There are two fairly provocative memes floating around in the last 24 hours, which I awkwardly mashed together as the lead of today's Sporting News column:
Should the Heat trade Dwyane Wade to the Bulls? (My opinion, essentially: Why not?)
Should the Red Sox sign Barry Bonds? (My opinion, essentially: Why not?)
Alone, they are merely fantastic topics of discussion/argument. Together, they spice up an otherwise fairly quiet mid-week lull as we are bombarded with memories of the NBA in the 80s.
More from the column: Joba sucks, Pedro rules, Josh Hamilton rules, Joe Saunders rules, the Cubs rule, Chipper Jones rules. There's a lot more, as usual.
Including: Jamie Mottram and Dan Steinberg finally posted the video of Erin Andrews coming on their locally produced Blog Show. (Two words: So jealous.)
I know EA is the biggest star among proprietors and readers of the sports-blog world, but I would argue that ESPN doesn't have a more valuable talent. She should have a much bigger stage than mere sideline reporter for ESPN's biggest events (MLB, CFB, CBB, B-E-E...hey, why not MNF?) Prediction: She'll have her own full-time show within a year from now.
It's a getaway day for me (a day ahead of MLB), so I'd like to post more later, but we'll see. Surprising: No reaction to my prediction yesterday afternoon that Google will epically disrupt the online sports landscape for fans and media players alike?
-- D.S.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Google Sports Will Rule Online Sports
For those of us who eat, sleep and breathe the online sports business, this is worth filing away.
This goes beyond the "commodity" content like scores, stats and recaps (which drive a you-have-no-idea-how-much proportion of the page views on the major sports sites), presented in that post above.
What "commodity" content quickly turns into is...fantasy sports applications, the motherlode of sports traffic online.
If/when Google gets into fantasy sports -- something entirely data-driven the Google could do very well -- the game will be over for everyone else.
(When my Gmail email app and my Gtalk IM app and my Google Alerts and my Google Docs and my Google News updates are all working seamlessly in a fantasy app, that's It.)
There are too many page views and too much ad revenue in fantasy sports for Google not to see this as an incredibly intriguing application extension.
(How convenient that the Supreme Court just agreed that fantasy stats should be universally accessible to anyone, even without a license from the leagues. That's a bulls-eye for Google.)
-- D.S.
This goes beyond the "commodity" content like scores, stats and recaps (which drive a you-have-no-idea-how-much proportion of the page views on the major sports sites), presented in that post above.
What "commodity" content quickly turns into is...fantasy sports applications, the motherlode of sports traffic online.
If/when Google gets into fantasy sports -- something entirely data-driven the Google could do very well -- the game will be over for everyone else.
(When my Gmail email app and my Gtalk IM app and my Google Alerts and my Google Docs and my Google News updates are all working seamlessly in a fantasy app, that's It.)
There are too many page views and too much ad revenue in fantasy sports for Google not to see this as an incredibly intriguing application extension.
(How convenient that the Supreme Court just agreed that fantasy stats should be universally accessible to anyone, even without a license from the leagues. That's a bulls-eye for Google.)
-- D.S.
Tuesday 06/03 A.M. Quickie:
Pens, NBA Finals, Utley, Zambrano, More
I haven't watched much of the NHL playoffs, but I happened to watch the 3rd period last night -- who wants to miss a championship moment?
Apparently, we all do: The series goes on. What a goal at the end of regulation. I couldn't stay up for all 3 OTs, but Fleury's 55 saves told the story well enough.
When it comes to championship games, it's all about expectations, as I write in today's Sporting News column: Some teams are "Title or Bust"; some are "Happy to Be Here."
In fact, I would argue that in every championship pairing, you can divide the participants into one of those two categories.
The Penguins defied the latter, even if they aren't quite the former yet. But I think their fans have to be happy that if indeed the team is going down, they're going down swinging.
Expectations are my big factor in the NBA Finals, too: You Celtics fans can correct me (as you always do), but it seems that with this team, anything less than a championship is a failure, even if the mere turnaround from last season would argue otherwise. But would you really be satisfied simply winning the East? I can't believe you would.
"Title or Bust" wasn't always that way with the Lakers this season (say, back in October), but it sure as hell is now. Lakers fans have to be expecting a title here, too.
So someone will walk away bitterly disappointed. Which should make the rest of us happy.
Meanwhile: Utley. Good goshamighty: Utley.
And I have decided that Josh Hamilton needs a nickname, preferably something that slyly refers to his sketchy past with drug addiction -- but in a classy way, please. (Like, for example, "Snorts" would probably not be classy. Accurate, but not classy.) Nominations in the Comments.
While I don't regret giving Brandon Webb my "Through Two Months" NL Cy Young Award, Carlos Zambrano is making a serious case to win the "Through Three Months" Edition. That would be his 8th win, complete with a stand-up triple (and 3 hits total).
I really really really don't care about either Pac-Man Jones or T.O., yet they keep showing up in the news.
For a lot more, see today's column, near the bottom, for a link to that cool Google Maps app that lets you see all the different football stadiums rendered in 3D.
More later.
Oh, and if you fancy yourself a writer, you might want to consider entering this contest, in which I am giving away $5,000 for a 500-word piece of content on the topic of your choice.
(Well, not me: My company. But as I am czar of the contest, it is my job to promote participation -- and I like saying that I am giving away $5,000. But you gotta earn it. For $5K, I figure even Buzz Bissinger might enter.)
-- D.S.
Apparently, we all do: The series goes on. What a goal at the end of regulation. I couldn't stay up for all 3 OTs, but Fleury's 55 saves told the story well enough.
When it comes to championship games, it's all about expectations, as I write in today's Sporting News column: Some teams are "Title or Bust"; some are "Happy to Be Here."
In fact, I would argue that in every championship pairing, you can divide the participants into one of those two categories.
The Penguins defied the latter, even if they aren't quite the former yet. But I think their fans have to be happy that if indeed the team is going down, they're going down swinging.
Expectations are my big factor in the NBA Finals, too: You Celtics fans can correct me (as you always do), but it seems that with this team, anything less than a championship is a failure, even if the mere turnaround from last season would argue otherwise. But would you really be satisfied simply winning the East? I can't believe you would.
"Title or Bust" wasn't always that way with the Lakers this season (say, back in October), but it sure as hell is now. Lakers fans have to be expecting a title here, too.
So someone will walk away bitterly disappointed. Which should make the rest of us happy.
Meanwhile: Utley. Good goshamighty: Utley.
And I have decided that Josh Hamilton needs a nickname, preferably something that slyly refers to his sketchy past with drug addiction -- but in a classy way, please. (Like, for example, "Snorts" would probably not be classy. Accurate, but not classy.) Nominations in the Comments.
While I don't regret giving Brandon Webb my "Through Two Months" NL Cy Young Award, Carlos Zambrano is making a serious case to win the "Through Three Months" Edition. That would be his 8th win, complete with a stand-up triple (and 3 hits total).
I really really really don't care about either Pac-Man Jones or T.O., yet they keep showing up in the news.
For a lot more, see today's column, near the bottom, for a link to that cool Google Maps app that lets you see all the different football stadiums rendered in 3D.
More later.
Oh, and if you fancy yourself a writer, you might want to consider entering this contest, in which I am giving away $5,000 for a 500-word piece of content on the topic of your choice.
(Well, not me: My company. But as I am czar of the contest, it is my job to promote participation -- and I like saying that I am giving away $5,000. But you gotta earn it. For $5K, I figure even Buzz Bissinger might enter.)
-- D.S.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Bo Diddly: Star of Greatest Sports Ad Ever?
Bo Diddly has a special place with sports fans: As the soundtrack to the "Bo Knows" Nike ad, which is arguably the greatest sports ad in history.
Here is the link.
Check the cameos by: Kirk Gibson! Jim Everett!(?!) Michael Jordan! John McEnroe! Wayne Gretzky! Assorted homoerotically charged Venice Beach weightlifters!
As we remember the musician Bo Diddly, it's just one more reminder that Bo Jackson was probably the most unique and well-rounded athlete in modern sports history.
-- D.S.
Here is the link.
Check the cameos by: Kirk Gibson! Jim Everett!(?!) Michael Jordan! John McEnroe! Wayne Gretzky! Assorted homoerotically charged Venice Beach weightlifters!
As we remember the musician Bo Diddly, it's just one more reminder that Bo Jackson was probably the most unique and well-rounded athlete in modern sports history.
-- D.S.
Monday 06/02 A.M. Quickie:
Celtics, Lakers, Manny, Jay Bruce, More
The Celtics-Lakers "It's-1987-All-Over-Again" NBA Finals pairing IS a best-case scenario for the league -- but it isn't without its risk factors, including its (over-) reliance on nostalgia.
The NBA: "Where 1987 Happens." (Ooh: Let me alert the fans pushing 40 and beyond.)
That's the lead of today's Sporting News column, which includes a big fat wet kiss to the Celtics and their fans for the way the C's closed out the Pistons last week.
Other than that, it was a big weekend in MLB: Manny went 501 after going 500, Junior didn't go 600, Hamilton and Utley kept hammering away, Brandon Webb got back on track (and Scott Kazmir showed why he is probably the best pitcher in the AL right now). And Jay Bruce has to have had the best first week of any player any of us can remember.
The Cubs have won 7 straight and the Rays just took 3 of 4 from the White Sox in a battle of division-leaders. Is it wrong to openly root for a Cubs-Rays World Series? Don't think so.
There's a ton more in the column today; you can check it out here (coming by/around 9 a.m.).
More later.
-- D.S.
The NBA: "Where 1987 Happens." (Ooh: Let me alert the fans pushing 40 and beyond.)
That's the lead of today's Sporting News column, which includes a big fat wet kiss to the Celtics and their fans for the way the C's closed out the Pistons last week.
Other than that, it was a big weekend in MLB: Manny went 501 after going 500, Junior didn't go 600, Hamilton and Utley kept hammering away, Brandon Webb got back on track (and Scott Kazmir showed why he is probably the best pitcher in the AL right now). And Jay Bruce has to have had the best first week of any player any of us can remember.
The Cubs have won 7 straight and the Rays just took 3 of 4 from the White Sox in a battle of division-leaders. Is it wrong to openly root for a Cubs-Rays World Series? Don't think so.
There's a ton more in the column today; you can check it out here (coming by/around 9 a.m.).
More later.
-- D.S.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Sunday 06/01 (Very) Quickie
Usain Bolt runs a world record 9.71 100, making him the Fastest Man Alive. He also affirms his place as having the best name in sports...
Manny Ramirez joins 500 HR Club: One more milestone in the career of arguably the greatest hitter of our generation, joining 23 other sluggers...
Meanwhile, Griffey hits No. 599 -- obviously the 600 Club is even more exclusive than 500...
MLB: Brandon Webb gets off the mini-schneid, wins 10th in a shut-out over the Nats... Scott Kazmir wins 5th straight start (as of June 1, the best SP in the AL?)... Cubs win 6th straight behind Soriano's HR and 3 RBI... Unstoppable: Josh Hamilton (HR No. 14) and Chase Utley (HR No. 19) and Jay Bruce (HR No. 1)...
Wings win in Pittsburgh, up 3-1 in series: It's all but over.
Kimbo Slice wins in TKO in MMA's broadcast network debut, but it wasn't dominant by any means...
Want to understand why China will dominate its own Olympics in two months? Check out this story.
-- D.S.
Manny Ramirez joins 500 HR Club: One more milestone in the career of arguably the greatest hitter of our generation, joining 23 other sluggers...
Meanwhile, Griffey hits No. 599 -- obviously the 600 Club is even more exclusive than 500...
MLB: Brandon Webb gets off the mini-schneid, wins 10th in a shut-out over the Nats... Scott Kazmir wins 5th straight start (as of June 1, the best SP in the AL?)... Cubs win 6th straight behind Soriano's HR and 3 RBI... Unstoppable: Josh Hamilton (HR No. 14) and Chase Utley (HR No. 19) and Jay Bruce (HR No. 1)...
Wings win in Pittsburgh, up 3-1 in series: It's all but over.
Kimbo Slice wins in TKO in MMA's broadcast network debut, but it wasn't dominant by any means...
Want to understand why China will dominate its own Olympics in two months? Check out this story.
-- D.S.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Celtics Win East: Damn Impressively, Too
Tell you what: They earned it. Two wins on the road in Detroit, including the close-out game. Pretty damn impressive.
Of course, this now sets up the NBA's dream scenario: Lakers-Celtics for the NBA title. Beyond the "nostalgia factor,"* these were the two best teams of the season, featuring the two most dynamic personalities in the sport -- Kobe and KG.
Here's the reality: If the NBA can't get ratings for this, the league truly is in deep shit.
-- D.S.
(* - Let's set aside how fundamentally sketchy it is that the league has to rely on 20-year-old nostalgia to generate enthusiasm for its championship series.)
More, though Unrelated: Congrats to Sameer Mishra on winning the Spelling Bee. He had the best moment of the entire Bee when, last night, he was given a word that everyone -- including him -- thought was "numbnut." He rallied past it with earnest humor and instantly became a rooting interest. That, and he looked so overwhelmed being interviewed by "sideline reporter" Erin Andrews.
MLB: Cliff Floyd has a walk-off... Jay Bruce has 4 hits (and he scored the game-winning run in the 11th)... Joba going to start Tuesday...
More later.
-- D.S.
Of course, this now sets up the NBA's dream scenario: Lakers-Celtics for the NBA title. Beyond the "nostalgia factor,"* these were the two best teams of the season, featuring the two most dynamic personalities in the sport -- Kobe and KG.
Here's the reality: If the NBA can't get ratings for this, the league truly is in deep shit.
-- D.S.
(* - Let's set aside how fundamentally sketchy it is that the league has to rely on 20-year-old nostalgia to generate enthusiasm for its championship series.)
More, though Unrelated: Congrats to Sameer Mishra on winning the Spelling Bee. He had the best moment of the entire Bee when, last night, he was given a word that everyone -- including him -- thought was "numbnut." He rallied past it with earnest humor and instantly became a rooting interest. That, and he looked so overwhelmed being interviewed by "sideline reporter" Erin Andrews.
MLB: Cliff Floyd has a walk-off... Jay Bruce has 4 hits (and he scored the game-winning run in the 11th)... Joba going to start Tuesday...
More later.
-- D.S.
Nate Silver Is a Politics Blogger
Nate Silver of Baseball Prospectus is one of my favorite analyst-slash-entrepreneurs in all of online sports. Now it turns out that he has been anonymously running a politics blog on the side all along. As a politics AND sports junkie, too, I find this quite an amazing development. -- D.S.
More on MMA's CBS Debut
EliteXC isn't in the best financial shape. They are really relying on Kimbo Slice's star power to drive interest in the sport (but, presumably they hope, the league itself -- it does EliteXC no good if fans realize that UFC is arguably a better product). Here's the dilemma, and Dan Wetzel covered this in his column yesterday, but I wanted to put another spin on it: EliteXC has a vested interest in Kimbo Slice winning. They can either pit him against a tomato can -- hardly the stuff of stirring TV or driving loyalty from new fans -- or they need to rig the result. (You could argue that putting Slice against a dud effectively rigs the result anyway.) Neither is a good option. I remain bullish on MMA, by the way.
Want a primer on MMA? MDS does the hard work. Now it's just on you to take the 3 minutes to read it and sound infinitely smarter for doing so.
Want a primer on MMA? MDS does the hard work. Now it's just on you to take the 3 minutes to read it and sound infinitely smarter for doing so.
DanShanoff.com Is Worth $1.3 Million
So I was sent this blog post yesterday morning when it first came out, and I thought a few things to myself:
(1) If you want to attract attention to your blog, this is a good way to do it.
(2) HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Seriously, this was the most ludicrous thing I have ever seen in sports bloggery. Ever.
Start with DS.com being worth $1.3 million. I certainly would like to think so. And anyone who is interested in buying it for that much can feel free to contact me. But...come ON.
Then there are a few simple reality-checks: With Leather worth a measly $80K? EDSBS worth $30K? If that was the case, I would hope that any/ever mainstream sports site out there would be beating on Orson's door to acquire EDSBS, even at a 5X multiple of that particular valuation. Also, a site like SMQ (No. 14, directly behind DS.com) is already "owned" by a network (SB Nation), as is Deadspin and With Leather. How is that different from Fanhouse being owned by AOL? For some reason, TrueHoop was on the list (vastly undervalued, probably because its numbers didn't reflect the post-ESPN integration, which make it ineligible for the list anyway).
Here's a nice way to develop a real valuation, and it doesn't take a Harvard MBA to figure it out: If a blog is earning substantial monthly revenues ALREADY, it is worth a lot...and a lot more than those that aren't. And both those blogs are. (And, btw: I would say that Nick Denton would argue that Deadspin is worth a hell of a lot more than $16M.) There ain't many out there, and THAT is the good list you want to be on.
There is one potential ramification of the list: It was a nice little bit of rudimentary due diligence -- directionally ONLY -- about the most valuable sports blogs.
