Categories
General Sports

Odds and Ends: Should bloggers get Press Credentials?


Eric Mcerlain over at Off Wing Opinion posted a link to Sports Media Journal’s poll asking whether sports bloggers should get media credentials. There are only 51 votes as of this writing but almost 2/3 of the respondents say no. And I have to agree with them. A few bloggers, like Eric, absolutely know their stuff. We’ve had Eric on a few podcasts and his knowledge of hockey and the NHL is extraordinary. Giving him a press pass enhances his writing.

However, the majority of bloggers are goddamn useless and add absolutely nothing to sports “reporting.” Hell, why do you need a press pass to post a blog entry on which player in the starting lineup compares to the cast of the Partridge Family? Bill Simmons doesn’t need a press pass and the majority of bloggers are cheap imitations of the Sports Guy. (Even the Sports Guy has become a cheap imitation of the Sports Guy.) You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve clicked on a link, read the blog entry, and thought, “are you f’ing kidding me? Did I just waste time reading that shit?”

No, bloggers do not need press credentials. The good ones come up with important topics and opinions with or without access. The bad ones will always suck the life out of this game, whether or not they have access to the free buffet. And for the record, we don’t have press credentials.

In other news…

[Cincinnati.com]: Bengals release LB Nicholson after arrest on a domestic violence charge

[Idaho Statesman]: Another story for the ‘Hockey players are the toughest athletes’ file

[Canada.com]: The worst logos in hockey

[TrojanWire]: Well, at least we know Steve Nash doesn’t get his chest waxed

[Ump Bump]: For Ozzie Guillen, profanity is but a station in his train of thought

[SportsBurn]: Tony Romo to judge Miss Universe pageant. Bastard.

Categories
Chicago White Sox

What exactly is Ozzie Guillen’s problem?


We don’t ever remember hearing about Jim Leyland saying anything bad about anybody. And even though he manages the Detroit Tigers, what has he ever done to Ozzie Guillen except beat him out for a playoff spot last year? So it’s quite puzzling that Ozzie Guillen would launch an unprovoked attack on the Tigers manager. (Not surprising that Ozzie would talk out of his ass, suprising that it was directed towards Leyland.)


To me, Sparky Anderson was the greatest. He managed my favorite team, the Cincinnati Reds. But Sparky Anderson lose 100 (games) with the Tigers. (Anderson lost 100 games only once, in 1989 when the Tigers were 59-103.)

But everybody remember Sparky Anderson with the Big Red Machine. Jim Leyland. Jim Leyland quit with the Colorado Rockies. Can’t handle it no more. `I’m gone.’ Having money on the table. He said, `I don’t need the money. My health is more important than baseball.’ Is he a great baseball man? Awesome. Is he a great manager? Hell, no.

Ozzie is amusing sometimes because he gives sportswriters and bloggers something to write about. But we wish someone would open a can of STFU for him already. Actually, what would be better would be a Tigers-White Sox brawl and have 63 year old Leyland kick his ass.

Links:

[The Detroit News]: Chicago’s Guillen fires a salvo at Leyland

Categories
Chicago White Sox

Odds and Ends (06.21.06): Ozzie Guillen calls Jay Mariotti a fag

Ozzie Guillen is a sports blogger’s dream. Yesterday, Ozzie called Jay Mariotti a “stupid idiot” and a fag. “What a piece of (expletive) he is, (expletive) fag.” Stealing a page from the Sammy Sosa language barrier book, Guillen explained his use of the term.


I don’t have anything against those people. In my country, you call someone something like that and it is not the same as it is in this country.

Nice try Ozzie, but last August, Ozzie jokingly yelled out at a friend during a press conference, “Hey, everybody, this guy’s a homosexual! He’s a child molester!”

In other news…

[SBS]: The San Jose A’s of Fremont?

[DOSE]: Obligatory article on terrible NHL ratings for Stanley Cup Finals

[Fox ports]: Northwestern women’s soccer coach resigns

[Some dutch site]: We can’t read it but plenty of pics of footballer’s wives and girlfriends

[Carson Palmer Blog]: Palmer says he’ll be “completely ready” for the 2006 season