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Tag Archive - blogging

Taking Our Coats Off; Planning on Staying Awhile

March 7, 2010 in by with 1 Comment

While I’m not able to be in Boston to attend the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, I’ve been following the great work being presented by all of those in the TrueHoop Network. Guys like Zach Lowe and Brian Robb at Celtics Hub, Sebastian Pruiti at Nets are Scorching and NBA Playbook, Henry Abbott and Kevin Arnovitz at TrueHoop, Haubs at The Painted Area, and our very own Rob Mahoney and Jared Wade here at HP have all submitted fantastic write-ups on some of the discussion going on at this conference.

The conference is essentially a meeting of the minds of the smartest and most innovative sports analysts that have graced the pro athletic world throughout the past decade. And while it doesn’t necessarily take a PhD to attend or understand a modicum of what’s going on and where the statistical revolution is headed, it is important to take the information and discussion from this conference and try to make sense of why the subject of advanced statistics is so essential to understanding the modern era of sports.

But I’m not writing this to get you to buy into advanced stats and analysis. I’m hardly someone that understands the majority of what these stats are. It was enough of a chore for me to figure out what offensive and defensive efficiency ratings were when I started my writing career (technically, I have one). The thing that most inspired me about this conference is that tolerance, understanding and acceptance are all underlying themes that correlate to the everyday world in which I write in.

The parallels between advanced statisticians and the way they’ve tried to earn acceptance into the front offices of the sports world compared to the way bloggers and new media technicians have attempted to move their way into the mainstream media are eerily similar in my opinion. 20, 15, even 10 years ago if John Hollinger walked into the office of someone like Kevin McHale or Glen Taylor and started talking about Player Efficiency Rating, they’d ask him to kindly leave and send a memo around the office urging everybody to make sure he doesn’t get his parking validated.

Now?

One-third of the league’s front offices have guys on staff that can do the PER calculations in their heads. In another decade, the majority, if not all, of the teams around the league will be using advanced stats and relaying them to NBA coaching staffs in order to maximize lineups and winning efforts on the court. It’s just where the sport is headed. The guys who were once called “nerds” and shunned away from the world of sports are still being called “nerds” but at least they’re contributing to the knowledge and success of NBA franchises.

And isn’t that sort of where blogging has come from and where it’s going?

A decade ago, the closest thing you could find to a successful blogger was Bill Simmons. Guys were clawing their way up and trying to find ways to get into the world of being legit sports coverage but the idea that anything other than the newspaper and major media industries covering sports to a mass audience was a pipe dream.

Now it’s not a pipe dream but commonplace. Three years ago, I was trying to figure out how to start a website of my own hoping to become a voice people know. Now, I’m a credentialed member of the media for all Sacramento Kings games. I’ve been on the Daily Dime three times, which for someone who has been reading it since it’s inception is pretty freaking cool. It says much more about the evolution of sports coverage than what I actually do.

To me, what this means is that ANYONE can make a name for themselves in the world of online media. It’s growing by leaps and bounds every day. The smart entities that once ruled the playground aren’t trying to take our lunch money anymore. They’re offering us affiliations and free-lancing gigs. Those who don’t accept the world of blogging are the ones that live in a mindset of stigmas and fear of change.

To many people, blogging is a style of “writing” that is uninformed, churlish and anonymous. It’s the fall of the written word and the reason the newspaper industry is in danger of going under. That’s probably the most short-sighted way of looking at what the world of blogging has brought to the media world. It’s dismissive and defensive. It’s flat-out wrong.

Blogging isn’t a style of writing. It’s a platform and nothing more. It’s a gateway to some of the most brilliant writers who have ever graced your computer screen. Do you think Bethlehem Shoals is a blogger or a writer or both? When you read his work does it even matter? Is Kelly Dwyer just some immature blogger in his mom’s basement? No, that would be a completely ignorant way of viewing his work and the industry at large.

Blogging is a different way to access the analysis and information. Blogging makes sports media better. Is it because the newspaper industry wasn’t doing a good job of relaying the story? Not at all. It’s that as technology grew and people became more demanding of when and how they received their information and knowledge, there was simply a demand for more coverage and the supply couldn’t satisfy it.

People wanted more analysis and more news. The smart ones in the mainstream media have found a way to work with this new movement. They’ve accepted it as a reality instead of an absolute threat. They’ve embraced it on their end. Look at what guys like Howard Beck, Sam Amick and Brian Windhorst (just to name a few) do on a regular basis. They’ve attempted to bridge the gap between mainstream media and blogging. And they’ve done a bang-up job at doing so. They’ve accepted and embraced where sports media is going and are staying ahead of the curve.

It’s the same thing with advanced stats. More information and more analysis make everybody smarter and more informed. Do you have to know what Win Shares or trackback links are? Not necessarily. You don’t have to read everybody. You can pick and choose a handful of writers to keep you smarter. You can learn some advanced stats inside and out to know if what you see on the court is actually what’s going on. The worlds have evolved together. Advanced stats came into the world as blogging exploded onto the scene. We’re both here and we’re both just trying to expand the coverage and the conversation of sports.

We’re not better. We’re not worse. We’re a different way of looking at things. And events like the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference show how far everything has come and give a glimpse of where we’re all headed.