Any company (perhaps an ad network looking to increase its reach, its traffic and -- most importantly -- its "owned traffic") that wanted to own sports could bundle up all of those sites with sweet deals (and it wouldn't cost you $1.3M for blogs ranked at or near No. 13, I can tell you that much) and basically own the space.
What we really need -- here's a project for you, Jason Gurney -- is someone who can aggregate all of the monthly page views and unique visits totals of all those blogs and actually calculate the type of reach that the Top 100 sports blogs have every month, as compared to -- say -- newspapers or magazines or even mainstream sports sites.
(When you're doing that calc, Jason, don't forget to discount the page views and uniques of mainstream sports sites, the majority of whose content page views come from "commodity" content like AP stories, scoreboards, box scores, recaps and fantasy-team maintenance.)
Anyway, like I said: Anyone who wants to buy this blog for $1.3 million is welcome to it.
-- D.S.
(1) If you want to attract attention to your blog, this is a good way to do it.
(2) HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Seriously, this was the most ludicrous thing I have ever seen in sports bloggery. Ever.
Start with DS.com being worth $1.3 million. I certainly would like to think so. And anyone who is interested in buying it for that much can feel free to contact me. But...come ON.
Then there are a few simple reality-checks: With Leather worth a measly $80K? EDSBS worth $30K? If that was the case, I would hope that any/ever mainstream sports site out there would be beating on Orson's door to acquire EDSBS, even at a 5X multiple of that particular valuation. Also, a site like SMQ (No. 14, directly behind DS.com) is already "owned" by a network (SB Nation), as is Deadspin and With Leather. How is that different from Fanhouse being owned by AOL? For some reason, TrueHoop was on the list (vastly undervalued, probably because its numbers didn't reflect the post-ESPN integration, which make it ineligible for the list anyway).
Here's a nice way to develop a real valuation, and it doesn't take a Harvard MBA to figure it out: If a blog is earning substantial monthly revenues ALREADY, it is worth a lot...and a lot more than those that aren't. And both those blogs are. (And, btw: I would say that Nick Denton would argue that Deadspin is worth a hell of a lot more than $16M.) There ain't many out there, and THAT is the good list you want to be on.
There is one potential ramification of the list: It was a nice little bit of rudimentary due diligence -- directionally ONLY -- about the most valuable sports blogs.
Any company (perhaps an ad network looking to increase its reach, its traffic and -- most importantly -- its "owned traffic") that wanted to own sports could bundle up all of those sites with sweet deals (and it wouldn't cost you $1.3M for blogs ranked at or near No. 13, I can tell you that much) and basically own the space.
What we really need -- here's a project for you, Jason Gurney -- is someone who can aggregate all of the monthly page views and unique visits totals of all those blogs and actually calculate the type of reach that the Top 100 sports blogs have every month, as compared to -- say -- newspapers or magazines or even mainstream sports sites.
(When you're doing that calc, Jason, don't forget to discount the page views and uniques of mainstream sports sites, the majority of whose content page views come from "commodity" content like AP stories, scoreboards, box scores, recaps and fantasy-team maintenance.)
Anyway, like I said: Anyone who wants to buy this blog for $1.3 million is welcome to it.
-- D.S.
Friday 05/30 A.M. Quickie:
Kobe, MMA, Unit, ChiSox, Collins, More
Who else thinks that dispatching the Spurs was the real test for the Lakers and that the match-up with the survivor in the East -- whether Boston or Detroit -- won't be nearly as tough?
I am no Lakers fan, but I can appreciate the way they ousted the defending champs in 5 games, how they have basically rolled through the playoffs and how Kobe can't be denied.
I stop the bitterness long enough to marvel at the Lakers in my Sporting News column today. (And if the Celtics beat the Pistons -- either tonight or in 7 -- all the folks who think I have an insurmountable anti-Boston bias will see that I can praise them, too.)
(Note my willingness to post comments from yesterday's post about the anti-Allen sentiment -- I respect that there is a different read on it, although some media reports I have seen have been different, particularly in earlier rounds when Allen was really struggling.)
(Let me say now that the Celtics and their fans put themselves in the tough spot: Winning the East isn't enough; it's NBA title or bust, and it has been that way since November. So excuse me if I don't applaud them as they move through the playoffs until they actually reach the one goal that was expected of them when they made the deal of the decade.)
Everyone agrees that winning the West means more than winning the East. I'm not saying that Kobe doesn't want a championship or Lakers fans don't want (or expect) a championship every bit as much as Celtics fans do. But consider the expectations for Lakers fans heading into the season: How about that Kobe would even be on the team in June, let alone leading them to the Finals as the dominant 1-seed in the West.)
Meanwhile, I really wanted to lead the column with MMA's broadcast network TV debut tomorrow night. It's a signature moment for the sport -- if no closer to unjumbling the increasing number of leagues trying to out-UFC the UFC. (It really reminded me of the WWF's broadcast network debut on NBC with "Saturday Night's Main Event" -- anyone else remember that first episode? I'm not saying that MMA is fixed like wrestling; but the similarities are there in terms of mainstream acceptance of a once-fringe entertainment property.)
It might be refreshing for those of you sick of me arguing that the NBA is following in the NHL's footsteps down a path as a "niche" sport to hear that I think that MMA has all the potential in the world to join the NFL, college football and baseball as a "big" sport. Then again, NASCAR thought it would be "big," and it remains merely the largest of the "niche" sports, too. Will casual fans or fans of "mainstream" sports pick up MMA? They have, increasingly, particularly among younger fans.
There's a ton more in the column today. Here's the link to check it out. Posting all weekend, as usual, hopefully with a bonus post or two today.
-- D.S.
I am no Lakers fan, but I can appreciate the way they ousted the defending champs in 5 games, how they have basically rolled through the playoffs and how Kobe can't be denied.
I stop the bitterness long enough to marvel at the Lakers in my Sporting News column today. (And if the Celtics beat the Pistons -- either tonight or in 7 -- all the folks who think I have an insurmountable anti-Boston bias will see that I can praise them, too.)
(Note my willingness to post comments from yesterday's post about the anti-Allen sentiment -- I respect that there is a different read on it, although some media reports I have seen have been different, particularly in earlier rounds when Allen was really struggling.)
(Let me say now that the Celtics and their fans put themselves in the tough spot: Winning the East isn't enough; it's NBA title or bust, and it has been that way since November. So excuse me if I don't applaud them as they move through the playoffs until they actually reach the one goal that was expected of them when they made the deal of the decade.)
Everyone agrees that winning the West means more than winning the East. I'm not saying that Kobe doesn't want a championship or Lakers fans don't want (or expect) a championship every bit as much as Celtics fans do. But consider the expectations for Lakers fans heading into the season: How about that Kobe would even be on the team in June, let alone leading them to the Finals as the dominant 1-seed in the West.)
Meanwhile, I really wanted to lead the column with MMA's broadcast network TV debut tomorrow night. It's a signature moment for the sport -- if no closer to unjumbling the increasing number of leagues trying to out-UFC the UFC. (It really reminded me of the WWF's broadcast network debut on NBC with "Saturday Night's Main Event" -- anyone else remember that first episode? I'm not saying that MMA is fixed like wrestling; but the similarities are there in terms of mainstream acceptance of a once-fringe entertainment property.)
It might be refreshing for those of you sick of me arguing that the NBA is following in the NHL's footsteps down a path as a "niche" sport to hear that I think that MMA has all the potential in the world to join the NFL, college football and baseball as a "big" sport. Then again, NASCAR thought it would be "big," and it remains merely the largest of the "niche" sports, too. Will casual fans or fans of "mainstream" sports pick up MMA? They have, increasingly, particularly among younger fans.
There's a ton more in the column today. Here's the link to check it out. Posting all weekend, as usual, hopefully with a bonus post or two today.
-- D.S.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Thursday 05/29 A.M. Quickie:
Bee, Ray Allen, Bedard, Crosby, More
I got a blissful reprieve from leading with the NBA conference finals this morning (although, to be fair, each morning those results ARE the biggest story in sports), because I wedged my obsession with the spelling bee at the top of my Sporting News column.
If you skip past that (and you can, if you followed yesterday's Bee mania here, below), you can see that I -- a world-class Instant Historian -- think Celtics fans are sort of lame for cheering Ray Allen after ripping him for most of the playoffs before last night's season-saving performance.
Meanwhile, the NBA agreed with me: The refs missed the Brent Barry call. I'm now torn whether they should have said anything. On the one hand, correcting the record is a good thing; on the other, all it does is add insult to the injury done to the Spurs. Again: The difference between 3-1 (with HCA) and 2-2 (even without HCA) is just about as wide a gap as there exists in the 7-game playoff format in pro sports.
MLB: Erik Bedard shows why he was worth the trade... Jay Bruce obsession continues... Matt Garza becomes the latest Ray bandwagon I will jump on... Carlos Quentin and Chase Utley cap solid months that will likely net them MVP awards for "After Two Months of the Season/If The Season Ended Today," likely coming tomorrow.
I appreciate the NBA's interest in cracking down on flopping, but I actually think there is some art to the method; I would be much more interested if the NBA cracked down on players (mostly superstars) who whine after not getting a call.
Here is the complete SN column from today.
More later. I just got the most interesting email with a link to a blog post that will likely have many folks who have sports blogs talking...
-- D.S.
If you skip past that (and you can, if you followed yesterday's Bee mania here, below), you can see that I -- a world-class Instant Historian -- think Celtics fans are sort of lame for cheering Ray Allen after ripping him for most of the playoffs before last night's season-saving performance.
Meanwhile, the NBA agreed with me: The refs missed the Brent Barry call. I'm now torn whether they should have said anything. On the one hand, correcting the record is a good thing; on the other, all it does is add insult to the injury done to the Spurs. Again: The difference between 3-1 (with HCA) and 2-2 (even without HCA) is just about as wide a gap as there exists in the 7-game playoff format in pro sports.
MLB: Erik Bedard shows why he was worth the trade... Jay Bruce obsession continues... Matt Garza becomes the latest Ray bandwagon I will jump on... Carlos Quentin and Chase Utley cap solid months that will likely net them MVP awards for "After Two Months of the Season/If The Season Ended Today," likely coming tomorrow.
I appreciate the NBA's interest in cracking down on flopping, but I actually think there is some art to the method; I would be much more interested if the NBA cracked down on players (mostly superstars) who whine after not getting a call.
Here is the complete SN column from today.
More later. I just got the most interesting email with a link to a blog post that will likely have many folks who have sports blogs talking...
-- D.S.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Spelling Bee Week: Sriram Hathwar Rules
It's here: The Bee. Tomorrow and Friday. Arguably the greatest novelty sports competition of the year.
As I will remind you endlessly between now and Friday, winning Page 2's "Fantasy Spelling Bee League" three years ago was my finest moment in fantasy sports. Probably forever.
Name to Know: Sriram Hathwar of Painted Post, NY, all of 8 years old and the youngest competitor in Bee history. He's in the SECOND GRADE.
I believe that the Hathwar Dynasty will ultimately make the "Samir Patel Dynasty" seem lightweight. Sriram's participation at this age is as if LeBron James joined the NBA... in junior high. (h/t: ALOTTFMA)
UPDATE: Adam from ALOTTFMA emailed me to correct me that there is no real "Patel Dynasty" -- he is the A-Rod of the Bee. And Adam is, of course, totally correct. I have a soft spot for Samir, because he was the foundation of my championship fantasy team. Like anyone who has won a fantasy league with A-Rod, you find it slightly harder to rip the guy.
Honestly: Sriram Hathwar -- the new hotness. Will be a national sensation by tomorrow night. (That said: The smart money is on Kavya Shivashankar, a three-year Bee vet.)
-- D.S.
As I will remind you endlessly between now and Friday, winning Page 2's "Fantasy Spelling Bee League" three years ago was my finest moment in fantasy sports. Probably forever.
Name to Know: Sriram Hathwar of Painted Post, NY, all of 8 years old and the youngest competitor in Bee history. He's in the SECOND GRADE.
I believe that the Hathwar Dynasty will ultimately make the "Samir Patel Dynasty" seem lightweight. Sriram's participation at this age is as if LeBron James joined the NBA... in junior high. (h/t: ALOTTFMA)
UPDATE: Adam from ALOTTFMA emailed me to correct me that there is no real "Patel Dynasty" -- he is the A-Rod of the Bee. And Adam is, of course, totally correct. I have a soft spot for Samir, because he was the foundation of my championship fantasy team. Like anyone who has won a fantasy league with A-Rod, you find it slightly harder to rip the guy.
Honestly: Sriram Hathwar -- the new hotness. Will be a national sensation by tomorrow night. (That said: The smart money is on Kavya Shivashankar, a three-year Bee vet.)
-- D.S.
Wednesday 05/28 A.M. Quickie:
Lakers, Bruce, Triples, Tiger, More
I'm with the rest of you that Joey Crawford blew that call last night. Here's the thing: Aside from what is sure to be a day's worth of scrutiny -- and recrimination -- the fact remains: Lakers up 3-1 with 2 of the final 3 to be played in L.A.
I'm usually not afraid to call a series prematurely, but even the biggest Spurs fan (or Lakers hater) has to be fairly certain that the odds are about as long as they could be for a Spurs comeback -- not the way that HCA has been working for the Lakers this postseason.
That's the lead of my Sporting News column today. See the post below for a link to what I think is the definitive take on the Crawford non-call -- by far the most controversial thing to happen in the playoffs so far, and probably the most controversial on-court moment in the NBA since the Spurs-Suns suspensions a year ago.
(But given the overall perception problems with the refs since the Donaghy scandal, anytime you can link a situation to Donaghy, it's not good for the league. Again: It's not about Crawford throwing the game, but it IS about terrible judgment by a ref that has massive impact.)
Consider that impact for a second: It basically seals the series for the Lakers, which seals the Western Conference title for the Lakers -- it guarantees at least half the Finals pairing will be super-duper-stardom, a best-case scenario for the NBA.
It also ousts the defending champs -- a virtual dynasty, though also a bane to the NBA's interests in finding the biggest TV audience possible.
And, of course, it calls into question the capabilities of refs in the NBA. It isn't a stretch to think that dozens of the best NBA refs were sitting at home, watching that game's ending and wincing -- perhaps even shouting out "No!" -- knowing the shitstorm coming their way as a group.
Anyway, that's where we stand.
Meanwhile, the Jay Bruce Era has begun and the hype is so for real. You will regret not picking him up for your fantasy team weeks ago and just storing him on the bench. I certainly do.
As of today, if you needed one NL pitcher for the rest of the season, would you take Tim Lincecum or Brandon Webb? I might go Lincecum.
Unassisted triple play > triple steal. Hands-down. Although to have one team do both within a week or so of each other isn't bad at all.
Those of you who read regularly know that I think Kevin Love is totally legit -- both as the best player in college hoops last season and as a pro prospect. You will hear no complaints from me that he is being thrown into the mix as the first player taken after the Rose-Beasley lock at 1-2.
Complete SN column here.
More later. (Couple new snall posts over at Varsity Dad, if you occasionally drop by that blog. Bunch of cool stuff lined up for it for June, btw.)
-- D.S.
I'm usually not afraid to call a series prematurely, but even the biggest Spurs fan (or Lakers hater) has to be fairly certain that the odds are about as long as they could be for a Spurs comeback -- not the way that HCA has been working for the Lakers this postseason.
That's the lead of my Sporting News column today. See the post below for a link to what I think is the definitive take on the Crawford non-call -- by far the most controversial thing to happen in the playoffs so far, and probably the most controversial on-court moment in the NBA since the Spurs-Suns suspensions a year ago.
(But given the overall perception problems with the refs since the Donaghy scandal, anytime you can link a situation to Donaghy, it's not good for the league. Again: It's not about Crawford throwing the game, but it IS about terrible judgment by a ref that has massive impact.)
Consider that impact for a second: It basically seals the series for the Lakers, which seals the Western Conference title for the Lakers -- it guarantees at least half the Finals pairing will be super-duper-stardom, a best-case scenario for the NBA.
It also ousts the defending champs -- a virtual dynasty, though also a bane to the NBA's interests in finding the biggest TV audience possible.
And, of course, it calls into question the capabilities of refs in the NBA. It isn't a stretch to think that dozens of the best NBA refs were sitting at home, watching that game's ending and wincing -- perhaps even shouting out "No!" -- knowing the shitstorm coming their way as a group.
Anyway, that's where we stand.
Meanwhile, the Jay Bruce Era has begun and the hype is so for real. You will regret not picking him up for your fantasy team weeks ago and just storing him on the bench. I certainly do.
As of today, if you needed one NL pitcher for the rest of the season, would you take Tim Lincecum or Brandon Webb? I might go Lincecum.
Unassisted triple play > triple steal. Hands-down. Although to have one team do both within a week or so of each other isn't bad at all.
Those of you who read regularly know that I think Kevin Love is totally legit -- both as the best player in college hoops last season and as a pro prospect. You will hear no complaints from me that he is being thrown into the mix as the first player taken after the Rose-Beasley lock at 1-2.
Complete SN column here.
