When he departed his post as a thrice-weekly columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle last fall, it wasn't clear if Nevius was planning for a semi-retirement, perhaps kicking back to write a memoir or some similar activity. But now the bane of SF progressives and homeless advocates has turned up with a new gig with fewer political duties, as a weekly sports columnist for the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat.

That may seem to be an odd move if you didn't know that Nevius was, in fact, a sports writer years back before he started doing movie reviews and then got his popular column in the Chron. He explains all that in his very first column for the Press-Democrat, noting with an old-timers' swagger, "I covered the Giants when there were ashtrays in the lockers. I was there when Barry Bonds was still surly and contentious, not smiling and charming like now. And when Mike Krukow was not only pitching, he was an imposing figure."

He also describes the great fun he had covering the Olympics over several decades, and getting flown around the world to do so, and the miserable slog that covering the Super Bowl became.

But, he says, after 20 years off the sports beat, he was able to return to being a fan again, and he's excited to write about the Giants and the Warriors and the Niners once again.

I groaned when Steph Curry missed a 3 and jumped off the couch when Buster Posey went deep.

It made me realize what an avid sports guy I am. Just ask me about Colin Kaepernick — but only if you’ve got a good 30 minutes.

So, when The Press Democrat asked me if I’d be interested in a once-a-week sports column, it made perfect sense.

So I’m back. I’m fired up.

And I’m sure you’ll let me know if I start to sound entitled or jaded.

You can now do just that via his new email, [email protected], or tweet at him via his still functioning Twitter account, where he's been offering armchair praise and critiques to some of the Chronicle's newer columnists like food guy Chris Ying.

Previously: Veteran Fist-Shaking Chronicle Columnist CW Nevius Announces He's Leaving The Paper After 36 Years