NBA Draft Reject

[Robyrd5]

Didn't see this posted yet and thought it was a funny story. NBA made Mark Titus of Ohio State remove his name from the draft so as not to make a "mockery" of it. Anybody read his blog? Very funny kid.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Mark-Titus-enters-NBA-draft-is-kindly-asked-to-?urn=ncaab,160332

[reinko]

www.clubtrillion.com

Is the blog, great read indeed

[MU B2002]

Great blog.  Writes a lot like Bill Simmons of ESPN Page 2 fame.

[Avenue Commons]

Great blog.  Writes a lot like Bill Simmons of ESPN Page 2 fame.

Titus' big break was when he was on Simmons' B.S. Report Podcast. Simmons is emerging as the prominent sports writer of his generation. He has the ESPN column, the podcast, and has another book about hoops coming out. The guy is great. Probably my current favorite sportswriter and one of my alltime favorite pop culture writers.

Fellow Jesuit alumn from Holy Cross. He hates Diener. Thinks Novak has a decent NBA future, for whatever that is worth.

[LON]

Titus' big break was when he was on Simmons' B.S. Report Podcast. Simmons is emerging as the prominent sports writer of his generation. He has the ESPN column, the podcast, and has another book about hoops coming out. The guy is great. Probably my current favorite sportswriter and one of my alltime favorite pop culture writers.

Fellow Jesuit alumn from Holy Cross. He hates Diener. Thinks Novak has a decent NBA future, for whatever that is worth.

I for one would rather read someone that doesn't make obscure Karate Kid, Melrose Place, and 90210 references...

[reinko]

I for one would rather read someone that doesn't make obscure Karate Kid, Melrose Place, and 90210 references...

Don't forget Real World/Road Rules Challenge Road House references.

Simmons is great, right in the wheel house for me.  I think his podcasts are fairly underrated, true  he has his friends on a lot, but I think Cousin Sal, Joe House, Jimmy Kimmel, and JackO are funny.  But his interviews with David Stern, the Rockets GM Daryl Morey, and some of his bosses at ESPN were really insightful.

[Mayor McCheese]

I for one would rather read someone that doesn't make obscure Karate Kid, Melrose Place, and 90210 references...

Thats what makes his reading so enjoyable and fun.  He relates sports to other aspects of the media.  I for one am sick of hearing and reading the same things over and over, Simmons comes up with new terms, meanings, ideas for things.  That and he petitioned to be the GM for the Bucks, and I would have allowed him to be the GM, would have been very successful

[bma725]

I for one am sick of hearing and reading the same things over and over, Simmons comes up with new terms, meanings, ideas for things. 

Your sick of hearing the same things over and over, yet you like Simmons?  He's been repeating the same things for essentially a decade.  It was original and funny back then, but there's only so many Teen Wolf, 90210 and Hoosiers references you can make before it gets to be ridiculous. 

[Mayor McCheese]

Your sick of hearing the same things over and over, yet you like Simmons?  He's been repeating the same things for essentially a decade.  It was original and funny back then, but there's only so many Teen Wolf, 90210 and Hoosiers references you can make before it gets to be ridiculous. 

And thats why he moves onto different movies, TV shows, people, etc.

His connection to Borat and the NCAA Tournament 2007 was aboslutely hilarious.

[Badgerhater]

When he referred to UW as the Wisconsin Buzzcuts, I damn near choked to death as I was drinking a coke while reading that post.

[MUfan12]

When he referred to UW as the Wisconsin Buzzcuts, I damn near choked to death as I was drinking a coke while reading that post.

That was fantastic. I love that blog. It's funny to read it from the beginning and see how it's changed as it's gotten more pub. His war with Evan Turner is awesome.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Your sick of hearing the same things over and over, yet you like Simmons?  He's been repeating the same things for essentially a decade.  It was original and funny back then, but there's only so many Teen Wolf, 90210 and Hoosiers references you can make before it gets to be ridiculous. 

He's been around for a decade? I thought he used to be a writer on Jimmy Kimmel.

[bma725]

He's been around for a decade? I thought he used to be a writer on Jimmy Kimmel.

He got the job on Kimmel because he was already a well thought of writer for ESPN, and previously had a cult following on his own website, going back to 1998 or so.  If you only know him for his post Kimmel-era stuff, you missed out on his best work.  He's never been the same since moving to LA.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

He got the job on Kimmel because he was already a well thought of writer for ESPN, and previously had a cult following on his own website, going back to 1998 or so.  If you only know him for his post Kimmel-era stuff, you missed out on his best work.  He's never been the same since moving to LA.