More later. (Couple new snall posts over at Varsity Dad, if you occasionally drop by that blog. Bunch of cool stuff lined up for it for June, btw.)
-- D.S.
Yes, That Was a Foul
Leave it to Henry Abbott for the early and definitive word on last night's game-/series-/league-changing non-call by Joey Crawford on that Barry 3 over Fisher.
For those of us who think the NBA is ever-so-slightly rigged (but only when the possibility presents itself), this was "Exhibit A" fodder.
The NBA's original sin was having Joey Crawford ref this game, knowing his history with the Spurs. Even if Crawford's non-call was merely sketchy, the NBA's call to have him work the game was entirely intentional.
More later.
-- D.S.
For those of us who think the NBA is ever-so-slightly rigged (but only when the possibility presents itself), this was "Exhibit A" fodder.
The NBA's original sin was having Joey Crawford ref this game, knowing his history with the Spurs. Even if Crawford's non-call was merely sketchy, the NBA's call to have him work the game was entirely intentional.
More later.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Tuesday 05/27 A.M. Quickie:
McDyess, Kazmir, Bruce, Harkleroad, More
Today's Sporting News column is packed full of all sorts of good stuff:
The Celtics regressing to the mean...
Brandon Webb regressing to the mean...
Scott Kazmir and the Rays NOT regressing to the mean...
Jay Bruce making his MLB debut...
Chris Osgood blanking another Stanley Cup game...
Ashley Harkleroad not impressing me...
Indy Car racing showcasing a "Tiger" strategy...
And a lot more... after the jump.
More later. Again: Try to avoid moving, if you can.
-- D.S.
The Celtics regressing to the mean...
Brandon Webb regressing to the mean...
Scott Kazmir and the Rays NOT regressing to the mean...
Jay Bruce making his MLB debut...
Chris Osgood blanking another Stanley Cup game...
Ashley Harkleroad not impressing me...
Indy Car racing showcasing a "Tiger" strategy...
And a lot more... after the jump.
More later. Again: Try to avoid moving, if you can.
-- D.S.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Monday 05/26 (Very) Quickie
NBA West finals hold to form: Spurs return to San Antonio and win, this time behind Manu's 30 (which offset Kobe's own 30). Proof is in Game 4.
Danica doesn't win the Indy 500: Your sport is in trouble when the team/athlete that doesn't win is a bigger story than the one that does win.
MLB: You have to love a walk-off HR in the 18th inning (Adrian Gonzalez)... Aaron Cook: CG win for his 7th W of the season... Also in the 7-win Club: Mark Hendrickson... Another game, another game-winning hit for Evan Longoria... Clayton Kershaw's MLB debut: 7 Ks in not-too-many IP
Yes, I saw Joakim Noah was busted for pot possession. Is that really that bad? If you figured out everyone in the NBA who ever possessed pot, you wouldn't have much of a league left...
Congrats to the Northwestern women's lacrosse team, which captured its 4th straight NCAA title...
Ashley Harkleroad to be in Playboy: I think that we're past the point of being surprised -- let alone shocked -- when an athlete appears in Playboy (or in Maxim or the SI Swimsuit Issue, which is effectively the same thing). It's just not a big deal...
Triple Crown Watch: How much will Big Brown's cracked hoof hurt its chances of capturing a Triple Crown and racing immortality?...
Enjoy the day off, if you've got one...
-- D.S.
Danica doesn't win the Indy 500: Your sport is in trouble when the team/athlete that doesn't win is a bigger story than the one that does win.
MLB: You have to love a walk-off HR in the 18th inning (Adrian Gonzalez)... Aaron Cook: CG win for his 7th W of the season... Also in the 7-win Club: Mark Hendrickson... Another game, another game-winning hit for Evan Longoria... Clayton Kershaw's MLB debut: 7 Ks in not-too-many IP
Yes, I saw Joakim Noah was busted for pot possession. Is that really that bad? If you figured out everyone in the NBA who ever possessed pot, you wouldn't have much of a league left...
Congrats to the Northwestern women's lacrosse team, which captured its 4th straight NCAA title...
Ashley Harkleroad to be in Playboy: I think that we're past the point of being surprised -- let alone shocked -- when an athlete appears in Playboy (or in Maxim or the SI Swimsuit Issue, which is effectively the same thing). It's just not a big deal...
Triple Crown Watch: How much will Big Brown's cracked hoof hurt its chances of capturing a Triple Crown and racing immortality?...
Enjoy the day off, if you've got one...
-- D.S.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Sunday 05/25 (Very) Quickie
Boston beats Detroit in Game 3: Now THIS was the win that everyone was waiting to see from the Celtics -- on the road, and it wasn't even close. I can now (finally) believe that this team can win the East title.
Indy 500 is today: Unless Danica Patrick wins, expect this to have just as much national resonance as it usually has (which means, frankly, not much). If she DOES win, you'll be sorry you missed it. Maybe.
Meanwhile, it looks like the Penguins weren't ready for prime-time, after that 4-0 shellacking from the Wings.
MLB: Jeff Francoeur... Justin Duscherer... Magglio Ordonez... Kyle Lohse... Jason Bay...
College LAX Final Four is always kind of awesome: Perennial power Johns Hopkins dispatched No. 1 seed Duke; they will meet Syracuse in a matchup of classic lacrosse teams.
Soccer: Imagine a team firing a coach immediately after they lost in the championship game. That is Chelsea and ex-manager Avram Grant. It's like if Mark Cuban had fired Avery Johnson after he choked away the NBA Finals two years ago, rather than a tortured 2 years later.
-- D.S.
Indy 500 is today: Unless Danica Patrick wins, expect this to have just as much national resonance as it usually has (which means, frankly, not much). If she DOES win, you'll be sorry you missed it. Maybe.
Meanwhile, it looks like the Penguins weren't ready for prime-time, after that 4-0 shellacking from the Wings.
MLB: Jeff Francoeur... Justin Duscherer... Magglio Ordonez... Kyle Lohse... Jason Bay...
College LAX Final Four is always kind of awesome: Perennial power Johns Hopkins dispatched No. 1 seed Duke; they will meet Syracuse in a matchup of classic lacrosse teams.
Soccer: Imagine a team firing a coach immediately after they lost in the championship game. That is Chelsea and ex-manager Avram Grant. It's like if Mark Cuban had fired Avery Johnson after he choked away the NBA Finals two years ago, rather than a tortured 2 years later.
-- D.S.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Saturday 05/24 (Very) Quickie
Sorry for the delay: Moving sucks. Lakers won't impress me until they win in San Antonio. Doug Davis' return trumped Barry Zito getting off the schneid. More later. Back to packing hell. - DS
Friday, May 23, 2008
Friday 05/23 A.M. Quickie:
Celtics, MLB Replay, Lila Garrity, More
I am overwhelmed by schadenfreude about the Celtics. Everyone saw this coming; the only question now is: If they can't even beat the Hawks in Atlanta, how will they beat the Pistons in Detroit? The Celtics may very well be able to beat the Pistons in Detroit 1 out of 3 times, but now that they have lost at home, the sense of "unbeatable" has evaporated.
That's the lead of today's Sporting News column.
(Adding insult to injury is that it was the best playoff game from the entirety of the Big Three, and it still wasn't enough. Maybe Celtics fans will stop haranguing Ray Allen about his scoring, because they did a lot better when he was sucking.)
Meanwhile, if it wasn't for the Celtics' dud at home, I would have totally led the column with the MLB replay story, which is totally huge. For those of us who have been lobbying for replay in baseball for years, this is a very positive step -- this week's home-run mis-calls surely helped. (Look: Better now than in a World Series game.)
The fact is: Replay works. The only instance I can think of when it doesn't work is in college football, when the replay official DOESN'T review an obviously messed up call. That, and the ludicrous guidelines about what is "reviewable" and what is not (ie, penalty calls).
Baseball had been holding out because of this misplaced sense of nostalgia -- that umps are part of the game. But I would argue that it holds up the spirit of the game's "integrity" to get the calls right -- particularly when all we're asking for is fair-or-foul (or fan interference) on home runs.
Technology is a wonderful thing: Nice to see baseball taking advantage of it to ensure the fairest outcome of its games.
I'll be blogging all weekend -- including Memorial Day -- for those of you who check in on the weekends. Otherwise, have a great weekend, everyone. While you are lazing around, don't forget to take a moment to remember the service of those for whom the holiday was created.
-- D.S.
That's the lead of today's Sporting News column.
(Adding insult to injury is that it was the best playoff game from the entirety of the Big Three, and it still wasn't enough. Maybe Celtics fans will stop haranguing Ray Allen about his scoring, because they did a lot better when he was sucking.)
Meanwhile, if it wasn't for the Celtics' dud at home, I would have totally led the column with the MLB replay story, which is totally huge. For those of us who have been lobbying for replay in baseball for years, this is a very positive step -- this week's home-run mis-calls surely helped. (Look: Better now than in a World Series game.)
The fact is: Replay works. The only instance I can think of when it doesn't work is in college football, when the replay official DOESN'T review an obviously messed up call. That, and the ludicrous guidelines about what is "reviewable" and what is not (ie, penalty calls).
Baseball had been holding out because of this misplaced sense of nostalgia -- that umps are part of the game. But I would argue that it holds up the spirit of the game's "integrity" to get the calls right -- particularly when all we're asking for is fair-or-foul (or fan interference) on home runs.
Technology is a wonderful thing: Nice to see baseball taking advantage of it to ensure the fairest outcome of its games.
I'll be blogging all weekend -- including Memorial Day -- for those of you who check in on the weekends. Otherwise, have a great weekend, everyone. While you are lazing around, don't forget to take a moment to remember the service of those for whom the holiday was created.
-- D.S.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Thursday 05/22 A.M. Quickie:
Kobe, Man U, Webb, Mayo, Joba, More
The Spurs ran out of gas, as much as Kobe stepped on the pedal. Besides, Game 1 ain't Game 7, which is where this is heading.
That's the lead of today's Sporting News column.
More you'll find:
Brandon Webb: No longer destined for 30 wins...
Joba Chamberlain: No longer shackled to 1 inning...
Bartolo Colon: One more master stroke by Theo...
USC: Parsing "didn't know" in a shameful way...
Man U: Lucky that Chelsea choked it away...
David Cook: Most talented Idol winner ever...
And more, here's the link.
If you didn't see yesterday's post on Indiana Jones, just look directly below this post -- and weigh in, if that's your thing.
- D.S.
That's the lead of today's Sporting News column.
More you'll find:
Brandon Webb: No longer destined for 30 wins...
Joba Chamberlain: No longer shackled to 1 inning...
Bartolo Colon: One more master stroke by Theo...
USC: Parsing "didn't know" in a shameful way...
Man U: Lucky that Chelsea choked it away...
David Cook: Most talented Idol winner ever...
And more, here's the link.
If you didn't see yesterday's post on Indiana Jones, just look directly below this post -- and weigh in, if that's your thing.
- D.S.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Indiana Jones: Best Movie Hero Ever?
I have a special place for Indiana Jones, arguably the greatest lead action hero in movie history.
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" was the first movie I have any sort of memory of seeing. Two flashing images remain -- cripes: was it really 1981?
(1) The line to see it. It was huge, like nothing I had ever seen before, snaking around the modest strip-mall on Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda, Maryland.
(2) At the end, of course, when the main Nazi baddie's face melts off.
Later, "Temple of Doom" was right in my then-11-year-old wheelhouse; I didn't care much for "Last Crusade."
But, much in part due to its particular nostalgic significance for me, "Raiders" remains one of my all-time most cherished movies ever -- if no longer a Top 5 (or even Top 10) favorite.
I'm not sure I will make the midnight screenings tonight -- or even try to brave the insane lines during this opening weekend...I think I had to be 8 to have the patience for that.
But I can't wait to see it, and I'm curious how you all feel about the Indiana Jones franchise.
You all know I'm a sucker for superlatives, and there might not be a better or more beloved lead action hero in movie history. (Certainly in my lifetime.)
-- D.S.
PS: Here's a trip in the way-back machine -- the original trailer for "Raiders." 27 years later, wow, have trailers become different.
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" was the first movie I have any sort of memory of seeing. Two flashing images remain -- cripes: was it really 1981?
(1) The line to see it. It was huge, like nothing I had ever seen before, snaking around the modest strip-mall on Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda, Maryland.
(2) At the end, of course, when the main Nazi baddie's face melts off.
Later, "Temple of Doom" was right in my then-11-year-old wheelhouse; I didn't care much for "Last Crusade."
But, much in part due to its particular nostalgic significance for me, "Raiders" remains one of my all-time most cherished movies ever -- if no longer a Top 5 (or even Top 10) favorite.
I'm not sure I will make the midnight screenings tonight -- or even try to brave the insane lines during this opening weekend...I think I had to be 8 to have the patience for that.
But I can't wait to see it, and I'm curious how you all feel about the Indiana Jones franchise.
You all know I'm a sucker for superlatives, and there might not be a better or more beloved lead action hero in movie history. (Certainly in my lifetime.)
-- D.S.
PS: Here's a trip in the way-back machine -- the original trailer for "Raiders." 27 years later, wow, have trailers become different.
Wednesday 05/21 A.M. Quickie:
Bulls, Lottery, A-Rod, Piazza, NFL, More
I appreciate that "Beasley vs. Rose" is sort of like "Durant vs. Oden 2.0," but to me it's clear that the Bulls should take Rose.
The Lottery leads today's Sporting News column, bumping Game 1 of the East finals, which couldn't be more predictable and lame -- at least until someone wins a road game or the series reaches a 7th game, whichever comes first.
Yes, the Bulls need the frontcourt help and Beasley would be an instant scorer to pair with the less scoring-sophisticated Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah. But Rose has the potential for impact on the Chris Paul/Deron Williams level. He will make Thomas and Noah (and Deng, if they keep him) that much better -- in a way that Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon can't.
(The Bulls are likely regretting giving Hinrich that huge contract extension, but not quite as much as Mike D'Antoni is likely regretting not taking the Bulls job, although if he took the job, there is no guarantee the Bulls would have pulled the 1-in-100 chance of winning the Lottery.)
Things get intriguing after Rose and Beasley go 1-2 (or 2-1) to the Bulls and Heat. The T'wolves should be taking advantage of Jerryd Bayless or even OJ Mayo. But with the past two Lotteries yielding Randy Foye and Corey Brewer (not to mention Rashad McCants the year before that), they really need size, and that means they have to go with -- ugh -- Brook Lopez, who seems to be rated this high simply because he is 7 feet tall.
The Sonics need a PG. The Grizzlies need a PF. The Knicks could use a true PG, but presuming that Bayless is gone, it seems like a reach that they take Augustin or Westbrook. Mayo seems redundant when they have Crawford, so will Mike D'Antoni feed his Italian jones with Danilo Gallardi? (He better set that up early with NY media and fans, who likely won't appreciate a European pick.)
In MLB, Mike Piazza retires, A-Rod returns and the Red Sox trot out yet another spectacular young arm, which they appear to have an endless supply of. There isn't a better-run organization in sports, let alone baseball. Yes, that's my long-time man-crush on Theo Epstein emerging for the first time in a long time. You cannot understand how conflicted I am about my crush on Theo and my general dislike for Boston sports.
I, for one, would like to see the next generation of replacement players, who almost surely would be better and more talented than the version from the late-80s. What a replacement season would do is create the greatest fantasy football season in the history of everything. Meanwhile, I hope the Falcons enjoy the gentle upside of Matt Ryan, now that they are locked in. (Put Mike Vick's first game back in Atlanta on an opposing team -- presuming Arthur Blank doesn't bring him back for the league minimum -- as the game of the decade.)
Complete SN column can be found here.
Update: My Wii Fit shipped yesterday, but I have no idea when it will arrive. Anyone get one?
-- D.S.
The Lottery leads today's Sporting News column, bumping Game 1 of the East finals, which couldn't be more predictable and lame -- at least until someone wins a road game or the series reaches a 7th game, whichever comes first.
Yes, the Bulls need the frontcourt help and Beasley would be an instant scorer to pair with the less scoring-sophisticated Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah. But Rose has the potential for impact on the Chris Paul/Deron Williams level. He will make Thomas and Noah (and Deng, if they keep him) that much better -- in a way that Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon can't.
(The Bulls are likely regretting giving Hinrich that huge contract extension, but not quite as much as Mike D'Antoni is likely regretting not taking the Bulls job, although if he took the job, there is no guarantee the Bulls would have pulled the 1-in-100 chance of winning the Lottery.)
Things get intriguing after Rose and Beasley go 1-2 (or 2-1) to the Bulls and Heat. The T'wolves should be taking advantage of Jerryd Bayless or even OJ Mayo. But with the past two Lotteries yielding Randy Foye and Corey Brewer (not to mention Rashad McCants the year before that), they really need size, and that means they have to go with -- ugh -- Brook Lopez, who seems to be rated this high simply because he is 7 feet tall.
The Sonics need a PG. The Grizzlies need a PF. The Knicks could use a true PG, but presuming that Bayless is gone, it seems like a reach that they take Augustin or Westbrook. Mayo seems redundant when they have Crawford, so will Mike D'Antoni feed his Italian jones with Danilo Gallardi? (He better set that up early with NY media and fans, who likely won't appreciate a European pick.)
