, be sure to apply here at this handy link and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

2016 is the year of strange possibilities and we look forward to covering what may come down the pipeline for many more years to come.

Strap on your (Hustle) Belt and enjoy the ride. And bring some cake, please. We're hungry.