End Of An Era

December 17, 2009 in by with 0 Comments

Over the last two-plus years, I’ve blogged the Magic using the name Third Quarter Collapse, or 3QC for short. I’m attached to it and like it a lot, but over the last year or so it’s become clear to me that the name is not befitting of a championship organization. It needlessly accentuates the negative, however harmlessly, and does not immediately connote “Magic.” We felt like we needed a name that better represented the team and the city, one of which anyone and everyone could be proud. Thus, we’ve included the city name in our new blog title, while “Pinstriped” recalls the Magic’s uniforms, both past and present. “Post” has a nice double-meaning as both a news outlet and the part of the basketball court on which the Magic’s dominant centers–first Shaquille O’Neal, and now Dwight Howard–do their best work. Ask any casual sports fan which team Third Quarter Collapse is about, and you’ll get plenty of different answers, probably representing teams in the NBA, NFL, and NHL. But ask the casual sports fan about the Orlando Pinstriped Post? It has that Magic ring to it, which is why we’re so excited about it.

via Announcement: 3QC is now Orlando Pinstriped Post – Orlando Pinstriped Post.

Two things.

1. Watching this site grow up has been a joy. Seeing Ben add Eddy, rack up accolades, and become such a phenomenal site has been great. His site represents the best of NBA blogging, from technique to writings substance to style to variety to tone. It’s about as close as you can get to a perfect NBA team blog. Seeing him outgrow the 3QC mantle is part of that development, even if it is disappointing considering how awesome that name is.

2. Orlando will now blow a 15 point lead in the third quarter of game 6 or 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Let’s just go ahead and pencil that right in there.

SwaggerJack: Gil Arenas – The Lost Interview

August 29, 2008 in by with 8 Comments

Holly MacKenzie is a contributing writer for SLAM and Hardwood Paroxysm. Her SwaggerJack column runs every Friday on Hardwood Paroxysm. Today’s subject is an interview, kind of, with Gilbert Arenas, that serves not only as a reminder of how dynamic a personality Agent Zero is, but also of the importance of double checking your recording equipment. Yikes.

A Few Reasons Why I Love Gilbert Arenas

-He is only himself and unapologetically so.

-He remains humble while also being extremely confident.

-He gives back to his fans and sincerely appreciates them.

-He recognizes that as much as we love it, it really is just a game.

-He is all heart.

When I first started this column I told Matt I wanted it to be a space that reflected my love for the game and I wanted to start things off with two of my favorites. Those favorites would be Rod Benson and Gilbert Arenas—the All-Star bloggers of the NBA and D-League. While I easily set up a lengthy interview with Mr. Benson, I had to work just a little harder to track down Mr. Arenas. In the end, I was able to speak with him thanks to the Wizards fantastic PR people.

It was all arranged for me to call the Wizards training facility where I would be put through to Gil after he finished a workout session. While I had a set of questions prepared (and pre-approved), about being the bloggingest NBA player, the conversation was hijacked early and often by Arenas. Everything you read in the blog and laugh over on Youtube is true; the guy has such a wild personality and a broad range of interests. Blogging and basketball were hurriedly shifted to the back burner while we discussed Penny, Britney and wealth and happiness, among other things.

After the interview was finally over, I settled in to begin the dreaded transcription process. For anyone who has never done this before, it can only be described as painful. Taking a 40-minute interview and typing it out word for word—especially when you talk as fast, or laugh as much as I do—is not fun. But, it’s got to be done, so I usually try my best to dive in immediately when I’m still glowing from the info I’ve gotten.

Sitting down, recorder in hand, laptop on lap, a breakdown is about to take place. When I unhook the recorder from the telephone and press play I cringe as I always do upon hearing my own voice, smile when I hear Gil’s laidback “What’s up”—and then my heart jumps into my throat and my stomach drops onto the floor when the recorder stops. I fiddle around with it a bit, to no avail. Get some new batteries and its still the same story. 0:32 seconds of my 40+ minutes with Gilbert Arenas is all that the recorder captured. Sh*t. Damn. Motherf*cker. That wasn’t D’Angelo playing. I wasn’t playing either.

After a mini Russell Crowe/Naomi Campbell moment with the now-defunct recorder taking the place of a telephone, I stressed, worried and yes, shed a few tears. Called, texted and emailed pretty much every person I knew from SLAM asking what the hell I was supposed to do next. My panic only increased when everyone told me variations of the same thing: There really isn’t anything you can do. Even if you reschedule, you won’t get the same interview back. Ever.

That was one of the darker days of my young career. I’ve since purchased a shiny, new recorder that promises to work for at least a year. I’ve also calmed down considerably after hearing that every journalist will have to deal with slip-ups. I’ve decided I’m thankful mine was over the phone as opposed to falling flat on my face in a locker room or something. As it is always said, it could be worse.

As it is, it wasn’t a total loss. While I don’t have a recording/transcript, I did scribble down notes and then immediately after my recorder-throwing tantrum, I sat down and furiously unloaded everything that was fresh in my mind.

