For all my obsession about the Volkswagen "Darth Vader" ad this week, this tweet last night from Parks & Recreation's Michael Schur (aka Fire Joe Morgan's Ken Tremendous) was validating:
"That Passat ad with the kid dressed like Darth Vader is the best ad of the Super Bowl, regardless of what other ads are in the Super Bowl."
He is 100% correct. I can't believe how obsessed I am with this ad -- and I can't wait for the moment when the 100 million people who haven't seen it yet (6 million have) finally watch. (Haven't seen it? Watch it here.)
Oh, there's a game, too? Not that an injured, half-speed Maurkice Pouncey was going to make a huge difference, but that Pouncey is out makes me even more comfortable picking the Pack.
(There is this other, entirely qualitative rationale, too: Aaron Rodgers' career appears to be headed as being defined as entirely relative -- and eventually eclipsing -- Brett Favre. Winning the Super Bowl -- and playing at an insanely high level -- would be a big step.)
The NFL Commish Speaks: He says all the right things, but he's not fooling around. I think the union ultimately will have to bend to the league, because the league -- to Goodell's point -- is looking at this from a 10-year horizon, while the union is looking at it from a shorter-term perspective.
That said, it's heartening to see Pats owner Bob Kraft so vocal about wanting to get a deal done -- "it's criminal if we don't get a deal done" -- he seems to be the most reasonable person in all of this, and he probably has the clout to help make something happen.
NBA Last Night: I will never buy the Mavs in the playoffs, but they sure looked good beating the Celtics.
Meanwhile, the Cavs lost their 23rd straight -- epic losing is as dramatic as epic winning, and I encourage Cleveland to keep losing, because at least it makes them interesting. And interesting is better than mediocre.
Kevin Love an All-Star: This was the right move by the NBA, although it would be terrific if they could find a way to make room for Steve Nash, who -- turning 37 on Monday (37!) -- is having one of his best years ever. He is one of the most remarkable players in NBA history. (If I had to rank my Top 3 favorite NBA players, Nash is on the list.)
College hoops today: A bit of a low-key day, except that Northwestern makes an exceedingly rare appearance on CBS nationally (except in New York City...grr) at 1 ET, then Jimmer on Versus at 4, then Florida hosting Kentucky at 9. So my day is accounted for, at least.
MLB Hot Stove: Vlad to the O's. Another player who is typically high on the "interesting" scale but doesn't necessarily translate into many more wins for the O's. (Last year, despite finishing 11th in MVP voting, only had a 2.1 WAR.) Still: Exciting-ish?
The Mets -- or, more specifically, their owners -- are so screwed. That is all.
Andy Pettitte retires: Mark it down -- he is pitching for the Yankees in 2012. If his body is willing but he simply doesn't have the "hunger" anymore, he'll get the hunger back -- especially if the Yankees miss the playoffs next season (and, without him, they very well might).
NFL Rookies of the Year: Bradford on offense and Suh on defense, and it was obvious from a few games into the season. (You could make a pretty good case for Pouncey on offense, but even if he was anchoring the O-line for the AFC champs, that's not as impressive as stepping in as a rookie QB on a terrible team and actually helping them become respectable.)
Enjoy the day. Please give Quickish a look throughout the day, if you want to keep up with the big things that are happening.
-- D.S.
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Friday, February 04, 2011
02/04 Quickie: Super Bowl Eve Eve
First, thanks to everyone who came out to Varsity Letters last night. At least 200 people were there to see 13 readers, who all blew the doors off the place. Hoping to have at least a podcast available at some point.
Now: Super Bowl. (Well, Super Bowl Eve Eve.)
*I can't remember being more muddled about a Super Bowl pick. I'm probably rooting for the Packers -- and even though I think it's easy to convince myself the Steelers are going to win, I'm picking the Pack. It's Aaron Rodgers' moment.
*The Super Bowl "Ad Bowl" winner will be the Volkswagen "Force" ad, which already has 5 million views on YouTube. (The only thing that might hold it back is that it will have lost its novelty by game-time; then again, with 110 million people watching, that's 105 million people who haven't seen it yet -- and who will be as blown away as I am.)
Haven't seen it yet? Here you go.
*Promo! If you are planning to follow real-time commentary about the game online while watching on TV -- on your laptop or phone or iPad -- please give Quickish a try. Based on the reaction to how things went during the NFL Playoffs, you'll really enjoy it. (And please tell friends!)
*Designated Super Bowl snack: My 4-year-old has expressed his preference, and it will likely rule -- Doritos. Ahh: Brand awareness.
*Will Maurkice Pouncey play? I'll say no (but you never know).
More non-Super Bowl news:
*Andy Pettitte retires: Great pitcher. Big game pitcher. 5 rings. Yankee all-timer who should have his number retired. Hall of Famer? No.
*Pro Football Hall of Fame vote: Deion is a lock. Marshall Faulk is a lock. Then it gets contentious. My personal campaign is for NFL Films' Ed Sabol. Few non-players should be in the Hall of Fame. Sabol is one of them, without question.
*LeBron destroys the Magic: That'll teach Dwight Howard to mock LeBron before the game.
*Spurs tip Lakers: It's not even the All-Star break yet. Count me among the folks who think the Lakers will be fine in the playoffs.
*NBA All-Star reserves: I can't believe Kevin Love was left off the West team. (Steve Nash either.) Ridiculous snubs.
*DeSean Jackson takes on bullying. You have to be heartless not to be moved by Jackson on the View yesterday helping a bullied kid. (The kid's reaction when Jackson comes out? Oh my god.)
*College hoops: A loss at Oregon State late last night effectively ends any Washington bandwagon that was left.
*Thanks for giving Quickish a look today -- and for telling your friends, colleagues, etc. Again: The Super Bowl should be a ton of fun -- hope you'll join me there for some of it.
-- D.S.
Now: Super Bowl. (Well, Super Bowl Eve Eve.)
*I can't remember being more muddled about a Super Bowl pick. I'm probably rooting for the Packers -- and even though I think it's easy to convince myself the Steelers are going to win, I'm picking the Pack. It's Aaron Rodgers' moment.
*The Super Bowl "Ad Bowl" winner will be the Volkswagen "Force" ad, which already has 5 million views on YouTube. (The only thing that might hold it back is that it will have lost its novelty by game-time; then again, with 110 million people watching, that's 105 million people who haven't seen it yet -- and who will be as blown away as I am.)
Haven't seen it yet? Here you go.
*Promo! If you are planning to follow real-time commentary about the game online while watching on TV -- on your laptop or phone or iPad -- please give Quickish a try. Based on the reaction to how things went during the NFL Playoffs, you'll really enjoy it. (And please tell friends!)
*Designated Super Bowl snack: My 4-year-old has expressed his preference, and it will likely rule -- Doritos. Ahh: Brand awareness.
*Will Maurkice Pouncey play? I'll say no (but you never know).
More non-Super Bowl news:
*Andy Pettitte retires: Great pitcher. Big game pitcher. 5 rings. Yankee all-timer who should have his number retired. Hall of Famer? No.
*Pro Football Hall of Fame vote: Deion is a lock. Marshall Faulk is a lock. Then it gets contentious. My personal campaign is for NFL Films' Ed Sabol. Few non-players should be in the Hall of Fame. Sabol is one of them, without question.
*LeBron destroys the Magic: That'll teach Dwight Howard to mock LeBron before the game.
*Spurs tip Lakers: It's not even the All-Star break yet. Count me among the folks who think the Lakers will be fine in the playoffs.
*NBA All-Star reserves: I can't believe Kevin Love was left off the West team. (Steve Nash either.) Ridiculous snubs.
*DeSean Jackson takes on bullying. You have to be heartless not to be moved by Jackson on the View yesterday helping a bullied kid. (The kid's reaction when Jackson comes out? Oh my god.)
*College hoops: A loss at Oregon State late last night effectively ends any Washington bandwagon that was left.
*Thanks for giving Quickish a look today -- and for telling your friends, colleagues, etc. Again: The Super Bowl should be a ton of fun -- hope you'll join me there for some of it.
-- D.S.
Thursday, February 03, 2011
02/03 Quickie: Excess
For the next few days, I am going to remind you not just to check out Quickish (daily! or even more often!) and not just to tell all your friends (many!)...
...But also to be sure to drop by Quickish during the Super Bowl (laptop, phone, iPad, whatever!) on Sunday for what I think is going to be the best complementary experience of the game you'll find online. After two rounds of playoffs with Quickish, I feel good about making that claim. (And, again, please tell friends. Your referral is the most key thing here.)
As the kids say: Legggooo....
*If nothing else, I am not Justin Bieber sitting courtside at last night's Knicks game getting booed at MSG when my face is on the Jumbotron.
However! If you live in NYC and you'd like to publicly mock me, join me and more than a dozen far-more-qualified writers at the Varsity Letters 5th Anniversary extravaganza tonight.
*National Signing Day: So who was the "champ?" Rivals picked Alabama. Scout picked Auburn. ESPN picked FSU. CBSSports picked... Notre Dame. (Ha!) If I had to pick the class I was most impressed by, it would be FSU (and you know it pains me to say that.)
*The real champ was that running back from Georgia who brought the baby bulldog onto national TV to make his announcement. I cannot begrudge the kids making a big deal out of this.
*Debunked: Those ridiculous rumors that Syracuse hoops players were point-shaving. That's about as brutal of a rumor as you could start in sports.
(I'm perennially in the tank for Syracuse in March, but I can't help think that their frustration over the rumors helped them get off the schneid and beat UConn at UConn. Bandwagon!)
*Big Ben was caught by TMZ drinking at a bar on Tuesday night and singing "Piano Man." I just can't buy this is as a "thing." Maybe it's managed expectations about Roethlisberger, but in an absolute sense, players drinking and having fun early in Super Bowl week just isn't an issue.
*Super Bowl Meme of the Day: GM Ted Thompson jettisoning Brett Favre -- despite howls from Packers fans -- set the table for this Super Bowl run and the several to follow. Anyone who dislikes Favre (so many of us!) should be thrilled to give Thompson all the credit in the world. And here's some real talk: Rodgers is better now than Favre ever was, even during Favre's MVP years. (And Rodgers is only getting better.)
*Video of the Night: How can you not love a hockey goaliefight?
*More CBB: Michigan State got destroyed by 20 at Iowa, a terrible team. I only mention this otherwise inconsequential game because -- and I full 'fess up to this -- Michigan State was my preseason pick to win the national title. Oh good gracious. Worst pick ever? Worst pick ever.
*NBA: Cavs lose 22nd straight. Ouch. On the plus side, Kevin Durant had 43 in a Thunder win over the Hornets -- and Blake Griffin continued to provide a new jaw-dropping highlight with every new game.
*NFL Awards: Bill Belichick named NFL Coach of the Year. I'm a huge Belichick fan -- ironic, given that I hate the Pats and all Boston sports (except man-crush Theo) -- but my vote would have gone to Tampa's Raheem Morris, who did more with a worse team than Belichick could ever have dreamed of when he was under the age of 40.
*This is the best TV ad of the past year, and if it debuted during the Super Bowl -- rather than on YouTube -- it would have been a top contender for "Best Super Bowl Ad."
