Bill Plaschke Would Like To Defend ATH For A Second

Thursday, December 17, 2009


I haven't watched an episode of Around The Horn since I was doing those video clips for Deadspin, and even then it was begrudgingly. Well recently SI put together a Best of Sports Media for the decade, and not only did we receive an ridiculous (yet extremely appreciated) honorable mention for Sports Blog of the Decade, but they also took a light jab at ATH. Via Deadspin....

The topics are patently absurd (one involved Evander Holyfield boxing a horse for the WBA heavyweight belt), but on the whole it's no more bizarre-and a lot funnier-than, say, Around the Horn.
That seems one of the nicer things that people have said about that abortion of a show, but apparently that was enough to send Bill Plaschke over the deep end. Via Plaschke's Twitter....
-I saw where, in its annual media issue, a certain publication took another shot at Around the Horn. We love it. Just spell our names right.
-One of these days, your grandfather's media is going to realize that, when it comes to ATH, they are out of touch with today's consumers
-ATH thrives because the grass-roots sports fan — which is most of us — thinks sports should be fun, and what's wrong with that?
-While our critics have dwindled to a few, we embrace those who still think seven years of hundreds of thousands of daily viewers are wrong
-Our show wouldn't connect with today's sports fan if yesterday's sports media didn't still rip it. The rips remind us the show still works
-I'll end this by once again thanking our show's patron saint, a notable broadcaster who called us, ''Gasbags on parade.''
-I'm honored to be one of those gasbags, and thankful that so many people allow us to parade into their lives...
-(and if those last few tweets don't get me into the showdown Thursday, nothing will!!)
Ah yes....those gasbags on parade. I mean when someone as respected as Al Michaels calls you a "gasbag", I would think you would take notice. But on the other side of the coin....if it ain't broke don't fix it. I know a good handful of people that list ATH as one of their favorite shows, and 700K worth of viewers at 5pm isn't anything to shack a stick at.

I guess these two mainstream media outlets will just have to......Agree To DISAGREE!

(FYI- AA will also be having their Best/Worst of the Decade. There we will look back at the epic fails and greatest successes of the past decade....mainly the fails though. You'll also get your 2009 Pammy Winner in that post, but everyone already knows who won)

SI "Out Of Touch" For Mocking Around The Horn, Says Newspaper Columnist Who Fears Computers (Deadspin)
Bill Plaschke (Twitter)

4 Comments:

I don't think anyone should put so much stock into the ratings for ATH. Every waiting room, student union, or bar I've been to in the last 8 years either shows CNN or ESPN on mute with the closed captions on at the time ATH is on. People aren't watching because they want to, they watch because you can follow it by reading, and it's better than Judge Judy. There's nothing else on at 5 pm. Also, Bill Plaschke is a hack. He's worse than Shanoff.

pete said...
Dec 17, 2009, 12:47:00 PM  

He's right, sports SHOULD be fun. They just don't need to be screamed about.

Someone should tell Plaschke to go see a speech coach, too.

GMoney said...
Dec 17, 2009, 1:34:00 PM  

How about reading a good book?

Steve Smith said...
Dec 17, 2009, 5:07:00 PM  

read the caption on this twitpic from Tommy Lasorda....says it all

http://twitpic.com/pwtzl

questionmark said...
Dec 17, 2009, 6:45:00 PM  

Post a Comment