First up, after keeping his blog for the last few seasons, Gilbert was quick to say that the best part of the experience was grabbing the attention of fans that didn’t necessarily follow basketball or the NBA before stumbling upon him. After reading his blog, they’d decide to watch a game and they would come back. “Videogamers don’t know about basketball, but they see me blogging on their sites so they start watching, they start picking teams.”

Gil was also adamant that there was no negative for him as a result of having the blog and said that he doesn’t consider it to be negative at all unless it is hurting animals or people.

He has had “people I would have never thought” reading his blog, including Penny Hardaway, whom he has since met. When asked if it was as big a deal for him to meet Penny as it is for normal fans to meet their favorite NBA players: “I met my hero and I don’t put myself on that same level as him.”

Fact: He still had all of his childhood posters of Penny Hardaway on his bedroom walls of his father’s house before the recent selling.

When I told him he comes across as being authentic both in his blog and whenever we see him in games or interviews, he said he couldn’t be any other way. He has always been a joker and he is a happy person. From there we spoke about the fame and wealth that comes along with being a professional athlete and he reminded me that if you were unhappy before you got your big paycheck, there is a good chance you could end up unhappy after you get it and the excitement wears off.

Gil also spoke about how much he hates when people are put into a box and explained that when he rips off his jersey and throws it into the crowd after a game, it is his way of saying thank you for coming out to see me play. And he doesn’t just want to be remembered for his statistical accomplishments: “I want people to be able to say he had fun.”

When asked what advice he would give other bloggers, he said they’ve got to find their niche—and that everyone has one, whether it is positive or negative. He said to be entertaining and that Americans know drama. Giving examples, Gil mentioned NFL player Chris Cooley and, as a result, I’ve since become a fan and reader of his blog.

We talked about media, where I got to express my own frustrations with the journalists who judged his commitment, questioned his injury and said the team was better without him. He said he doesn’t let anything like that bother him. One thing that does get frustrating, however, is when a journalist reads something on a blog or in another column and they just run with it without checking to see if it is valid. Still, he was appreciative of the media overall and acknowledged that they are just doing their job, trying to get info on and from the players.

Somehow the topic of my favorite guy Magic came up, and Gil told me that when he shoots around, he doesn’t tie his shoes, because when you tie your shoes it’s game time. He heard this about Magic a while ago and it’s been his routine ever since.

After I asked him to explain taking and making game-winning shots, his description was so simple it did seem like a no-brainer. He said that after practicing so hard things get to be a routine and taking a shot is like, 3, 2, 1. When it’s the end of a game, he just flips his mind back to practice and the pressure drifts away. The other players may be there, but he does not flinch because he’s just taking another shot.

Over the course of the conversation, one sentiment that Gilbert repeated time and time again was that he is living his dream, having fun each day and he wants to be able to give that enjoyment and thanks back to all fans of the game. He even gave some of that back to me when he wished me well in my career and then gave a few pointers on members of the media and things to keep in mind as I navigate this sports world.

The best part of talking to Gilbert was talking to Gilbert. He was up for anything I asked, and he often added to my questions, went off on tangents and then turned them back onto me to see what I would say. As exciting he is as a player, he’s an even more exciting and enjoyable person off the court. I wish him nothing but health and success in the future.

Unfortunately, what you just read represents only a fraction of the interview that I had with Mr. Arenas. I hope, if nothing else, this shows that the man is exactly as he comes across in his blogs. He is humble, kind and very engaging. Hopefully in the future I will get to talk with Gil again and be able to bring you the goods in their entirety.

My favorite part of our conversation came just before we finished, when I got to tell Gilbert I’ve never hated to cheer for someone as much as when he dropped 60 points on my Lakers in L.A. He got a laugh out of that and I got to see that with Gil Arenas, what you see, hear and read, is exactly what you get.

Deadspin, The Big Lead, Bissinger, The LA Times, and The Three Handled Online Media Gredunza of Doom

June 23, 2008 in by with 15 Comments

Okay, to catch you up.

LA Times does a story on blogging, featuring The Big Lead’s Jason McIntyre.

The Big Lead clarifies and stands by its/his position.

Deadspin opens fire on the article and, though respectfully, McIntyre.

Some of these debates we let go by. There are a number of pitches that we don’t swing at. But this one we’ll weigh in on, because it touches a nerve.

In the article, Jason/The Big (?) mentions a “sketchy middle ground” that sports blogs are being pulled towards. This caught me because HP is smack dab in the middle of that sketchy middle ground.

Every single day I wake up, and pray for many things.

The ability to fly.

A car that transforms into a dinosaur with a flamethrower in its mouth.

Soundgarden to reunite.

But one thing I also tend to pray for is this.

“Dear Lord, giver of Dwight Howard and taker away of Shaun Livingston’s internal leg structure, please, give me a job blogging. It’s all I want to do. And every second I spend processing reports, moving Excel columns around and fake smiling at pictures of coworkers’ kids is another second closer to my inevitable psychotic breakdown. Thanks, Lord. ‘Preciate it.”

You know, along with every other blogger on the planet.

When I started HP, I really just intended to goof around: “Hey! I can make snarky comments about X player sucking! Whee!” When it took off, or however you would describe it, I had to re-examine the goals. And I slowly pushed them higher, wondering how far I could take it. And now HP is in a really weird place.

