The sports coverage and announcing thread

[C Dubya 04 0]

There were some good posts about it at Awful Announcing and Deadspin too.

 

And of course Kissing Suzy Kolber brought their unique charm to it with a post "written" by Buzz about how he likes to fuck horses. KSK just makes my day so often.

[Guest I swallowed a Q-Tip.]

I'm all for blogs, but Will Leitch seems like kind of a stroke.

[C Dubya 04 0]

I'm not sure what that means, but I think that of everyone who was on the Costas "Town Hall" thing Leitch was by far the most reasonable and well spoken.

 

Except for Mose. Who ruled as always.

[Guest College Party]

I'm thinking back to that NPR interview he did where the host called him out for all his stupid black jokes, and Leitch just kinda stammered his way out of it like an eight-year-old. He also wrote something where he said writing a blog is more work than writing a book. But doesn't Deadspin take a lot of its content from other blogs? Not some of his better moments.

[Kinetic 0]

Hey, man...it's just, like, if people wanted to hear about shit, they'd live in L.A. I don't know why they don't. People who live in New York or, like, Chicago are just kidding themselves. If you really want to get The Herd--and I mean REALLY want to get The Herd--you'd best to move to L.A. and just wait on that NFL team. In ten years, at least five of those teams will be in Los Angeles. They just will.

[alfdogg 0]

Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy's blatant Celtics bias has been pretty awful thus far in the playoffs. I used to like how well Van Gundy and Mark Jackson played off each other, but now I just can't tolerate the guy at all. Jon Barry has been let off the hook as the worst color man in basketball, at least nationally.

[Guest College Party]

The more I read Deadspin, the more I realize that I don't really like it and it isn't really very good. The articles aren't very substantial in length or depth, and the snarky affectation gets to be tiresome. I feel the same way about Wonkette or Gawker or Oddjack or Jalopnik or Burkrope or Nabstick or Zapscene or Clubhat or Grumpclick or whatever their sister sites are called. The comments account for 90% of the content for any given story, and the smug self-celebration there even surpasses the smug self-celebration here. Moreover, most blog posts seem to just boil down to links to other people's blog posts, so it's more of a hub than a bona fide blog, it would appear. Don't forget that he shrugged off writing a book as no big deal because he blogs so hard five days a week, which was kind of a douchebag maneuver.

 

So really, it is more about the reader response than anything else. With this tacit understanding that it's come-for-the-blog-post-stay-for-the-comments, it's not really fair for Leitch to stammer his way out of the fact that article and feedback are inextricably tied, and get away with it. Buzz Bissinger is a raving goof, but when he says that the majority of Deadspin is slapdash gossiping followed by calling public figures "fuckheads," he's not totally incorrect in his assessment. Maybe the best sportswriting today really is coming from blogs (God knows it's certainly not coming from Rick Telander), but not this one.

[Ripper 0]

Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy's blatant Celtics bias has been pretty awful thus far in the playoffs. I used to like how well Van Gundy and Mark Jackson played off each other, but now I just can't tolerate the guy at all. Jon Barry has been let off the hook as the worst color man in basketball, at least nationally.

 

 

I guess this is the place I can bitch about that, because I was beyond pissed off yesterday at the commentary.

 

I mean, seriously, the were congratulating Kevin Garnett for taking a premeditated cheap shot (and what should have been called a flagrant) on Zaza as a way to get back at a cheap shot from Zaza...you know, when Zaza got in his face for elbowing him.

 

To on one had act like Marvin Williams, making a basketball play(a stupid one, no doubt and definately the ejection was the correct call) and accidentally taking out Rondo was the worse thing in the history of basketball, then a completely classes cowards shot from KG gets applauded was laughably bad.

 

Mark Jackson claiming hte Hawks had no pride and didn't even try and were just happy with the tie was disgraceful too. But he just joined the party yesterday. Every game JVG has done he has been condensending to the Hawks and in that "The Celtics are letting them in this game" kinda talk instead of the Hawks just plain beating them.

 

The Hawks lost. They came in all pumped up and missed what seemed like 10 layups in the first quarter and half, just putting the ball off the backboard hard and such, but they played one hell of a series. Although JVG feels as though anything good they did in the series was erased by the last game. Fuck him.

[nl5xsk1 0]

Ripper, I think a lot of people - fans that otherwise aren't attached to Boston or Atlanta - will probably remember the blow-out loss more than the fact that ATL took the series to 7. I think their success did a lot to regain relevancy in Atlanta but to Joey Sixpack, the 30+ point loss will be what's remembered about this series.

