Cleats by Bill Hinds for October 31, 2010

Twas a good comic while it lasted. Guess the world did end when Abby knocked that ball away from Jack though.

I enjoyed this strip, sorry that it is over.

It was fun while it lasted. It’s good to see that Gabby got her hair back.

OMG!!! it’s to tragic to see one of the best comics for kids & big kids come to an end. One of my most favorites goes to that cementary that Lio likes to visit. ( hee hee) Thanks for all the fun Bill n “kids” !! ; }

bleeep, strips I like keep ending!

I had no idea Bill was ending the strip! When I saw today’s strip I thought “no way!” and googled it. I really am going to miss those kids, this was one of my favorites.

@Bill: Having Abby cut her hair was a fabulous shout out to the plight of pediatric cancer (43 American kids are diagnosed EVERY bleeep day!) but giving it back to her for this special occasion means a lot…thanks. Good luck in whatever you’ve got going on next.

Oh? What beavers build is not allowed on this site? I put that word in my previous post and it popped up as “bleep”. Maybe I’m jaded, but to me, what beavers build is pretty benign.

Bill, thank you for a strip that has brought a lot of joy.

I will miss this strip but am glad that there are 9 years of it to catch up on - I only started reading 1 1/2 years ago.

I also applaud giving ghost Abby her long hair again for cartoon eternity. It seems so fitting.

Thank you Bill. Good luck on your other projects.

Thanks, Bill. Maybe Walt Wallet will look in on them from time to time.

I agree that this was a good strip and will also miss it.

Thanks for the strip, Bill.

Sorry to see this go, it was a good one!

Well, I have Bill Hind’s other sports-themed strip to fall back starting tomorrow. That until I can find a another kid related-sports comic that’s back-to-back with Ronaldinho Gaucho.

I only found out about the ending today, The good die young. Bill is right about niche strips and how bland the strips are that try to appeal to everyone.

WAAAAHHHH!!!!

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

I can’t stand that Ronaldo Gauchino or whatever it’s called, but I read this one every day. Don’t miss Cathy in the least, but I’ll miss this one. Good luck Bill, guess I’ll go read Tank.

So long Cleats. Thanks for a good run, Bill.

Nick

No, I missed that, Bill. Very good! An ink pot at the top, and four empty panels with empty word balloons at the bottom.

Thanks for 9 years of fun Bill. I will miss it. Good luck in your future projects.

Marco…Polo

Been fantastic run…I’ll miss Cleats! Thanks Bill for the laughs.

fun comic, sorry to see it go

This is like Opus all over again Thanks Bill for 9 years of this great comic that will hopfully live on in one form or another.

Bill, this was a very sad but beautiful way to end the strip. I’ve followed it for all the 9 years and will miss it quite a bit. It alway seems that the clean, family-oriented strips go and only the bland and predictable remain.

If it’s any consolation to you, your characters will join the other ‘greats’ in our collective memory. Bloom County, Smokey Stover, Calvin & Hobbes, and Cleats.

Bless you and may good fortune follow your footsteps…

Nuts! We don’t realize how much we enjoy something until we suddenly lose it. Shoulda figured something was up when Chester suddenly appeared thin. Saw the balloons in the gate - thought they were ghosts.

And I just re-upped my Go Comics subscription. Wonder if they’ll give me a refund if I cancel now…

I did not realize until just moments ago that Cleats was ending. Please don’t end it! It is funny and insightful. I’m a soccer dad, and my entire family has enjoyed this strip. I have saved many of the comic strips and shared them with others. I feel I am losing a friend. Please don’t end it. Please!

GAH! You killed Cleats. WAH! WAH!

I don’t even like sports, and I read Cleats. What does that say?

I’m sorry to see this end. It was nice, the kids were nice and there were some very funny moments just like real life. I’ll miss it.

Nice touch on the gate there Bill. I don’t follow soccer, but the strip was good. You’ll do well whatever you do. I went back to say good bye to Marco Polo…

Here’s a suggestion for you fellas’

Starting Monday I will be turning in, not the spammers, but the website business site that they are providing the link for to our state’s attorney-general. He loves to prosecute spamming website owners.

Do the same for your state’s attorney-general; since go-comics doesn’t wish to help, then we can simply have the spammers owners fined out of existence. Nothing encourages them to “move on” like tens of thousands of dollars in fines.

Also, just the fact that Go-Comics will have government officials monitoring this site and asking questions may help to encourage them to stop the spammers instead of giving them shelter.

ThanksBill for the years of laughs. As a family that both played and referreed, you certainly got it right!

Loved these kids. Good luck in your future endeavors

@Bill Hinds,

Thanks for a good, long run on “Cleats”.

Nine years is far more than the world had the right to expect from you.

I see comments from many comics authors, and to a person they tell how soul destroying it is to produce a labor intensive cartoon strip a day, day after day with no hope of a break.

You did well, and entertained tens of thousands of us.

xanthian.