First, there’s the issue of “should we want access.” Will, of course, has always been vehemently against “access, favor, or discretion.” After reading the book, it makes a lot of sense. It’s essential to his approach, and that of Deadspin. He’s also got a real beef against the mainstream media columnists. Like we all do. Jay Mariotti is my personal pet peeve. The man puts pixels to screen in a word processor and my soul dies a little bit. So Will’s got a bent against the journalism thing, and he’s brought a voice to that dissent.

Contrast that with another one of this site’s role models. TrueHoop. Henry Abbott’s got a strong journalism background and an approach to professionalism that is second to none. He’s a blogger, but to him, blogging is just software. It’s not an ideology.

So when we started to find out things about how our work was being spread around, we were shocked and confused. We found out that a major blogger had sent one of our pieces about how the NBA programming schedule was moronic to… the people in charge of NBA programming. That took me back a step. It changed a lot of the way I started to look at things, because now, it wasn’t just me venting to a bunch of other guys in offices, the people I was writing things to were reading me calling them a bunch of f*ckheads. Now, don’t get me wrong. I will still maintain that sticking the Lakers on national television 1 billion times and the Heat 50,000 was a poor policy, popularity of the Lakers be damned. But I also don’t want someone out there posting a letter talking about how I suck at my day job. You can write about me sucking at this gig. This is open for such criticism, it calls for it, and honestly, a lot of the time, it makes me do a better job.

Then all of a sudden, doors started to open for us. I asked myself, “If I’ve got a chance to cover the All-Star game, but I know that people with a traditional media background that are reviewing my credential application are looking at HP, what do I do?” I ended up cleaning it up a little bit, just making sure that the first thing they read wasn’t one of our more, um.. liberal pieces. Because for me, access does actually help. I originally thought of access the wrong way. My only thought was, “Wow, I could get interviews with players, and that will bump my hits.” Well, that’s kind of true. Unfortunately, player interviews are uniformly and largely boring. I’ll still do them if I find I have an interesting approach to it, or if its for a larger article, or you know, if someone pays me (but we’ll come back to the issue of payment).

However, getting to see games and practices, and talking to coaches and front office officials? That does help. Because we look at the big picture a lot around here, and to do that we examine small stuff, and those are details that don’t get picked up by beat reporters trying to slam out their piece in 40 minutes to make a deadline, or the columnist trying to explain why a coach should be fired, or by watching ESPN. The small stuff helps me with a bigger picture, which helps me be more informative, which means that when I write something, it won’t just entertain, but actually provide some inside information on why certain things happen.


So, yeah, there have been days where I’ll bump one of Corn’s obscene rants to the bottom of the page and keep my bland analysis to the top of the fold. This of course, results in a screaming phone call from Corn later and various insults thrown at me for the better part of a week. Look, if I could get the press media agents to see that just because we have a different tone doesn’t mean we don’t have an audience or a legitimate insight, I would. But they’re not going to. And as long as that’s the case, as long as they see expletives and such and decide it lessens our credibility, which affects whether they grant us credentials, I’ll continue to manipulate our image. Because I want to be able to write well. And part of that is research.

There was some discussion during the Cuban debacle (you know, the blogger one, not the Bay of Pigs one), about whether I was just after free seats to a game and the food. I’ve got news for you. I have a wife, a day job, and an addiction to OneMoreLevel.com. Driving three hours to hang out with journalists in an environment where players are skeptical and defensive towards me and routinely hand out scripted answers doesn’t exactly get me jumping for joy. And I don’t eat the food. So there’s that. I genuinely feel like my site gets a lot out of having access, and think it’s good for the work. I respect that Deadspin doesn’t need it, but that in itself brings me to another point, and the most important.

We’re not all going to be Deadspin.

Deadspin is a phenomenon. It’s a movement. It’s a juggernaut. It’s the Big One (versus The Big Lead). And it’s a terrific site. I was totally on Will’s side in the Bissinger debate, and think that in all honesty, we do a disservice to ourselves as an artistic/journalistic/blogospheric/whatever-you-want-to-call-it community by giving the old codger the: “Well, if you listen to his points…” No. He screamed at a representative of what sports bloggers do. Bissinger makes broad generalizations that are picked up by other mainstream media outlets as a rallying cry against us, when we have yet to take a gig from them, or show any such interest. In this instance, seeking out the minority voice does us no good, because Bissinger’s viewpoint is representative of a larger, mainstream attitude towards sports bloggers. Bissinger’s a great novelist who’s out of touch and out of place on this issue. You want to be in on the discussion? Grow up, quit spitting names and screaming, and let’s have a discussion.

But in Leitch v. McIntryre I, I have a hard time getting behind Deadspin’s declaration of outrage. Why? Because I don’t have a book deal. I don’t have a magazine gig. I guest spot a lot of places, and enjoy it, but I’m not getting paid, outside of the FanHouse gig, and trust me, there are enough talented writers over there that it’s not like I’m top of the charts. I’m in that sketchy middle ground that McIntyre mentioned, because I have to be. Because I will do whatever I have to in order to get where I’m trying to go, as long as I don’t completely sell out my integrity, my family’s welfare, or my ability to call Vince Carter a douchebag. That’s the one exception I’ll make. Deadspin can do what it wants to, because it was honestly the first major sports blog on the scene. It’s the flagship. And it sets the rules. And the odds of anything else coming to rival it without a ton of financial support and resources is unlikely. When you’re the only game in town, and you get paid more than everyone else, you can make those kinds of decisions. The rest of us can’t afford to, as much as we may like to.