In MLB, Mike Piazza retires, A-Rod returns and the Red Sox trot out yet another spectacular young arm, which they appear to have an endless supply of. There isn't a better-run organization in sports, let alone baseball. Yes, that's my long-time man-crush on Theo Epstein emerging for the first time in a long time. You cannot understand how conflicted I am about my crush on Theo and my general dislike for Boston sports.
I, for one, would like to see the next generation of replacement players, who almost surely would be better and more talented than the version from the late-80s. What a replacement season would do is create the greatest fantasy football season in the history of everything. Meanwhile, I hope the Falcons enjoy the gentle upside of Matt Ryan, now that they are locked in. (Put Mike Vick's first game back in Atlanta on an opposing team -- presuming Arthur Blank doesn't bring him back for the league minimum -- as the game of the decade.)
Complete SN column can be found here.
Update: My Wii Fit shipped yesterday, but I have no idea when it will arrive. Anyone get one?
-- D.S.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
NBA Draft Lottery Rose-Beasley Mania!
(Plus: Another Rant Against Age Limits)
As I mentioned this morning, I love the NBA Draft Lottery. I think that goes back to my childhood fandom of the Bullets, who were perennial Lottery losers. It was my playoffs.
The consensus has shifted that the Lottery's big prize is Derrick Rose, rather than Michael Beasley, who is a strong -- and consensus -- No. 2. No. 3 and beyond is a toss-up, depending on which team is there and what their needs are.
Rose is like Oden in that he is a true franchise-changer. Consider Chris Paul and Deron Williams, because -- coming out of college at least -- Rose is a better NBA talent than either of them.
Beasley is like Durant in that he could be a franchise player, but there is really no guarantee. After all, Durant was simply a poor man's Rashard Lewis this season. Working in Beasley's favor is that he is better -- more suited to excel in the NBA -- than Durant.
You won't hear much about that, because all the Durant-backers from a year ago would be loathe to admit that their "game-changing" favorite isn't even the best forward prospect of the past two drafts -- that would be Beasley.
But as you watch the mock drafts come screaming out of the mainstream media and blogosphere in the wake of the Lottery's results, please note how many freshmen there are on the list -- it is the best signal that the NBA's age-limit remains totally idiotic.
The only thing worse than the current age limit would be to raise it unconditionally, similarly to the way that they installed this first age limit.
Here's a novel idea: Let the market work. From '95-06 that is exactly what it did, producing highly efficient results, particularly among prep-to-pro players.
The idea of an "age limit" is very simple: If you don't want to "ruin" your NBA career prematurely, don't enter the NBA earlier than you should.
"Should" is an amorphous notion -- was Monta Ellis wrong to enter the NBA when he did? Most experts would say he did just fine for himself, even though he went much later than he thought he would.
The bottom line is that NBA GMs are, for the most part, highly rational: You don't take prep Dwight Howard over college Player of the Year Emeka Okafor because you are an idiot, blinded by potential. You take him because you are fairly certain Howard's upside is vastly greater than Okafor's. Howard's "expected value" is far superior to Okafor's -- but not that much. Just enough to know you would take Howard over Okafor if given the choice of both. Okafor remained a superior choice to the players that went below him.
The point is that GMs who wildly pick young prospects and end up with a sketchy "hit" rate won't be GMs for long. There is a built-in incentive to do what is in the GM's own best interests, which align with that of the team.
Most GMs in the Lottery will be taking freshmen -- in their first year of draft eligibility -- over older players who could have entered the draft in previous years but didn't, because the weren't good enough to play in the NBA. (See Tyler Hansbrough: If he would have been a Lottery pick after his freshman year, he sure as hell wouldn't have stuck around for the past two seasons.)
This is because those freshmen are better prospects than the older players -- this isn't some fad. And if those players were available a year ago, they likely would have also been first-round picks (if not drafted quite as high as they will be taken next month).
All I'm saying is: Look at the signals the market is sending. Look at the history of efficiency within the market (before artificial constraints were clamped onto it). In this case, the rules should follow what you are seeing unfold in front of you.
Enjoy the Lottery! I love that Jay-Z will be there, representing the Nets (watch for coded signals to LeBron!), but I love even more that the Kings are sending a fan. That's what the Lottery should be all about.
-- D.S.
The consensus has shifted that the Lottery's big prize is Derrick Rose, rather than Michael Beasley, who is a strong -- and consensus -- No. 2. No. 3 and beyond is a toss-up, depending on which team is there and what their needs are.
Rose is like Oden in that he is a true franchise-changer. Consider Chris Paul and Deron Williams, because -- coming out of college at least -- Rose is a better NBA talent than either of them.
Beasley is like Durant in that he could be a franchise player, but there is really no guarantee. After all, Durant was simply a poor man's Rashard Lewis this season. Working in Beasley's favor is that he is better -- more suited to excel in the NBA -- than Durant.
You won't hear much about that, because all the Durant-backers from a year ago would be loathe to admit that their "game-changing" favorite isn't even the best forward prospect of the past two drafts -- that would be Beasley.
But as you watch the mock drafts come screaming out of the mainstream media and blogosphere in the wake of the Lottery's results, please note how many freshmen there are on the list -- it is the best signal that the NBA's age-limit remains totally idiotic.
The only thing worse than the current age limit would be to raise it unconditionally, similarly to the way that they installed this first age limit.
Here's a novel idea: Let the market work. From '95-06 that is exactly what it did, producing highly efficient results, particularly among prep-to-pro players.
The idea of an "age limit" is very simple: If you don't want to "ruin" your NBA career prematurely, don't enter the NBA earlier than you should.
"Should" is an amorphous notion -- was Monta Ellis wrong to enter the NBA when he did? Most experts would say he did just fine for himself, even though he went much later than he thought he would.
The bottom line is that NBA GMs are, for the most part, highly rational: You don't take prep Dwight Howard over college Player of the Year Emeka Okafor because you are an idiot, blinded by potential. You take him because you are fairly certain Howard's upside is vastly greater than Okafor's. Howard's "expected value" is far superior to Okafor's -- but not that much. Just enough to know you would take Howard over Okafor if given the choice of both. Okafor remained a superior choice to the players that went below him.
The point is that GMs who wildly pick young prospects and end up with a sketchy "hit" rate won't be GMs for long. There is a built-in incentive to do what is in the GM's own best interests, which align with that of the team.
Most GMs in the Lottery will be taking freshmen -- in their first year of draft eligibility -- over older players who could have entered the draft in previous years but didn't, because the weren't good enough to play in the NBA. (See Tyler Hansbrough: If he would have been a Lottery pick after his freshman year, he sure as hell wouldn't have stuck around for the past two seasons.)
This is because those freshmen are better prospects than the older players -- this isn't some fad. And if those players were available a year ago, they likely would have also been first-round picks (if not drafted quite as high as they will be taken next month).
All I'm saying is: Look at the signals the market is sending. Look at the history of efficiency within the market (before artificial constraints were clamped onto it). In this case, the rules should follow what you are seeing unfold in front of you.
Enjoy the Lottery! I love that Jay-Z will be there, representing the Nets (watch for coded signals to LeBron!), but I love even more that the Kings are sending a fan. That's what the Lottery should be all about.
-- D.S.
Tuesday 05/20 A.M. Quickie:
Spurs, Lester, Barkley, Lottery, More
You can hate the Spurs for their soullessness, but admire them for their dominance. To win a Game 7 on the road is remarkable -- in its own right, let alone because the Spurs had failed to do it in previous tries. The defending champs remain the team to beat.
The Spurs lead today's Sporting News column, with coverage of even more:
Jon Lester's no-hitter awesomeness...
Evan Longoria's heroics...
Charles Barkley's gambling problem...
The NBA's perception problem...
A Wings-Pens Stanley Cup finals...
Complete SN column here.
And, of course, the NBA Draft Lottery, being held tonight and annually one of my favorite events of the entire sports year. More on that later this morning.
-- D.S.
The Spurs lead today's Sporting News column, with coverage of even more:
Jon Lester's no-hitter awesomeness...
Evan Longoria's heroics...
Charles Barkley's gambling problem...
The NBA's perception problem...
A Wings-Pens Stanley Cup finals...
Complete SN column here.
And, of course, the NBA Draft Lottery, being held tonight and annually one of my favorite events of the entire sports year. More on that later this morning.
-- D.S.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Monday 05/19 A.M. Quickie:
Pierce, Hornets, Reds, Parker, More
Was Pierce vs. LeBron like Nique vs. Larry 20 years ago? Eh: Sort of. The bottom line is that, like Larry, Pierce was significantly advantaged by his supporting cast; like Nique, LeBron may spend his entire career without earning an NBA title.
In the lead of today's Sporting News column, I was a little more concerned with looking forward than looking back: Boston did nothing to convince me that they will beat Detroit in the East finals, let alone the West champ in the NBA Finals. I am thoroughly unimpressed with their perfect playoff home record.
Becoming the first team ever to advance to a conference-finals round without winning a road game is not a mark of distinction. What it sets up is that if/when (ok: when) Detroit wins a game in Boston, the Celtics are in a ton of trouble. I wouldn't be saying that if they had a single road win during the last 14 playoff games. It's just not the signal of a championship team to not have them.
Meanwhile, Hornets-Spurs should be incredible. If any team can win a Game 7 on the road in a series in which the home team has dominated, it is the defending champs.
MLB: Edison almost rhymes with 7-win... If Big Unit is on, that makes the D'backs 4-deep in very very good starting pitching... Ryan Braun is my hero.
Candace Parker's rookie season in the WNBA is worth following on a game-by-game basis -- she seems to be THAT good... instantly the best player in the WNBA, which affirms her as the greatest female basketball player on the planet.
Big Brown: Triple Crown. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Let's hope he's not a Belmont fizzler. I have a feeling he is going to do it.
More later. Here is the rest of the Sporting News column today.
-- D.S.
In the lead of today's Sporting News column, I was a little more concerned with looking forward than looking back: Boston did nothing to convince me that they will beat Detroit in the East finals, let alone the West champ in the NBA Finals. I am thoroughly unimpressed with their perfect playoff home record.
Becoming the first team ever to advance to a conference-finals round without winning a road game is not a mark of distinction. What it sets up is that if/when (ok: when) Detroit wins a game in Boston, the Celtics are in a ton of trouble. I wouldn't be saying that if they had a single road win during the last 14 playoff games. It's just not the signal of a championship team to not have them.
Meanwhile, Hornets-Spurs should be incredible. If any team can win a Game 7 on the road in a series in which the home team has dominated, it is the defending champs.
MLB: Edison almost rhymes with 7-win... If Big Unit is on, that makes the D'backs 4-deep in very very good starting pitching... Ryan Braun is my hero.
Candace Parker's rookie season in the WNBA is worth following on a game-by-game basis -- she seems to be THAT good... instantly the best player in the WNBA, which affirms her as the greatest female basketball player on the planet.
Big Brown: Triple Crown. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Let's hope he's not a Belmont fizzler. I have a feeling he is going to do it.
More later. Here is the rest of the Sporting News column today.
-- D.S.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Sunday 05/18 (Very) Quickie
Big Brown wins Preakness: OK, so NOW we can talk about the Triple Crown, probably one of the Top 5 most respected accomplishments in sports.
Candace Parker's WNBA debut: 34 points. Hmm...I think she's going to be good at this.
MLB: Ryan Ludwick makes me regret not picking him up off the fantasy waiver wire before last weekend. I missed him, and now I'm kicking myself, particularly after his 2-HR performance yesterday.
Tale of Two Santanas: Johan gets his 5th win for the Mets, against the Yankees no less. And Ervin was hit with his first loss of the season, against the Dodgers.
Ryan Braun hits No. 11. OK, so after his monster HR week last week AND his big new deal with the Brewers, I think it's time I got a replica jersey T-shirt. (I can't get the actual jersey, but I am willing to go to the jersey T-shirt level.)
-- D.S.
Candace Parker's WNBA debut: 34 points. Hmm...I think she's going to be good at this.
MLB: Ryan Ludwick makes me regret not picking him up off the fantasy waiver wire before last weekend. I missed him, and now I'm kicking myself, particularly after his 2-HR performance yesterday.
Tale of Two Santanas: Johan gets his 5th win for the Mets, against the Yankees no less. And Ervin was hit with his first loss of the season, against the Dodgers.
Ryan Braun hits No. 11. OK, so after his monster HR week last week AND his big new deal with the Brewers, I think it's time I got a replica jersey T-shirt. (I can't get the actual jersey, but I am willing to go to the jersey T-shirt level.)
-- D.S.
Saturday 05/17 (Very) Quickie
The Lakers finally broke the home-court thing in the NBA conference semis, dispatching the Jazz in a Game 6 in Utah. Think they are rooting for the Hornets or what?
Meanwhile, the Celtics continue to go winless on the road, setting themselves up for a much tougher Game 7 in Boston than they had with the Hawks: LeBron is no Josh Childress.
(And even if Boston wins, it still does nothing to quell fears they are ultimately doomed for not being able to win on the road - putting pressure on them to win EVERY game at home.)
MLB: The Josh Hamilton Comeback Story has been one of the best in baseball this decade (second only to Rick Ankiel, only with coke instead of HGH...comebacks don't come easy, y'know). But last night was his best game yet: 2 HR, 5 RBI, 5-5, 4 R, BB. Amazing.
Speaking of amazing, Jayson Werth had 3 HR and 8 RBI -- 8!!! (Alfonso Soriano also had a 2-HR game).
Rays handcuff the Cards in St. Louis: Of all the projections of the solid Rays rotation, who had Andy Sonnenstine at 6 wins?
D'backs beat Tigers: AL, NL it doesn't matter -- the D'backs keep winning, and the Tigers keep losing.
Spygate (sigh-gate): Bill Belichick calls Matt Walsh's allegations "absurd." This from a self-admitted cheater, so consider the source. (By the way, by reacting -- in any way -- Belichick keeps this story alive.)
Oscar Pistorius declared eligible to run in the Olympics: This is really, really big. By putting it at the bottom, I don't mean to diminish how big it is.
Not only does it set up the most must-see, most-watched moment of the Olympics in 2008, but it creates an entire new barrier being broken in sports -- bionic athletes.
Interestingly, yesterday I had a disagreement with someone about this: I argued that Speedo's new LZR swimsuits -- which have been obliterating records since being introduced a few months ago -- are a similar external enhancement as the prosthetics that Pistorius uses.
Now, that's not entirely (or even remotely) accurate (Michael Phelps would still be Olympic-record fast without the new suit; Pistorius would not be an Olympic runner without his prosthetics), but both speak to the emerging influence of technology on competitors...and competition.
-- D.S.
Meanwhile, the Celtics continue to go winless on the road, setting themselves up for a much tougher Game 7 in Boston than they had with the Hawks: LeBron is no Josh Childress.
(And even if Boston wins, it still does nothing to quell fears they are ultimately doomed for not being able to win on the road - putting pressure on them to win EVERY game at home.)
MLB: The Josh Hamilton Comeback Story has been one of the best in baseball this decade (second only to Rick Ankiel, only with coke instead of HGH...comebacks don't come easy, y'know). But last night was his best game yet: 2 HR, 5 RBI, 5-5, 4 R, BB. Amazing.
Speaking of amazing, Jayson Werth had 3 HR and 8 RBI -- 8!!! (Alfonso Soriano also had a 2-HR game).
Rays handcuff the Cards in St. Louis: Of all the projections of the solid Rays rotation, who had Andy Sonnenstine at 6 wins?
D'backs beat Tigers: AL, NL it doesn't matter -- the D'backs keep winning, and the Tigers keep losing.
Spygate (sigh-gate): Bill Belichick calls Matt Walsh's allegations "absurd." This from a self-admitted cheater, so consider the source. (By the way, by reacting -- in any way -- Belichick keeps this story alive.)
Oscar Pistorius declared eligible to run in the Olympics: This is really, really big. By putting it at the bottom, I don't mean to diminish how big it is.
Not only does it set up the most must-see, most-watched moment of the Olympics in 2008, but it creates an entire new barrier being broken in sports -- bionic athletes.
Interestingly, yesterday I had a disagreement with someone about this: I argued that Speedo's new LZR swimsuits -- which have been obliterating records since being introduced a few months ago -- are a similar external enhancement as the prosthetics that Pistorius uses.
Now, that's not entirely (or even remotely) accurate (Michael Phelps would still be Olympic-record fast without the new suit; Pistorius would not be an Olympic runner without his prosthetics), but both speak to the emerging influence of technology on competitors...and competition.
-- D.S.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Friday 05/16 A.M. Quickie:
Spurs, Spying, Webb, Barkley, More
Crazed this morning, but here's a link to today's Sporting News column. Highlights: I'm loving the Spurs-Hornets series, Brandon Webb, Ryan Braun and questioning Charles Barkley's integrity. And I'm hating Spygate, in all of its various forms this morning. You all have turned me to the "sick-of-this" side of this, over the course of the week. More later. -- D.S.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Will the Wii Fit Make Me Fit?
