Who’s your columnist #3
Your comment must be posted by 30 minutes before the Tuesday Feb. 12 class.
You must include the URL so that others can read the column, too.
Let me know if you have any questions.
See you in class.
Your comment must be posted by 30 minutes before the Tuesday Feb. 12 class.
You must include the URL so that others can read the column, too.
Let me know if you have any questions.
See you in class.
February 10th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
“Paul Williams puts crown on line”
By TIM SMITH
This article explains the details of Paul Williams’ current strategy for his boxing career.
While it caught my attention in the beginning, it became too complex and harder to read.
The sentence structure was good, but the consistent name dropping of other boxers confused me. All of the information was related to Williams, but forced me to reread multiple paragraphs to understand the relation.
Overall it was informative, but did not hold my attention after the opening paragraphs.
Here is the link for your own enjoyment!
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2008/02/08/2008-02-08_paul_williams_puts_crown_on_line.html?page=0
February 10th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
MITCH ALBOM: In this hoax, maybe the joke is on us
This article is a must read. Mitch Albom lands a whooper of a story with a young high school student named Kevin Hart.
This high school senior setup his own ceremonial selection between two colleges that had supposedly scouted and recruited him for playing Division I football.
The only problem being is that Kevin Hart was never scouted at all by these schools. He just when though this elaborate hoax in deciding between two schools that hadn’t heard of him before. The hoax was busted shortly after this celebration took place with the whole gymnasium, students and reporters that covered this young seemingly promised football player.
The story grabs your attention off the start with the title and the leads into how this seemingly promising young football player is about to acheive what many had wished for him.
This is a must read for the simple fact of how Mitch Albom grabs your attention with detailed accounts in a progressive story as he lets the reader know the fallacies within the whole ordeal.
Upon completion of this article it made me feel sorry for this young football player. The only comment I have to say is that I wish there was more information on this kid now and to hear how he was able to fool them all in his own words.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080210/COL01/802100639/1082
February 11th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
“The Power of Positive Thinking”
Sally Jenkins
This article was probably my least favorite from Jenkins’ weekly columns. She talks about the new Redskins head coach Jim Zorn. She pretty much says that he was not a good pick (she and about ohhh I would say 20 million other people) but at the same time she tries to act as if she would actually give him a chance.
I loved her writing style, because that did not change, I guess what I didn’t like about this article was that she wasn’t as blunt as she usually is. She made it clear that she didn’t think Zorn was fit for the postion yet she would add little remarks that made it seem as if she wanted Zorn all along.
I enjoy the last paragraph and I think she should have started her article with a similar paragraph and then talk about why she did not agree with Synder’s decision.
Here is the link…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/10/AR2008021002586.html
February 11th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
“College Basketball regular season has been irrelevant, boring”
By Jason Whitlock
This week Whitlock writes about how useless the regular season in college basketball is,especially compared to the regular season in college football.
He makes some valid points about how, because of March Madness, nobody pays attention to the regular season.
The one place where I might refute him is in reference to schools in smaller conferences, Mason for example. For us the regular season is much more important because just a handful of losses could mean that we don’t get an at-large bid in the tourney.
Other than that it is a good article. Whitlock does get of topic a little bit at one point when he goes off on Kevin Durant but he brings it back around nicely.
The article can be found here:
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/columnists/jason_whitlock/story/483323.html
February 11th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
“Origin of a Super Bowl hero”
By Peter King
This article analyzes the impact that David Tyree made for the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.
All spectators saw the mindblowing catch that Tyree made late in the fourth quarter and this article offers reactions to it as well as the overall performance of the team.
The tone from every quote offered by Tyree is confident. According to him, there was no doubt the Giants would pull through with a win.
The article is more of a personal interview with Tyree that Giants fans would really enjoy.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/peter_king/02/10/tyree/index.html
February 11th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Tom Boswell’s story is a feature story about Tiger Woods defeating Chris DiMarco to win his 9th masters. Boswell goes on to compare Tiger Woods to many legendary golfers. He compares Tiger’s youth to Jack Nicklaus and how sometimes these golfers that are unbelievable are not always capable of being the superman fans expect them to be.
I especially like how Boswell’s writing was in this story. For example:
•“Doubt, not much to be sure but just an iota, is now a 15th club in Woods’s bag.”
•“That’s why Woods’s most sublime moments shine more brightly. They no longer feel like inevitabilities of youth and talent, but like victories extracted at great cost under fiendish pressure.”
Tom Boswell explains what may have put a halt to victories won by Woods. He gives great details about how Tiger overcame the extreme pressure of fans; and was able to somehow break through struggles during the match as well as those of the golf course, and come up with his ninth Masters win.
Find this story at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42637-2005Apr10_2.html
February 11th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Clayton: In Hawaii, Chad Johnson cryptically reiterates ire with Bengals
I don’t find anything surprising in this article. Chad Johnson is an emotional player and if he feels like the Bengals organization has been talking behind his back for the whole 2007 season, then he is going to do what Chad Johnson would do. He has no problem speaking his mind and taking in some fines.