What frustrates me most about this situation is how generalized it’s become. Journalists can be lumped together. Why? They have codes. And ethics. And formal organizations with membership and I’m sure handshakes and winking and elbow-rubbing and God knows what else. Lord knows that’s what one of the best journalism schools in the country was like when I was there. And it was a big reason for why I didn’t end up as a part of it, even though I clearly have a thing for writing.

We can’t be lumped together. What I’m trying to do with HP and with my career is completely different from Skeets, or KD, or TrueHoop, or BlogABull, or The Dream Shake, or BrewHoop, or, God help me, Friedman. Some of us blog because it’s fun, and that’s all we want: A place to talk about how much Rafer Alston is the worst point guard of all time, in their flawed little opinions. Some have been given the opportunity to do it professionally, even if it means they can’t write elsewhere, and even if they are constrained by editors. Some of us want to get paid and will essentially make their blog an ode to Kobe Bryant in order to somehow cajole a media agent to hire them for the next magazine promo gig. But the point is that none of us have the same goals, the same time to write, the same resources, the same salary. So to say that we all should do one thing or another is ridiculous. Because I’d be totally willing to bar cursing entirely if it meant I could do this professionally, and if I could do this professionally and get away with it, you can be sure I’d curse as much as I do now, if not more. But with the rules the way they are, I choose to bend them. And I think HP’s do a pretty good job. I’m not completely without scruples, and there are definitely things I won’t do. If a team hired me, I wouldn’t blog about them on HP anymore. It just wouldn’t be in the spirit of the site.

So just to review: Bissinger=still an assh*le. HP,=still doing the weak sauce apostrophe thing (which I should note, Corn HATES). Deadspin=still king of the hill, but needs to realize the difference between itself and the rest of the sports blogosphere. The Big Lead= not unreasonable, but I don’t agree with all of their opinions on this. Sports blogs= diverse. And Vince Carter still = Douchebag.

However, to the people in the NBA National Television Programming Department, I just wanted to say I’m sorry. Because while athletes and GMs and coaches get paid millions of dollars to be part of an organized game, and therefore have to accept the criticism that comes with it, I wouldn’t want someone blasting out about how crappy my work on that Powerpoint presentation is. Sorry about that. You’re not f*ckheads. Just put New Orleans and Atlanta on a little more next year, cool?

How You Like Them Apples, Eh?

April 11, 2008 in by with 3 Comments

Suck it, Skeets.*

*Note: Not only is this another in a series of rankings that are completely interpretable based on whatever factor you choose to weight as most important, but the Jones gets about a bazillion more listeners than we get readers. Throw in the fact that he works for Yahoo! and I have to rob the homeless and this is really no contest. But still. Take that, you Canadian ponch.

Thoughts From A Blogger Covering A Dallas Mavericks Game

April 11, 2008 in by with 6 Comments

If you’re just joining this little Drama Club, I’d suggest quickly checking up on this tripe and this schlock.

So now I’ll tell you, the rest of the story. Once Cuban opened up the locker room and invited bloggers in, I got in touch with the Mavs’ Basketball Communications office. The kind folks there were helpful, if slow to respond, what with all the “handling of media affairs for a pro basketball team” stuff. They said to submit a formal application with my name, website, and contact information and they would get back to me. Then Cuban dropped the “you must appeal to me on BlogMaverick” business, and I decided not to stoop to that level. I would just wait for BC to get back to me.

And I waited.

And waited.

And dropped a follow up email.

And another.

And a voice mail.

And it’s at this point that I start feeling like Favreau in Swingers, just repeatedly leaving messages for someone who will never call back.

Meanwhile, Cuban tells FireAvery.com that the stipulations are for “only Mavs-specific blogs that have been around for at least six months.” I figure I’m screwed, since I fill neither of those requirements. And I’m bummed, but I can’t blame Cuban. I said there should be some sort of standard and he set one. What I didn’t know was that that stipulation applied to the BlogMaverick submissions. Not general credentials. So that afternoon, when I received an email from a very helpful guy inside the BC office letting me know I was in, I was over the moon. OH, SWEET, SUCCULENT VALIDATION! VALIDATE ME! VALIDATE ME!

This is followed, of course, by a follow up email by the head of the department asking about a specific level of credentials I got for the All-Star weekend. “Oh, no!” I thought, “The jig is up!” I was pretty certain that would be the doom of me, especially since there was no “Hi” or “Dear Sir” or “This won’t be a problem, just checking on something” in the email. It was like a hall monitor quizzing me on why I wasn’t headed straight for the restroom. I thought I was sunk again. Either that or word had gotten to Cuban and I’d had the kibosh put on me. Yeah, because Mark Cuban gives a rat’s ass what I do with my time.