*So many good reads on Quickish yesterday -- with even more coming today. Please give it a try.
-- D.S.
...But also to be sure to drop by Quickish during the Super Bowl (laptop, phone, iPad, whatever!) on Sunday for what I think is going to be the best complementary experience of the game you'll find online. After two rounds of playoffs with Quickish, I feel good about making that claim. (And, again, please tell friends. Your referral is the most key thing here.)
As the kids say: Legggooo....
*If nothing else, I am not Justin Bieber sitting courtside at last night's Knicks game getting booed at MSG when my face is on the Jumbotron.
However! If you live in NYC and you'd like to publicly mock me, join me and more than a dozen far-more-qualified writers at the Varsity Letters 5th Anniversary extravaganza tonight.
*National Signing Day: So who was the "champ?" Rivals picked Alabama. Scout picked Auburn. ESPN picked FSU. CBSSports picked... Notre Dame. (Ha!) If I had to pick the class I was most impressed by, it would be FSU (and you know it pains me to say that.)
*The real champ was that running back from Georgia who brought the baby bulldog onto national TV to make his announcement. I cannot begrudge the kids making a big deal out of this.
*Debunked: Those ridiculous rumors that Syracuse hoops players were point-shaving. That's about as brutal of a rumor as you could start in sports.
(I'm perennially in the tank for Syracuse in March, but I can't help think that their frustration over the rumors helped them get off the schneid and beat UConn at UConn. Bandwagon!)
*Big Ben was caught by TMZ drinking at a bar on Tuesday night and singing "Piano Man." I just can't buy this is as a "thing." Maybe it's managed expectations about Roethlisberger, but in an absolute sense, players drinking and having fun early in Super Bowl week just isn't an issue.
*Super Bowl Meme of the Day: GM Ted Thompson jettisoning Brett Favre -- despite howls from Packers fans -- set the table for this Super Bowl run and the several to follow. Anyone who dislikes Favre (so many of us!) should be thrilled to give Thompson all the credit in the world. And here's some real talk: Rodgers is better now than Favre ever was, even during Favre's MVP years. (And Rodgers is only getting better.)
*Video of the Night: How can you not love a hockey goaliefight?
*More CBB: Michigan State got destroyed by 20 at Iowa, a terrible team. I only mention this otherwise inconsequential game because -- and I full 'fess up to this -- Michigan State was my preseason pick to win the national title. Oh good gracious. Worst pick ever? Worst pick ever.
*NBA: Cavs lose 22nd straight. Ouch. On the plus side, Kevin Durant had 43 in a Thunder win over the Hornets -- and Blake Griffin continued to provide a new jaw-dropping highlight with every new game.
*NFL Awards: Bill Belichick named NFL Coach of the Year. I'm a huge Belichick fan -- ironic, given that I hate the Pats and all Boston sports (except man-crush Theo) -- but my vote would have gone to Tampa's Raheem Morris, who did more with a worse team than Belichick could ever have dreamed of when he was under the age of 40.
*This is the best TV ad of the past year, and if it debuted during the Super Bowl -- rather than on YouTube -- it would have been a top contender for "Best Super Bowl Ad."
*So many good reads on Quickish yesterday -- with even more coming today. Please give it a try.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
02/02 Quickie: NSD, Super Bowl, More
Today is "National Signing Day" -- or "NSD" -- the day that college football recruits (I'm sorry, or is that "high school seniors") can formally send their Letter of Intent (or LOI) to schools.
If you love college football, it's a big day. (If you love college football recruiting -- and it's far more than a cottage industry -- it is the biggest day of the year.)
The funny thing is that most recruits have already committed somewhere, so the only drama is whether they flip-flop their choice (always iffy!) or where the handful of uncommitted players go.
Even that one is no guarantee -- this year, the nation's top recruit (DE Jadeveon Clowney) will delay his decision by two weeks, until his birthday (Feb. 14) and having the stage to himself.
I happen to like NSD for the same reason fans like the NFL or NBA or MLB or NHL Draft: It's about hope. Hope that these players (or one of them) will bring your team Ws down the line.
That's up to the coaches and the college environment and the opportunities they get given the depth ahead of them. But for today, it's just optimism of what COULD be.
****
Super Bowl Media Day wrap: The most substantial thing that happened was James Harrison blitzing the NFL for his mid-season fine. Good for him for speaking his mind.
Is Maurkice Pouncey really "75 percent" to play in the Super Bowl? (1) I don't believe that, and (2) how effective could he possibly be?
Tom Brady wins AP Offensive Player of the Year: You don't say!
Rays introduce Manny and Johnny: The Rays were already going to be good; this just makes them more entertaining.
CBB: I try not to put too much stock in any single win or loss, but I'm going to have trouble not filing away Kentucky losing to Ole Miss, when it comes to picking brackets in a few weeks.
NBA: Justin Bieber is playing in the NBA All-Star Celebrity game. That makes him bigger than Blake Griffin, who I hope will play in both the Rookie-Soph game and the adult version. (I presume he'll only play in the real-deal ASG -- frankly, he should be starting for Yao.)
Finally, it's Groundhog Day, which has come to symbolize nothing if not a day to appreciate the brilliance of the eponymous movie.
-- D.S.
If you love college football, it's a big day. (If you love college football recruiting -- and it's far more than a cottage industry -- it is the biggest day of the year.)
The funny thing is that most recruits have already committed somewhere, so the only drama is whether they flip-flop their choice (always iffy!) or where the handful of uncommitted players go.
Even that one is no guarantee -- this year, the nation's top recruit (DE Jadeveon Clowney) will delay his decision by two weeks, until his birthday (Feb. 14) and having the stage to himself.
I happen to like NSD for the same reason fans like the NFL or NBA or MLB or NHL Draft: It's about hope. Hope that these players (or one of them) will bring your team Ws down the line.
That's up to the coaches and the college environment and the opportunities they get given the depth ahead of them. But for today, it's just optimism of what COULD be.
****
Super Bowl Media Day wrap: The most substantial thing that happened was James Harrison blitzing the NFL for his mid-season fine. Good for him for speaking his mind.
Is Maurkice Pouncey really "75 percent" to play in the Super Bowl? (1) I don't believe that, and (2) how effective could he possibly be?
Tom Brady wins AP Offensive Player of the Year: You don't say!
Rays introduce Manny and Johnny: The Rays were already going to be good; this just makes them more entertaining.
CBB: I try not to put too much stock in any single win or loss, but I'm going to have trouble not filing away Kentucky losing to Ole Miss, when it comes to picking brackets in a few weeks.
NBA: Justin Bieber is playing in the NBA All-Star Celebrity game. That makes him bigger than Blake Griffin, who I hope will play in both the Rookie-Soph game and the adult version. (I presume he'll only play in the real-deal ASG -- frankly, he should be starting for Yao.)
Finally, it's Groundhog Day, which has come to symbolize nothing if not a day to appreciate the brilliance of the eponymous movie.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
02/01 Quickie: Media Daze
Media Day is awful. I would have written that had I gotten the Quickie today ready in time, but I can say it with a bit more authority now that the day is over.
Quickish had fairly intensive coverage -- but only good stuff! But largely, the day was awful.
Winners: James Harrison for his forthright discussion of his fine earlier this season; Brett Keisel's beard; Ines Sainz, who was a worldwide trending topic. (Really?)
Losers: People looking for anything more than platitudes. At least it was light on buffoonery.
Otherwise, I would highly recommend giving Quickish a look today from, say, 2:15 p.m. ET onward, when I was able to unleash great read after great read, none of which having to do with Media Day.
Much much more tomorrow. I'm starting a new system to make sure this is up and out in the early morning, as usual. Today just got away from me. Apologies.
(And congrats to my friend Rob Neyer for his new gig at SB Nation. I'm long on the record as being a huge fan of that company; it's another savvy move.)
-- D.S.
Quickish had fairly intensive coverage -- but only good stuff! But largely, the day was awful.
Winners: James Harrison for his forthright discussion of his fine earlier this season; Brett Keisel's beard; Ines Sainz, who was a worldwide trending topic. (Really?)
Losers: People looking for anything more than platitudes. At least it was light on buffoonery.
Otherwise, I would highly recommend giving Quickish a look today from, say, 2:15 p.m. ET onward, when I was able to unleash great read after great read, none of which having to do with Media Day.
Much much more tomorrow. I'm starting a new system to make sure this is up and out in the early morning, as usual. Today just got away from me. Apologies.
(And congrats to my friend Rob Neyer for his new gig at SB Nation. I'm long on the record as being a huge fan of that company; it's another savvy move.)
-- D.S.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Rob Neyer Leaving ESPN.com: An Appreciation
I met Rob Neyer in 1996 in Seattle, joining him at an amazing company called Starwave, which was charged with creating and producing what was then called ESPNet.SportsZone.com. (Really.)
Unless someone can prove otherwise, Neyer was the Web's first full-time online sports columnist. And there is a good chance he was the first full-time online columnist for ANY mainstream news company.
Rob was (and remains) a pioneer in not simply statistics in baseball media, but the application of those stats in talking about baseball.
And his contributions -- not to mention his longevity on the ESPN.com platform, basically for its entire existence -- is why it's such a big deal that he announced today he is leaving ESPN.com.
There is a strong argument to be made -- one that I personally believe in (and I'm not alone) -- that Rob has done more to popularize the understanding of baseball statistics by baseball fans than any writer in baseball history, including Michael Lewis.
(I hope that in the not-too-distant future, Rob receives the Ford Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame, because he has already earned it.)
I will leave it to someone else to quantify Rob's accomplishments by trying to figure out how many readers he has reached over his 15-year career at ESPN.com -- or qualify Rob's impact by figuring out how many baseball writers today found him an inspiration:
Not only can you make a living writing about sports on the Web, but you can be really, really good at it.
At ESPN.com, Rob combined accessible voice with smart writing. He wrote columns, did mailbags with readers, participated in marathon chats (at one point holding the ESPN.com chat-marathon record) and applied his style to his most recent project, the SweetSpot blog. (To say nothing of his amazing books, a totally different subject, but part of the whole Neyer story.)
I'll echo something I wrote about Peter King last week -- and Rob preceded King by at least two years. It can't be understated that back in 1996, people were just trying to figure out how to write for this new medium. Many were doing a lousy job at it, mostly applying what they knew from other mediums -- like newspapers -- and simply plopping in the same everything.
(This is the place where Rob would insist -- and I would concur -- that we pay tribute to Rob's longtime editor at ESPN.com, certainly during those formative, influential years of the late-90s, David Schoenfield. Without David's leadership and vision and collusion and sense of revolution as an editor, Rob wouldn't have had nearly the impact he did. Same goes for longtime ESPN.com publisher Geoff Reiss, who originally had the vision to hire Rob and give him that unprecedented role as sports' first full-time online writer/columnist. I count both David and Geoff as close friends and marvel at their impact, here and elsewhere.)
But perhaps because he didn't come from a newspaper or traditional media background, Neyer could allow his style and voice to flow more naturally. He was (and is) made for this medium, and the medium is better off for his contributions in its early formative years.
(I still have a copy of a column Rob wrote for me about college basketball -- I was ESPN.com's college hoops editor -- and it always made the coverage better to have Rob's contribution, almost always ideas he came up with on his own, noodling at his desk.)