I like the idea of Johnson going to the Redskins. That would be a cool to see all those exciting touchdown celebrations. Of course that would mean he has to score touchdowns. This story is just beginning.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3236165
February 11th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Sean says:
My columnist, Bob Ryan, from the Boston Globe has not been writing because of a death in his family. Until he returns, I am following Boston Globe columnist, Dan Shaughnessy.
“XLII doesn’t supersede Sox collapses”
by DAN SHAUGHNESSY
A week after the Super Bowl, Boston sportsfan are still trying to recover from the trauma of the Patriots losing their chance at history and a perfect record.
Shaughnessy tries to provide perspective by comparing “the most recent wound” to famous Red Sox defeats to determine “the most disappointing day” in the history of Boston teams.
He compares the Patriots’ debaucle to Red Sox calamities like Bucky Dent’s home run in 1978 and Bill Buckner’s error in the 1986 World Series.
It was funny, a little over the top, and worth reading.
Here is the link: http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2008/02/10/xlii_doesnt_supersede_
February 12th, 2008 at 1:40 am
My columnist, Woody Paige, from the Denver Post has not yet written an article for this week. Instead, I’ve chosen to cover Mark Kiszla, from the Denver Post as well.
Fans to Lynch: Please don’t go
Mark Kiszla
This article is a homage to the Bronco’s safety John Lynch. At age 36 and about to make his ninth Pro Bowl appearance, the Broncos need him more than he needs football.
I like the way that Kiszla depicts Lynch as a seasoned veteran who still has a competitive drive left in him. At one point he writes that Lynch might have lost a step, but he is still invaluable for the Broncos playoff contention in 2008.
This article is well written piece which captures the dilemma of whether or not lynch will return to the Broncos for a 16th NFL season.
Kiszla encompasses the voice of Broncos fans and pleads the future hall of famer to stay in Denver for the good of the team.
http://www.denverpost.com/kiszla
February 12th, 2008 at 1:55 am
“Sizing up the field for play Tigers, D-backs improved the most, but Braves, Twins still have some bite”
By Chris De Luca
De Luca expresses his views on the MLB offseason. He lists the Tigers, D-backs and White Sox as the teams which have improved the most with their offseason moves. He mentions that Detroit’s signings of big-name free agents, most notably Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, played a key role in their strong offseason.
In addition, De Luca points out that the Cardinals, Pirates and Giants had the worst offseasons. At the top of the list are the Cardinals, who De Luca notes did not make enough notable additions to their pitching staff.
De Luca’s observations seem to be fairly accurate. Detroit’s offseason signings will raise expectations for a world championship, while the Pirates lack of notable signings will likely cause them to stay at the bottom of the NL Central. It will be interesting to see how De Luca’s predictions hold up.
February 12th, 2008 at 2:00 am
Bidding adieu to the North Star state
By Jim Caple
Caple attempts to find the silver lining in Minnesota’s loss of Johan Santana to the New York Mets via trade last week.
He writes that this is the latest installment of Minneapolis losing its star to the allure of big-market ball. Santana joins Torii Hunter, Randy Moss and Kevin Garnett as elite-athletes who have recently been harvested from the Twin Cities.
He reminds the reader that Minneapolis has even lost whole franchises — the Lakers and the North Stars — to seemingly more fruitful areas.
Caple leans on his dry wit and sarcasm to capture the reader’s appeal:
“The news that the best pitcher in Twins history had been traded to the Mets surprised me last week. That’s because I was under the impression that the Twins already had traded Johan Santana to Boston months earlier as the player to be named in the Kevin Garnett trade.”
The article, although deliberately humorous, does make one question the sustainability of ball clubs in mid-sized markets. Teams on either coast often trade three anonymous players, sums of cash, or even baseballs for cultivated talent in areas with less money.
Then, once one of the former players to be named finally rises to prominence, he is shipped out for the next crop of could-be’s or has-been’s.
Albeit a convincing argument, I’m not too bothered by it.
I am, after all, a Mets fan.
URL: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=caple/080206
February 12th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Manning Grows Before Our Eye’s
By Joe Posnanski
Joe Posnanski from the KansasCity Star has not written a blog for this week yet so I’m doing the one he wrote on the turn out of the superbowl.
He’s an amazing writer really. The amount of thought and time he put into writing his story on Eli Manning was amazing.
He gave a play by play of how events unfolded in Eli’s Super Bowl.
Terms like “He was like James Bond. He was like Indiana Jones.” and ” four passes, it was that sort of day” were used in describing the scene taking place. It made it seem more like a real story like you were there and in Manning’s shoes
February 12th, 2008 at 11:06 am
More Than Sizzle At Stake
By MICHAEL WILBON
The Washington Redskins search for a new head coach came to an end with the hiring of Jim Zorn. There has been widespread criticism among fans and the news media about the way Dan Snyder handled the hiring. In this article, Michael Wilbon puts the unease to rest with an insightful outlook into Snyder’s past, when it comes to head coaches.