 

Having said that, though, the announcing in that series was atrocious. Even as a Masshole, whose team was getting the benefit of the one-sided announcing, it was hard to listen to.

 

And in regards to the "6-4-3" conversation from earlier in the thread ... I guess doing that would be kind to any blind people that happened to be keeping score at home. Y'know, make it a little easier for them & all.

[Guest]

I am so sick of Jon Barry. The guy knows nothing about basketball.

Still fits. He's definitely the worst out there.

[Ripper 0]

Ripper, I think a lot of people - fans that otherwise aren't attached to Boston or Atlanta - will probably remember the blow-out loss more than the fact that ATL took the series to 7. I think their success did a lot to regain relevancy in Atlanta but to Joey Sixpack, the 30+ point loss will be what's remembered about this series.

 

See. I don't think its possible for people to come away from this series without a differnet view of Atlanta.

 

before the playoffs, ESPN would randomly take shots at the Hawks during highlights of any west coast team. A warriors game? They would take a shot at "If they were in the East they would be blah blah blah, but instead, we get the HAWKS in the playoffs" and "When a team like the HAWKS can be in the playoffs and a team like the Warriors are missing it, they need to reformat the entire playoff seeding".

 

Notice how all that talk has died down when the hawks became the only team to force a game 7. Plus, they should get some national games next year. Sure, they lost big, but in gereral I think the concensus about the Hawks went from "That team just plain sucks" to "Josh Smith and Al Horford are only 22, Marvin Williams is 21-22....that is some future that team has there."

 

[Maztinho 0]

See. I don't think its possible for people to come away from this series without a differnet view of Atlanta.

 

before the playoffs, ESPN would randomly take shots at the Hawks during highlights of any west coast team. A warriors game? They would take a shot at "If they were in the East they would be blah blah blah, but instead, we get the HAWKS in the playoffs" and "When a team like the HAWKS can be in the playoffs and a team like the Warriors are missing it, they need to reformat the entire playoff seeding".

 

Notice how all that talk has died down when the hawks became the only team to force a game 7. Plus, they should get some national games next year. Sure, they lost big, but in gereral I think the concensus about the Hawks went from "That team just plain sucks" to "Josh Smith and Al Horford are only 22, Marvin Williams is 21-22....that is some future that team has there."

 

This is true. At least living in Utah, people sorta started chatting about the Hawks some and they are looking bright. Down the road when the Hawks are a viable threat in the East people will look at this series as a turning point. By all accounts the C's should have blown the Hawks out by 30 in a series sweep instead of having to drop the big hammer in a game 7.

[The Man in Blak 0]

Buzz Bissinger is a raving goof, but when he says that the majority of Deadspin is slapdash gossiping followed by calling public figures "fuckheads," he's not totally incorrect in his assessment.

 

I think Bissinger's argument is well-intentioned, somewhat, but completely misdirected and hilariously undermined by his own hypocritical tirade towards Leitch. Blasting Deadspin for a lack of productive, intellectual discussion is like blasting The Daily Show for a lack of journalistic integrity; does Bissinger reserve the same level of vitriol for Rotoworld? What about Baseball Prospectus, or Football Outsiders, or The Hardball Times?

[Kawalimus 0]

Bill Plaschke is an IDIOT!! He just said Tim Tebow was performing circumcisions in the Philippines. He said "Kudos to him, this is a major problem down there".

 

WHAT AN IDIOT!! He really thinks it's a big issue a man is circumcised or not. He believes those old wives tales.

[Guest Smues]

Oh all the things to attack Plaschke about, I don't think I would have thought to attack him for that.

[2GOLD 0]

Bill Plaschke is an IDIOT!! He just said Tim Tebow was performing circumcisions in the Philippines. He said "Kudos to him, this is a major problem down there".

 

WHAT AN IDIOT!! He really thinks it's a big issue a man is circumcised or not. He believes those old wives tales.

 

Umm it pretty much is a big issue if you don't keep it clean. And considering hygiene is a problem in areas of the Philippines, then yes this IS a huge problem involving risks of infection.

[RepoMan 0]

Bill Plaschke is an IDIOT!! He just said Tim Tebow was performing circumcisions in the Philippines. He said "Kudos to him, this is a major problem down there".

 

WHAT AN IDIOT!! He really thinks it's a big issue a man is circumcised or not. He believes those old wives tales.

