SBNation.com launching regional hubs

A couple days ago, Ninjames posted a link to a New York Times article discussing SB Nation's expansion beyond just individual team blogs. For those who missed it, after many requests, SB Nation has begun developing regional hubs for major markets around the country. The network is launching 20 hubs over the course of three weeks, culminating in the launch of SB Nation Bay Area on July 1. Thus far, the network has launched regional hubs for Washington, DC, Boston, New York, Detroit, and Arizona. I've posted the full launch schedule for the other regionals after the jump.

I mention this in part because I know everybody here has a passion for a variety of sports teams beyond just the 49ers. For those of you that are SoCal based and love your Angels and Lakers (we'll forgive you on both accounts, maybe), SB Nation LA will be launching June 29. Or, maybe you're living in Philadelphia and prefer the 76ers, Flyers and Phillies, we've got SB Nation Philadelphia launching June 22. Whatever, the case, there will be regional hubs for various major markets, with more to come in the future. The team sites will remain the bread and butter of SB Nation, and where you'll go for the in-depth detail you love. However, the regional sites will provide a variety of other angles on your favorite teams, in conjunction with the individual team sites. Why go to ESPN-Boston, when you can go to SB Nation Boston?

I also am mentioning this because I'll be prominently involved with the Bay Area site. Additionally, Ninjames will be providing a lot of assistance over there, particularly for the first month when I start to get a bit more bogged down in bar review. We'll have a whole team of writers from the various Bay Area SB Nation team sites, which should make for some excellent coverage of the region.

More importantly, I promise it won't hurt the coverage you see here at Niners Nation. Once I finish the bar exam, my days and nights are pretty wide open for at least a few months, if not longer, and so I'll be devoting a lot more time to NN. I've been doing a lot for the site over the years, but I'll actually have even more time for it after the bar exam, which has me pretty excited.

For our Bay Area readers, we're also actually going to have a fan meet-up in San Francisco, on approximately July 1. It's in conjunction with the launch, but really it's more than just some kind of "launch party." It's a chance for Bay Area sports fans to get together (most likely at 21st Amendment, but the details are being worked out) and enjoy an evening talking sports. The A's and Giants will both be playing road games that afternoon/evening so we'll be able to watch both games and generally have a good time with some Happy Hour specials. We'll have more details on that in a week or two.

• June 6: Chicago
• June 6: Boston
• June 6: DC
• June 6: Detroit
• June 6: Arizona
• June 6: New York
• June 10: Houston
• June 10: Dallas - Ft. Worth
• June 14: Kansas City
• June 15: St. Louis
• June 16: Minnesota
• June 17: Cleveland
• June 21: Pittsburgh
• June 22: Philly
• June 23: Tampa Bay
• June 24: Atlanta
• June 28: Denver
• June 29: Los Angeles
• June 30: Seattle
• July 1: Bay Area