AND I enjoyed Second Chances - So at one time Bill was doing THREE daily strips! Incredible! Best of luck, Bill. As the comments above indicate, it was a great strip for kids the age of the kids in the strip or a bit younger, and there aren’t a lot of those out there.

Thanks, Bill!

Bill, I will miss this great ‘toon. Will have to change my Houston Chronicle favorites - will be hard to find a replacement.

Great Luck for the future.

Pearland Peach

Bill, sad to see the strip end. Took me 3 days to realize it was for real. The soccer community will miss your contribution. Thanks and good luck!

Hi Bill Have been trying to get your email again as I had some more ideas Had no clue you were ending the strip Will REALLY miss it, especially since a auto accident stopped my refereeing Will not be the same without your kids Good luck in whatever you do and thanks for you using my ideas WS mull PS My idea was a female ref- my niece is one in Rhode Island

‘Cleats’ was one of the very few strips I read each day and caught up on after the weekends; a part of my morning routine. Was disappointed when it stopped being carried in the Chron but adjusted to seeing it in YahooComix. Can’t believe its over. As a ‘Cuda parent, its been easy to relate to the events and storylines. Will miss it terribly, Bill, but best wishes in all of your future endeavors. Thanks for the introspection and chuckles!

Unfortunately, it looks like GoComics are not going to go to display reruns of Cleats. Too bad.

Rerunning the comic is not really needed. Just click the double back arrow and it will take you to the first one in the strip.

It really stinks when you find a really good comic to read each day. A comic that really gets you into something. Reading through 98% of the strip I can say that this was the most down to earth comic I have ever read and the only one that I went to read almost each produced strip of. But it has given me the inspiration to do a story; “creative writing” is a hobby of mine; using these characters. I hope thats ok Bill.

This comic got me interested enough in soccer to buy a ball and get to kicking it around. I look forward to spring and being able to set up a net and practice with that. Thanks for the fun comic. I’ll miss Mondo and Abby the most.

i wasn’t able to see this on the day and could not get into it from gocomics (which is where i was reading it) on Wednesday. had to google it and get a link that way, but i had to drop in one more time to say goodbye to Bill and his “kids.” i’ll miss this strip, and there aren’t many i can say that about.

OMG. It just now sunk in that this strip was ending. I will miss reading it every day.

The characters were great and hit way too close to home. As a retired soccer referee and a soccer coach I can’t tell you how many strips I printed and saved…

Thanks Bill for the time we had. I read Tank too but it just isn’t the same. I look foward to your next comic adventure.

Take care.

We’re going to miss you, Bill! Like several others, I didn’t realize the strip was truly ending until I went to look at the strip on Monday. I miss my Cleats. Do you have any plans for putting out more books?

I always enjoyed it, especially because my name is Edith :) I identified with Edith quite often! Will miss everyone on the strip, but especially her!

I also just discovered this great strip, and just got hooked on it, only about a week or so before it’s end! I couldn’t believe it. I may hold the record for the shortest-term fan!

I’ve been pouring over the archives since it’s beginning. I haven’t laughed so hard at a comic strip in a long time. And I’m not really into sports. That’s one of the great things about CLEATS, you don’t have to be. Just a kid at heart, which CLEATS helped remind me that I still am. It brought back memories when I had a powerful crush on a girl when I was Mondo’s age, and my reactions around her were just like his.

Bill, you’re enormously talented and I know you’ll do well with your future endeavours.

One question, does anyone know why most of the strip between Jan and Nov of 2001 is missing?

I had this strip Emailed to me every day, and decided to check today to see why it stopped coming!

I enjoyed every one and I’ll miss it tons. While I enjoyed the soccer stuff, my kids are swimmers, and you really hit home with the Summer Swim League stuff and most of them made our team’s bulletin board.

I’ll really miss the kids, you have a great feel for the whole kids sports scene, no matter which sport you chose to write about! Good luck in the future!

And I certainly won’t miss the sparkling wit of Roto13, the self-appointed critic of comic strip art. What a big fat creepy downer.

The Dawgs and Panthers will play again someday I’m sure! The stories you wrote had to be from experience because I’ve been working with a youth league the last 14 years. Goodbye for now!

Why? This was a wonderful comic. I miss it.

I have fallen behind on too many things, so I only discover the ending of Cleats in June.Sorry to see it go. I’ve played about an hours worth of soccer in my whole life. I’ve spent many, many times that enjoyably reading the adventures of soccer players, coaches and families. I will miss the new adventures.I will revisit the old adventures. Thanks for a wonderful ride.The comic strip graveyard is a wonderful touch. Sad, but great.Thank you very much, Bill. You have brought great joy.

Late to the party, as usual. I’m not even really in to soccer, but this strip was great! Congratulations on it, Bill; sorry that it ended.

Bill, if you get this message, you should know, I’ve been binge-reading this strip, and I think it’s great!!

It has aged quite well, into a time we’re all nostalgic for now…