Don't know what's next for Rob, but as he might describe it: 15 years creates a lot of data to draw conclusions, and it is easy to predict his continued success.
And it is easy to thank him for his 15 wonderful years at ESPN.com. In a medium as fleeting as online, it is perhaps the highest compliment to pay: Rob Neyer has mattered.
-- D.S.
Unless someone can prove otherwise, Neyer was the Web's first full-time online sports columnist. And there is a good chance he was the first full-time online columnist for ANY mainstream news company.
Rob was (and remains) a pioneer in not simply statistics in baseball media, but the application of those stats in talking about baseball.
And his contributions -- not to mention his longevity on the ESPN.com platform, basically for its entire existence -- is why it's such a big deal that he announced today he is leaving ESPN.com.
There is a strong argument to be made -- one that I personally believe in (and I'm not alone) -- that Rob has done more to popularize the understanding of baseball statistics by baseball fans than any writer in baseball history, including Michael Lewis.
(I hope that in the not-too-distant future, Rob receives the Ford Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame, because he has already earned it.)
I will leave it to someone else to quantify Rob's accomplishments by trying to figure out how many readers he has reached over his 15-year career at ESPN.com -- or qualify Rob's impact by figuring out how many baseball writers today found him an inspiration:
Not only can you make a living writing about sports on the Web, but you can be really, really good at it.
At ESPN.com, Rob combined accessible voice with smart writing. He wrote columns, did mailbags with readers, participated in marathon chats (at one point holding the ESPN.com chat-marathon record) and applied his style to his most recent project, the SweetSpot blog. (To say nothing of his amazing books, a totally different subject, but part of the whole Neyer story.)
I'll echo something I wrote about Peter King last week -- and Rob preceded King by at least two years. It can't be understated that back in 1996, people were just trying to figure out how to write for this new medium. Many were doing a lousy job at it, mostly applying what they knew from other mediums -- like newspapers -- and simply plopping in the same everything.
(This is the place where Rob would insist -- and I would concur -- that we pay tribute to Rob's longtime editor at ESPN.com, certainly during those formative, influential years of the late-90s, David Schoenfield. Without David's leadership and vision and collusion and sense of revolution as an editor, Rob wouldn't have had nearly the impact he did. Same goes for longtime ESPN.com publisher Geoff Reiss, who originally had the vision to hire Rob and give him that unprecedented role as sports' first full-time online writer/columnist. I count both David and Geoff as close friends and marvel at their impact, here and elsewhere.)
But perhaps because he didn't come from a newspaper or traditional media background, Neyer could allow his style and voice to flow more naturally. He was (and is) made for this medium, and the medium is better off for his contributions in its early formative years.
(I still have a copy of a column Rob wrote for me about college basketball -- I was ESPN.com's college hoops editor -- and it always made the coverage better to have Rob's contribution, almost always ideas he came up with on his own, noodling at his desk.)
Don't know what's next for Rob, but as he might describe it: 15 years creates a lot of data to draw conclusions, and it is easy to predict his continued success.
And it is easy to thank him for his 15 wonderful years at ESPN.com. In a medium as fleeting as online, it is perhaps the highest compliment to pay: Rob Neyer has mattered.
-- D.S.
01/31 Quickie: Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, Kobe, Duke, NHL ASG and More
It's Super Bowl Week -- prepare for the over-saturation now.
Frankly, it's a week that makes Quickish all the more valuable -- cutting through the noise and clutter to bring you only the really good stuff to help you keep up. Please pop by today -- and all week, culminating with the Super Bowl in-game stream, which should be amazing.
*Mock the Pro Bowl all you want (and you did), the game had a ton of viewers. (But the game itself was unwatchable; it's like a Zen koan.)
*Celtics thump Lakers in LA: Not for lack of Kobe scoring, but for a serious lack of defensive effort by the defending champs.
*Oh, and then there was KG telling a Lakers ball-boy he had as much of a chance as "Bin Laden" of getting an autograph from him. Sometimes KG's dickishness is cool; mostly, it's not.
*Duke gets throttled in NYC: One of those games Duke-haters love to watch -- you'd think I would like the close calls more than the beat-downs, but nope: I love the beat-downs more. Of course, it means nothing in the grand scheme of what matters -- the NCAA Tournament. (Remember Duke getting crushed by Georgetown this time last year?)
Duke is still the team to beat; that said, they can't possibly repeat the gift-wrapped bracket path they had a year ago. That, more than anything we saw yesterday, is the biggest impediment to repeating. (Continuing not to have Kyrie Irving hurts too.)
*More CBB: So who's Number 1? Ohio State? OK, but let's file away the fact that a Northwestern team that slowed the pace of the game to a crawl -- but, more important, had absolutely no interior presence (literally: NU has the worst center in major-conference basketball) -- and nearly knocked them off. That's no resume-builder. And yet I can't believe in Texas -- at least not as a team to win six straight in late March, which is all that counts. What this weekend did, more than anything, was preclude you from feeling particularly good about ANY team's chances of winning it all.
*More NBA: Heat close out Thunder in OKC. I think we just saw the birth of a new (and not-fake) NBA rivalry. They may only play twice a year -- and never meet in the Finals (let's give it 3 years or so) -- but there's an obvious enmity. I mean, the normally staid Kevin Durant was inspired to call Chris Bosh "fake-tough," which is hardly controversial. Let's be real: Did anyone think Bosh WAS tough?
*NHL All-Star Game: Personally, I loved the "pick-sides" format, and the game was a goal-scoring frenzy. As a non-fan (I realized this weekend it's not fair to call me a "casual NHL fan" anymore), I tuned in a few times while watching other games, which is all the NHL can ask for from non-fans. (They won't want/need me anyway; they need the ASG to bolster support among the faithful, which I think it did.)
*Super Bowl mania: There was plenty of Gator gear for my kids when they were born, but if the folks in the nursery at the hospital wrapped either of them in a Yankees towel (like they do in Pittsburgh), I would have gone mildly ballistic.
*So many awesome reads on Quickish from this weekend. Head over and scroll down, hit the "More" button a few times and in less than 3 minutes, you'll get a ton of interesting perspectives and a slew of great reads for later.
-- D.S.
Frankly, it's a week that makes Quickish all the more valuable -- cutting through the noise and clutter to bring you only the really good stuff to help you keep up. Please pop by today -- and all week, culminating with the Super Bowl in-game stream, which should be amazing.
*Mock the Pro Bowl all you want (and you did), the game had a ton of viewers. (But the game itself was unwatchable; it's like a Zen koan.)
*Celtics thump Lakers in LA: Not for lack of Kobe scoring, but for a serious lack of defensive effort by the defending champs.
*Oh, and then there was KG telling a Lakers ball-boy he had as much of a chance as "Bin Laden" of getting an autograph from him. Sometimes KG's dickishness is cool; mostly, it's not.
*Duke gets throttled in NYC: One of those games Duke-haters love to watch -- you'd think I would like the close calls more than the beat-downs, but nope: I love the beat-downs more. Of course, it means nothing in the grand scheme of what matters -- the NCAA Tournament. (Remember Duke getting crushed by Georgetown this time last year?)
Duke is still the team to beat; that said, they can't possibly repeat the gift-wrapped bracket path they had a year ago. That, more than anything we saw yesterday, is the biggest impediment to repeating. (Continuing not to have Kyrie Irving hurts too.)
*More CBB: So who's Number 1? Ohio State? OK, but let's file away the fact that a Northwestern team that slowed the pace of the game to a crawl -- but, more important, had absolutely no interior presence (literally: NU has the worst center in major-conference basketball) -- and nearly knocked them off. That's no resume-builder. And yet I can't believe in Texas -- at least not as a team to win six straight in late March, which is all that counts. What this weekend did, more than anything, was preclude you from feeling particularly good about ANY team's chances of winning it all.
*More NBA: Heat close out Thunder in OKC. I think we just saw the birth of a new (and not-fake) NBA rivalry. They may only play twice a year -- and never meet in the Finals (let's give it 3 years or so) -- but there's an obvious enmity. I mean, the normally staid Kevin Durant was inspired to call Chris Bosh "fake-tough," which is hardly controversial. Let's be real: Did anyone think Bosh WAS tough?
*NHL All-Star Game: Personally, I loved the "pick-sides" format, and the game was a goal-scoring frenzy. As a non-fan (I realized this weekend it's not fair to call me a "casual NHL fan" anymore), I tuned in a few times while watching other games, which is all the NHL can ask for from non-fans. (They won't want/need me anyway; they need the ASG to bolster support among the faithful, which I think it did.)
*Super Bowl mania: There was plenty of Gator gear for my kids when they were born, but if the folks in the nursery at the hospital wrapped either of them in a Yankees towel (like they do in Pittsburgh), I would have gone mildly ballistic.
*So many awesome reads on Quickish from this weekend. Head over and scroll down, hit the "More" button a few times and in less than 3 minutes, you'll get a ton of interesting perspectives and a slew of great reads for later.
-- D.S.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
01/30 (Very) Quickie
So close: I thought Northwestern (without star John Shurna) was going to lose at home to No. 1 Ohio State by 30. That they came within a single basket should be a moral victory; it sure didn't feel that way.
The lesson of yesterday's college hoops slate -- from Ohio State to the slew of upsets (too many to count) -- is that any assumptions you're making already about the bracket are wrong.
If Ohio State can get taken to the final second by Northwestern, a better team that runs at a slow pace with even a nominal presence inside (NU has none) can knock them off.
If BYU plays D like they did against New Mexico in the final 10 minutes of the game -- and UNM was playing at home and on fire, but still -- it doesn't matter how prolific Jimmer is.
UConn? They lost at home to Louisville. Villanova? Lost to Georgetown. Pitt? Nearly lost to Rutgers. Wisconsin? Lost to Penn State. Vandy and Florida? Don't get me started.
The point is that your bracket is effed already -- and you don't even know it.
****
On the one hand, this Rodgers-disses-the-Packers-on-the-IR story is overblown -- it's the first "scandal" of Super Bowl week, so folks are jumping on it. On the other hand, what was Rodgers thinking? He knew what he was saying, and I'm just not sure why he said it.
****
*The Senior Bowl really suffered for lack of a super-duper-star like Tim Tebow.
*The Pro Bowl will similarly get little attention.
*I think folks are missing a big piece of this Pujols story: So if the Cards don't sign him by the start of spring training, he's going to play the entire season with the idea he's leaving hanging over the heads of him, the team and the Cards fans? Has he thought this position through? It will dominate every. single. series. he plays. In a post-"Decision" world -- and like it or not, that's where we are -- this will be framed as LeBron 2.0. Cards fans are super-nice, but this should stretch the limits of their patience.
*Great NBA day today: Heat-Thunder (LeBron vs. Durant), then Lakers-Celtics. As it relates to top contenders, I think the NBA regular season is right up there with college hoops and the NHL as the most inconsequential in sports, but some games are absolutely must-see, and these are two of them (and on an otherwise slow day in sports -- great programming by the NBA).
*Yes, it IS a slow weekend in sports, but Quickish is hopping -- I think you'll be astounded at the depth of quick-hit content that has been collected there from yesterday and rolling along all day today. Give it a quick glance to keep up.
