Comments on Awful Announcing: First Reactions To Bob Costas' Foray Into Sports M...

I'm sorry I missed the big show with Costas last n...

2008-05-01T00:18:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry I missed the big show with Costas last night. As a very unknown blogger, I do take exception to a lot of what I have seen with "mainstream writers". I have seen a lot of good things in the blog world and gives so many of us an opportunity to write and connect with something we love so much. This is just ammunition and motivation to keep going and prove the mainstreamers wrong.

I watched a few minutes and for someone as suppose...

2008-04-30T20:59:00.000-04:00

I watched a few minutes and for someone as supposedly as smart as Bissinger is, my 9th grade students know more about this than he does. FATP – Form, Audience, Topic, Purpose – the 4 areas our kids are supposed to identify before writing for state tests. He can’t recognize 3 of the 4 in sports blog. He doesn’t understand the audience, has no clue about the form, and doesn’t recognize their purpose may be different than a newspaper.

He wants Deitch to be W.C. Heinz. That’s like asking Billy Joe of Green Day to be Mozart. It’s not that he can’t, it’s that he doesn’t WANT to be. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

The mainstream media, and sportscasters in general...

2008-04-30T20:16:00.000-04:00

The mainstream media, and sportscasters in general are scared shitless by how quickly influential sports blogs have become. That can be the only possible reason why so many talking heads come out trying to bash sports blogs - they see the balance of power shifting, and there's nothing they can do about it.

The public is sick and tired of the big media's chokehold on sports reporting, and they now have an outlet to reach people, to communicate to those who share their same frustrations.

People like Costas, Steven A, etc. see the future coming, and they're scared.

The fact that they felt the need to address new me...

2008-04-30T17:40:00.000-04:00

The fact that they felt the need to address new media at all tells me the MSM is clinging to relevance. What they don't realize (or soon will, the hard way) is that they would rather be hated, ripped and scrutinized in blogs now than ignored altogether later. And later is sooner than they think. Rock on, AA.

Tried watching the show and couldn't do it. They l...

2008-04-30T17:20:00.000-04:00

Tried watching the show and couldn't do it. They lost me when AROUND THE HORN mainstay Jay Mariotti had the audacity to say something about sports talk radio being buffoonish and playing to the lowest common denominator. I agree, but talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

Me thinks: The old guard is realizing their turf i...

2008-04-30T16:35:00.000-04:00

Me thinks: The old guard is realizing their turf is at stake, so they stoop down to abrasive language and non-sequiturs about W.C. Heinz. This is good; people like Costas, Buzz, Tony K. and such wouldn't even bother acknowledging them if they didn't realize that their shelf life was shortening, and their livelihood threatened by a serious, innovative new medium.

kick. fucking. ass.

2008-04-30T15:53:00.000-04:00

kick. fucking. ass.

A couple of points . . .1. I guess I don't underst...

2008-04-30T15:26:00.000-04:00

A couple of points . . .

1. I guess I don't understand why so many feel as if MSM and blogs are mutually exclusive? Good research and writing, wherever it occurs, begets . . . good research and writing.

2. What is it about majoring in journalism that makes someone a better reporter/writer? My undergrad degree is in English, and my Masters is in Information Science -- the key to effective reportage is the ability to think critically and write well.

3. Why is "just" having an opinion not enough? Several of the panelists decried how easy it if for someone with just an opinion to publish those online. Is that really so different from what columnists/talk radio hosts do? Uninformed opinion sucks, but can still be fun.

Zaun doesn't make $7 mil/year (neither should he e...

2008-04-30T15:14:00.000-04:00

Zaun doesn't make $7 mil/year (neither should he ever). He sign a two year contract worth a little over 7 mil.

Nice try, but aparently complaingin all the time about MSM makes you forget things.

Fucking well put, AA (aka Brian)And fuck all those...

2008-04-30T14:24:00.000-04:00

Fucking well put, AA (aka Brian)

And fuck all those MSM cunts and no-sense-of-humour-having fucks like dr and maynard, they'll never get this shit and they never will, and who the fuck cares?

We all know one day blogs will be the MSM, and then we'll have to start all over again.

Keep up the great work and don't feel the need to justify yourself to those fucking ignorant douches.

(did I meet the blogging quota of curse words?)

I'm a radio guy here in Hawaii, and sure you may c...

2008-04-30T13:28:00.000-04:00

I'm a radio guy here in Hawaii, and sure you may count me in the MSM so to speak, but I've got a question for the MSM'ers out there, whether they are on the news side or the sports side. If you are so against blogs, why do your TV and radio station and newspaper websites feature, well, BLOGS? Granted, they are mostly controlled blogs as compared to blogs like yours, AA, where you don't have to answer to anyone.
The executives of these companies know that blogs add flavor to what they are doing.

If those old boys in the media wanna feel threatened, let them! They are wasting their time. The time spent wasted on complaining about bloggers will take away from the quality of what they write or say and their disappointed audience will go elsewhere.

Fantastic Post. That is all...

2008-04-30T12:50:00.000-04:00

Fantastic Post. That is all...

I guess my point is,Who gives a shit? I don't want...

2008-04-30T12:44:00.000-04:00

I guess my point is,

Who gives a shit?

