Who’s your columnist #6
Your comment must be posted by 30 minutes before the Tuesday March 4 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 March 4 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 29th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
“Jayhawks Better When They Feed Shady” by Jason Whitlock
This week, Whitlock writes about the identity crisis that the Kansas Jayhawks Men’s basketball team has had of late. He makes the point that the best way for the team to win is to get the ball to Darrell “Shady” Arthur.
The story is well written as usual but I did see one proble. Whitlock doesn’t reference “Shady’s” actual name until the bottom of the third paragraph, after “Shady” has been mentioned several times.
You can read the story here-
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/columnists/jason_whitlock/story/509017.html
March 2nd, 2008 at 3:42 pm
“The feeling at Bentley is unbeatable” by Bob Ryan.
Bob Ryan has an interesting “feel good” column about Bentley College, in Waltham Massachusetts, a Division 2 school that finished its regular season 27-0, after going 32-1 last year.
Ryan makes the point that players who are on Division 2 basketball teams are players wanted to play in Division 1, but were either too slow (guards) or too short (frontcourt men).
The column contains a lot of quotes from the players and the coach. They have had several close victories, and last year lost their only game in the Division 2 round of 8.
Ryan assures us that “these kids at Bentley can play.” They “share one trait:agression. Bentley is loaded with feisty finishers.”
Bentley’s conference tournament, the Northeast 10, starts March 3rd.
http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/ e s_basketball/artices/2008/03/02/the_feeling_at_Bentley_is_unbeatable/
March 3rd, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Browns, Jaguars, Eagles among winners in free agency, by John Clayton.
The headline on the front page was specific to New England. Since I’m a Patriots fan, I will respond to Clayton’s claim of NE being a loser.
Asante Samuel is one of my favorite players. But I am a firm believer that you can’t pay a cornerback $60 million to stay. Quarterbacks don’t even make that kind of scratch. Perhaps if he would have caught the interception on the last drive of the Super Bowl, maybe he would have a chance.
Randall Gay is not much of a loss. He struggles plenty and made many mistakes as a Patriot.
Dante Stallworth is a big loss for NE. He was a mouthpiece in the locker room. He has great character and intensity on the field. I’m going to miss him but wish him all the best in Cleveland.
Randy Moss wants to reunite with Culpepper? HAHA – You mean Randy Moss wants to stir up more money out of Kraft. Moss isn’t going anywhere. He loves NE and playing with Tom Brady. He loves Prof. Spygate as well.
The Patriots big problem that Clayton should address is the age of the veterans who will probably stick around one more year for a chance at a ring.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft08/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id;=3274514
March 3rd, 2008 at 10:10 pm
“Cleveland Rocks” by Peter King
In this article King discusses the first three days of free angency and the big moves the Cleveland Browns took in hopes to help get the team in the playoffs next season.
Along with securing running back Jamal Lewis, tackle Corey Williams, lineman Shaun Rogers, and wide reciever Donte Stallworth, they have their quarterback position filled with Derek Anderson and back-up Brady Quinn.
Hopefully the Browns off-season decisions will work out for them.
However, King also warns readers to look back at the moves made last year around the NFL in free agency and how they didn’t work out for the better.
Guess we’ll have to wait for next season to see how it works out.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/peter_king/03/02/cleveland/1.html
March 4th, 2008 at 1:08 am
“Trust dies. Doubt flourishes. Lies grow strong legs.” If only Tom Boswell knew what would happen three year after writing his article “Player of Stature, Feats of Clay.”
I absolutely enjoyed reading this article the most by Tom Boswell. In the article Boswell covers the topic of four major stars in baseball history and the use of performing-enhancing drugs.
Boswell compares the case in which Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa were all accused by Jose Conseco for using steroids during their careers, to four other legendary baseball heroes. He asks the reader what would have been the result if it were Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx and Mel Ott in the same situation 70 years ago?
This story is most interesting to me because of all that has been recently happen with the steroid use in professional baseball. The problem has grown tremendously and there are more and more baseball stars coming forward.
I especially like the way that Boswell recalls legends of baseball to let the reader consider how the world of cheating is unforgettable. He has some great lines and metaphors that I thought were good punches while reading. Such as:
•“…the House Government Reform Committee has indeed hunted for an innocent witch and burned her.”
•“Either Canseco is the most vicious and deliberate slanderer in baseball history (name anything that would even come close) or Palmeiro has lied under oath to a congressional committee… One is a villain.
•“This day and all its twist of plot and character will not be forgotten in baseball for decades.”
I thought these were just a few of good examples of the writing that Boswell uses in his article. They really put a good flow into the entire story. If you want to read more see the site: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45392-2005Mar17.html
March 4th, 2008 at 1:26 am
“Cubs, Sox still interested in Coco,” by Chris De Luca
In his latest article, De Luca focuses on the efforts of the Cubs and White Sox to acquire Red Sox outfielder Coco Crisp.