-- D.S.
The lesson of yesterday's college hoops slate -- from Ohio State to the slew of upsets (too many to count) -- is that any assumptions you're making already about the bracket are wrong.
If Ohio State can get taken to the final second by Northwestern, a better team that runs at a slow pace with even a nominal presence inside (NU has none) can knock them off.
If BYU plays D like they did against New Mexico in the final 10 minutes of the game -- and UNM was playing at home and on fire, but still -- it doesn't matter how prolific Jimmer is.
UConn? They lost at home to Louisville. Villanova? Lost to Georgetown. Pitt? Nearly lost to Rutgers. Wisconsin? Lost to Penn State. Vandy and Florida? Don't get me started.
The point is that your bracket is effed already -- and you don't even know it.
****
On the one hand, this Rodgers-disses-the-Packers-on-the-IR story is overblown -- it's the first "scandal" of Super Bowl week, so folks are jumping on it. On the other hand, what was Rodgers thinking? He knew what he was saying, and I'm just not sure why he said it.
****
*The Senior Bowl really suffered for lack of a super-duper-star like Tim Tebow.
*The Pro Bowl will similarly get little attention.
*I think folks are missing a big piece of this Pujols story: So if the Cards don't sign him by the start of spring training, he's going to play the entire season with the idea he's leaving hanging over the heads of him, the team and the Cards fans? Has he thought this position through? It will dominate every. single. series. he plays. In a post-"Decision" world -- and like it or not, that's where we are -- this will be framed as LeBron 2.0. Cards fans are super-nice, but this should stretch the limits of their patience.
*Great NBA day today: Heat-Thunder (LeBron vs. Durant), then Lakers-Celtics. As it relates to top contenders, I think the NBA regular season is right up there with college hoops and the NHL as the most inconsequential in sports, but some games are absolutely must-see, and these are two of them (and on an otherwise slow day in sports -- great programming by the NBA).
*Yes, it IS a slow weekend in sports, but Quickish is hopping -- I think you'll be astounded at the depth of quick-hit content that has been collected there from yesterday and rolling along all day today. Give it a quick glance to keep up.
-- D.S.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
01/29 (Very) Quickie
So I actually watched the entire NHL All-Star Fantasy Draft last night, and mostly, it showed me how far the sport had drifted from my attention.
But as for the draft itself, I thought its reality came about as much to matching the promise of its premise as the league could have hoped for.
The Sedins were split (in the event's biggest drama). The Staals stayed together. Alexander Ovechkin was NOT a 1st-round pick. Phil Kessel was the last player selected, and the visual of him sitting by himself, sheepishly, was every bit as interesting as we thought it would be. (Schadenfreudishly, Ovie even was caught taking a picture of lonely Kessel.) For his trouble, Kessel got $20K for charity and a new Honda -- not a bad consolation prize.
It remains an experiment worth trying in the NBA and NFL.
****
College hoops today: Jimmer's not on TV, so we're reduced to tracking his scoring on an online scoreboard. Otherwise, G'town-Nova tips things off at noon and the day winds up with its headliner, Mizzou at Texas.
Clijsters wins Aussie Open: Go moms!
Is this the slowest sports weekend of the winter in sports? Has to be one of them, right? There's still the NHL All-Star Game, the NFL Draft Senior Bowl. That's OK.
It makes it all the more cool that Quickish is zipping away -- the pace of real-time talk in places like Twitter might be slower, but there are a ton of good stories to recommend. Check back throughout the day to keep up. So many good things published yesterday, if you didn't drop by.
-- D.S.
But as for the draft itself, I thought its reality came about as much to matching the promise of its premise as the league could have hoped for.
The Sedins were split (in the event's biggest drama). The Staals stayed together. Alexander Ovechkin was NOT a 1st-round pick. Phil Kessel was the last player selected, and the visual of him sitting by himself, sheepishly, was every bit as interesting as we thought it would be. (Schadenfreudishly, Ovie even was caught taking a picture of lonely Kessel.) For his trouble, Kessel got $20K for charity and a new Honda -- not a bad consolation prize.
It remains an experiment worth trying in the NBA and NFL.
****
College hoops today: Jimmer's not on TV, so we're reduced to tracking his scoring on an online scoreboard. Otherwise, G'town-Nova tips things off at noon and the day winds up with its headliner, Mizzou at Texas.
Clijsters wins Aussie Open: Go moms!
Is this the slowest sports weekend of the winter in sports? Has to be one of them, right? There's still the NHL All-Star Game, the NFL Draft Senior Bowl. That's OK.
It makes it all the more cool that Quickish is zipping away -- the pace of real-time talk in places like Twitter might be slower, but there are a ton of good stories to recommend. Check back throughout the day to keep up. So many good things published yesterday, if you didn't drop by.
-- D.S.
Friday, January 28, 2011
1/28 Quickie: NHL, Knicks, Fisher, Morgan, More
Kudos to the NHL, which is launching the 2nd-most innovative thing the league has ever done (and one of the more innovative ideas in large-league sports in recent years):
Tonight, the NHL's All-Star captains are "picking sides," just like you did when playing in the schoolyard (or community rink) as a kid. There will be a first pick. More interestingly, there will be a LAST pick. (And that the NHL didn't sugar-coat this is to their massive credit.)
All in all, it's enough to make a casual (even a "non-") NHL fan tune in to watch, and you can only hope that the NBA and NFL follow suit. It's a phenomenal idea.
*****
NFL: Titans part ways with Jeff Fisher, previously the longest-tenured coach in football. Better for him to leave now than have a lame-duck year, THEN get exit.
NBA: Knicks beat Heat. The game had a playoff intensity, right down to Tracy Morgan making news before the game with his Sarah Palin thing. (Yeesh. Live, it was insane to see.)
But about the Knicks: Amare is obviously the most popular player on the team, but rookie Landry Fields can't be far behind. NBA draftniks haven't whiffed on a player so badly in a while.
NFL Labor: It's not that Antonio Cromartie is "going Crogue." It's that the union is freaking out in dealing with him, extending to Matt Hasselbeck's ill-advised Twitter confrontation.
Let's be more clear: Hasselbeck was a moron to engage Cromartie on Twitter. Cro couldn't care less what he says; Hasselbeck cares a great deal what you think about him.
And so when Cro smacked Hasselbeck back, and Hasselbeck returned a weak volley of "Heh heh, just kidding. So sorry!" the QB looked like a chump.
It's not so far off from the way the union looks when its players all tweet out bleats of solidarity whenever Cro tees off through Twitter. It's beneath them.
(For gosh sakes: Just give Cro some cash under the table to stop. Is it really that hard?)
The union gets some back with the new Esquire piece detailing some serious institutional injury issues among NFL players -- nothing you don't already presume, but it's always stark to see the numbers.
NFL Draft: The Senior Bowl is tomorrow. It's just not the same without the Tim Tebow insanity of last year.
Bloomberg BusinessWeek released it's Top 100 most business-influential athletes list, and Peyton was No. 1. LeBron wasn't in the Top 10 and Tim Tebow wasn't among the Top 100, so it's very hard to take the list seriously.
Must-read: Yesterday's amazing essay on Deadspin by contributor Katie Baker about her life in the late-90s as an online "puck tease." One of the best sports stories you'll read all year.
There's a ton more on Quickish, so drop by to catch up on yesterday, keep up during the day and stay on top of everything throughout the weekend. It takes about 30 seconds per visit to catch up, with plenty more to read through links (but only if you want).
Otherwise, have a great weekend! (But, sincerely: Please check out Quickish. And, in advance of a big push next week, please tell a few friends today about it. It would really help.)
-- D.S.
Tonight, the NHL's All-Star captains are "picking sides," just like you did when playing in the schoolyard (or community rink) as a kid. There will be a first pick. More interestingly, there will be a LAST pick. (And that the NHL didn't sugar-coat this is to their massive credit.)
All in all, it's enough to make a casual (even a "non-") NHL fan tune in to watch, and you can only hope that the NBA and NFL follow suit. It's a phenomenal idea.
*****
NFL: Titans part ways with Jeff Fisher, previously the longest-tenured coach in football. Better for him to leave now than have a lame-duck year, THEN get exit.
NBA: Knicks beat Heat. The game had a playoff intensity, right down to Tracy Morgan making news before the game with his Sarah Palin thing. (Yeesh. Live, it was insane to see.)
But about the Knicks: Amare is obviously the most popular player on the team, but rookie Landry Fields can't be far behind. NBA draftniks haven't whiffed on a player so badly in a while.
NFL Labor: It's not that Antonio Cromartie is "going Crogue." It's that the union is freaking out in dealing with him, extending to Matt Hasselbeck's ill-advised Twitter confrontation.
Let's be more clear: Hasselbeck was a moron to engage Cromartie on Twitter. Cro couldn't care less what he says; Hasselbeck cares a great deal what you think about him.
And so when Cro smacked Hasselbeck back, and Hasselbeck returned a weak volley of "Heh heh, just kidding. So sorry!" the QB looked like a chump.
It's not so far off from the way the union looks when its players all tweet out bleats of solidarity whenever Cro tees off through Twitter. It's beneath them.
(For gosh sakes: Just give Cro some cash under the table to stop. Is it really that hard?)
The union gets some back with the new Esquire piece detailing some serious institutional injury issues among NFL players -- nothing you don't already presume, but it's always stark to see the numbers.
NFL Draft: The Senior Bowl is tomorrow. It's just not the same without the Tim Tebow insanity of last year.
Bloomberg BusinessWeek released it's Top 100 most business-influential athletes list, and Peyton was No. 1. LeBron wasn't in the Top 10 and Tim Tebow wasn't among the Top 100, so it's very hard to take the list seriously.
Must-read: Yesterday's amazing essay on Deadspin by contributor Katie Baker about her life in the late-90s as an online "puck tease." One of the best sports stories you'll read all year.
There's a ton more on Quickish, so drop by to catch up on yesterday, keep up during the day and stay on top of everything throughout the weekend. It takes about 30 seconds per visit to catch up, with plenty more to read through links (but only if you want).
Otherwise, have a great weekend! (But, sincerely: Please check out Quickish. And, in advance of a big push next week, please tell a few friends today about it. It would really help.)
-- D.S.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
01/27: We Got Jimmered
Jimmer Fredette has picked his spot nicely.
During the slow mid-week before the week before the Super Bowl, Jimmer -- BYU's superstar scoring guard -- went from object of obsession for the college hoops intelligentsia to...
Full-blown sports rock star.
In the biggest game of his season last night -- hard enough to catch on TV (CBS College Sports, which had even me looking for an illicit internet video feed) that it almost felt more interesting, like watching Prince at a small club rather than an arena -- Jimmer had 43 in a W.
And it felt... quiet. Not just quiet: Easy. As quiet as 43 can be in an arena packed with rabid fans. Just look at this photo -- it was taken not by a pro, but by Jags LB Kirk Morrison, who was just there to watch the game.
We have had smaller-school college hoops phenoms recently -- Stephen Curry, Adam Morrison -- but Jimmer is the first real one of the Twitter Era, where buzz can elevate "CBS College Sports" to a Twitter Trending Topic (to be replaced by "Jimmer," undoubtedly).