I'll admit it: I'm not a particularly hard-core gamer. I'm terrible at Madden and the other games. I used to have a PS2, but it was frustrating and annoying to be so bad at the games. That's one of the reasons I was a perfect candidate for the Wii.
I got it a few months ago. I like playing the Sports games. I liked buying some of the old-school games like Tecmo (though, like many of you, I'm not nearly as good as I was in college). I got Mario Kart -- complete with the steering wheel -- and I have enjoyed that.
And, yes, I placed a pre-order for the Wii Fit, which comes out next week. Not necessarily because I think it can help me get in shape -- most reviews are skeptical -- but because I'm intrigued by these applications aimed at casual users.
(Just a thought: Can EA build a spin-off Wii Fit version of Madden that will let me do the actual running as the QB, RB or WR? Now THAT would be kind of cool.)
There was a pretty interesting hands-on review in the NY Times today -- it was actually a little more bullish on the Fit's potential to actually be a tool to tone up the user. But it remains to be seen what it can do for me. I have reached new levels of doughiness.
-- D.S.
I got it a few months ago. I like playing the Sports games. I liked buying some of the old-school games like Tecmo (though, like many of you, I'm not nearly as good as I was in college). I got Mario Kart -- complete with the steering wheel -- and I have enjoyed that.
And, yes, I placed a pre-order for the Wii Fit, which comes out next week. Not necessarily because I think it can help me get in shape -- most reviews are skeptical -- but because I'm intrigued by these applications aimed at casual users.
(Just a thought: Can EA build a spin-off Wii Fit version of Madden that will let me do the actual running as the QB, RB or WR? Now THAT would be kind of cool.)
There was a pretty interesting hands-on review in the NY Times today -- it was actually a little more bullish on the Fit's potential to actually be a tool to tone up the user. But it remains to be seen what it can do for me. I have reached new levels of doughiness.
-- D.S.
Thursday 05/15 A.M. Quickie:
Celtics, Lakers, Specter, Indians, More
I'm torn: The split-personality of the Celtics -- home vs. road -- fascinates me, but it also sort of bores me. Something needs to happen: Either they need to win on the road or they need to lose at home.
I lead with the Celtics' home-road dichotomy in today's Sporting News column.
There's this prize of novelty if they keep winning at home (and losing on the road) -- no team has ever made the conference finals (let alone won the conference finals...or the NBA Finals for that matter) without winning on the road at least once in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
But that seems so far away -- the Celtics are still 9 home wins away from that. And the Pistons and whoever wins the West will be a much tougher matchup than either the Hawks or Cavs. I think they can't keep going in the current direction: "Win (on the road) or go home," I guess is the slogan.
Meanwhile, I'm with most of you that Spygate is played out. Then you read Greg Bishop's best-in-the-country reporting in the NY Times -- today's is a must-read -- and you find yourself saying, "Wait a second... there IS a lot more here than Roger Goodell would want you to believe."
In MLB, I am in as much awe of the Indians starting pitching as the rest of you: 43 IP without a run? And what's gotten into Ted Lilly and Mike Mussina?
There's a lot more going on in the column today.
More coming later today.
-- D.S.
I lead with the Celtics' home-road dichotomy in today's Sporting News column.
There's this prize of novelty if they keep winning at home (and losing on the road) -- no team has ever made the conference finals (let alone won the conference finals...or the NBA Finals for that matter) without winning on the road at least once in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
But that seems so far away -- the Celtics are still 9 home wins away from that. And the Pistons and whoever wins the West will be a much tougher matchup than either the Hawks or Cavs. I think they can't keep going in the current direction: "Win (on the road) or go home," I guess is the slogan.
Meanwhile, I'm with most of you that Spygate is played out. Then you read Greg Bishop's best-in-the-country reporting in the NY Times -- today's is a must-read -- and you find yourself saying, "Wait a second... there IS a lot more here than Roger Goodell would want you to believe."
In MLB, I am in as much awe of the Indians starting pitching as the rest of you: 43 IP without a run? And what's gotten into Ted Lilly and Mike Mussina?
There's a lot more going on in the column today.
More coming later today.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Kornheiser Takes Washington Post Buy-Out
Tony Kornheiser ends his newspaper career at the Washington Post: Tony Kornheiser hadn't been a particularly active "newspaperman" for years -- perhaps not since he became a better radio guy than newspaper guy, then an even better TV guy (on PTI) than radio guy.
Kornheiser was one of the original "cross-platform" talents, even though he probably doesn't see himself (or want to see himself) that way. Ironically, when you say "cross-platform," you almost always mean "online" as part of that "platform" group; TK was NOT an online guy.
Ironically, if he had started his career two decades later than he did, TK would have been an incredibly online guy -- his schtick always struck me as being ideal for a blogger (although I think he would quickly find that blogging is a lot more work than he thinks it is).
I grew up on Tony Kornheiser. I grew up on the Washington Post sports section as a whole -- and from the mid-80s to the mid-90s it was, by far, the best sports section in the country, and if you look at the alumni list, you'd agree with me.
But when I was a kid and young adult, TK was my favorite. I knew I wanted to be in journalism -- sports, hopefully -- and TK seemed to have the best job in the world.
I'm quite sure that some of my shallow, from-the-couch analysis in the Quickie days (and now with the blog) was inspired by Kornheiser. And I say that with all the respect in the world, because -- as I think we've found -- "shallow" and "from-the-couch" has emerged as the dominant form of sports punditry.
I think that it's not unfair or inaccurate to say that TK's column-writing quality (along with Wilbon's) declined as their TV jobs got bigger; it's simple math: If you're spending your entire professional life on writing a fabulous 800-word column, you will do a better job than when you are spending most of your professional life on creating a fabulous TV show (or, even on top of that, a great radio show).
Something has to take a hit, and when they looked at their lives, both Kornheiser and Wilbon decided that TV (and, to a lesser extent, radio) were more important than their newspaper careers, the newspaper audience or the newspaper industry, in general. And I don't blame them one bit: TV offered more reach, more influence, more fame -- and god knows a LOT more money.
But that's also why I can't get behind Tony hoping his headstone reads "newspaper guy." I know Wilbon also says something similar. I appreciate the sentiment, but it rings hollow. Twenty years ago, I'm sure both guys would have earned that title -- but 20 years ago, I'm not sure either saw the glory and cash from TV coming either.
In a way, Kornheiser taking the Post's buy-out is a perfect symbol of the state of the newspaper industry: Eclipsed by other forms of media, both for talent acquisition and relevance to audiences. You can't take the buy-out and go back to the TV and radio studio (not to mention "Monday Night Football") as the foundation of the newspaper industry -- including the Post -- is imploding, then claim "newspaper guy" status.
(I will add that I'm sure Tony will still earn oodles of cash from the Post to do "contract" work, which means quick-hit video clips and perhaps 200-word "columnettes," which seems like a nice deal for him, if you add in the presumptive cash from the buy-out. What is weird is that the Post probably has the best online sports section of any newspaper in the country, led by Dan Steinberg and their beat writers, who have transformed themselves into pretty good part-time bloggers.)
Here's a personal lament: My son won't have an experience with a columnist like I had with Tony Kornheiser when I was growing up. Oh, sure, I'm hoping he will find pundits he enjoys, but I will tell him stories about reading TK at the breakfast table before school and loving his schtick, and my son will have a complete inability to relate.
Kornheiser's life as a "newspaper guy" ended almost a decade ago when PTI launched -- if not before that, when he got his national radio show. Heck, a lot of people don't know he left the newspaper sports section for a while to write newspaper "lifestyle" columns geared towards parenthood, Seinfeldian "what's-the-deal-with..." and other non-sports issues, before coming back to the sports section.
But here's the thing: I don't think that Kornheiser's headstone should say "newspaper guy," but -- if it is any consolation to him (and I doubt it is) -- that is how I personally will remember his career.
-- D.S.
Kornheiser was one of the original "cross-platform" talents, even though he probably doesn't see himself (or want to see himself) that way. Ironically, when you say "cross-platform," you almost always mean "online" as part of that "platform" group; TK was NOT an online guy.
Ironically, if he had started his career two decades later than he did, TK would have been an incredibly online guy -- his schtick always struck me as being ideal for a blogger (although I think he would quickly find that blogging is a lot more work than he thinks it is).
I grew up on Tony Kornheiser. I grew up on the Washington Post sports section as a whole -- and from the mid-80s to the mid-90s it was, by far, the best sports section in the country, and if you look at the alumni list, you'd agree with me.
But when I was a kid and young adult, TK was my favorite. I knew I wanted to be in journalism -- sports, hopefully -- and TK seemed to have the best job in the world.
I'm quite sure that some of my shallow, from-the-couch analysis in the Quickie days (and now with the blog) was inspired by Kornheiser. And I say that with all the respect in the world, because -- as I think we've found -- "shallow" and "from-the-couch" has emerged as the dominant form of sports punditry.
I think that it's not unfair or inaccurate to say that TK's column-writing quality (along with Wilbon's) declined as their TV jobs got bigger; it's simple math: If you're spending your entire professional life on writing a fabulous 800-word column, you will do a better job than when you are spending most of your professional life on creating a fabulous TV show (or, even on top of that, a great radio show).
Something has to take a hit, and when they looked at their lives, both Kornheiser and Wilbon decided that TV (and, to a lesser extent, radio) were more important than their newspaper careers, the newspaper audience or the newspaper industry, in general. And I don't blame them one bit: TV offered more reach, more influence, more fame -- and god knows a LOT more money.
But that's also why I can't get behind Tony hoping his headstone reads "newspaper guy." I know Wilbon also says something similar. I appreciate the sentiment, but it rings hollow. Twenty years ago, I'm sure both guys would have earned that title -- but 20 years ago, I'm not sure either saw the glory and cash from TV coming either.
In a way, Kornheiser taking the Post's buy-out is a perfect symbol of the state of the newspaper industry: Eclipsed by other forms of media, both for talent acquisition and relevance to audiences. You can't take the buy-out and go back to the TV and radio studio (not to mention "Monday Night Football") as the foundation of the newspaper industry -- including the Post -- is imploding, then claim "newspaper guy" status.
(I will add that I'm sure Tony will still earn oodles of cash from the Post to do "contract" work, which means quick-hit video clips and perhaps 200-word "columnettes," which seems like a nice deal for him, if you add in the presumptive cash from the buy-out. What is weird is that the Post probably has the best online sports section of any newspaper in the country, led by Dan Steinberg and their beat writers, who have transformed themselves into pretty good part-time bloggers.)
Here's a personal lament: My son won't have an experience with a columnist like I had with Tony Kornheiser when I was growing up. Oh, sure, I'm hoping he will find pundits he enjoys, but I will tell him stories about reading TK at the breakfast table before school and loving his schtick, and my son will have a complete inability to relate.
Kornheiser's life as a "newspaper guy" ended almost a decade ago when PTI launched -- if not before that, when he got his national radio show. Heck, a lot of people don't know he left the newspaper sports section for a while to write newspaper "lifestyle" columns geared towards parenthood, Seinfeldian "what's-the-deal-with..." and other non-sports issues, before coming back to the sports section.
But here's the thing: I don't think that Kornheiser's headstone should say "newspaper guy," but -- if it is any consolation to him (and I doubt it is) -- that is how I personally will remember his career.
-- D.S.
Wednesday 05/14 A.M. Quickie:
Walsh, Goodell, Hornets, Rays, More
I give: I'm ready to stop talking about the Pats' cheating scandal...if everyone is ready to stipulate that they are cheaters and that for all their greatness, the are indelibly tainted.
That's the lead of today's Sporting News column.
Speaking of tainted, the Boston Herald is the sports media punchline for admitting they were totally wrong about the Super-spying scandal from XXXVI.
Can we all move along to more interesting topics now? Good.
The Hornets are looking very good against the Spurs. At least in New Orleans. Which is all that matters. Because even if the Spurs win in San Antonio in Game 6 (which they surely will), the Hornets have looked unbeatable at home. Game 7s are a bit of a different story, but you have to give the edge to New Orleans.
Speaking of unbeatable at home, if the Cavs or Jazz can pull off a win on the road tonight, either should be favored to win their series.
The Rays are in first place with the best record in the AL. They jumped ahead of the Red Sox. They swept the Angels. And, most impressively, they hung a loss on Mariano Rivera. They are the story of the spring in sports.
Question: Would the NCAA be investigating the OJ Mayo thing if it wasn't all over the news over the last 48 hours? Doubt it. (And where was this kind of crusading about Reggie Bush?)
Billy Gillispie recruits another high school freshman: I was fairly benign in my Sporting News column about it, but what I really wanted to say is that Gillispie is apparently interested in starting a NAMBLA chapter in Lexington. His fascination with 14-year-old boys is skeevy.
There's a ton more in the column today, so check it out.
More later.
-- D.S.
That's the lead of today's Sporting News column.
Speaking of tainted, the Boston Herald is the sports media punchline for admitting they were totally wrong about the Super-spying scandal from XXXVI.
Can we all move along to more interesting topics now? Good.
The Hornets are looking very good against the Spurs. At least in New Orleans. Which is all that matters. Because even if the Spurs win in San Antonio in Game 6 (which they surely will), the Hornets have looked unbeatable at home. Game 7s are a bit of a different story, but you have to give the edge to New Orleans.
Speaking of unbeatable at home, if the Cavs or Jazz can pull off a win on the road tonight, either should be favored to win their series.
The Rays are in first place with the best record in the AL. They jumped ahead of the Red Sox. They swept the Angels. And, most impressively, they hung a loss on Mariano Rivera. They are the story of the spring in sports.
Question: Would the NCAA be investigating the OJ Mayo thing if it wasn't all over the news over the last 48 hours? Doubt it. (And where was this kind of crusading about Reggie Bush?)
Billy Gillispie recruits another high school freshman: I was fairly benign in my Sporting News column about it, but what I really wanted to say is that Gillispie is apparently interested in starting a NAMBLA chapter in Lexington. His fascination with 14-year-old boys is skeevy.
There's a ton more in the column today, so check it out.
More later.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Matt Walsh vs. Goodell and Specter
So there was no Super Bowl walk-through tape, but there reportedly was a Super Bowl walk-through spying, albeit in person -- by Walsh, relayed to the Pats. Not cheating necessarily, but iffy.
Roger Goodell's declaration that "there was no tape" comes across as the NFL's version of "I did not have sex with that woman" -- technically true, but arguably misleading.
Given Goodell's history with the destruction of evidence, I don't expect anything less than him portraying this in the best light possible for the league.
However, I just don't buy it -- why wouldn't he disclose that Walsh told him he personally spied on the Rams, unless he felt like it was something to hide.
-- D.S.
Roger Goodell's declaration that "there was no tape" comes across as the NFL's version of "I did not have sex with that woman" -- technically true, but arguably misleading.
Given Goodell's history with the destruction of evidence, I don't expect anything less than him portraying this in the best light possible for the league.
However, I just don't buy it -- why wouldn't he disclose that Walsh told him he personally spied on the Rams, unless he felt like it was something to hide.
-- D.S.
Tuesday 05/13 A.M. Quickie:
Celtics, Braun, Mayo, LeBron's Mom, More
I'm sorry: I just can't see the Celtics winning the East -- let alone the NBA title -- if they can't win on the road.
The Pistons already won in Orlando (and I had earlier picked them to beat the Celtics in the East finals). Meanwhile, someone in the West will eventually break HCA in this round, and that team will instantly be my favorite to win the title.
That's the lead of today's Sporting News column, found here.
Meanwhile, the OJ Mayo saga continues, with the agent denying everything, the NCAA being its ineffectual self and the NBA finding out that its age-limit has some serious unintended consequences. (Although anyone could have seen them coming.)
In MLB, how can you not love the unassisted triple-play? It's baseball immortality! (I still remember the game in '94 I was at where it happened.) Oh, and Ryan Braun rules.
Want a tale of two no-decisions? There's Cliff Lee, who missed out after 9 shutout innings, then there's Barry Zito, for whom an ND is actually a huge improvement.
David Stern hates the pre-game pyrotechnics at NBA games, and while I like to think of myself as a highly progressive fan, I totally agree with him. You don't have to be a purist or a fuddy-duddy to think it is out of control.
Matt Walsh is talking with Roger Goodell RIGHT NOW (wonder what they're talking about?) and he meets with Arlen Specter this afternoon. Should be lots of fun hearing the Commish and the Senator spin their conversations.
There's a bunch more in the SN column today and more coming later today on the blog.
-- D.S.
The Pistons already won in Orlando (and I had earlier picked them to beat the Celtics in the East finals). Meanwhile, someone in the West will eventually break HCA in this round, and that team will instantly be my favorite to win the title.
That's the lead of today's Sporting News column, found here.
Meanwhile, the OJ Mayo saga continues, with the agent denying everything, the NCAA being its ineffectual self and the NBA finding out that its age-limit has some serious unintended consequences. (Although anyone could have seen them coming.)