Crisp entered last season firmly entrenched as the Red Sox starting center fielder. However, his playing time began to decrease following the arrival of Jacoby Ellsbury, who received significant playing time in the playoffs.
The Crisp-Ellsbury saga continues to be an issue for the Red Sox. Crisp said he wants to leave Boston if he is not named the starter. De Luca mentions that the Cubs and White Sox have depth issues at center field and could benefit from the experience Crisp brings.
Although Crisp would be a notable acquisition for both Chicago teams, De Luca said that the Cubs and White Sox are content on letting their prospects compete for the starting center fielder position.
Due to the Ellsbury’s meteoric rise, it appears that Crisp is on his way out in Boston. But Crisp’s future seems to depend on the success of the young outfielders on the Cubs and White Sox. If they struggle, both teams may feel compelled to acquire Crisp.
Here is the link:
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/deluca/821324,CST-SPT-deluca02.article
March 4th, 2008 at 2:43 am
“Funnier than fiction” by Woody Paige.
In his most recent article, Paige uses Will Ferrell’s latest movie, “Semi-Pro,” to set up the context for his own funny and real stories from covering the ABA, back when shorts were short, and afros were common.
I like the way Woody starts his article straight to the point: “Semi-Pro is semi-good.” He then casually links his movie experience with his own experience with players while covering the league. Some of the stories are really funny, and could go head-to-head with Ferrell’s antics.
I don’t doubt that Paige could write a great sports movie with some of his accounts. I think that his light material in this story reminds us that there is more to sports than steroids and scandals. Comedy is very much needed.
http://www.denverpost.com/paige/ci_8431710
March 4th, 2008 at 7:10 am
“Kirilov approach: Roll with punches” by Tim Smith
The lead in this story sounds like a thought. This was an interesting way of writing for Smith. Usually his leads give information about a specific boxer in a recent fight. But the lead for this story sounds like something that you would say to a friend.
It was simply stated, but still gave me the information to know what the story was about (who, what, when, and where).
Another example was the way Smith writes his attribution tags. Here is one that caught my eye,
“To win the world title at home in front of his fans was a dream come true for Kirilov, who began boxing at 11 and became just the ninth world champion in Russian history.”
Being that we are taught to keep our writing as simple as possible, I thought it was interesting to see two pieces of information about Kirilov, but still in a simple manner that wasn’t hard for the reader to understand.
Here is the link:
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/columnists/smith/index.html?page=0
March 4th, 2008 at 8:43 am
Bob Howsam changed sports landscape in many cities
-Joe Posnanski
I have yet to see any bad work by Joe Posnanski. It is always a different type of story, always a different style. Posnanski’s Howsam story was one of a tribute. He discusses the contributions Howsam had to baseball and how he got where he was in his career.
The column was a dedication to a man who had an impact on baseball and a taste for ugly socks.”He sold the Broncos after two years, but not before having them wear the ugliest socks in sports history, with stripes going up and down.
The writing is different then previous columns I have read by Posnanski. It is calm and respectful, fitting for the peice. Posnanski has a wide range of style all of which have been good.
http://www.kansascity.com/180/story/513276.html
March 4th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Oden Gets a Vote for Standing Up for His Beliefs
By: MICHAEL WILBON
In this article, Wilbon discusses the recent endorsement of Barak Obama by Greg Oden.
Wilbon speaks on how throughout history we have seen a number of athletes take controversial political stands, and how this trend has died as of late.
Using Muhammad Ali and Billie-Jean King as examples, Wilbon points out how athletes of this day and age are more reserved when speaking out in the public sector.
Overall, a good and though provoking article.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/28/AR2008022804230.html
March 4th, 2008 at 11:33 am
“Cubs’ new owner should think again about renaming Wrigley” by Gene Wojciechowski
Gene Wojciechowski writes about Sam Zell selling the Cubs and that he should not rename the stadium, since it is an important part of Chicago history.
Wojciechowski mentions some of Zell’s eccentric habits, such as his handling of press conferences, where he would say something inappropriate to reporters.
Wojciechowski also say that Wrigley Field is as important to the the people of Chicago as Fenway is to Boston fans, Yankees stadium is to New York fans, and Lambeau Field is to Green Bay fans. He says that no owners would change the name of those establishments and Zell should not rename Wrigley.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id;=3270817&sportCat;=mlb
March 4th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
“Young Guns Story:Quest for a Title”
By Scoop Jackson
This was one of my favorite articles written be Scoop. There was a really good message within this story and it is a story that should be told.