His NBA future? He is expected to be a 1st-round pick, and like super college scorers who are presumably odd NBA fits before him -- like Curry and JJ Redick -- his stock will go up and he will go in the Top 10. Someone will do it.
His NCAA Tournament future? Curry made it deep into the second weekend. I'm not sure Fredette will get that far, but it sure would be good for the sport and the event if he did. San Diego State is no joke; that was a Sweet 16-quality win (if benefiting from home cooking).
But those are for another time. For now, it's just Jimmer the Rock Star, the big story of the day.
****
More on the radar:
Li Na is going to take over the world: When you become an instant sensation with a billion fans in China, you tend to move the needle. This showed up on Quickish this morning -- more fans could watch the Aussie Open women's final than the Super Bowl... by a lot.
Federer KO'ed: He's just not the same anymore. Hope you enjoyed his dominance while it lasted.
Kevin Durant is the Jimmer of the NBA: Kidding. Kevin Durant is just awesome, with 47 and 18 in an OT win over the T'wolves (Kevin Love wasn't bad either: 31 and 21. Sheesh.)
Tonight: LeBron and the Heat at Madison Square Garden. I think they beat the Knicks by 20, even without Chris Bosh. These Knicks could barely shake off the Wizards on Monday.
NFL union civil war? I'm dubbing it "Going Crogue," because Antonio Cromartie has been spouting off in ways that undermine the union's cause, so the union -- in a bit of a panic -- asked some members to tweet out their support. It came across as somewhat desperate; you're so afraid of a single player? Doesn't say much for the strength of your hand.
More later
-- D.S.
During the slow mid-week before the week before the Super Bowl, Jimmer -- BYU's superstar scoring guard -- went from object of obsession for the college hoops intelligentsia to...
Full-blown sports rock star.
In the biggest game of his season last night -- hard enough to catch on TV (CBS College Sports, which had even me looking for an illicit internet video feed) that it almost felt more interesting, like watching Prince at a small club rather than an arena -- Jimmer had 43 in a W.
And it felt... quiet. Not just quiet: Easy. As quiet as 43 can be in an arena packed with rabid fans. Just look at this photo -- it was taken not by a pro, but by Jags LB Kirk Morrison, who was just there to watch the game.
We have had smaller-school college hoops phenoms recently -- Stephen Curry, Adam Morrison -- but Jimmer is the first real one of the Twitter Era, where buzz can elevate "CBS College Sports" to a Twitter Trending Topic (to be replaced by "Jimmer," undoubtedly).
His NBA future? He is expected to be a 1st-round pick, and like super college scorers who are presumably odd NBA fits before him -- like Curry and JJ Redick -- his stock will go up and he will go in the Top 10. Someone will do it.
His NCAA Tournament future? Curry made it deep into the second weekend. I'm not sure Fredette will get that far, but it sure would be good for the sport and the event if he did. San Diego State is no joke; that was a Sweet 16-quality win (if benefiting from home cooking).
But those are for another time. For now, it's just Jimmer the Rock Star, the big story of the day.
****
More on the radar:
Li Na is going to take over the world: When you become an instant sensation with a billion fans in China, you tend to move the needle. This showed up on Quickish this morning -- more fans could watch the Aussie Open women's final than the Super Bowl... by a lot.
Federer KO'ed: He's just not the same anymore. Hope you enjoyed his dominance while it lasted.
Kevin Durant is the Jimmer of the NBA: Kidding. Kevin Durant is just awesome, with 47 and 18 in an OT win over the T'wolves (Kevin Love wasn't bad either: 31 and 21. Sheesh.)
Tonight: LeBron and the Heat at Madison Square Garden. I think they beat the Knicks by 20, even without Chris Bosh. These Knicks could barely shake off the Wizards on Monday.
NFL union civil war? I'm dubbing it "Going Crogue," because Antonio Cromartie has been spouting off in ways that undermine the union's cause, so the union -- in a bit of a panic -- asked some members to tweet out their support. It came across as somewhat desperate; you're so afraid of a single player? Doesn't say much for the strength of your hand.
More later
-- D.S.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
01/26 Quickie: Let's Get Quicker
I'm realizing that I'm hitting on only the really big topics here, when on Quickish, there seems to be a lot more going on -- and a lot more I want to cover in a Quickie column. So today is going to be fast(er) and (not quite) furious....
*Ohio State throttles Purdue: Oh, OSU is No. 1, clearly. But in college hoops, that is completely meaningless. Unless the Buckeyes win the national title, the season is a failure.
*Tonight: San Diego State at BYU, one of the best college hoops games of the regular season. SDSU is unbeaten; BYU is once-beaten and features the nation's most must-see player, Jimmer Fredette. Shame this game is shunted off to CBS College Sports.
*Dozen Iowa football players get sick after offseason workout: How many things have to go wrong before the Iowa administration finally fires Kirk Ferentz? Apparently, it's unlimited.
*Brian Cashman says Derek Jeter will eventually have to play the outfield: But this is a non-issue. I'm sure Jeter will insist on remaining at shortstop. (Frankly, everyone knows he should have moved over to 2B when A-Rod got to NY, and it was the antithesis of being the "captain" to not do what was best for the team. Then again, where would Cano play?)
*CFB: UConn booster wants his money back. I love this story. First of all, it's the guy's right to take his money back, for any reason. Second, let's not be naive: The biggest booster of a school's football program SHOULD have a say -- or at least he should be given the chance to have a say. It's a business, and this is an investor, whether we call them that or not. Third: Let's not argue the guy doesn't have a point -- Paul Pasqualoni was a TERRIBLE hire. Fourth: Don't think the top-money booster doesn't matter to a program? Let's see how UConn does without his money. (Robert Burton: You are welcome to join the angel syndicate for Quickish.)
*Herschel Walker back in NFL? Who doubts that, if given carries in an actual game, he couldn't be productive -- probably very productive? He is one of the most unique athletes in the history of sports. Totally doable.
*Rankings: Top 25 Coolest Athletes Ever? I'm a sucker for superlative rankings, so GQ got me. Hard to top Ali as the coolest of coolest. Nice to see at least one new-ish athlete on the list, Tim Lincecum. Can't help but think they're missing a few (including anyone pre-1950's).
*State of the Union address: The big/only sports crossover was when President Obama said we needed to celebrate the Science Fair winner as much as we do the Super Bowl winner. We already do: No Super Bowl winner is more celebrated that Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg or the Google guys, who are the "science" equivalent of Super Bowl winners.
*Great reads: The Slate sports folks are crushing it the past few weeks, and their columns the past two days have been absolutely phenomenal. Find them here.
*Book Club: "Scorecasting," which is like "Freakonomics" for sports. Great early reviews.
*Media: What did you think of that Peter King post yesterday? He actually acknowledged on Twitter that he remembered me (not that that was something I was going for). From last night's HBO report about him, I do wish they had changed one thing: They said his column gets "3 million hits" a week. Ugh. Page-view totals are worthless, particularly when you cynically chop up columns into as many pages as possible (Not King's fault, but SI.com chops his into 6 pages. So if you assume all users click through all 6 pages -- a terrible assumption, btw -- he only really has about 500,000 readers a week. That's still a really huge number. But, just for comparison's sake, the Daily Quickie -- publishing 5x as frequently, obviously -- did about 500,000 unique users a week, on average.)
*Happy 50th birthday, Wayne Gretzky: "Skate to where the puck is going, not where it's been."
After a few weeks of struggling with the Quickie post because I was juggling Quickish launch stuff, I feel like I got the groove back today. Speaking of which, visit Quickish now, pop by throughout the day, and tell your friends.
-- D.S.
*Ohio State throttles Purdue: Oh, OSU is No. 1, clearly. But in college hoops, that is completely meaningless. Unless the Buckeyes win the national title, the season is a failure.
*Tonight: San Diego State at BYU, one of the best college hoops games of the regular season. SDSU is unbeaten; BYU is once-beaten and features the nation's most must-see player, Jimmer Fredette. Shame this game is shunted off to CBS College Sports.
*Dozen Iowa football players get sick after offseason workout: How many things have to go wrong before the Iowa administration finally fires Kirk Ferentz? Apparently, it's unlimited.
*Brian Cashman says Derek Jeter will eventually have to play the outfield: But this is a non-issue. I'm sure Jeter will insist on remaining at shortstop. (Frankly, everyone knows he should have moved over to 2B when A-Rod got to NY, and it was the antithesis of being the "captain" to not do what was best for the team. Then again, where would Cano play?)
*CFB: UConn booster wants his money back. I love this story. First of all, it's the guy's right to take his money back, for any reason. Second, let's not be naive: The biggest booster of a school's football program SHOULD have a say -- or at least he should be given the chance to have a say. It's a business, and this is an investor, whether we call them that or not. Third: Let's not argue the guy doesn't have a point -- Paul Pasqualoni was a TERRIBLE hire. Fourth: Don't think the top-money booster doesn't matter to a program? Let's see how UConn does without his money. (Robert Burton: You are welcome to join the angel syndicate for Quickish.)
*Herschel Walker back in NFL? Who doubts that, if given carries in an actual game, he couldn't be productive -- probably very productive? He is one of the most unique athletes in the history of sports. Totally doable.
*Rankings: Top 25 Coolest Athletes Ever? I'm a sucker for superlative rankings, so GQ got me. Hard to top Ali as the coolest of coolest. Nice to see at least one new-ish athlete on the list, Tim Lincecum. Can't help but think they're missing a few (including anyone pre-1950's).
*State of the Union address: The big/only sports crossover was when President Obama said we needed to celebrate the Science Fair winner as much as we do the Super Bowl winner. We already do: No Super Bowl winner is more celebrated that Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg or the Google guys, who are the "science" equivalent of Super Bowl winners.
*Great reads: The Slate sports folks are crushing it the past few weeks, and their columns the past two days have been absolutely phenomenal. Find them here.
*Book Club: "Scorecasting," which is like "Freakonomics" for sports. Great early reviews.
*Media: What did you think of that Peter King post yesterday? He actually acknowledged on Twitter that he remembered me (not that that was something I was going for). From last night's HBO report about him, I do wish they had changed one thing: They said his column gets "3 million hits" a week. Ugh. Page-view totals are worthless, particularly when you cynically chop up columns into as many pages as possible (Not King's fault, but SI.com chops his into 6 pages. So if you assume all users click through all 6 pages -- a terrible assumption, btw -- he only really has about 500,000 readers a week. That's still a really huge number. But, just for comparison's sake, the Daily Quickie -- publishing 5x as frequently, obviously -- did about 500,000 unique users a week, on average.)
*Happy 50th birthday, Wayne Gretzky: "Skate to where the puck is going, not where it's been."
After a few weeks of struggling with the Quickie post because I was juggling Quickish launch stuff, I feel like I got the groove back today. Speaking of which, visit Quickish now, pop by throughout the day, and tell your friends.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
On Peter King's MMQB
HBO "Real Sports" will profile Peter King tonight, with a specific focus on King's popular "Monday Morning Quarterback" column. Taking a second out from keeping up Quickish (what? you haven't tried it yet? please do!) I'd like to add a bit of context...