I don't want to be one of the people who gets all of their information from the mainstream media. I don't fault any of the people who do. The only time that really affects me is during political elections, where people only watch Fox News and thus ruin America by voting George W. Bush (that's a bit simplistic I know).

My point was more, If you're reading yet another argument as to why blogs are valid, then you most likely already agree.

Anyone who watched last night and said "You know, according to this screaming guy, blogs are dangerous and I'm not going to read them" ... they'll just go back to voting on American Idol anyway. Unless there's a sale on blogs at Walmart they won't know how to find them.

I don't agree. Check the numbers. More than 35 per...

2008-04-30T12:29:00.000-04:00

I don't agree. Check the numbers. More than 35 percent of Americans have NEVER read a blog, and more than 75 percent have read one 10 or fewer times. The MSM is still very valid and vital. HOWEVER...

They are holding on too tightly. And it's all going to end badly. So yeah, the blogs need to bang the hot wife and move on, but don't think that John Q. Public is onboard yet, because they're not quite there.

Brian this shit is so played out. Nobody reading b...

2008-04-30T12:11:00.000-04:00

Brian this shit is so played out.

Nobody reading blogs gives a damn what mainstream media thinks, or needs to hear the umpteenth argument as to why blogs are valid. Costas show last night was basically for fat white retarded inept America.

Who gives a shit if the "real media" ever accepts blogs? The people who read have already accepted it. You've got a good thing here, tons of readers who check several times a day - because of your insight on everything BUT your place in the hierarchy of sports writing importance.

Everytime I read a post like this on AA or Deadspin etc it comes off like a guy who feels he has to justify having a hot wife. Who cares if she's retarded or regards character above looks and money - you've got a hot wife, just go bang her and be happy. Anyone slagging on it just wishes he had a hot wife.

And yet Maynard is simply a commenter on a blog. ...

2008-04-30T12:08:00.000-04:00

And yet Maynard is simply a commenter on a blog. What does that make him then?

Did Maynard just compare AA's take on sports blog ...

2008-04-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

Did Maynard just compare AA's take on sports blog to pedophiles and terrorists? Man oh Man.

Too much deep thinking on this topic, I need to go read "The Professional," to get smart and rite good.

The ODU comment made me guffaw, as well(my BIL is ...

2008-04-30T11:54:00.000-04:00

The ODU comment made me guffaw, as well(my BIL is a member of the JMU Class of '76). I'm also an oddity(hey, watch it!) in the sports blogosphere, in that I'm in the same age group as Costas and most of the non-MSM bashers. That said, I'm fully on the side of guys like you and Leitch on this matter. Keep up the good work, and oh yeah...
I love you, man.

I really love when people have absolutely zero sen...

2008-04-30T11:49:00.000-04:00

I really love when people have absolutely zero sense of humor. That's almost more funny than their dumbass comment.

Let's see....hmm. This week I've given the world their first look at Derby coverage, their first look at Madden 2009, found a photo of Tim Tebow hanging with the House of Reps, wrote two pieces on the media at the NFL Draft, and posted a video of an announcer saying an athlete took a nasty shit. It's been a slow week and I apologize.

That Copernicus comment, I meant to say.

2008-04-30T11:33:00.000-04:00

That Copernicus comment, I meant to say.

That Copernicus was deeply ignorant. For the love ...

2008-04-30T11:32:00.000-04:00

That Copernicus was deeply ignorant. For the love of God, man, read a book.

Also, what story did you break in the last week?

Yeah, but it's not like you went to a REAL school ...

2008-04-30T11:27:00.000-04:00

Yeah, but it's not like you went to a REAL school like Old Dominion....

That actually made me spit out my coffee this morning. Oh and Maynard....I don't care what you think of me. Keep reading though. Cheers!

Every time you make a posting like this I can't he...

2008-04-30T11:23:00.000-04:00

Every time you make a posting like this I can't help but remember that YOU ARE A BLOGGER. Everything you say is qualified by that fact. Listen, of course you passionately believe that you are a legitimate part of the sports realm. Pedophiles believe what they do is beautiful, and terrorists are certain they are doing what is right.

Find some non-blogger opinion on how blogging isn't that bad instead of getting all huffy when somebody offends you personally by suggesting that you are somehow less legitimate than they.

Which you have not yet disproven in any of your shrill rants on the subject, by the way. Better luck next time.

Fine work, Brian. As a blogger with only a marketi...

2008-04-30T11:15:00.000-04:00

Fine work, Brian.

As a blogger with only a marketing degree, that is all I'm allowed to say.

I found this site about a year ago, and I honestly...

2008-04-30T11:01:00.000-04:00

I found this site about a year ago, and I honestly can't remember how. I probably put in "Gus Johnson is my hero" in a Google search or something. But it offered something I couldn't find on espn.com or any of the MSM sites: the ability to talk with other fans, get a different perspective and view on stories, and frankly find out different information and stories that the MSM didn't feel like reporting.

Whether it was commenting during "Create The Caption" (yes I'm the guy who started the Tebow - Girls with the Pearls monster), submitting retarded things that came out of countless announcers mouth, or jumping in during live threads, AA and blogs like it gave something that just wasn't there otherwise in my opinion.

So to AA, the people at Deadspin, JSF, Sports Agent Blog, and countless others that are consistently awesome, keep up the good work, and keep fighting the good fight.