Wilbon has an uncanny ability to put the Redskins fans instant gratification mindset to rest. He does a good job reflecting on the past, Schottenheimer and Spurrier, and correlates it with the now, making the Zorn decision look brilliant.
“The stories over the next couple of days will concentrate on whether Snyder got the coach he wanted, when the critical thing is whether Snyder got the coach the Redskins need.” Statements like this from Wilbon provoke critical thinking and promote how good a writer he is.
There is a typo at the end of the article, but overall a great read.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/10/AR2008021000078.html?sub=AR
February 12th, 2008 at 11:35 am
“An improved Woods Looms in 2008.”
This article basically talks about how scary it is that Tiger Woods is actually playing the best golf of his life right now. This is a guy who has absolutely dominated for years. Now, as Shapiro points out he’s better and scarier than ever, His caddy thinks he’s playing better than he has been for 15 years and Tiger as well think he’s better than ever.
My opinion is this is not only a scary thought but an exciting one. As sports fans, we love greatness and dynastys. Tiger Woods is a one-man dynasty and the thought of him playing better this year than he ever has is exciting for the fans and dreadful for the rest of the PGA. The article can be found at www. washingtonpost.com
February 12th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
“Guess what? The Suns just made a fantastic trade”
By Scoop Jackson
This article expresses how Scoop feels about all those who doubt the Heats trade of Shaq to the Suns.
Many people feel as thought the Suns made a horrible trade in order to get Shaq considering that fans and critics feel as though he is washed up and no longer in his prime.
Scoop basically gives his input on the trade and how he feels as though it was a good trade that the Suns will not regret. The only thing is the big man needs to ignite in order for them to see the benefits of the trade they made.
I thought the article was very good considering the fact that Scoop was one of the few writers who did not have anything negative to say about the trade.
Here is the link to the story:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=jackson/080207&sportCat;=nba
February 12th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
College “recruit’s” lie a tale gone horribly wrong
by Gene Wojciechowski
In this article, Gene Wojciechowski talks about Kevin Hart and the unforgivable lie that he told his family, friends, and his whole town.
Hart pretended that he was given a scholarship to Cal, he even held a press conference to announce it while he had never even had a meeting with the coach.
Wojciechowski wonders why his parents never questioned the fact that no recruiters had ever visited his house and why Hart though that he could get away with it, when the truth was hidden under the flimsies excuse.
Wojciechowski finishes by saying that it may already be punishment enough for Hart to endure the embarrassment that he has already suffered.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id;=3236039
February 12th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
The bulk of Jayson Stark’s column this week is about what a strange off-season Stark believes baseball has had.
This offseason has seen some bizarre transactions, non-transactions, and in the case of Alex Rodriguez, transactions that looked like they were going to be non-transactions. The main point of his article, however, is the number of free agents that haven’t signed yet.
This column uses a lot more quotes than the other columns of his that I have read. The quotes fit though, since he chose ones that both make his point but also fit with his style. Stark has a very conversational style, and he chose his quotes to fit nicely with that style.
It’s an interesting article if you like baseball. Check it out:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id;=3225433
February 12th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/links/080211
A star-studded edition of the links
Bill Simmons starts the column off by talking about his auction for his Randy Moss jersey to benefit the Jimmy Fund. It is now up to $5000.
I really like this column. Simmons gives links to all his past columns leading up to NBA All-Star Weekend and criticizes each column. It is very refreshing to see a columnist rip his own writing.
Simmons thinks they should bring back H-O-R-S-E to NBA All-Star Weekend and I agree. I think it would be very entertaining.
Great column as usual!
February 12th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Mike Wise’s articles this week focused on the Redskins’ round-a-bout way of selecting Jim Zorn as their new head coach.
What really grabbed my attention was Wise referring to the hiring as “Jim Zorn’s first day on the job felt like a wedding, the sort in which the bride and the bride’s mother had selected the cake, the hall and the bridesmaid’s dresses — everything really — long before the groom was even in the picture.”
As usual Wise wrote a highly entertaining and in depth article on a process that many around the country have made fun of. While Wise does kid the ‘Skins, he is never malicious or mean spirited, a fact I really apprectiate.
So, enjoy! http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/10/AR2008021002782.html
February 12th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Mike Wise’s articles this week focused on the Redskins’ round-a-bout way of selecting Jim Zorn as their new head coach.
What really grabbed my attention was Wise referring to the hiring as “Jim Zorn’s first day on the job felt like a wedding, the sort in which the bride and the bride’s mother had selected the cake, the hall and the bridesmaid’s dresses — everything really — long before the groom was even in the picture.”
As usual Wise wrote a highly entertaining and in depth article on a process that many around the country have made fun of. While Wise does kid the ‘Skins, he is never malicious or mean spirited, a fact I really apprectiate.
So, enjoy! http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/10/AR2008021002782.html