In MLB, how can you not love the unassisted triple-play? It's baseball immortality! (I still remember the game in '94 I was at where it happened.) Oh, and Ryan Braun rules.
Want a tale of two no-decisions? There's Cliff Lee, who missed out after 9 shutout innings, then there's Barry Zito, for whom an ND is actually a huge improvement.
David Stern hates the pre-game pyrotechnics at NBA games, and while I like to think of myself as a highly progressive fan, I totally agree with him. You don't have to be a purist or a fuddy-duddy to think it is out of control.
Matt Walsh is talking with Roger Goodell RIGHT NOW (wonder what they're talking about?) and he meets with Arlen Specter this afternoon. Should be lots of fun hearing the Commish and the Senator spin their conversations.
There's a bunch more in the SN column today and more coming later today on the blog.
-- D.S.
Monday, May 12, 2008
I'm Kind of Intrigued to Apply
This is the kind of thing I have always wanted to enter (and win). I'm not an alum of Washington? So what? I spent a year living in Seattle -- I figure that's enough. "U-Dub," Huskies, lakes, tailgating in boats, Pacific Northwest, Don James...got it. Although I guess, as I think about it, I've wanted to write a fight song, not an alma mater, which always comes out like a dirge. -- D.S.
Name to Know: Britt Robson
Monday 05/12 A.M. Quickie:
Mayo, Jazz, Spurs, MLB in Florida, More
It's a very simple concept: How could you NOT see the OJ Mayo scandal coming? How could USC administrators... or Tim Floyd... or the media... or the fans... come on.
That's at the heart of the lead item of today's Sporting News column. More simplicity: Either USC, as an institution, knew but did nothing -- or didn't know. Both are worthy of punishment.
NBA Playoff series get very interesting at Game 5 if the first four games are won by the home team -- but only if something interesting, like a road team winning, happens.
Would you believe that it's May 12 and the two hottest teams in baseball are the Rays and Marlins? The Rays are the AL Wild Card team, if the season ended today.
For the Marlins, it's even more staggering: They have the best record in baseball.
(It's a return to an old regular Morning Quickie chat argument: Are the Marlins a miserably run franchise... or the ideal? Consider 2 championships in the last 10 years, along with unexpected contention of this season. Sure helps offset the bad years, doesn't it? Lots of other teams would LOVE for that kind of "crappy" management.)
Arguing that Mike D'Antoni would have been better off with the Bulls over the Knicks is moot; the question is: Was it a great move for the Knicks? And the answer is an unequivocal: YES.
There's a lot more in the column today, so check it out.
Oh, and please welcome Paul DePodesta to the sports-blog family. I think he will find a more professional reception than he got from, say, the "professional" and "mainstream" sports-media pundits in L.A.
-- D.S.
That's at the heart of the lead item of today's Sporting News column. More simplicity: Either USC, as an institution, knew but did nothing -- or didn't know. Both are worthy of punishment.
NBA Playoff series get very interesting at Game 5 if the first four games are won by the home team -- but only if something interesting, like a road team winning, happens.
Would you believe that it's May 12 and the two hottest teams in baseball are the Rays and Marlins? The Rays are the AL Wild Card team, if the season ended today.
For the Marlins, it's even more staggering: They have the best record in baseball.
(It's a return to an old regular Morning Quickie chat argument: Are the Marlins a miserably run franchise... or the ideal? Consider 2 championships in the last 10 years, along with unexpected contention of this season. Sure helps offset the bad years, doesn't it? Lots of other teams would LOVE for that kind of "crappy" management.)
Arguing that Mike D'Antoni would have been better off with the Bulls over the Knicks is moot; the question is: Was it a great move for the Knicks? And the answer is an unequivocal: YES.
There's a lot more in the column today, so check it out.
Oh, and please welcome Paul DePodesta to the sports-blog family. I think he will find a more professional reception than he got from, say, the "professional" and "mainstream" sports-media pundits in L.A.
-- D.S.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Sunday 05/11 (Very) Quickie
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! (Especially mine and my baby-mama. Do you think Tom Brady and Matt Leinart are doing anything for their kids' mamas? Doubt it.)
Guess what: The Celtics still can't win on the road...
The Magic missed their best (and last?) opportunity to stun the Pistons...
Knicks hire Mike D'Antoni: Doesn't matter how much it cost, this is the best possible coachin-search outcome for the Knicks, importing a proven (and recently proven) big winner who -- more importantly -- has a defined (and exciting) style to bring to the team.
I think it is good news for David Lee, who should thrive, and bad news for Eddy Curry, who won't. (Curry was already on the hot seat for being Isiah's biggest import with new management in town.)
Next step: The Knicks REALLY need to win the draft lottery, so they can grab Derrick Rose. I think a top-notch PG is a must for D'Antoni's system, and it's not like the Knicks have the cap room to bring in Jose Calderon (unless Calderon is serious that he would play for less money if he was guaranteed to start, a guarantee I'm sure D'Antoni would be sure to give him).
Anyway, all this rambling is the point: D'Antoni instantly brings a new excitement to the Knicks. I suggest all Knicks fans read Jack McCallum's book "7 Seconds or Less."
MLB: The Marlins have won 6 in a row, and the new center of power in baseball is Florida (a little further north, Scott Kazmir got his first win of the season for the Rays, at Joe Saunders' expense)... Maddux wins No. 350... Dice-K is 6-0 and Kevin Youkilis has 8 HR... Tim Lincecum is pretty awesome right now... Fantasy Stud: Grady Sizemore (2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R in what will likely be his most productive game of the season)... Speaking of baseball in Florida, the Marlins are close to locking up franchise star Hanley Ramirez for the long-term.
Guess what: The Celtics still can't win on the road...
The Magic missed their best (and last?) opportunity to stun the Pistons...
Knicks hire Mike D'Antoni: Doesn't matter how much it cost, this is the best possible coachin-search outcome for the Knicks, importing a proven (and recently proven) big winner who -- more importantly -- has a defined (and exciting) style to bring to the team.
I think it is good news for David Lee, who should thrive, and bad news for Eddy Curry, who won't. (Curry was already on the hot seat for being Isiah's biggest import with new management in town.)
Next step: The Knicks REALLY need to win the draft lottery, so they can grab Derrick Rose. I think a top-notch PG is a must for D'Antoni's system, and it's not like the Knicks have the cap room to bring in Jose Calderon (unless Calderon is serious that he would play for less money if he was guaranteed to start, a guarantee I'm sure D'Antoni would be sure to give him).
Anyway, all this rambling is the point: D'Antoni instantly brings a new excitement to the Knicks. I suggest all Knicks fans read Jack McCallum's book "7 Seconds or Less."
MLB: The Marlins have won 6 in a row, and the new center of power in baseball is Florida (a little further north, Scott Kazmir got his first win of the season for the Rays, at Joe Saunders' expense)... Maddux wins No. 350... Dice-K is 6-0 and Kevin Youkilis has 8 HR... Tim Lincecum is pretty awesome right now... Fantasy Stud: Grady Sizemore (2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R in what will likely be his most productive game of the season)... Speaking of baseball in Florida, the Marlins are close to locking up franchise star Hanley Ramirez for the long-term.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Saturday 05/10 (Very) Quickie
Not so fast, Kobe: The Jazz are an entirely different team when playing in Utah...
MLB: So, yeah, I guess Jimmy Rollins IS pretty valuable...
There might not be a more enjoyable team to follow right now than the Rays (Shields 1-hitter, Longoria game-winning 2-run HR)...
Who turned Ted Lilly (10 Ks) into Carlos Zambrano?...
Richie Sexson suspended 6 games for retaliating to an eye-level pitch...
Rickie Weeks!
Danica Patrick needs driving lessons (actually: she's not taking much blame for her pit-row accident)...
(Just to clarify, per the Comments, this wasn't meant in any way to be a comment on her as a female driver than it was a comment that she is a professional driver. I would have used a same or similar joke if it was one of the male drivers. Regardless, it was the pit crew member's fault, not hers, so chalk it up to a lame attempt at a joke anyway. Should have just linked to the YouTube clip and called it a day!)
Carlisle to Mavs: They might do better than 7th in the West (actually, they likely won't), but don't expect any Finals trips. Over-under before Carlisle is fired: 3 seasons.
-- D.S.
MLB: So, yeah, I guess Jimmy Rollins IS pretty valuable...
There might not be a more enjoyable team to follow right now than the Rays (Shields 1-hitter, Longoria game-winning 2-run HR)...
Who turned Ted Lilly (10 Ks) into Carlos Zambrano?...
Richie Sexson suspended 6 games for retaliating to an eye-level pitch...
Rickie Weeks!
Danica Patrick needs driving lessons (actually: she's not taking much blame for her pit-row accident)...
(Just to clarify, per the Comments, this wasn't meant in any way to be a comment on her as a female driver than it was a comment that she is a professional driver. I would have used a same or similar joke if it was one of the male drivers. Regardless, it was the pit crew member's fault, not hers, so chalk it up to a lame attempt at a joke anyway. Should have just linked to the YouTube clip and called it a day!)
Carlisle to Mavs: They might do better than 7th in the West (actually, they likely won't), but don't expect any Finals trips. Over-under before Carlisle is fired: 3 seasons.
-- D.S.
Friday, May 09, 2008
What Is Mainstream Sports Media?
This post was kind of interesting, but probably not in the way that most people are thinking about. Lost in the discussion of MJD is this:
Yahoo Sports IS mainstream sports media.
Deadspin IS mainstream sports media.
AOL FanHouse IS mainstream sports media.
What makes something "mainstream?" It's certainly not the date the technology powering the platform was invented.
I would qualify it two ways: (1) Reach and (2) Influence.
Reach is audience size, and I don't think anyone would dispute the massive audience size of any of those outlets.
Influence is whether what you say has impact; you could either be in front of so many eyeballs directly that you influence them OR you could influence the influencers.
(As any sports-talk-radio or daily-sports-TV producer would tell you, Deadspin is a must-read -- even more for its show-topic ideas than for its entertainment value.)
That doesn't mean that Mottram or MJD or Leitch or MDS (or Brooks or Drew or Ufford) don't have editorial perspectives firmly rooted as "independents" (or whatever the opposite of "mainstream" is... "alternative?")
And that isn't meant to demean them. There is nothing pejorative about "mainstream" -- for all its flaws, most of us would love to have "mainstream" reach and influence.
What those above-mentioned blogs (and certainly others) have done is combined "mainstream" access with "indie" spirit; it's something that "typically" mainstream sports outlets have tried to -- or want to -- capture, but can't almost by necessity.
I think that part of what made Buzz Bissinger so nervous was that he recognized the growing reach and influence of blogs within the mainstream, displacing legacy mainstream sports media (as I went into at length last week).
But the future of sports media -- mainstream or otherwise -- lies clearly with the talented folks who can infuse their core independent spirit with their emerging mainstream reach and influence. They might come from blogs or they might be innovative people who are buried within mainstream sports media hierarchies. But talent has a way of bubbling up.
-- D.S.
PS: No stranger to the nexus of mainstream access and indie soul, Dan Steinberg is a little late to the party on Bissinger, but it was worth the wait -- one of my favorite takes of the entire affair. (By the way, I haven't mentioned this really, but I continue to give credit to Bissinger for talking with basically any/every blogger who asks to speak with him on the topic. He even commented on my post about it -- he did: I checked with him to be sure it wasn't one of you loose-cannon commenters that the mainstream defenders are always railing against.)
Yahoo Sports IS mainstream sports media.
Deadspin IS mainstream sports media.
AOL FanHouse IS mainstream sports media.
What makes something "mainstream?" It's certainly not the date the technology powering the platform was invented.
I would qualify it two ways: (1) Reach and (2) Influence.
Reach is audience size, and I don't think anyone would dispute the massive audience size of any of those outlets.
Influence is whether what you say has impact; you could either be in front of so many eyeballs directly that you influence them OR you could influence the influencers.
(As any sports-talk-radio or daily-sports-TV producer would tell you, Deadspin is a must-read -- even more for its show-topic ideas than for its entertainment value.)
That doesn't mean that Mottram or MJD or Leitch or MDS (or Brooks or Drew or Ufford) don't have editorial perspectives firmly rooted as "independents" (or whatever the opposite of "mainstream" is... "alternative?")
And that isn't meant to demean them. There is nothing pejorative about "mainstream" -- for all its flaws, most of us would love to have "mainstream" reach and influence.
What those above-mentioned blogs (and certainly others) have done is combined "mainstream" access with "indie" spirit; it's something that "typically" mainstream sports outlets have tried to -- or want to -- capture, but can't almost by necessity.
I think that part of what made Buzz Bissinger so nervous was that he recognized the growing reach and influence of blogs within the mainstream, displacing legacy mainstream sports media (as I went into at length last week).
But the future of sports media -- mainstream or otherwise -- lies clearly with the talented folks who can infuse their core independent spirit with their emerging mainstream reach and influence. They might come from blogs or they might be innovative people who are buried within mainstream sports media hierarchies. But talent has a way of bubbling up.
-- D.S.
PS: No stranger to the nexus of mainstream access and indie soul, Dan Steinberg is a little late to the party on Bissinger, but it was worth the wait -- one of my favorite takes of the entire affair. (By the way, I haven't mentioned this really, but I continue to give credit to Bissinger for talking with basically any/every blogger who asks to speak with him on the topic. He even commented on my post about it -- he did: I checked with him to be sure it wasn't one of you loose-cannon commenters that the mainstream defenders are always railing against.)
Friday 05/09 A.M. Quickie:
Spurs, Celtics, Webb, Brawls, Speed Racer
Chin up, friends: We are living through the slowest days/weeks/month of the sports year.
I try to make a game of it in today's Sporting News column:
If you counted the Spurs out after they went down 0-2, you're insane...
LeBron is choking away the East playoffs (Credit the Celtics? Never!)...
Brandon Webb spurs talk of "he's on pace for...": 30 wins isn't on the table, but 25 sure is...
I question the need for baseball "frontier justice" -- knockdowns and retaliations... think Goodell or Stern would put up with that...
And, yes, "Speed Racer" IS a sports movie (at least, if "Days of Thunder" was)...
Bunch more in the column, including a few of the usual suspects (Clemens, Vick, etc.)...
More later.
-- D.S.
I try to make a game of it in today's Sporting News column:
If you counted the Spurs out after they went down 0-2, you're insane...
LeBron is choking away the East playoffs (Credit the Celtics? Never!)...
Brandon Webb spurs talk of "he's on pace for...": 30 wins isn't on the table, but 25 sure is...
I question the need for baseball "frontier justice" -- knockdowns and retaliations... think Goodell or Stern would put up with that...
And, yes, "Speed Racer" IS a sports movie (at least, if "Days of Thunder" was)...
Bunch more in the column, including a few of the usual suspects (Clemens, Vick, etc.)...
More later.
-- D.S.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
The Only Baseball Cards I Collect Anymore
The 2008 Update set is here!
Meanwhile, I checked the master list of all-time JML names and noted to JML's director that Ryan Spilborghs wasn't on there (though he should be). Better be there in '09!
(I also expect that the 2009 set will include a very special Gabe Kapler, in addition to an even more exclusive "Tim Tebow, Mohel" card.)
-- D.S.
Meanwhile, I checked the master list of all-time JML names and noted to JML's director that Ryan Spilborghs wasn't on there (though he should be). Better be there in '09!
(I also expect that the 2009 set will include a very special Gabe Kapler, in addition to an even more exclusive "Tim Tebow, Mohel" card.)
-- D.S.
Thursday 05/08 A.M. Quickie:
Pats, Kobe, Magic, Lee, Votto, More
The Pats are still cheaters. Some want to use yesterday's Walsh tapes situation to argue that the scandal is put to bed, but I think it even more officially diminishes their accomplishments.
That's the lead of today's Sporting News column.
(By the way, if I was a Steelers fan, I would be demanding that my owners -- the venerated Rooneys -- come down a little harder on this than "No big deal." What Would Cuban Do?)
Meanwhile, Kobe must have watched Chris Paul and Kevin Garnett and said, "But I'm the MVP." So he put on an MVP display against the Jazz. The best thing that could happen to the Lakers is for the Hornets to oust the Spurs.
On MLB, here's an interesting debate posed in the question: What is more exciting -- Hitting for the cycle (a la Carlos Gomez) or hitting 3 HR in one game (a la Joey Votto)? SABRmetrically, it's a no-brainer (3 HR). The cycle has more romance, but give me the triple-shot of longball.
There's a lot more in the column today: Barry Zito, Vicente Padilla, Carmelo Anthony, DC United (yes, soccer!), the Olympic torch on Mt. Everest, Alabama State's 600-plus NCAA violations and more. Check it out here.
More later.
-- D.S.
That's the lead of today's Sporting News column.
(By the way, if I was a Steelers fan, I would be demanding that my owners -- the venerated Rooneys -- come down a little harder on this than "No big deal." What Would Cuban Do?)
Meanwhile, Kobe must have watched Chris Paul and Kevin Garnett and said, "But I'm the MVP." So he put on an MVP display against the Jazz. The best thing that could happen to the Lakers is for the Hornets to oust the Spurs.