Finally, after the interview with DallasBasketball.com and talking with FireAvery.com, I decided there was no way it was going to happen. Which was okay, new Office would be on and the Thursday night games were good anyway.

And then I got an email saying I was all set.

OMG…WTF?

I decided not to ask any questions, to keep my head down and just try and get to the game. Bear in mind that I had an actual column I was working on (and will be published soon), that actually would benefit from talking to some of the Mavs’ players. I wasn’t just going for the “free game, free food, and free parking.” (Note: While I did get access to the game, I didn’t eat the food and parking, most definitely, was not free.)

I debated whether or not to write this post, but I imagine there’s some interest out there, and an important blogger made the point that like it or not, it is a story, albeit a meaningless and completely unimportant one.

So here are some brief notes about my experience covering an actual National Basketball Association Game.

  • The AAC staff and Mavericks Basketball Communications staff were incredibly helpful and approachable. I didn’t feel watched or second-tier in the least, and it speaks to their professionalism as an organization.
  • I kept my head down in terms of talking to other folks. I didn’t want to all of a sudden have a gaggle of beat reporters aware that I was a blogger. Most of them wouldn’t care. But one prominent writer was cracking jokes about “how ridiculous blogs are.” So that kind of made me keep to myself.
  • You know how on television, the press conferences seem like they’re in this huge room? Well for a regular season game, they’re in one that’s about the size of my first apartment, only without the cockroaches and constant moaning from the upstairs neighbors. For the pregame press conference with the media, Avery sat down on the stage and everyone just kind of gathered around him like it was a campfire sing-a-long. He was more polite and laid back than he comes off on television, where he comes off as, you know, a complete lunatic.
  • I did not interview the following: Avery Johnson, Dirk Nowitzki, Jerry Stackhouse, Jason Terry, Josh Howard. Why? Because if you wanted that, you’d read the Dallas Morning News or the Fort Worth Telegram. If talking to them could have helped the column, I would have.
  • Yes, the locker room interview is as messed up as it sounds. You wait for a guy to get back in from a shower, he dresses with his back turned, while you’re just hanging out behind him, all in a gaggle, and then as he finishes putting on his thousand diamond bracelet, he turns and you can start asking questions. Pretty much the most bizarre thing I’ve ever encountered. I’ve been in locker rooms before, but just examining the process, as necessary as it is, really makes you step back and see how strange it really is.
  • I’ve made my fair share of “Haha, Jason Kidd’s small” jokes in my time. I mean, really, it’s a quick laugh, and look at him on screen! He’s tiny. I turned around and the first time I saw him I thought he had swollen like he’d eaten a Mario Bros. mushroom. I won’t be making any more of those jokes. Terry, however, is exactly the size you’d think he is.
  • Dirk Nowitzki had feet so big I vowed never to let him meet the Paroxywife.
  • The AAC Mavericks experience is an absolutely amazing marketing scheme. The entire thing, from the moment you step in the doors to the second you get in you car,makes you appreciate the way Cuban has installed an organization that devotes itself to being top level in everything it does.
  • Cuban was not, at least when I was in there, on the treadmill.
  • There is enough room in the locker room, even with five players dressing at any one time, to fit approximately 30 of me, and probably 45 to 5o Skeets or Abbotts. Tim McMahons? Maybe 20. Big, tall dude, compared to most of the journalists in attendance.
  • I got a chance to introduce myself to Tim and he was a really nice guy, not at all the self-aggrandizing jerk he’s been made out to be in some circles of the web. He said something I thought was interesting. He told me that he’d “much rather deal with Mark Cuban than an owner who’s not accessible and isn’t passionate about his team.” Sounds about the same for everyone who’s dealt with Cuban.
  • I want you to imagine the nicest hotel room you’ve ever been in. Now add the biggest TV you can think of, and put 12 little TVs all around the room. Now throw a bunch of little imaginary socks around the room. That’s an NBA locker room.

Like I said, I had a hard time on whether or not to post this, since it reveals, pretty plainly, just how much awe I had to contain last night. I like to think I was no different than any other first time beat reporter being intimidated by the level I was now covering. On the other hand, though, to not post this would be deceptive. Because I’m not a journalist. I’m a blogger. I write columns and coverage of the NBA from a blogger’s perspective. Not only am I not expected to have the same perspective as a member of the traditional media, I’m specifically read because I don’t do that. I can say, with full confidence, that I can’t do what those guys do. They have training, experience, and a set of guidelines and deadlines on which they operate. However, at no point was I a problem for anyone, there is going to be a column out of this (whether or not it’s a good one is up to debate, much like everything else I’ve written on here), and the Mavs got more exposure because of it.

See? We CAN all get along! Kumbaya, MSM! Kumbaya!

Why Must You Tempt Me, Mark? Why?

March 29, 2008 in by with 5 Comments

So after all the hub-hub on Friday, I got in touch with the Mavericks’ media office. Some very nice people fielded my call and told me what to submit and said they’d have an answer for me in the beginning of next week.

But that wasn’t enough.

Cuban’s now asking for personal submissions. (Thanks to Dallas Basketball. Both for the kind words and the link.)

Oh, Holy Christ.

