Who’s your columnist #5
Your comment must be posted no later than 30 minutes before the Tuesday Feb. 24 class.
You must include the URL of the column so that your classmates can read the column, too.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Pictured at right: Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe. Ben Libby is following the long-time Boston and New England sports columnist this semester.
February 19th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Brendan Murphy
Communication 371-001
Sports Reporting/Klein
February 19, 2009
Who is your columnist #5?
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=adande_ja&id;=2973919
My columnist #5 is J.A. Adande from ESPN.com. I chose him because of his passion for sports and his desire to work hard at becoming a better sports journalist. I chose the link listed above because it describes why Adande loves his job. In the article points out his interest in sports from the time he was a child to his current career with ESPN.com. I have followed his work with the LA Times, primarily his NBA articles and enjoy his style and commentary. His enthusiasm for sports is transparent in his writing. He combines his precision of AP with a colorful insight. I also enjoy his cross-platform ability on television.
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:54 pm
In this week’s article, Nick Cotsonika addresses what the Lions should do with their draft picks. It is a great article, mostly because we agree 100% on what they need to do.
By closely following Nick’s articles this semester, I now have even more of an appreciation for him. He writes in many different kind of styles.
When it is a story where he needs to be strictly an objective reporter, he can do that. When he is writing a column, he can write a very readable and entertaining piece.
When he is updating his Lions blog with the latest quick bits of information, he gets the news down in a simple and concise way.
Here’s the story from this week.
http://www.freep.com/article/20090223/SPORTS01/902230331/1048/SPORTS/Lions+have+draft+options++but+must+get+it+right
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Ahhh, to be a Lakers fan.
Plaschke is, and in his new article “Shaq Back in L.A.?”, the sub-heading begins:
“The Lakers don’t need Shaquille O’Neal this season, but..”
In the article Plaschke proceeds to explain how the thought of Shaq back in L.A., the place where he won so much and was treated so well, isn’t that crazy.
The media-loving big man would want another shot at the championship before he can no longer parambulate down the court without coughing, and the Lakers are one of those teams that are a sure bet day in and day out.
Plaschke says, in a nutshell, “we don’t need him – but hell, we’ll take him.”
http://www.latimes.com/sports/columnists/la-sp-plaschke18-2009feb18,0,365819.column
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Tom Verducci’s most recent column is about how difficult it is to repeat in Major League Baseball.
Verducci begins his column by reminding us just how unlikely it was that the Phillies played the Rays in the 2008 World Series. He makes his point with statistics, something he’s very good at. Verducci wrote that the Rays and Phillies had combined for exactly zero playoff wins in the 14-years prior to the magical fall runs that the two teams went on last year.
He continues his story by saying that it’s almost unlikely that either team will get back this year. He cites the fact that only one of the last eight teams to win a pennant have won a playoff game the following season (the 2008 Boston Red Sox).
As the column continues he writes about the acquisitions that the Phillies and Rays have made. He says that both teams – on paper – look better than they did last year. But he continues making his point, which is that neither should be expected to encounter as much success this coming season.
The story can be found here:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/tom_verducci/02/18/spring.parity/index.html.
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Colby Prout
Comm 371
cprout@gmu.edu
February 23, 2009
http://www.ringtv.com/blog/361/pavlik_whats_next/
Michael Rosenthal didn’t say much this time around. He recapped Kelly Pavlik’s dominating victory over Marco Antonio Rubio in Pavlik’s hometown of Youngstown, Ohio on February 21.
Pavlik suffered his first defeat at the hands of the undersestimated, old, but legendary Bernard Hopkins who “outclassed” Pavlik when they fought.
A rematch is doubtful because of Hopkins’ age and because of the manner of the victory.
Now with Pavlik in posession of two of the Middleweight titles it is likely he will seek two matches to unify the title. Rosenthal considers five fights in Pavlik’s possible future.
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:50 pm
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11416304
I love Gary Parrish. He starts this column with three scenarios to what we were thinking when Blake Griffin’s nose started bleeding.
A) It must’ve been broken.
B) Oklahoma was in trouble.
C) Somebody moved The Island.
In Parrish’s Monday look-back, he gave his best game (Maryland, North Carolina), his worst game (Notre Dame, Providence), and many other little tidbits about the weekend games.
He gives names, schools, stats and his reasoning is so legitimate. He even gave props to the Nevada vs. VCU Bracketbuster game, because it was a thriller that went down to the end.
The best part of his column is where he referenced Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun’s post-game press conference.
“(You don’t think) $1.6 million (a year) is enough,” some douchey guy named Ken Krayeske asked after Connecticut beat USF on Saturday.
Calhoun’s response: “I make a lot more than that.”
“You do?” asked Krayeske.
“Yeah,” Calhoun answered.
Another great week in college hoops makes for his columns to be funnier and just plain great to read.
Judgment week is this week, so let’s see how everything pans out for the bubble teams.
Next week we can read what Parrish says about them.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:32 pm
Rick Reilly is asking Alex Rodriguez and every other baseball player who has won an MLB MVP award while on steroids.