 

Umm it pretty much is a big issue if you don't keep it clean. And considering hygiene is a problem in areas of the Philippines, then yes this IS a huge problem involving risks of infection.

 

Circumcisions have been shown to cut down on the rates of STDs. Considering the rate of HIV infections in the 3rd world, Tim Tebow is being a lot more productive than being a shitty QB in North America.

 

[Kawalimus 0]

That doesn't mean its the cause. That's cause places like north america have less problems than Africa and Philippines which means less cases of STDs or AIDs here than there. It's nothing to do with circumcision.

[Guest College Party]

Buzz Bissinger is a raving goof, but when he says that the majority of Deadspin is slapdash gossiping followed by calling public figures "fuckheads," he's not totally incorrect in his assessment.

 

I think Bissinger's argument is well-intentioned, somewhat, but completely misdirected and hilariously undermined by his own hypocritical tirade towards Leitch. Blasting Deadspin for a lack of productive, intellectual discussion is like blasting The Daily Show for a lack of journalistic integrity; does Bissinger reserve the same level of vitriol for Rotoworld? What about Baseball Prospectus, or Football Outsiders, or The Hardball Times?

I don't know. I was only concerned with Deadspin. I like Baseball Prospectus, though.

[Kawalimus 0]

ESPN just done a story on the EVILS of marijuana use and distribution. And talks about Lawrence Tynes and how his brother got 27 years in prison for Marijuana distribution. And his "criminal history" was marijuana use and they made it sound like he was some terrible person for this. Sounds more like a problem of an idiot society.

[Maztinho 0]

Yeah, despite what you believe in using or selling Marijuana is still illegal. So the guy was a criminal, was he a hardened gonna rape you with a broken broom criminal? No, but he still broke the law.

[Kawalimus 0]

That doesn't warrant putting a guy in jail for TWENTY SEVEN YEARS!! Where the choices are to ether become a brutal criminal or get raped. Maybe we should stop obsessing over prison as the answer to everything and we'd stop having so many goddamn thugs in our society.

 

ESPN is pathetic for covering the story the way they did. They could have done the story about Tynes and his family without the evil lawbreaker marijuana user/distributer slant.

 

So to clarify it's less that they did the story and more the way they did it that was pathetic.

[Guest College Party]

[CanadianChris 0]

Oh my word, Dan Shaughnessy is just TERRIBLE on PTI. He clearly has a face and voice for newspapers.

[Guest !!!]

Hasn't stopped fellow douchebags Bill Simmons and Bob Ryan from branching out. (I wish it would.)

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Speaking of Bill Simmons, I clicked his podcast thing today because I was interested in what someone who's gone to Clippers games regularly and seemed to be fairly dialed in to their fanbase had to say about the Elton Brand thing. Holy crap, that guy has the most irritating and snively voice I've heard in some time. Off after about 25 seconds.

[Kinetic 0]

Urban Dictionary entry for Colin Cowherd:

1. Colin Cowherd

 

Extremely annoying sports radio talk show host who thinks he is right about everything. Tactics include:1)Bashing an entire city or school the day after they lose a championship game.(As if their fans had something to do with it) 2)Rambling on and on about how the ratings in football are so much higher than baseball.(As if that is going to make me instantly stop liking baseball) 3)Cutting off and/or hanging up on anyone who has a different opinion than him. 4)Being so generally annoying that you would rather turn off the radio in fear that you might cut your ears off if you continue to listen. 5)Claiming that he is the only talk show host who makes any sense when he is in fact the only one at his own network who doesn't make any sense. 6)Being such an overall fuckup that you wonder how a stellar network such as ESPN could hire an assclown like him.

 

Person A: You wanna listen to the Colin Cowherd show???

Person B: Let's cut each other instead.

Person A: Sound's great!!!

 

What's funny is that I was just having that same conversation the other day.

 

 

[CanadianChris 0]

OH HAPPY DAY!!

 

Billy Packer to leave CBS

[Mik 0]

Just coming to post about that. Thank God. He brings the tournament down a notch. He's admitted he's not even really a fan of the game.

 

Last year when he called the UNC/Kansas game over midway through the first half...that was bad. He was right, but still.

 

This is a great day for college basketball.

[cabbageboy 0]

Yeah Packer has always been a grumpy curmudgeon and of course a complete shill for the ACC so I don't mind him being gone. Say what you want about Vitale but at least he cares about the sport.