It’s such a brilliant move. By basically calling us before the throne, he single handedly manages to wrangle control of the situation. The submissions in the comments range from pretty good to “Oh, Dear God, Please No. “

So what to do, is really the question? I asked for bloggers to treat this situation professionally. And I’ve done everything I can to pursue credentials to that end. But should I take advantage of this opportunity and ask Cuban? I could shoot him the D-League prez interview, that was pretty well received. The Ball Movements may not impress him so much. My analysis pieces get good run.

But the more I think about it, I can’t. I respect what Mark’s trying to do, he’s trying to push the envelope, testing the waters. And that’s cool. But I can’t go there and petition myself. To do so would be hypocritical and while not necessarily beneath me, because that’s a pretty small space, it would be in complete contrast to everything I’ve asked of the blogosphere on this issue.

So, I’m not going to do it. I just feel that if we go out there and try and sell ourselves, we’re saying that we need special attention from Mark. And we shouldn’t. There’s a lot of people that don’t need it, and shouldn’t get credentials. I really hope he doesn’t use this to make us look like idiots. That would be bad. And relatively easy, using this new approach.

I don’t blame any blogger for submitting their stuff for approval in the comments. I just don’t think I can in good conscience.

(If any of you wanted to, though… no, that’s wrong too… but maybe… no… Jesus, the battle between my pride and my desperate need for approval is epic!)

Wouldn’t it be funny if I didn’t get credentialed and the guys that comment did?

Oh, and Mark? You’re absolutely right that a lot of the bloggers have no business in the locker room because they just don’t need it. The problem is that if this ends badly you set a dangerous precedent for us getting access at all. And that’s not good for the medium.

And if any of you were wondering what we would get out of it? Trust me, I have a column I’m working on that would benefit quite a bit from asking some locker room questions.

I find myself in a pretty dangerous position. And an interesting irony. If for whatever reason, I’m left out because I don’t apply on Cuban’s blog, I’m unable to represent the blogosphere as an independent blogger while someone with less credibility could get credentials, thereby proving a point for those that think we don’t belong there. And that upsets me. But then, isn’t that probably how the beat writers from the Dallas Morning News or Fort Worth Telegram feel about us?

I expected a variety of opinions when I announced I was going to apply. I asked folks if they honestly thought I should. There were basically two opinions. One, “Absolutely. Yes you should.” and two, “This has nothing to do with bloggers and is really stupid and quit messaging me on GChat while I’m watching reruns of the Hills.” And because I tried to take the high road in this situation, I may miss the trip completely.

But after every rationalization I make, I come to the same conclusion. I spoke to the media office. I followed the same procedures as any representative of any medium. That should be sufficient. I’m trusting Mr. Cuban to be good on his word.

Breaking News: MSM Still Pissed We Exist

March 28, 2008 in by with 0 Comments

Deadspin pointed out that the Associated Press Sports Editors are ticked that Cuban went back on his word.

Because, clearly, there needs to be a huge separation. I could not possibly be on the same level as Jay Mariotti or a kid that joins at 21 as a beat reporter out of college.

We started off mad as hell at Cuban. Now we find ourselves torn. We’re so confused. Who’s side are we on, anyway?

So About The Internets: Commentary on the Mavericks Blog Ban.

March 10, 2008 in by with 1 Comment

When I first heard the news, I was sad.

I didn’t want to add Cuban to the running list of Top 10 Douchebags in the NBA for Hardwood Paroxysm (that’s a whole other post on it’s own). Luckily the head Maverick came out and explained his position.

But I’m still not satisfied.

It’s funny, because I’ve surprisingly had more than one conversation about this topic. I was asked in New Orleans about it by a D-League exec, and then again by a Toros official. Now, there’s a huge separation between the D-League and the NBA, obviously. Like, oh, say, an average of 15,000 people per game and billions of dollars in revenue. You know. If you care about those things.

But the question is one I’ve pondered over quite a bit. I’ve been inundated with journalist culture for the last 8 years. I went to one of the best Journalism schools in the country. The majority of my friends are either currently in, or at one time were in journalism. My wife’s a journalism grad (double-major in English to be accurate; she’s wicked smaht; and by “wicked smaht”, I mean “brilliant yet underpaid” like all English grads). The blogs vs. newspapers debate is a fairly popular one in my circle. And I’m usually on the minority end of it as a blogger. None of this qualifies me as an expert on the matter in any way, shape, or form, but what else is new?

So the question that Cuban begs in his response over at MavericksBlog is if there is a standard that one can “differentiate between bloggers to the point where (one) should or should not credential one versus the other.” Cuban says it’s impossible. I’m not sure I disagree with him. With the world becoming smaller and one of the central tenets of a free internet being that everyone gets a say, how do you determine that?

On the other hand, there are certain obvious examples. I mean, I’m certain that the Mavericks press office has standards towards newspapers and whether they can get access. I’m pretty sure a high school newspaper isn’t getting locker room access.

But the response I’ve always posed this question of how much access bloggers should have is this:

“It’s not a question of ‘if,’ but a matter of ‘how much’?”