On MLB, here's an interesting debate posed in the question: What is more exciting -- Hitting for the cycle (a la Carlos Gomez) or hitting 3 HR in one game (a la Joey Votto)? SABRmetrically, it's a no-brainer (3 HR). The cycle has more romance, but give me the triple-shot of longball.
There's a lot more in the column today: Barry Zito, Vicente Padilla, Carmelo Anthony, DC United (yes, soccer!), the Olympic torch on Mt. Everest, Alabama State's 600-plus NCAA violations and more. Check it out here.
More later.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Wednesday 05/07 A.M. Quickie:
KG, Kobe, Floyd, Idol, APR, More Tebow
KG may not have been named NBA MVP, but he sure put on an MVP performance last night.
That's the lead of my Sporting News column this morning, where I slap Pierce and Allen (and, oh yes, LeBron) for ineffectiveness, before praising KG's series-defining performance.
Considering the stats and the circumstances, it was the worst game of LeBron's career -- and missing the very clear chance to steal Game 1 in Boston (given the Celtics' massive problems on the road in the playoffs) may be the game LeBron regrets most in his career.
It was your average night in MLB: Gavin Floyd almost threw a no-hitter, Josh Hamilton continued to surge through the season, Scott Olsen continued to tempt with his talent (even if he's a bit of a hot-head). Oh, and Joba lost the game for the Yankees in the 9th; time to start him.
I question whether lowering academic standards is worth it if it means taking your football program from chump to champ; I side firmly with David (Cook) over David (Archuleta); and I praise A-Rod for fainting during his daughter's birth.
Oh, and more from the Tebow-circumcision beat. Because that's the greatest story ever.
Here's the link to the column. I'm traveling today, so unlikely to post this afternoon, but I'll see what happens.
UPDATE: If you haven't read Spencer Hall's interview with Buzz Bissinger, it really is one of the best give-and-takes of the past week's Bissinger meme.
-- D.S.
That's the lead of my Sporting News column this morning, where I slap Pierce and Allen (and, oh yes, LeBron) for ineffectiveness, before praising KG's series-defining performance.
Considering the stats and the circumstances, it was the worst game of LeBron's career -- and missing the very clear chance to steal Game 1 in Boston (given the Celtics' massive problems on the road in the playoffs) may be the game LeBron regrets most in his career.
It was your average night in MLB: Gavin Floyd almost threw a no-hitter, Josh Hamilton continued to surge through the season, Scott Olsen continued to tempt with his talent (even if he's a bit of a hot-head). Oh, and Joba lost the game for the Yankees in the 9th; time to start him.
I question whether lowering academic standards is worth it if it means taking your football program from chump to champ; I side firmly with David (Cook) over David (Archuleta); and I praise A-Rod for fainting during his daughter's birth.
Oh, and more from the Tebow-circumcision beat. Because that's the greatest story ever.
Here's the link to the column. I'm traveling today, so unlikely to post this afternoon, but I'll see what happens.
UPDATE: If you haven't read Spencer Hall's interview with Buzz Bissinger, it really is one of the best give-and-takes of the past week's Bissinger meme.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Tim Tebow and Circumcision
Sorry for the delay on this: Tim Tebow performing circumcisions.
Or should I say: Tim Tebow performing circumcisions!!!
Here is Orson Swindle's must-read take.
Here is Deadspin's take.
And here is MY take:
Is he available to perform at a bris?
-- D.S.
(Honestly, the idea of Tim Tebow as a mohel had me laughing all afternoon yesterday.)
Or should I say: Tim Tebow performing circumcisions!!!
Here is Orson Swindle's must-read take.
Here is Deadspin's take.
And here is MY take:
Is he available to perform at a bris?
-- D.S.
(Honestly, the idea of Tim Tebow as a mohel had me laughing all afternoon yesterday.)
Tuesday 05/06 A.M. Quickie:
CP3, Clemens, Pujols, Clocks, Favre, More
A preview of what you will find in today's Sporting News column:
What did I say about Chris Paul as MVP? (OK, so he's not actually going to be MVP... but he should have been!)
Roger Clemens manages to be even MORE of a d-bag...
The Magic weren't going to win anyway, but the NBA -- and every major league's -- resistance to using technology to make sure that the CALLS ARE CORRECT is aggravating...
Max Scherzer: Perhaps not The Man (yet)...
Albert Pujols' truck from 2B to home: I was 30 feet from it, and it WAS awesome...
The Red Sox are so freaking good. I'm just saying. It's maddening, but it's true...
Ervin Santana or Joe Saunders: Who cracks first?
That Favre jersey kid? I blame the parents...
My Strat-O-Matic season ends as it began: In the cellar...
And more...after the jump!
More later, I'm hoping...
-- D.S.
What did I say about Chris Paul as MVP? (OK, so he's not actually going to be MVP... but he should have been!)
Roger Clemens manages to be even MORE of a d-bag...
The Magic weren't going to win anyway, but the NBA -- and every major league's -- resistance to using technology to make sure that the CALLS ARE CORRECT is aggravating...
Max Scherzer: Perhaps not The Man (yet)...
Albert Pujols' truck from 2B to home: I was 30 feet from it, and it WAS awesome...
The Red Sox are so freaking good. I'm just saying. It's maddening, but it's true...
Ervin Santana or Joe Saunders: Who cracks first?
That Favre jersey kid? I blame the parents...
My Strat-O-Matic season ends as it began: In the cellar...
And more...after the jump!
More later, I'm hoping...
-- D.S.
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Monday 05/05 A.M. Quickie:
Eight Belles, Kobe, KG, Benson, Bush, More
In today's Sporting News column:
Why Eight Belles was lucky she was no Barbaro...
Why I can't buy the Celtics...
Why Reggie Bush has reached end-game...
Why Joe Saunders is the new Brandon Webb...
Why Usaim Bolt is the Best. Name. Ever...
And more... after the jump!
More later today.
-- D.S.
Why Eight Belles was lucky she was no Barbaro...
Why I can't buy the Celtics...
Why Reggie Bush has reached end-game...
Why Joe Saunders is the new Brandon Webb...
Why Usaim Bolt is the Best. Name. Ever...
And more... after the jump!
More later today.
-- D.S.
Sunday 05/04 (Very) Quickie
The death on the track of Eight Belles was arguably the most dramatic unscripted moment of non-sports sports television in a long time.
When the doctor was interviewed and so decisively (and even casually) said "euthanized," it was shocking, but without the forced build-up of most sports TV. It was just... there.
What it WAS was humane, in a way that we didn't see with Barbaro.
Meanwhile, what a spectacular Game 1 win for the Hornets over the Spurs. What a spectacular moment for David West to have a career-playoff-high of 30. (And what a reality check for the Magic, who got clocked by the Pistons.)
I would pay a lot to see the Hawks shock the Celtics today, but I have zero expectations that it will happen.
Dodgers win 8th straight
Jose Bautista (again!)
Cristian Guzman (6 RBI)
How about Mike Mussina's resurgence
Ted Lilly has 1000 career Ks?
Brandon Webb is unstoppable
Red Sox take it out on James Shields
Chase Utley hits HR No. 13 in a loss
(Yeah, Utley should have been my April NL MVP.)
Mavs close to a deal with Rick Carlisle? Ugh: What an uninspiring choice. More tomorrow in the SN column.
Lost in all the drama, Big Brown's run was one of the most impressive I have ever seen. He rode a LOT further than the horses on the inside of the track, yet still pulled away in the end.
-- D.S.
When the doctor was interviewed and so decisively (and even casually) said "euthanized," it was shocking, but without the forced build-up of most sports TV. It was just... there.
What it WAS was humane, in a way that we didn't see with Barbaro.
Meanwhile, what a spectacular Game 1 win for the Hornets over the Spurs. What a spectacular moment for David West to have a career-playoff-high of 30. (And what a reality check for the Magic, who got clocked by the Pistons.)
I would pay a lot to see the Hawks shock the Celtics today, but I have zero expectations that it will happen.
Dodgers win 8th straight
Jose Bautista (again!)
Cristian Guzman (6 RBI)
How about Mike Mussina's resurgence
Ted Lilly has 1000 career Ks?
Brandon Webb is unstoppable
Red Sox take it out on James Shields
Chase Utley hits HR No. 13 in a loss
(Yeah, Utley should have been my April NL MVP.)
Mavs close to a deal with Rick Carlisle? Ugh: What an uninspiring choice. More tomorrow in the SN column.
Lost in all the drama, Big Brown's run was one of the most impressive I have ever seen. He rode a LOT further than the horses on the inside of the track, yet still pulled away in the end.
-- D.S.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Saturday 05/03 (Very) Quickie: Hawks!
It's Derby Day!
How can you not love the Hawks? (And how can you not be rooting for the Hawks to beat the Celtics in Game 7? Atlanta deserves it more.)
Cavs boot Wizards...again: If you're a Wiz fan (like me), this story has gotten SO old. Being bounced in Game 6 in DC makes it even more annoying.
Jazz boot Rockets...again: Houston fans go home with the consolation prize of that 22-game winning streak, which was more fun than however-far they would have gone in the playoffs anyway.
Marvin Harrison.
LSU has no chance of repeating as champ next season: Not without talented (and troubled) QB Ryan Perrilloux, who will undoubtedly transfer to a 1-AA school (App State?) and run wild.
MLB: Tim Hudson, Skip Schumaker, Chien-Ming Wang, Jose Bautista, Shaun Marcum, Dan Uggla, Hunter Pence and More!
Scott Skiles has hired Kelvin Sampson as an assistant on the Bucks: No need to worry about his phone habits in the pros.
-- D.S.
How can you not love the Hawks? (And how can you not be rooting for the Hawks to beat the Celtics in Game 7? Atlanta deserves it more.)
Cavs boot Wizards...again: If you're a Wiz fan (like me), this story has gotten SO old. Being bounced in Game 6 in DC makes it even more annoying.
Jazz boot Rockets...again: Houston fans go home with the consolation prize of that 22-game winning streak, which was more fun than however-far they would have gone in the playoffs anyway.
Marvin Harrison.
LSU has no chance of repeating as champ next season: Not without talented (and troubled) QB Ryan Perrilloux, who will undoubtedly transfer to a 1-AA school (App State?) and run wild.
MLB: Tim Hudson, Skip Schumaker, Chien-Ming Wang, Jose Bautista, Shaun Marcum, Dan Uggla, Hunter Pence and More!
Scott Skiles has hired Kelvin Sampson as an assistant on the Bucks: No need to worry about his phone habits in the pros.
-- D.S.
Friday, May 02, 2008
On Bissinger and the Myths of Blogging
Proceed if you want ramblings on the Bissinger-Leitch thing a full two days after it was a "thing."
Couple of caveats: This isn't nearly as eloquent as the analysis produced by Leitch himself, or others like Joe Posnanski or Orson Swindle or Brian Powell or over at KSK. Actually, it may feel like I vomited all of my various media theories onto one post.
Some of this I just wanted to get down on paper; some are not as thought out as they could be. Some thoughts lack the nuance – or even originality – they deserve, but I just don't have the time to put into yet. Hell, each paragraph probably begs 6 paragraphs' worth of follow-on analysis and explanation (which I won't subject you to here). It was written last night, after I have had a chance to absorb a lot of the post-Bissinger commentary.
Again, apologies for the length and lack of clarity and/or focus. If you only care about blogs as a means to read and talk about sports, rather than as some kind of meta-thing within sports, please feel free to skip this post entirely.
Myth No. 1: Al blogs – and bloggers – are created equal.
My biggest issue with the complaints about bloggers from guys like Bissinger or Wilbon or Costas or whomever is that they paint with such a broad brush.
I cannot stress this enough: Blogging is a platform. It would be like saying, "All TV shows are bad." Or "All radio shows are bad." Or "All newspapers are bad." Or, even, "All fans are bad."
Again: Blogs are a platform.
It is critical to every follow-on argument made, because if you dig into the details to understand the nuance – as any journalist should want to – "all" is, of course, absurd. Almost as absurd as assigning values to a platform, rather than its participants.
That's a great segue: People like Bissinger who care about great writing should LOVE blogs – and all online media platforms – because more than any other medium in sports, it is a meritocracy, a point Will tried to make on Tuesday night.
Sure, it is open to anyone – you will always find a bell-curve of quality. But those who use the platform best (and that can happen in a lot of ways) will emerge, just as Deadspin did.
If you don't serve fans well, you will not be read. Period.
And so if you're in it for the money, that means the end of your revenue stream; if you're in it for the audience, that means the end of your audience.
And the meritocracy is simple: Create great stuff, and it will be found. Yes, bloggers rely on amplification and network effects of links from people with wider audiences (like bigger blogs or TV shows), but those people with wider audiences are actually under more pressure to create quality content. Don't bring your "A" game, and consumers will tune you out. But if you create great stuff consistently enough, you won't need the links in other blogs, because you will generate an audience on your own. What a wonderful system.
Compare that to mainstream media, where there is little meritocracy:
Old-media columnists are installed, given space and promotion and rewarded handsomely – all without any understanding of how they actually drive readers or engagement. Online media is brutally precise: Every day – every minute – with the Quickie, I knew how many people were reading it on ESPN.com, just as I know at all times how many people are reading the blog. (Even the Quickie's numbers could be skewed artificially: A link from ESPN.com's front page with the right kind of tantalizing headline and I could drive hundreds of thousands of page views. Unpromoted on the front, I could have a fraction of that audience.)
You could argue, like Mike Tirico did on Tuesday, that TV is a very ratings-driven product. That's true, but it is impossible to disaggregate the effects of talent, especially when the match-up of the teams on the field is what drives tune-in more than any other factor. Does Tony Kornheiser bring new viewers to Monday Night Football? It is entirely unclear. Does Skip Bayless bring new viewers to Cold Pizza/First Take? Intuitively, it doesn't seem to be the case. But yet there he is. (I accept that's a cheap shot: Picking on Bayless as an "example," rather than "exception" is as selective as Bissinger and Costas picking a particularly bawdy Deadspin post over the usual fare.)
But you can't deny that the precision of traffic numbers – not to mention the lack of switching costs; the hundreds (if not thousands) of choices; and the very finite amount of time one has to consume sports media – creates a far more qualified playing field than you see in any other sports-media platform.
The underlying meritocracy is at the heart of why you can't apply any broad characterizations to the content produced through new-media platforms.
Myth No. 2: Bloggers are unqualified basement-dwellers.
"Who is this guy and what is his expertise?" Michael Wilbon loves to push this canard, repeated again during the HBO intro piece.
Wilbon and I are both proud graduates of Northwestern's journalism school, and I think Wilbon would agree with me that it is the best journalism education in the world. Does that makes me, the shallow couch-typing blogger, more qualified than Costas, Albom, Bissinger, LeBatard or anyone with a lesser journalism education? (I also have a prestigious-sounding MBA, which is a very expensive bonus.) No: As much as I'd love to throw this in the face of blog-critics, it's ludicrous. But let's be clear:
I'm not alone in my background: I'd guess almost every sports blogger is college-educated. Most are very smart. Many have previous journalism or writing experience. Wilbon would agree: Writing a good sentence is hard, which is why most sportswriters can't (and don't) do it nearly as often as they think they do. Same goes for bloggers.
But I would give at least a little credit to all the bloggers out there for TRYING. Enthusiasm can make up for a lot of short-comings, and if you care enough about something to spend your unpaid time and energy doing it, that's caring in a way that a paid professional journalist can't – and perhaps wouldn't – undertake.
There is no shame in giving anyone their say: You don't have to give it any more weight than you want to (just like any other sports medium) and you certainly don't have to consume it.
And if a PTI or talk-radio producer sees enough in a scandalous storyline to want to amplify it to a broader audience of TV or radio, that is their prerogative – and I defer to their expertise in their sports-media platform.
The underlying premise is the most important: What's wrong with giving anyone the chance to have their say?
Myth No. 3: Bloggers are lazy opinion-lobbers.
As someone who has been on both sides, I would argue that "sitting on the couch" and "sitting in a studio" is basically the same.
On PTI, when Wilbon gets 1 minute to talk about a topic he hasn't personally investigated beyond widely available sources (if even that), it is no more "expert" than your average blogger (or guy on a barstool or in the bleachers).
Some bloggers (like me) model their work precisely on this kind of "name-the-topic, I'll-give-an-opinion" of PTI or Around the Horn.
The best bloggers – I'm thinking of the team bloggers, specifically – follow their "beat" as carefully as any local columnist at a mainstream outlet.
They inhale every available public source – not unlike a "national" reporter for a mainstream media outlet or Web site. They take advantage of work by beat reporters.
When I say "take advantage," I don't mean "steal" – I mean "lean on," just as every single pundit and producer in sports media (newspaper, TV, radio or anywhere) uses.
The difference is that while most bloggers are just as likely to cite the source as any other respectable sports-media platform, bloggers will also link to the original source.
Guess what: The link is more valuable than the mention, both for direct audience and to influence discoverability via search engines, which weight in part on link-backs.