Young Guns is an all black softball team made up of men ages 22-40 who come from the projects of Chicago.
The article talks about their journey to get a championship title and the issues they face on the road to the title.
March 4th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
“Southern Exposure?”
My columnist did not post a new article this week so I decided to look through the achieves.
I came across an interesting article titled “Sothern Exposure?”
I completely loved it because, well, Jenkins begins by bashing the cowgirls.
“The trouble with going to Cabo San Lucas before the NFL playoffs is that when you come back, you’d better win. While Tony Romo went to the beach, the New York Giants went to work. Now the Dallas Cowboys have plenty of time to vacation, while the Giants will play for the NFC championship.”
People, it really doesn’t get much better than this. Any article that makes fun of Romo and his fellow Cowgirls is ok with me. But perhaps what I enjoyed the most about this article was that it took me back to the day I watched the actual game which brought a wonderful feeling of knowing that the Cowgirls could not make it past the first round of the playoffs.
For all the other Redskins Lovers:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/13/AR2008011303696.html
March 4th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Joe Louis and the state of boxing is what Leonard Shapiro wrote about in one of his recent columns. He writes about a documentary on HBO about Louis and what a great man and fighter he was. He also talks about how interested the American public was when he fought which is in stark contrast to what exists today. I’m a big boxing fan and it’s sad to see that boxing has almost become non existent-especially in the heavyweight division.
March 4th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
“Call it a life-changing experience for Phillies” by Jayson Stark
Stark’s latest column once again addresses the Phillies. I’m wondering if he’s always had a tendancy to write about the Phillies and I just never noticed. As I said in my last post, he’s from Philly originally, so it would make sense.
This article addresses the changing culture of the Phillies. The Phillies, historically, have not been a very successful team. Last year they earned the dubious honor of being the first professional sports team to reach 10,000 losses. Of course, a big part of that is because they have been around for so long.
Stark describes the different feel that the team has these days. They actually seem to believe in themselves, for once. There is a lot of talent on the team, and a lot of potential, and for once you get the sense that the team believes it too.
This column is another good example of Stark’s writing style.
Stark sprinkles snappy transitions and short, abrupt sentences throughout to make the tone more conversational and informal.
I’m not sure the MLA or many english teachers would love his writing, but it is certainly catchy and easy to read.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2008/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id;=3271243
March 4th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
you can read the article on Washingtonpost.com
March 4th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Seeking solutions for Sonic gloom
By Bill Simmons
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080229&sportCat;=nba
Simmons writes about how to save the
Seattle Sonics, who after 41 years in Seattle, are being threatened to relocate. Simmons suggests letting the Sonics owner swaps teams with the Memphis Grizzlies. He goes so far to back up his points and explain why it work.
I really enjoy reading his columns. He has millions of loyal readers and he knows so much about sports. I think this idea could actually work, if done right.
March 4th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
New hockey program makes its own miracle on ice
by: Mitch Albom
This is a story about a first year start-up hockey team. The president of Adrian College had an idea of creating a hockey program to help generate more incoming students. The program has been in the works since November 2006 and just this season the rink has been opened for the team.
The interesting think Albom does it creates this build up of a story. At first I was not into the story, but the more one reads the more the reader is trying to figure out where exactly all this is leading. This is why a good title is necessary in this case.
The team has set an NCAA Division III record by having the best first year season, 24-3 with 18 consecutives wins, in NCAA history.
This story reminds you of something you would see out of a movie, but eloquently put into words Albom makes magic of this story.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080229/COL01/802290360/1082/COL01
March 6th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
“Decisions, Decisions” by Tom Boswell
In this story Boswell discusses the decisions that the Washington Nationals are facing this spring season. The Nats have finally overcome the search for front-line players but now have to make the choice of who plays where.
Boswell once again reflects on the past and uses an example of how Lou Gehrig, once an unknown player, made his appearance when the starting first baseman took a day off.
Competition is very tight amongst the players. Many are proving that they can play their specific positions.
Boswell does a great job by getting the views of Manny Acta, the manager of the Nationals, by getting a sufficient amount of quotes about the 2008 season.
As Boswell states in his final paragraph, “This March will be thrills and chills for many Nats. That’s progress.”
Is this the season for the Nationals?
Read this article at –
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/03/AR2008030302784_2.html?sub=AR&sid;=ST2008030302760
March 18th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Once again, Mike Wise writes about another crushing Terps loss…
This article differs because it does not provide the same “easy as she goes” mentality.
Wise refers to our College Park neigbors as University of Meltdown and called this even more shocking loss “unbelievable.”
Wise utilizes video to go “behind the column,” an interesting feature I wish that The Post would do more of.
Check it out here…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/02/AR2008030202624_2.html?sid=ST2008030202645