Peter King will not remember me*, but between 1998 and 1999 I was his “editor” at SI.com (nee CNNSI.com) and was responsible, along with my boss, for back-reading what was then the 2nd year of King’s online column “Monday Morning Quarterback.”
King, to his credit, understood intuitively the voice and pace and essential populism of what makes great online content -- particularly impressive in 1998, when most mainstream media’s interest in the Web ranged from ignorance to hostility.
Taking enthusiastically to the opportunities of the web format, King did four things very right with MMQB:
(1) He wrote naturally. It was like you were sitting on a barstool (or, more in King’s wheelhouse, airline seat next to him). This was a dramatic departure from the heavily edited, depersonalized pieces you normally saw in Sports Illustrated and elsewhere in mainstream sports media.
(2) He wrote at whatever length he wanted, but wisely deployed tons of formatting. Some people took to the online format because they could write at whatever lengths they wanted, but King’s word count never felt gratuitous, in part because the column was parsed into natural sections: Some kind of lead, lists and rankings, personal stories. It was long, but easy to consume.
(3) He provided a combination of insider details that were manna for football fans and simply weren’t found online at the time... and insider details about his life. It’s a point of contention throughout the history of MMQB between the folks who just want the football and can’t stand the stories about King’s take on coffee or travel or baseball or his daughters’ sports teams -- and those who absolutely love that stuff. If you hate it, you can skip over it; however, I would contend that it was the personal details as much as the football ones that drove the column’s success.
(4) It was a “franchise,” right down to its name: Every Monday morning, you’d get the column. It was built on King’s brand, yes, but also on a programming schedule that readers could easily follow (Mondays also not coincidentally also the biggest traffic day of the week in online sports media).
And MMQB was successful -- SI.com’s most popular content then and now. Along with Jimmy Traina’s Hot Clicks, it is the signature piece of programming for SI.com, and MMQB is one of the most recognizable and popular pieces of sports content on the Web. There is an argument to be made -- successfully -- that it is the single-most popular and successful programming “franchise” in online sports (which I’ll distinguish from a writer’s overall popularity, which Bill Simmons claims by a wide margin).
As someone who has been around online sports media since 1995, I’ve seen a lot and have a long institutional memory. To oversimplify, what King did was groundbreaking. Specifically:
*WHO was doing it (traditional and widely respected sports reporter);
*WHERE he was going it (venerable Sports Illustrated);
*HOW he was doing it (formatted, fan-friendly, franchised, near-real-time deadline);
*WHY he was doing it, which is not to be understated (unquestionably, it raised his profile -- far more than any work he ever did in SI’s magazine and almost certainly contributed to the overall popularity that got him the NFL Sunday Night TV gig).
In fact, the HBO segment tonight is specifically pegged off of King’s success with the “MMQB” column.
(It is worth noting that this is not some one-trick element in King's philosophy. He is among the most active mainstream sportswriters on Twitter -- with nearly half a million followers -- and spends a good chunk of his Twitter time responding to readers, both folks with questions and ones with complaints. He has shown as much of a facility with the new platform as the old one, and it begs the quiestion of whether King qualifies as one of the few talents in online sports media whose popularity could support his own stand-alone brand -- and the list is very short. I'm not suggesting he would or should try; like Simmons and ESPN, there is little-to-no upside to leaving the larger company.)
I don’t think Peter would argue if I said that, starting more than a decade ago, he became an online sportswriter who happened to write for a magazine and appear on TV.
Please be sure to visit Quickish, Dan's newly launched company, offering real-time quick-hit recommendations about the biggest topics in sports news.
* - OK, he remembers.
-- D.S.
Peter King will not remember me*, but between 1998 and 1999 I was his “editor” at SI.com (nee CNNSI.com) and was responsible, along with my boss, for back-reading what was then the 2nd year of King’s online column “Monday Morning Quarterback.”
King, to his credit, understood intuitively the voice and pace and essential populism of what makes great online content -- particularly impressive in 1998, when most mainstream media’s interest in the Web ranged from ignorance to hostility.
Taking enthusiastically to the opportunities of the web format, King did four things very right with MMQB:
(1) He wrote naturally. It was like you were sitting on a barstool (or, more in King’s wheelhouse, airline seat next to him). This was a dramatic departure from the heavily edited, depersonalized pieces you normally saw in Sports Illustrated and elsewhere in mainstream sports media.
(2) He wrote at whatever length he wanted, but wisely deployed tons of formatting. Some people took to the online format because they could write at whatever lengths they wanted, but King’s word count never felt gratuitous, in part because the column was parsed into natural sections: Some kind of lead, lists and rankings, personal stories. It was long, but easy to consume.
(3) He provided a combination of insider details that were manna for football fans and simply weren’t found online at the time... and insider details about his life. It’s a point of contention throughout the history of MMQB between the folks who just want the football and can’t stand the stories about King’s take on coffee or travel or baseball or his daughters’ sports teams -- and those who absolutely love that stuff. If you hate it, you can skip over it; however, I would contend that it was the personal details as much as the football ones that drove the column’s success.
(4) It was a “franchise,” right down to its name: Every Monday morning, you’d get the column. It was built on King’s brand, yes, but also on a programming schedule that readers could easily follow (Mondays also not coincidentally also the biggest traffic day of the week in online sports media).
And MMQB was successful -- SI.com’s most popular content then and now. Along with Jimmy Traina’s Hot Clicks, it is the signature piece of programming for SI.com, and MMQB is one of the most recognizable and popular pieces of sports content on the Web. There is an argument to be made -- successfully -- that it is the single-most popular and successful programming “franchise” in online sports (which I’ll distinguish from a writer’s overall popularity, which Bill Simmons claims by a wide margin).
As someone who has been around online sports media since 1995, I’ve seen a lot and have a long institutional memory. To oversimplify, what King did was groundbreaking. Specifically:
*WHO was doing it (traditional and widely respected sports reporter);
*WHERE he was going it (venerable Sports Illustrated);
*HOW he was doing it (formatted, fan-friendly, franchised, near-real-time deadline);
*WHY he was doing it, which is not to be understated (unquestionably, it raised his profile -- far more than any work he ever did in SI’s magazine and almost certainly contributed to the overall popularity that got him the NFL Sunday Night TV gig).
In fact, the HBO segment tonight is specifically pegged off of King’s success with the “MMQB” column.
(It is worth noting that this is not some one-trick element in King's philosophy. He is among the most active mainstream sportswriters on Twitter -- with nearly half a million followers -- and spends a good chunk of his Twitter time responding to readers, both folks with questions and ones with complaints. He has shown as much of a facility with the new platform as the old one, and it begs the quiestion of whether King qualifies as one of the few talents in online sports media whose popularity could support his own stand-alone brand -- and the list is very short. I'm not suggesting he would or should try; like Simmons and ESPN, there is little-to-no upside to leaving the larger company.)
I don’t think Peter would argue if I said that, starting more than a decade ago, he became an online sportswriter who happened to write for a magazine and appear on TV.
Please be sure to visit Quickish, Dan's newly launched company, offering real-time quick-hit recommendations about the biggest topics in sports news.
* - OK, he remembers.
-- D.S.
State of the Sports Union: Your Turn
Today's theme is "State of the Sports Union" and I want you to have your say...on Quickish.
Just Tweet out your quick take on the state of the sports union, using the hashtag #quickish.
If you're not on Twitter, shoot an email to tips[at]quickish[dot]com.
I'll post as many as I can on Quickish throughout the day. Thanks!
--- Dan
Just Tweet out your quick take on the state of the sports union, using the hashtag #quickish.
If you're not on Twitter, shoot an email to tips[at]quickish[dot]com.
I'll post as many as I can on Quickish throughout the day. Thanks!
--- Dan
01/25: State of Sports Union,
Cutler Hangover , Oscars, More
Today is the State of the Union address, and it's an annual tradition that I offer up my own "State of the Sports Union," and so here we go:
The state of the sports union is, as I have said every year, as strong as it has ever been. More people are consuming sports than ever. More people are into fantasy. More people are transfixed by whatever the story-of-the-day might be.
Things like "The Decision" or the Cam Newton saga or Brett Favre "dong shots" or even the insane flurry surrounding Jay Cutler over the last 36 hours are not, per se, "bad" for sports. On the contrary, it is entirely healthy. It's hard to argue with the fan interest.
Then throw in the things that we already agree are awesome -- the Saints winning the Super Bowl, the World Cup, Tim Tebow putting up monster stats as an NFL starting QB (kidding), the Pats losing to the Jets (not kidding).
The volume and velocity of sports consumption has increased over the last year -- but I'm actually going to argue that we've reached a sort of "terminal velocity." The next evolution is managing life at that pace and intensity, which is part of the reason I founded Quickish.
But where we are is by no means bad or, as crotchety Frank Deford put it this morning, "terrible." In fact, the state of sports is better than it has ever been.
***
The Jay Cutler reaction torrent yesterday was wearying, but it's worth noting where we netted out:
The initial, in-game reaction was largely recanted -- naturally, the same media who were ripping Cutler (or facilitating the ripping during the game) turned it into some kind of meta "It's Twitter's fault!" argument, or some such thing.
Cutler may be a pretty repulsive personality. Cutler may not have displayed the bearing of someone who wanted-to-go-but-couldn't. But that's our problem, not his. If we (we meaning his fellow players on Twitter or the media or certain fans) wanted to see him wince or limp or something, that's on us, not him.
I think it's clear that if he could have played, he would have.
***
Now, as for this bunk argument about "oh-woe-is-us-this-insta-opinion-world-we-live-in!" Come on. (1) It's been that way for at least a decade, but probably longer. (2) Twitter in sports is a vast net gain, and if you're going to worry about the stuff at the margins, you're missing the bigger picture.
And (3) As someone who has built a BUSINESS on real-time news, I am going to tell you that when you weed out the crap (thus: Quickish), the insta-reactions are largely...awesome. Not shallow. Not knee-jerk. Not ill-informed. But smart, provocative and -- largely -- the framework for "morning-after" columns and coverage.
***
CBB: Notre Dame shocks Pitt at Pitt. That's the best game ND will play all year. Still not buying them to get out of the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament.
Tonight: Purdue at No. 1 Ohio State. Should be a great one.
***
Movies: The Oscar-nomination successs of "The Fighter" makes it one of the most decorated sports movies of all time. Best Picture. Best Director. Best Supporting Actress (two!) and Best Supporting Actor (Christian Bale, the favorite to win).
***
TV: HBO's "Real Sports" tonight will profile Peter King. I'm trying to pull together a post for later today about him. Check back.
***
It's 12 days until the Super Bowl and I'm already weary of the "TWO CLASSIC FRANCHISES!" storyline.
-- D.S.
The state of the sports union is, as I have said every year, as strong as it has ever been. More people are consuming sports than ever. More people are into fantasy. More people are transfixed by whatever the story-of-the-day might be.
Things like "The Decision" or the Cam Newton saga or Brett Favre "dong shots" or even the insane flurry surrounding Jay Cutler over the last 36 hours are not, per se, "bad" for sports. On the contrary, it is entirely healthy. It's hard to argue with the fan interest.
Then throw in the things that we already agree are awesome -- the Saints winning the Super Bowl, the World Cup, Tim Tebow putting up monster stats as an NFL starting QB (kidding), the Pats losing to the Jets (not kidding).