Some bloggers are the voice of the fan on the couch (which, I'd argue, isn't a bad place to be, given that 99.9 percent of the consumers experience sports the same way). Some bloggers are as serious – or more – about their beat than the mainstream reporters.
I can sum it up best this way: For reporters, the beat is their livelihood; for the best bloggers, it is their life.
Myth No. 4: Blog discourse is vulgar at worst, inane at best.
Aha: One of the biggest misconceptions, on full display Tuesday night. Please, critics, I beg you: Learn the difference between a blog post written by the blog's editor and the comments submitted by readers that run alongside the post.
At their best, blog comments add 1000 percent value to a post. Deadspin posts would be fun without comments, but comments make them SO much better. Just as the worst 10 percent are brutal, the best 10 percent are utterly amazing.
Commenters fact- (or reality-) check the author. They push the topic in new and unexpected ways. They bring producer closer to consumer than they have ever been, and they provide a level of engagement unseen in media previously.
Can comments suck? Absolutely. Look no further than this blog, where I effectively cut off comments by making them "moderated" (by me, irregularly). On the other hand, I helped the commenting "regulars" to create a new blog environment just for them, and generally, the comments are on point and enjoyed.
But let's be clear about vulgarity and/or inanity and/or shallowness: This is not unique to blogs or bloggers or blog commenters. You can find it on TV (well beyond sports), on the radio, even in newspapers (just read FireJoeMorgan to see the worst of the worst inanity).
If you want to lament the state of consumers' tastes, feel free. But don't blame blogs or bloggers: Some play to a lowest-common denominator, but – re-framed – some have a very acute understanding of consumer tastes that mainstream media execs would be smart to tap into (which is why you see so many creating blogs and blog-ish content).
Words written carry more weight than words spoken, because the comments on talk radio or PTI or the bleachers or the barstool are no less charged with emotion than they are in the comments section of a sports blog.
Myth No. 5: Blogs are a threat (a.k.a. the "Either-Or" Theory)
"Either-or" proponents seem to think that blogs are replacing other media coverage: Yes, it is true that media consumption is a zero-sum game. Each fan has X amount of time to consume media, and they make choices fairly rationally.
Presumably, they wouldn't spend their most valuable and finite commodity – time – on stuff that didn't satisfy them. (Or, at least, they wouldn't for long.)
The fragmentation of the media landscape is threatening to some, but to others, it has created opportunity to serve fans in the way fans want to be served.
ESPN's mission – brilliantly and simply – is "to serve fans." We can argue about whether they approach that mantra earnestly or, occasionally, cynically, but I think that bloggers, generally, follow the same guideline.
Sure, some of the motivation is to "have your say," but it is the rare blogger who doesn't care whether that "say" exists in a vacuum or not – who doesn't want an audience?
If newspaper editors and other MSM folks thought the landscape was competitive, they should try breaking through the clutter of the blogosphere to create content with traction.
You create traction by serving people something they value. If you serve enough individual people, you serve a community. Serve them well, you will have an audience. Expand that service and you will grow your audience.
(That's what I ask every would-be blogger: Which specific audience are you serving? Are they already being served? If so, are they being served well? How will you serve them differently?)
I said this yesterday: Blanket, allergic reactions like Bissinger's and Wilbon's are born more from insecurity – on behalf of an industry they love (Wilbon) or their own careers (Bissinger). What fascinates me are that these are the last guys who need to be worried.
The guy with the existing platform and institutional support doesn't need to feel insecure (which is why persistent insecurity issues from guys like Kornheiser and Simmons baffles me – those two are the most powerful and protected voices in sports media!)
The insecurity more rightfully belongs to the person who is trying to generate enough traffic on their blog to make a little beer money – or dare to dream that they can land a rare "full-time" gig being paid to blog.
Remember: The blog is a platform. New media is about platforms – new forms of delivery for content, whether that's a blog, a YouTube upload, a podcast, a Twitter page, hell, even a Facebook app.
The smartest folks – not usually the front-line "talent," but the execs upstairs – are focused (if kind of late with that focus) on these platforms. There are some terrific examples of mainstream reporters and columnists exploring these new platforms (Posnanski's blog, the New York Times' blogs).
If it's an "I don't get it" thing, I would be happy to help them understand what the opportunity – not the threat – is.
What bothered me most about Tuesday night – along with most every other mainstream discussion/analysis/opinion about blogs or blogging or bloggers – is that it dealt in vague generalities, which is why you end up with Bissinger's "All blogs suck."
The best part of yesterday's coverage of the Bissinger-Leitch thing wasn't any of the blog triumphalism (or just plain dumping on Bissinger, who is more of a lamentable character than ire-inducing), which I didn't like.
It was the posts that helped point out the nuance of the discussion, the debate, the so-called "divide." They allowed for the shades of gray that are involved in ANY discussion about sports media. What those posts – and my pondering – beg is more discussion.
All blogs suck? No, it's a meritocracy.
All bloggers are sorry amateurs? Hardly.
All bloggers are lazy? No, just me.
All bloggers are profane/inane? Fuck no.
All blogs are a threat? Only if you feel threatened.
It's time to move on from this particular episode, but there is no reason to think that the larger discussion won't – or shouldn't -- continue. "Can't we all get along" is not mutually exclusive from "Can I finish my point?"
But from my vantage point, the people with the bigger problem are the ones who seem the most uncomfortable with the pace and direction of changes to sports media.
-- D.S.
Update: There is a lot of truth in Bethlehem Shoals' impassioned position on this.
Couple of caveats: This isn't nearly as eloquent as the analysis produced by Leitch himself, or others like Joe Posnanski or Orson Swindle or Brian Powell or over at KSK. Actually, it may feel like I vomited all of my various media theories onto one post.
Some of this I just wanted to get down on paper; some are not as thought out as they could be. Some thoughts lack the nuance – or even originality – they deserve, but I just don't have the time to put into yet. Hell, each paragraph probably begs 6 paragraphs' worth of follow-on analysis and explanation (which I won't subject you to here). It was written last night, after I have had a chance to absorb a lot of the post-Bissinger commentary.
Again, apologies for the length and lack of clarity and/or focus. If you only care about blogs as a means to read and talk about sports, rather than as some kind of meta-thing within sports, please feel free to skip this post entirely.
Myth No. 1: Al blogs – and bloggers – are created equal.
My biggest issue with the complaints about bloggers from guys like Bissinger or Wilbon or Costas or whomever is that they paint with such a broad brush.
I cannot stress this enough: Blogging is a platform. It would be like saying, "All TV shows are bad." Or "All radio shows are bad." Or "All newspapers are bad." Or, even, "All fans are bad."
Again: Blogs are a platform.
It is critical to every follow-on argument made, because if you dig into the details to understand the nuance – as any journalist should want to – "all" is, of course, absurd. Almost as absurd as assigning values to a platform, rather than its participants.
That's a great segue: People like Bissinger who care about great writing should LOVE blogs – and all online media platforms – because more than any other medium in sports, it is a meritocracy, a point Will tried to make on Tuesday night.
Sure, it is open to anyone – you will always find a bell-curve of quality. But those who use the platform best (and that can happen in a lot of ways) will emerge, just as Deadspin did.
If you don't serve fans well, you will not be read. Period.
And so if you're in it for the money, that means the end of your revenue stream; if you're in it for the audience, that means the end of your audience.
And the meritocracy is simple: Create great stuff, and it will be found. Yes, bloggers rely on amplification and network effects of links from people with wider audiences (like bigger blogs or TV shows), but those people with wider audiences are actually under more pressure to create quality content. Don't bring your "A" game, and consumers will tune you out. But if you create great stuff consistently enough, you won't need the links in other blogs, because you will generate an audience on your own. What a wonderful system.
Compare that to mainstream media, where there is little meritocracy:
Old-media columnists are installed, given space and promotion and rewarded handsomely – all without any understanding of how they actually drive readers or engagement. Online media is brutally precise: Every day – every minute – with the Quickie, I knew how many people were reading it on ESPN.com, just as I know at all times how many people are reading the blog. (Even the Quickie's numbers could be skewed artificially: A link from ESPN.com's front page with the right kind of tantalizing headline and I could drive hundreds of thousands of page views. Unpromoted on the front, I could have a fraction of that audience.)
You could argue, like Mike Tirico did on Tuesday, that TV is a very ratings-driven product. That's true, but it is impossible to disaggregate the effects of talent, especially when the match-up of the teams on the field is what drives tune-in more than any other factor. Does Tony Kornheiser bring new viewers to Monday Night Football? It is entirely unclear. Does Skip Bayless bring new viewers to Cold Pizza/First Take? Intuitively, it doesn't seem to be the case. But yet there he is. (I accept that's a cheap shot: Picking on Bayless as an "example," rather than "exception" is as selective as Bissinger and Costas picking a particularly bawdy Deadspin post over the usual fare.)
But you can't deny that the precision of traffic numbers – not to mention the lack of switching costs; the hundreds (if not thousands) of choices; and the very finite amount of time one has to consume sports media – creates a far more qualified playing field than you see in any other sports-media platform.
The underlying meritocracy is at the heart of why you can't apply any broad characterizations to the content produced through new-media platforms.
Myth No. 2: Bloggers are unqualified basement-dwellers.
"Who is this guy and what is his expertise?" Michael Wilbon loves to push this canard, repeated again during the HBO intro piece.
Wilbon and I are both proud graduates of Northwestern's journalism school, and I think Wilbon would agree with me that it is the best journalism education in the world. Does that makes me, the shallow couch-typing blogger, more qualified than Costas, Albom, Bissinger, LeBatard or anyone with a lesser journalism education? (I also have a prestigious-sounding MBA, which is a very expensive bonus.) No: As much as I'd love to throw this in the face of blog-critics, it's ludicrous. But let's be clear:
I'm not alone in my background: I'd guess almost every sports blogger is college-educated. Most are very smart. Many have previous journalism or writing experience. Wilbon would agree: Writing a good sentence is hard, which is why most sportswriters can't (and don't) do it nearly as often as they think they do. Same goes for bloggers.
But I would give at least a little credit to all the bloggers out there for TRYING. Enthusiasm can make up for a lot of short-comings, and if you care enough about something to spend your unpaid time and energy doing it, that's caring in a way that a paid professional journalist can't – and perhaps wouldn't – undertake.
There is no shame in giving anyone their say: You don't have to give it any more weight than you want to (just like any other sports medium) and you certainly don't have to consume it.
And if a PTI or talk-radio producer sees enough in a scandalous storyline to want to amplify it to a broader audience of TV or radio, that is their prerogative – and I defer to their expertise in their sports-media platform.
The underlying premise is the most important: What's wrong with giving anyone the chance to have their say?
Myth No. 3: Bloggers are lazy opinion-lobbers.
As someone who has been on both sides, I would argue that "sitting on the couch" and "sitting in a studio" is basically the same.
On PTI, when Wilbon gets 1 minute to talk about a topic he hasn't personally investigated beyond widely available sources (if even that), it is no more "expert" than your average blogger (or guy on a barstool or in the bleachers).
Some bloggers (like me) model their work precisely on this kind of "name-the-topic, I'll-give-an-opinion" of PTI or Around the Horn.
The best bloggers – I'm thinking of the team bloggers, specifically – follow their "beat" as carefully as any local columnist at a mainstream outlet.
They inhale every available public source – not unlike a "national" reporter for a mainstream media outlet or Web site. They take advantage of work by beat reporters.
When I say "take advantage," I don't mean "steal" – I mean "lean on," just as every single pundit and producer in sports media (newspaper, TV, radio or anywhere) uses.
The difference is that while most bloggers are just as likely to cite the source as any other respectable sports-media platform, bloggers will also link to the original source.
Guess what: The link is more valuable than the mention, both for direct audience and to influence discoverability via search engines, which weight in part on link-backs.
Some bloggers are the voice of the fan on the couch (which, I'd argue, isn't a bad place to be, given that 99.9 percent of the consumers experience sports the same way). Some bloggers are as serious – or more – about their beat than the mainstream reporters.
I can sum it up best this way: For reporters, the beat is their livelihood; for the best bloggers, it is their life.
Myth No. 4: Blog discourse is vulgar at worst, inane at best.
Aha: One of the biggest misconceptions, on full display Tuesday night. Please, critics, I beg you: Learn the difference between a blog post written by the blog's editor and the comments submitted by readers that run alongside the post.
At their best, blog comments add 1000 percent value to a post. Deadspin posts would be fun without comments, but comments make them SO much better. Just as the worst 10 percent are brutal, the best 10 percent are utterly amazing.
Commenters fact- (or reality-) check the author. They push the topic in new and unexpected ways. They bring producer closer to consumer than they have ever been, and they provide a level of engagement unseen in media previously.
Can comments suck? Absolutely. Look no further than this blog, where I effectively cut off comments by making them "moderated" (by me, irregularly). On the other hand, I helped the commenting "regulars" to create a new blog environment just for them, and generally, the comments are on point and enjoyed.
But let's be clear about vulgarity and/or inanity and/or shallowness: This is not unique to blogs or bloggers or blog commenters. You can find it on TV (well beyond sports), on the radio, even in newspapers (just read FireJoeMorgan to see the worst of the worst inanity).
If you want to lament the state of consumers' tastes, feel free. But don't blame blogs or bloggers: Some play to a lowest-common denominator, but – re-framed – some have a very acute understanding of consumer tastes that mainstream media execs would be smart to tap into (which is why you see so many creating blogs and blog-ish content).
Words written carry more weight than words spoken, because the comments on talk radio or PTI or the bleachers or the barstool are no less charged with emotion than they are in the comments section of a sports blog.
Myth No. 5: Blogs are a threat (a.k.a. the "Either-Or" Theory)
"Either-or" proponents seem to think that blogs are replacing other media coverage: Yes, it is true that media consumption is a zero-sum game. Each fan has X amount of time to consume media, and they make choices fairly rationally.
Presumably, they wouldn't spend their most valuable and finite commodity – time – on stuff that didn't satisfy them. (Or, at least, they wouldn't for long.)
The fragmentation of the media landscape is threatening to some, but to others, it has created opportunity to serve fans in the way fans want to be served.
ESPN's mission – brilliantly and simply – is "to serve fans." We can argue about whether they approach that mantra earnestly or, occasionally, cynically, but I think that bloggers, generally, follow the same guideline.
Sure, some of the motivation is to "have your say," but it is the rare blogger who doesn't care whether that "say" exists in a vacuum or not – who doesn't want an audience?
If newspaper editors and other MSM folks thought the landscape was competitive, they should try breaking through the clutter of the blogosphere to create content with traction.
You create traction by serving people something they value. If you serve enough individual people, you serve a community. Serve them well, you will have an audience. Expand that service and you will grow your audience.
(That's what I ask every would-be blogger: Which specific audience are you serving? Are they already being served? If so, are they being served well? How will you serve them differently?)
I said this yesterday: Blanket, allergic reactions like Bissinger's and Wilbon's are born more from insecurity – on behalf of an industry they love (Wilbon) or their own careers (Bissinger). What fascinates me are that these are the last guys who need to be worried.
The guy with the existing platform and institutional support doesn't need to feel insecure (which is why persistent insecurity issues from guys like Kornheiser and Simmons baffles me – those two are the most powerful and protected voices in sports media!)
The insecurity more rightfully belongs to the person who is trying to generate enough traffic on their blog to make a little beer money – or dare to dream that they can land a rare "full-time" gig being paid to blog.
Remember: The blog is a platform. New media is about platforms – new forms of delivery for content, whether that's a blog, a YouTube upload, a podcast, a Twitter page, hell, even a Facebook app.
The smartest folks – not usually the front-line "talent," but the execs upstairs – are focused (if kind of late with that focus) on these platforms. There are some terrific examples of mainstream reporters and columnists exploring these new platforms (Posnanski's blog, the New York Times' blogs).
If it's an "I don't get it" thing, I would be happy to help them understand what the opportunity – not the threat – is.
What bothered me most about Tuesday night – along with most every other mainstream discussion/analysis/opinion about blogs or blogging or bloggers – is that it dealt in vague generalities, which is why you end up with Bissinger's "All blogs suck."
The best part of yesterday's coverage of the Bissinger-Leitch thing wasn't any of the blog triumphalism (or just plain dumping on Bissinger, who is more of a lamentable character than ire-inducing), which I didn't like.
It was the posts that helped point out the nuance of the discussion, the debate, the so-called "divide." They allowed for the shades of gray that are involved in ANY discussion about sports media. What those posts – and my pondering – beg is more discussion.
All blogs suck? No, it's a meritocracy.
All bloggers are sorry amateurs? Hardly.
All bloggers are lazy? No, just me.
All bloggers are profane/inane? Fuck no.
All blogs are a threat? Only if you feel threatened.
It's time to move on from this particular episode, but there is no reason to think that the larger discussion won't – or shouldn't -- continue. "Can't we all get along" is not mutually exclusive from "Can I finish my point?"
But from my vantage point, the people with the bigger problem are the ones who seem the most uncomfortable with the pace and direction of changes to sports media.
-- D.S.
Update: There is a lot of truth in Bethlehem Shoals' impassioned position on this.
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