In Bill Simmons’ NBA preview, he lists the 33 most intriguing people of the 2009-10 season. Here are a couple of excerpts.
On the Blazers’ acquisition of Andre Miller…
21. Andre Miller
We knew Miller was a bad fit when the Blazers signed him. It just didn’t feel right. He’s a moody loner; they had great chemistry last season. He needs the ball in his hands; so does Brandon Roy. He likes freelancing; Nate McMillan is hands on. But Portland felt obligated to spend its extra cap money, and nobody else was pursuing Miller, so what transpired was the equivalent of two single wedding guests going through the motions on the dance floor.
I could use someone, and you could use someone. Unfortunately, I hate bald guys and I have a tiny butt; you’re bald and you love bubble butts. We have no spark and are destined to fail. But crap, there’s nobody better. Screw it, would you like to come back to my room?
I get Portland’s thinking: It wanted to turn that cap space into an asset. And I get Miller’s thinking: He wanted to get paid and hoped things would work out. But now we’re here. Incredibly, Portland plans on bringing Miller off the bench. He’s already miserable. (And available, by the way. Make Kevin Pritchard an offer. Seriously, call him right now.) So what did we learn? Just because you have cap space doesn’t mean you HAVE to use it.
Is it just me or was this a fairly useless clip? The only possible nugget of information is that the Broncos are working harder behind the scenes to move Marshall than they’ve been letting on. (But isn’t this fairly intuitive given all the trouble Marshall has caused over the last couple of weeks?) This is supposed to be the latest news on Marshall, but he only rehashes everything we already know (that the Jets are interested, that the Broncos are interested, and that the money could be a hold up).
Schefter says that if the Jets offer the Broncos a package that meets their expectations, then the Broncos will move Marshall. Isn’t this the crux of any trade in any sport? One team has a player and is given an offer that they think is worthwhile, so they pull the trigger on the trade. This isn’t very insightful.
How about discussing exactly what the Broncos are looking for? Is it still a 1st and a 4th, or have they changed their tune? What kind of contract is Marshall expecting if he’s moved? Is the money reasonable or would his asking price dissuade potential suitors?
The bottom line is that, given a camera, a backdrop and a satellite hookup, Anthony Stalter and I could have produced the exact same clip without the sources available to Schefter. It’s almost as if ESPN called up Schefter and told him he was on the air in five minutes and ignored his pleas for more time to call his sources, so he could only speak in generalities.
Interesting commentary on Deadspin today about the state of sports blogging and the mainstream (sports) media. Most often in news media, bloggers are more or less second class citizens. Respect and credibility come usually when bloggers stop blogging and begin “writing.” Anyway here’s what Barry Petchesky had to say about it:
And like any good conglomerate, the big names snapped up the best content. Abbott, Florio, Leitch and others aren’t doing anything different content-wise than they were before, but all of a sudden they’re mainstream? Blogging is just a word. It encompasses everything from reporting to humor, from analysis to aggregation, from live commentary to finding attractive female athletes. None of these are anything the establishment hasn’t done before with, like blogging, varying degrees of success.
If the line between blogs and the MSM (mainstream media) appears to be getting blurrier, it’s because there never really was a line in the first place.
I suppose my first response is to think that sure, lots of time blogging has a lot of crap going on. Bloggers have comparatively smaller budgets than places like ESPN and CNN. But where straight news reporting has had a bit of a battle with the bloggers, sports media has appropriated/assimilated them into their organizations on level terms with non-blogging staff members. Sports outlets have done a better job of incorporating the changing landscape of news media than “hard-news” sources, but I’m not altogether surprised by that. I’d rather get my news from someone who: is constantly fact-checked by his/her peers, remains accountable for his mistakes, and attempts either to be objective in their reporting, or is at least transparent in their bias. Wait a second, I forgot which area I was blogging about. And anyway, I get all my news from the BBC’s website.
The conference finals were a big yawn, but the Stanley Cup offers an intriguing matchup. Sid the Kid looks to dethrone Hockeytown and spoil the back-to-back title party being planned in the Motor City. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings were the preseason favorites to meet once again in the Cup finals, and both encountered a rough road back to this anticipated rematch.
Oh, and the Lakers and Magic look to close out their respective series this weekend.
All times ET…
NBA Playoffs
Fri, 9 PM: Los Angeles Lakers @ Denver Nuggets (ESPN)
Sat, 8:30 PM: Cleveland Cavaliers @ Orlando Magic (TNT)
Sun, 8:30 PM: Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Lakers *if necessary (ABC)
Stanley Cup Finals
Sat, 8 PM: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Detroit Red Wings (NBC)
Sun, TBD: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Detroit Red Wings (NBC)
MLB
Sat, 4:10 PM: Minnesota Twins @ Tampa Bay Rays (FOX)
Sun., 12:40 PM: New York Yankees @ Cleveland Indians (TBS)
Sun., 8 PM: Los Angeles Dodgers @ Chicago Cubs (ESPN)
Anyway, there was a really funny moment Thursday that could have only happened at a Lakers game. Near the end of a third-quarter timeout, the camera caught Val Kilmer and three of his chins on the JumboTron, punctuating the moment by playing “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins. You know, a “Top Gun” homage. He took a second or two to get the joke, then unleashed one of those “Very funny, you got me, just know that I’m on a lot of meds right now” smiles. And this would have been enjoyable on its own, but they cut to someone else in the stands. …
That’s right. …
Tom Cruise!
He caught on a little quicker and did the Tom Cruise Over-Laugh. And this would have been great on its own, but the Lakers pushed it to another level: They went split-screen with Kilmer and Cruise with “Danger Zone” still blasting. As far as I was concerned, this was the most emotional reunion in Lakers history. Cruise kept laughing; Kilmer looked mildly perturbed. (After all, he’s an actor, dammit! That was 23 years ago! He’s made a lot of movies since then!) At this point, I was praying they’d cut to Anthony Edwards in Section 312 but he wasn’t there.
Ha! Great one about Anthony Edwards sitting in the upper level.
These four words begin one of the grandest traditions in auto racing, as the 93rd Indianapolis 500 will take place this weekend. The Old Brickyard has been home to some memorable finishes and characters that make this one of the marquee events on the racing season.
The NBA Conference Finals are really heating up. Arguably, the four best players (LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard) in the league are fighting tooth and nail for a title. All four have shown the determination and drive needed to win a NBA crown.
All times ET…
NBA Playoffs
Fri, 8:30 PM: Orlando Magic @ Cleveland Cavaliers (TNT)
Sat, 8:30 PM: Los Angeles Lakers @ Denver Nuggets (ABC)
Sun, 8:30 PM: Cleveland Cavaliers @ Orlando Magic (TNT)
NHL Playoffs
Fri, 8 PM: Detroit Red Wings @ Chicago Blackhawks (Versus)
Sat, 7:30 PM: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Carolina Hurricanes (Versus)
Sun, 3 PM: Detroit Red Wings @ Chicago Blackhawks (NBC)
MLB
Sat, 4:10 PM: Philadelphia Phillies @ New York Yankees (FOX)
Sun., 1:30 PM: New York Mets @ Boston Red Sox (TBS)
Sun., 8 PM: Milwaukee Brewers @ Minnesota Twins (ESPN)
Auto Racing
Sun, 1 PM: The 93rd Indianapolis 500 @ Indianapolis Motor Speedway (ABC)