The volume and velocity of sports consumption has increased over the last year -- but I'm actually going to argue that we've reached a sort of "terminal velocity." The next evolution is managing life at that pace and intensity, which is part of the reason I founded Quickish.
But where we are is by no means bad or, as crotchety Frank Deford put it this morning, "terrible." In fact, the state of sports is better than it has ever been.
***
The Jay Cutler reaction torrent yesterday was wearying, but it's worth noting where we netted out:
The initial, in-game reaction was largely recanted -- naturally, the same media who were ripping Cutler (or facilitating the ripping during the game) turned it into some kind of meta "It's Twitter's fault!" argument, or some such thing.
Cutler may be a pretty repulsive personality. Cutler may not have displayed the bearing of someone who wanted-to-go-but-couldn't. But that's our problem, not his. If we (we meaning his fellow players on Twitter or the media or certain fans) wanted to see him wince or limp or something, that's on us, not him.
I think it's clear that if he could have played, he would have.
***
Now, as for this bunk argument about "oh-woe-is-us-this-insta-opinion-world-we-live-in!" Come on. (1) It's been that way for at least a decade, but probably longer. (2) Twitter in sports is a vast net gain, and if you're going to worry about the stuff at the margins, you're missing the bigger picture.
And (3) As someone who has built a BUSINESS on real-time news, I am going to tell you that when you weed out the crap (thus: Quickish), the insta-reactions are largely...awesome. Not shallow. Not knee-jerk. Not ill-informed. But smart, provocative and -- largely -- the framework for "morning-after" columns and coverage.
***
CBB: Notre Dame shocks Pitt at Pitt. That's the best game ND will play all year. Still not buying them to get out of the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament.
Tonight: Purdue at No. 1 Ohio State. Should be a great one.
***
Movies: The Oscar-nomination successs of "The Fighter" makes it one of the most decorated sports movies of all time. Best Picture. Best Director. Best Supporting Actress (two!) and Best Supporting Actor (Christian Bale, the favorite to win).
***
TV: HBO's "Real Sports" tonight will profile Peter King. I'm trying to pull together a post for later today about him. Check back.
***
It's 12 days until the Super Bowl and I'm already weary of the "TWO CLASSIC FRANCHISES!" storyline.
-- D.S.
Monday, January 24, 2011
NYC Save the Date: Feb 3
If you live in NYC (and aren't, say, going to the Super Bowl), save the date: Feb. 3 for the greatest Varsity Letters event in its history.
That's because VL is celebrating its 5th anniversary -- good grief, it's older than my older kid. And doing it with an all-star lineup, featuring a mix of alums and noobs:
Klosterman. Leitch. Joe Drape. Alex Belth. Jason Fry. Amy K. Nelson. Henry Abbott. Jeff Pearlman. Katie Baker. Emma Span. Ben Cohen. Michael Weinreb. Sam Walker (the very first Varsity Letters reader). Current VL curator Carl Bialik.
And me, if only because I founded the damn thing. I promise not to talk long. Actually, none of them are going to talk long.
As it happens, Quickish is sponsoring the event, and true to form, everyone is limited to 3 minutes of all-new material on a topic related to "defining moments." Presumably about sports. But we're offering a lot of leeway.
It should be a terrific night at a terrific new venue. Hope to see you there.
-- D.S.
That's because VL is celebrating its 5th anniversary -- good grief, it's older than my older kid. And doing it with an all-star lineup, featuring a mix of alums and noobs:
Klosterman. Leitch. Joe Drape. Alex Belth. Jason Fry. Amy K. Nelson. Henry Abbott. Jeff Pearlman. Katie Baker. Emma Span. Ben Cohen. Michael Weinreb. Sam Walker (the very first Varsity Letters reader). Current VL curator Carl Bialik.
And me, if only because I founded the damn thing. I promise not to talk long. Actually, none of them are going to talk long.
As it happens, Quickish is sponsoring the event, and true to form, everyone is limited to 3 minutes of all-new material on a topic related to "defining moments." Presumably about sports. But we're offering a lot of leeway.
It should be a terrific night at a terrific new venue. Hope to see you there.
-- D.S.
01/24: Cutler, Steelers, Packers, More
Can you recall any time in NFL history when, on the Monday morning after the conference championship games, our No. 1 focus wasn't on the winners, but on a losing team's QB?
Jay Cutler IS the story of the day, and I've been trying to figure out if I can add anything substantial to a discussion that has really come down to:
(1) Was he dogging it? (HE WAS DOGGING IT!)
(2) Was he injured? (LEAVE HIM ALONE!)
And I think I'm going to focus on the question marks, not either side, because it is the question marks that define the story.
Jay Cutler's problem was one of perception, but it wasn't the perception that he's an asshole normally thus he is dogging it now.
I put the blame for this entire "cutlerf--k" on the Bears PR team, which could have de-fused the entire situation with a simple "The docs said he can't play." That's it.
What compounded the failure was that they should have TOTALLY seen this problem brewing -- it was right there for everyone to see on Twitter, literally within 10 seconds of Cutler limping.
Jay Cutler doesn't need to get off the bench and look attentive, if that's not how he normally is and his teammates know it. The guy is a bit of a laconic chucklehead.
However, count me among the camp that believes that if he could have been in there, he would have been. Just because he's not emotive about it -- just because he has possibly the worst media-management skills of any player in the NFL (and, again, not helped by his own team's PR staff) -- doesn't mean he was faking it. Or didn't want it. Or gave up.
Or quit.
I will not condemn the rush-to-judgment that happened on Twitter during the afternoon -- hell, it made the game's Quickish stream infinitely more compelling.
I do think, however, that you can already see some walking-back as more of the story comes out -- as the Bears defend him, as columnists defend him, as players reconsider their snap judgment.
There is no question: Fair or not, Cutler has seen his career indelibly tarnished by this. It is, for now, the new defining moment of his career.
I don't think he cares (except perhaps to the extent he is hurt by fellow members of the football-playing fraternity ripping his heart, after the way he got pounded all year long).
One thing is clear: I'm quicker to blame the Bears' inept PR department than I am to blame Cutler.
*****
I will miss these Jets. They played one of the worst halves of football you could think of, yet came within a Big Ben 3rd-down conversion of having a very good chance of winning the game. I think, in defeat, they did even more to humanize themselves than beating the Pats -- which, by the way, was a pretty good consolation prize. I know not for Rex or the players, but it should be for the fans.
*****
The Packers were/are better than the Bears. But give the Bears credit for making a lame blow-out into one of the most dramatic halves of football of the year, behind Caleb Hanie, who -- if nothing else -- goes down in Chicago sports mythology.
*****
More coming later. I'm working on a couple of bonus posts, when I'm not frantically updating Quickish. If you would, please give it a visit (or few) today -- and if you wouldn't mind reminding your friends about it, I would really appreciate it. Can't believe it's only been live for two weeks.
-- D.S.
Jay Cutler IS the story of the day, and I've been trying to figure out if I can add anything substantial to a discussion that has really come down to:
(1) Was he dogging it? (HE WAS DOGGING IT!)
(2) Was he injured? (LEAVE HIM ALONE!)
And I think I'm going to focus on the question marks, not either side, because it is the question marks that define the story.
Jay Cutler's problem was one of perception, but it wasn't the perception that he's an asshole normally thus he is dogging it now.
I put the blame for this entire "cutlerf--k" on the Bears PR team, which could have de-fused the entire situation with a simple "The docs said he can't play." That's it.
What compounded the failure was that they should have TOTALLY seen this problem brewing -- it was right there for everyone to see on Twitter, literally within 10 seconds of Cutler limping.
Jay Cutler doesn't need to get off the bench and look attentive, if that's not how he normally is and his teammates know it. The guy is a bit of a laconic chucklehead.
However, count me among the camp that believes that if he could have been in there, he would have been. Just because he's not emotive about it -- just because he has possibly the worst media-management skills of any player in the NFL (and, again, not helped by his own team's PR staff) -- doesn't mean he was faking it. Or didn't want it. Or gave up.
Or quit.
I will not condemn the rush-to-judgment that happened on Twitter during the afternoon -- hell, it made the game's Quickish stream infinitely more compelling.
I do think, however, that you can already see some walking-back as more of the story comes out -- as the Bears defend him, as columnists defend him, as players reconsider their snap judgment.
There is no question: Fair or not, Cutler has seen his career indelibly tarnished by this. It is, for now, the new defining moment of his career.
I don't think he cares (except perhaps to the extent he is hurt by fellow members of the football-playing fraternity ripping his heart, after the way he got pounded all year long).
One thing is clear: I'm quicker to blame the Bears' inept PR department than I am to blame Cutler.
*****
I will miss these Jets. They played one of the worst halves of football you could think of, yet came within a Big Ben 3rd-down conversion of having a very good chance of winning the game. I think, in defeat, they did even more to humanize themselves than beating the Pats -- which, by the way, was a pretty good consolation prize. I know not for Rex or the players, but it should be for the fans.
*****
The Packers were/are better than the Bears. But give the Bears credit for making a lame blow-out into one of the most dramatic halves of football of the year, behind Caleb Hanie, who -- if nothing else -- goes down in Chicago sports mythology.
*****
More coming later. I'm working on a couple of bonus posts, when I'm not frantically updating Quickish. If you would, please give it a visit (or few) today -- and if you wouldn't mind reminding your friends about it, I would really appreciate it. Can't believe it's only been live for two weeks.
-- D.S.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
1/23 (Very NFL) Quickie
This is going to be an awesome double-header of NFL conference championship games.
The weather is forbidding. The biggest personality in the league is involved (Rex Ryan). The biggest TV -- and most self-centered -- market (New York). The most legendary franchise (Packers). The hottest player (Aaron Rodgers). The best defensive player (Troy Polamalu). The best fan base (Steelers). One of the best rivalries (Chicago-Green Bay). Some regular-season precedent to affirm or overturn. And legitimate uncertainty over who will win.
Because if the Jets can beat the Pats in New England, anything can happen.
****
Please check out Quickish throughout the day -- and, if you want to see the system at its most up-tempo, no-huddle, fun-n-gun best, drop by during the game. Better yet: Leave it on a "second screen" (laptop, phone, iPad) during the game to keep up with the best real-time analysis we can find. And, if you wouldn't mind, tell a friend or two (or 10) about it.
****
Picks: Jets over Steelers, Packers over Bears.
****
NBA: Check out Quickish for two great highlights from the NBA last night: Blake Griffin's alley-oop and Kevin Durant's buzzer-beating game-winner.
(And John Wall and the Wiz beat the Celtics, in what will almost certainly be the Wizards' single-greatest highlight of the year -- perhaps the past few years. Thanks, League Pass.)
****
College Hoops: What a win by Texas yesterday. As top UT blogger Peter Bean of Burnt Orange Nation told Quickish (exclusive-ish-ly!), it was the biggest regular-season win in UT hoops history. Now, that team has no excuse not to make the Elite Eight.
Ohio State survives at Illinois: As I said yesterday, Jared Sullinger is the best post player in the country - and possibly the best player, period. (With respect to both UConn's Kemba Walker, who led UConn over Tennessee , and BYU's Jimmer Fredette, who had 42 in a Cougars win.)