It’s just another example of making a story that everyone is writing about your own and unique. It’s an ironic, sarcastic and intelligent column that finds a new way to grill steroid users.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3915217
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:59 pm
Diana Friedman
Again, I enjoy reading Tom Boswell’s ability to be honest no matter what that honesty may hold.
He continues to report the truth while using his opiniong to influence his writing.
The way he uses to emphasize points is also interesting, such as the way he did in the paragraph that begins “Get a new city…”
URL:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/19/AR2009021903032.html
February 24th, 2009 at 2:28 am
This past week, Bill Simmons did not write any actual columns on ESPN.com. He has been finishing up his second book, which will be on the topic of basketball. Simmons warned his readers of this, because his deadline is fast approaching and, as he points out, terrible things will happen to him if he does not finish his book very soon.
So instead of columns, Simmons did a Podcast Week, in which he did a “BS Report” (his podcast) each day of the week. I guess they are less time-consuming than columns.
Along with reading all of his columns, I never miss a Bill Simmons podcast. In fact, last semester when I was abroad in France, I listened to them regularly, and they helped me keep track of sports and culture back in the states.
Going along with what BJ said last week, Simmons is talented across multiple forms of media. He writes his columns AND does great podcasts. As BJ said, it is a very good thing to be multi-talented like that in this day and age.
Of the five podcasts from last week, the one with Chris Connelly on the subject of the Oscars was my favorite. Simmons and Connelly go great together because they do not only talk about sports; they are both pop-culture critics as well as sports people.
Here is a link to Sports Guy’s World, where all of the podcasts are available:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/simmons/index
February 24th, 2009 at 6:14 am
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/21/AR2009022101832.html
This week Mike Wise took on the quandary that is the Maryland Terrapins men’s basketball team and their improbable win over the, then third-ranked, UNC Tarheels.
Wise opened his article with a short paragraph on Greivis Vasquez’s showmanship. More specifically, how Vasquez holds up the Maryland lettering on his jersey, showing it off for everyone to see. This opening puts the reader back in the moment of the game.
Wise focuses on the most important storyline in the game then steps back to show you the bigger picture, such as, what the game means for coach Gary Williams, the program as a whole and, of course, the fans.
As wise stepped back to show the reader the bigger picture, he added important statistics and used colorful verbiage to describe his subjects.
Wise also used an attribution tag after the first sentence of a quote, like we are supposed to, but then he used a couple words to describe the tone of voice of the speaker. It was very well done and I will employ that technique in my future writings.
Wise also hyphenated “heart-on-his-sleeve.” I don’t know if that’s correct, but he works at the Post and I do not.
February 24th, 2009 at 10:47 am
Harper spent the week attacking A-Rod, calling him a liar and a “steroid cheat.” He discussed the incriminating evidence against the baseball star, and said that the lies he told were insulting to MLB and the public. Harper also accused A-Rod of potentially using steroids in his 2007 MVP season.
Harper’s direct approach is different from his usual columns. He makes his opinion known right at the beginning and ends with a strong note. He also really puts into perspective A-Rod’s chance for entering the Hall of Fame.
It’s been interesting to see the different styles Harper writes in. While he is typically more unbiased in the beginning of his column and then waits to present his view in the second half, the A-Rod scandal has led Harper to create a strong voice.
The column can be found at:
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/02/20/2009-02-20_alex_rodriguezs_body_of_lies_overshadows.html?page=1
February 24th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Colin Fitzgerald
Communication 371-001
Sports Reporting/Klein
February 24, 2009
Len Shapiro writes this week about long time friend and sports publicist Joey Goldstein who just passed away. Shapiro skillfully recounts his late friend’s many achievements promoting sports of all kinds. Goldstein promoted the New York Marathon, NBA teams, horse racing and even Evel Knievel. Shapiro writes that he last saw Goldstein at the Super Bowl in Tampa, and gave a touching recount of how his friendship was important to him. A nice tribute to a longtime friend.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/16/AR2009021600975_2.html
February 26th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Ben Libby
Communication 371-001
Sports Reporting/Klein
Feb. 26, 2009
Columnist #5?
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2009/02/16/ortiz_out_to_prove_doubters_wrong/
In Ryan’s article this week, he focuses on David Ortiz’s potential to have a breakout year.
With doubters bringing up the question of “Can an overweight 30 year-old still play baseball?”
In Ortiz’s defense, Ryan notes how Ortiz looks “Mah-ve-lous” coming into this year.
“Just working hard,” he says. “I’m just trying to get myself ready for the season. I really didn’t take many days off after the end of the season. I started right away, to make sure I was ready to go.”
Ryan continues on to note how a majority of last year Ortiz played with a bum knee, nagging wrist and back problems; only to still produce enough to keep his team one game from the World Series.
Its funny to note how Ryan ends the article with a shot at Mo Vaughn, comparing him to current New England Patriot lineman Vince Wilfork whose a “beast”.
“By the way, have you seen Mo lately? God love him for all the good work he’s doing, but I saw him at the airport, and for a minute I thought he really was Vince Wilfork.”
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