And this is where, it turns out, Cuban and I agree. Towards the end of his post, he has this to say:

“One last little thought. Some out there will take this as my not “liking” blogs. Ridiculous. It’s the exact opposite. What I don’t like is unequal access. I’m all for bloggers getting the same access as mainstream media when possible. Our interview room is open to bloggers. We take interview requests from bloggers. I’m a fan of getting as much coverage as possible for the Mavs.”

This will get glossed over in the questions of hypocrisy (which are valid, but untrue) and selective bias against the blogger in question (which are also valid, and are also probably a little bit true, considering the timing). But it’s the central point, and one that bloggers need to agree on as we move forward.

Here’s the thing.

If you ask me, should any blogger have access to everything that a reporter gets access to, my answer is no. Why? Because our goals are different, our readers are different, and our tones are different. For example, a newspaper would never post a phone call a reporter heard between a blogger and his mistress. It’s not what they cover. You can use the words “beneath them” if you must. But it’s not news. They would never post a tattoo of a ridiculous outfit, tattoo, or personal object. But us?

Oh, hell yes.

Now, this isn’t exactly true, because I’m big on scruples, and if an organization is kind enough to let me in the doors, I’m going to respect that. I cover the Toros for the Austin Chronicle Sports Blog (note: not a job), but my credentials extend to HP. If I ask a question off the record over the Toros game, it’s off the record. At the same time, you don’t want that kind of access given to a lot of bloggers.

And not just on account of the odds of them posting something inappropriate. It’s because a lot of blogs succeed as a result of the detachment. Actually, almost all of the blogs succeed because that detachment. It’s an interesting dichotomy. Beat reporters routinely talk to the same guys over and over again, get to know them and their families, but strive to maintain a detached view of the team. A blogger has little or no direct personal connection with the players or personnel they criticize or applaud, but have a distinct bias they don’t deny.

The point is that I believe there is every reason for blogs to be given access to team personnel. I have absolutely no doubt that if the Magic were to give Third Quarter Collapse access that they would be thrilled with the coverage. It’s not like Ben Q. is going to go in and ask a bunch of improper questions. He’s not going to turn around and rip the team unfairly. He’s a fan, for God’s sake. And giving him access is only going to provide another way for your fans to feel “involved” with their team.

On the flip side, there should be a separation. For starters, I think at some point there’s got to be a level of integration, albeit on a sliding scale, for access between bloggers and newspaper guys. And giving mainstream media the “extra” coverage of being in the locker room with Dirk Nowitski’s Dirk Diggler swinging back and forth will give newspaper folks the feeling that they have something more than bloggers. Good for the beat reporters. Bully for them!. Next, if you give bloggers access, but limit it, it’s going to put the PR people a little bit more at ease. It’s a transition-oriented move. It’s a compromise. It means the PR folks for the team won’t be running around their office screaming as though the bloggers have stripped off their clothes, covered themselves in warpaint, and started hacking players to death while asking for autographs. Finally, because there should be a line between bloggers and mainstream media. Bloggers should be able to cover the games just as much as newspaper reporters because as Cuban said, it gets a team “as much coverage as possible.” There’s no downside to having more coverage. But there should be a separation between newspaper access and blogger access, just like there’s separation between what bloggers do and what reporters do. And the locker room is, in my opinion, a pretty good start for the line. Not so much for what it actually provides, but for what it represents.

This is a watershed moment for the relationship between the league and blogs. Even though Cuban comes out clearly in support of blogs being included in access, no one’s going to read that part of it. In fact, the blogs are generally ignoring that point as well, and are coming out against him. The bloggers’ quarrel is a valid point. That is, if Cuban is purposefully pointing out the Dallas Morning News blogger as retaliation, and using blogs as the scapegoat.

The issue this instance creates, however, is a lot larger. It’s not like the Dallas Morning News is going to suddenly be without coverage of the Mavericks. But other teams are likely to use this as a precedent. Scarier, the league is likely to come out and formalize a policy. And I think we all know how that’s likely to come out.

One of the best things about the D-League, and one I mentioned to President Reed in New Orleans, is the way they’ve embraced blogs as a means of building a grass-roots base for the minor league. The thing is that this feeling extends to the whole league. There are so many fans who live outside of the area, but still contribute to the team’s corporate entity through various ways and follow their teams on the internet. And pushing blogs out is not the way to further welcome fans in.

So there should be a standard set. Not too loose, but not equal. Let’s not go down that dangerous road of the phrase, “s______e but e___l” and demean, well, everything, but we’re also not talking about civil rights here. There are things bloggers would want to know about that reporters don’t care about, and vice versa.

The point is that we have to come to some sort of compromise or there’s only going to be more vitriol spit by us at them, and more disdain tossed by them at us. And whether I’m talking about newspapers or the league, I’m not really even sure of myself anymore.

Either way, I hope Cuban, in a pretty clear attempt at punishing a guy and then making a subsequent point, hasn’t just set back the medium by three years.

Oh, and 10 to 1 this standard doesn’t apply to TrueHoop, though Henry will probably abide by it, because he’s that kind of guy.

Today’s Crushing Blow Of Reality

January 29, 2008 in by with 0 Comments

We’ve spent a significant portion of time trying to figure out where we’re at in this model. A fantastic read, though, by a fantastic Blogger that’s making his way bit by bit. For the record, we think hope is for losers.

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