****
Tons hopping over at Quickish. Would love to have you check it out. It'll keep you occupied until gametime -- and then keep you up during the games.
Enjoy 'em.
-- D.S.
The weather is forbidding. The biggest personality in the league is involved (Rex Ryan). The biggest TV -- and most self-centered -- market (New York). The most legendary franchise (Packers). The hottest player (Aaron Rodgers). The best defensive player (Troy Polamalu). The best fan base (Steelers). One of the best rivalries (Chicago-Green Bay). Some regular-season precedent to affirm or overturn. And legitimate uncertainty over who will win.
Because if the Jets can beat the Pats in New England, anything can happen.
****
Please check out Quickish throughout the day -- and, if you want to see the system at its most up-tempo, no-huddle, fun-n-gun best, drop by during the game. Better yet: Leave it on a "second screen" (laptop, phone, iPad) during the game to keep up with the best real-time analysis we can find. And, if you wouldn't mind, tell a friend or two (or 10) about it.
****
Picks: Jets over Steelers, Packers over Bears.
****
NBA: Check out Quickish for two great highlights from the NBA last night: Blake Griffin's alley-oop and Kevin Durant's buzzer-beating game-winner.
(And John Wall and the Wiz beat the Celtics, in what will almost certainly be the Wizards' single-greatest highlight of the year -- perhaps the past few years. Thanks, League Pass.)
****
College Hoops: What a win by Texas yesterday. As top UT blogger Peter Bean of Burnt Orange Nation told Quickish (exclusive-ish-ly!), it was the biggest regular-season win in UT hoops history. Now, that team has no excuse not to make the Elite Eight.
Ohio State survives at Illinois: As I said yesterday, Jared Sullinger is the best post player in the country - and possibly the best player, period. (With respect to both UConn's Kemba Walker, who led UConn over Tennessee , and BYU's Jimmer Fredette, who had 42 in a Cougars win.)
****
Tons hopping over at Quickish. Would love to have you check it out. It'll keep you occupied until gametime -- and then keep you up during the games.
Enjoy 'em.
-- D.S.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
1/22 Quickie: Jets, QBs, CBB, Rays
It's a long 36 hours or so until the NFL's conference-championship double-header, which -- if form holds -- will end up being one of the most-watched days of non-Super Bowl NFL in history.
The build-up has been near-SB in volume and intensity -- Rex and Tomlin, Rodgers vs. Cutler, Big Ben and history, Bart Scott and "Can't Wait!" The Jets' LACK of trash-talk is a story.
So what can keep us occupied until then?
Today is a terrific day of college hoops, with games running from noon (Ohio State-Illinois on CBS, Villanova-Syracuse on ESPN) through midnight, when Michigan State-Purdue will probably end).
So if you've been holding off on CBB this season for all the other stuff on the sports agenda -- mainly college football and pro football, with some NBA and NHL sprinkled in -- this is your day. Pay particular attention to OSU's Jared Sullinger -- the best post player in college hoops this year -- and UConn's Kemba Walker (playing Tennessee at 4 on CBS), who is the best guard in the country this year. There: You're all caught up.
Meanwhile, the whole baseball world is having a pretty good chuckle at the expense of the Angels, who took on the expense of Vernon Wells, who is vastly overpaid and has some questionable skills. It smacks of early-90s Yankees desperation, and the Angels' performance next season should reflect that. That team went from one that should have had the playoffs on lockdown for a half-decade to one that may have the least momentum in its division.
And I love the Rays signing Manny and Johnny Damon. First of all, I think Manny still has some pop and he is going to end up having a surprisingly good year -- you can already see this coming. And the pair of them might actually put Red Sox Nation who live in the Tampa-St. Pete area into seats from time to time. But Manny for $2 million? Where's the risk?
Wrapping in a bit of non-sports news, how about that surprise exit of Keith Olbermann from MSNBC last night? I know his deal will prevent him from doing TV news for a while, but I really do think he would be great if he moved over to MLB Network for the season and put all his energy and enthusiasm into baseball. It would be therapeutic for him and a benefit to baseball fans, who recognize that -- no matter what your political affiliation or temperament -- Olbermann knows and loves baseball.
Finally, if you didn't hear about it yesterday afternoon, we announced the SXSW sports-media panel I will be moderating, and it's going to be fantastic: ESPN's Jemele Hill, CNBC's Darren Rovell, SBNation's Spencer Hall and Deadspin's AJ Daulerio. It should be a frank and fast-paced discussion of the state of the industry.
Please give Quickish a look today (or throughout the day) -- and don't forget to come by tomorrow, particularly during the NFL games. I've found that Quickish during live events like football games is particularly useful for fans who are watching the game and are looking for a "second screen" experience. Thanks in advance!
Enjoy your Saturday.
-- D.S.
The build-up has been near-SB in volume and intensity -- Rex and Tomlin, Rodgers vs. Cutler, Big Ben and history, Bart Scott and "Can't Wait!" The Jets' LACK of trash-talk is a story.
So what can keep us occupied until then?
Today is a terrific day of college hoops, with games running from noon (Ohio State-Illinois on CBS, Villanova-Syracuse on ESPN) through midnight, when Michigan State-Purdue will probably end).
So if you've been holding off on CBB this season for all the other stuff on the sports agenda -- mainly college football and pro football, with some NBA and NHL sprinkled in -- this is your day. Pay particular attention to OSU's Jared Sullinger -- the best post player in college hoops this year -- and UConn's Kemba Walker (playing Tennessee at 4 on CBS), who is the best guard in the country this year. There: You're all caught up.
Meanwhile, the whole baseball world is having a pretty good chuckle at the expense of the Angels, who took on the expense of Vernon Wells, who is vastly overpaid and has some questionable skills. It smacks of early-90s Yankees desperation, and the Angels' performance next season should reflect that. That team went from one that should have had the playoffs on lockdown for a half-decade to one that may have the least momentum in its division.
And I love the Rays signing Manny and Johnny Damon. First of all, I think Manny still has some pop and he is going to end up having a surprisingly good year -- you can already see this coming. And the pair of them might actually put Red Sox Nation who live in the Tampa-St. Pete area into seats from time to time. But Manny for $2 million? Where's the risk?
Wrapping in a bit of non-sports news, how about that surprise exit of Keith Olbermann from MSNBC last night? I know his deal will prevent him from doing TV news for a while, but I really do think he would be great if he moved over to MLB Network for the season and put all his energy and enthusiasm into baseball. It would be therapeutic for him and a benefit to baseball fans, who recognize that -- no matter what your political affiliation or temperament -- Olbermann knows and loves baseball.
Finally, if you didn't hear about it yesterday afternoon, we announced the SXSW sports-media panel I will be moderating, and it's going to be fantastic: ESPN's Jemele Hill, CNBC's Darren Rovell, SBNation's Spencer Hall and Deadspin's AJ Daulerio. It should be a frank and fast-paced discussion of the state of the industry.
Please give Quickish a look today (or throughout the day) -- and don't forget to come by tomorrow, particularly during the NFL games. I've found that Quickish during live events like football games is particularly useful for fans who are watching the game and are looking for a "second screen" experience. Thanks in advance!
Enjoy your Saturday.
-- D.S.
Friday, January 21, 2011
1/21 Quickie: NFL Conf Title Games
There's a part of me that says we can't go wrong with any of the four possible Super Bowl combinations. Partly, that's because all four fan-bases are intolerable in their own way.
With no dog in the fight -- despite living in NYC and despite growing up a HUGE Bears fan -- I'm probably partial to Jets-Packers, for two reasons:
(1) The two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl are miserable displays of media oversaturation; the Jets will at least make it interesting.
(2) Aaron Rodgers is playing out of his mind, and presuming the Packers beat the Bears, he will still be on a roll. I would love to see him against a white-hot defense that would have stopped -- in order -- Peyton, Brady and Big Ben.
My picks: Jets over Steelers. Packers over Bears. Two road teams winning in the conference title games. Consequently: Congratulations, Steelers and Bears fans.
*****
There is so much good stuff being posted over at Quickish on a minute-to-minute basis (ok, more like 15-minute-to-15-minute basis) that I can barely keep it all straight in my head.
If you haven't yet today, I would love it if you would pop over there to check it out. Even visiting once a day will keep you up on the real-time chatter and all the best longer-form commentary.
Two more requests: (1) If you haven't dropped by during an NFL playoff game, give it a try on Sunday. Oh, watch the game on TV for sure. But fire up your laptop, phone or iPad and head over to Quickish; I really do think it is the very best "live" online companion you will find.
(And I wouldn't say that if I thought something else out there was better -- I'd point you to THAT and then tell you to try Quickish anyway. But I monitor all the big live-blogs and comment sections during the games, looking for good comments -- and Quickish is faster, easier to consume and smarter.)
(2) By design and necessity, Quickish doesn't have a huge marketing budget and no big distribution partners (yet). It really relies on people who enjoy it telling their friends, co-workers, whoever -- your recommendation is the most powerful thing out there.
So tell some friends. Tell all your friends. Tweet it out. Like the Quickish Facebook page (or just drop a status update on Facebook about it). It would really help.
OK: I'll stop now. (As soon as we get to a million users, I'm happy to stop being so pushy!)
Enjoy the games, and hopefully another update later.
-- D.S.
With no dog in the fight -- despite living in NYC and despite growing up a HUGE Bears fan -- I'm probably partial to Jets-Packers, for two reasons:
(1) The two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl are miserable displays of media oversaturation; the Jets will at least make it interesting.
(2) Aaron Rodgers is playing out of his mind, and presuming the Packers beat the Bears, he will still be on a roll. I would love to see him against a white-hot defense that would have stopped -- in order -- Peyton, Brady and Big Ben.
My picks: Jets over Steelers. Packers over Bears. Two road teams winning in the conference title games. Consequently: Congratulations, Steelers and Bears fans.
*****
There is so much good stuff being posted over at Quickish on a minute-to-minute basis (ok, more like 15-minute-to-15-minute basis) that I can barely keep it all straight in my head.
If you haven't yet today, I would love it if you would pop over there to check it out. Even visiting once a day will keep you up on the real-time chatter and all the best longer-form commentary.
Two more requests: (1) If you haven't dropped by during an NFL playoff game, give it a try on Sunday. Oh, watch the game on TV for sure. But fire up your laptop, phone or iPad and head over to Quickish; I really do think it is the very best "live" online companion you will find.
(And I wouldn't say that if I thought something else out there was better -- I'd point you to THAT and then tell you to try Quickish anyway. But I monitor all the big live-blogs and comment sections during the games, looking for good comments -- and Quickish is faster, easier to consume and smarter.)
(2) By design and necessity, Quickish doesn't have a huge marketing budget and no big distribution partners (yet). It really relies on people who enjoy it telling their friends, co-workers, whoever -- your recommendation is the most powerful thing out there.
So tell some friends. Tell all your friends. Tweet it out. Like the Quickish Facebook page (or just drop a status update on Facebook about it). It would really help.
OK: I'll stop now. (As soon as we get to a million users, I'm happy to stop being so pushy!)
Enjoy the games, and hopefully another update later.
-- D.S.
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