Huh.

Never knew that.

I guess I figured he was a young comedy writer who got his start on Kimmel, never realized he was established before that.

I have to admit though, I like his stuff... but maybe that's because I never saw his old stuff.

[butchbadger]

His re-counting of some of his Vegas trips is some of the greatest stuff I have ever read.

I love the obscure pop (and past) culture references.

[Tom Crean's Tanning Bed]

His re-counting of some of his Vegas trips is some of the greatest stuff I have ever read.

I love the obscure pop (and past) culture references.

+1

His 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend in Vegas is one of the most entertaining pieces I've ever read.

[bma725]

And thats why he moves onto different movies, TV shows, people, etc.

His connection to Borat and the NCAA Tournament 2007 was aboslutely hilarious.

Except he rarely moves on.  He's still making the same comments about things like the Real World/Road Rules,  White Shadow, Jimmy Chitwood etc that he was making back in 2001.  Occasionally he very briefly talks about something new, but then it's always back to the old standards.  At some point, you have to know your audience, and he's got to know that most of his readers are college age kids who don't have a clue what he's talking about.

When he started doing this he was funny and original and insightful.  But he hasn't been that in awhile.  Further, when he started he was very knowledgeable about pretty much every sport.  He used to hang out on fan forums and debate pretty much any topic from any sport because he followed everything, and he could always make a convincing argument for pretty much any idea.  Since he moved to LA, started on Kimmel, got married, had kids etc he hasn't been the same.  He doesn't follow the NFL or MLB like he used to, only the NBA.  He doesn't do the research that he used to, doesn't present the stats that he used to etc because he hasn't done his homework.  

Worst of all, he barely even writes anymore.  In the old days he put out three columns a week, plus a mailbag every other week. Then he went to Kimmel and cut back.  He was supposed to go back to doing that number of columns when he left Kimmel, but instead he got into a pissing match with the editors at ESPN(which he lost) and has decided to pout(probably until his contract runs out in 2010)...which means he's cut back on the writing.

[RJax55]

Simmons is ok. Every once in a while he will have a column that is really good, but thats few and far between these days. I agree with bma comments, his earlier work was much better.

My biggest problem with Simmons is how Boston-centric his columns and podcasts are. It was ok in his earlier years on espn.com because a large segment of his reading audience was from Boston. However, he's now become the most popular and leading writer for what is probably the most read sports website. Columns on the Pats, Soxs and Celtics only appeal to small percentage of the total espn.com audience, yet makeup a large portion of his current writings. Personally, I'm not interested in those teams, so why should I read those columns?

Also, don't like how he thinks he some type of gambling guru. If you seen his NFL picks column, you would know that if you follow his advice you would have gone completely broke 10 times over by now.

[Mayor McCheese]

The mailbag might be the greatest thing... the randomness every time is outstanding.

[HylianHero]

That is the most hilarious blog I think I've ever read. Awesome.

[Pakuni]

Great blog.  Writes a lot like Bill Simmons of ESPN Page 2 fame.

And by that do you mean 90 percent of his columns are about the Celtics, Red Sox or Patriots?

Simmons used to be great. But in some respects he's become a parody of himself, essentially writing the same columns about the same teams with the same references (obscure? perhaps only to people born before 1960 and after 1995) over and over again.
What ... you don't like Roger Clemens? Thanks Bill. I had forgotten the first 90 columns you wrote about that topic.

That said, I do give him props for his ongoing feud with Rick Reilly.

[MU Chi_IL]

Worst of all, he barely even writes anymore.  In the old days he put out three columns a week, plus a mailbag every other week. Then he went to Kimmel and cut back.  He was supposed to go back to doing that number of columns when he left Kimmel, but instead he got into a pissing match with the editors at ESPN(which he lost) and has decided to pout(probably until his contract runs out in 2010)...which means he's cut back on the writing.

I know most of his work now is on his podcast, which is actual good when he has guests other than his friends.  He also just finished a book on basketball that is coming out in fall, which is why he cut down over the past year...well that and ESPN killing his obama interview.

[RawdogDX]

Except he rarely moves on.  He's still making the same comments about things like the Real World/Road Rules,  White Shadow, Jimmy Chitwood etc that he was making back in 2001.  Occasionally he very briefly talks about something new, but then it's always back to the old standards.  At some point, you have to know your audience, and he's got to know that most of his readers are college age kids who don't have a clue what he's talking about.

When he started doing this he was funny and original and insightful.  But he hasn't been that in awhile.  Further, when he started he was very knowledgeable about pretty much every sport.  He used to hang out on fan forums and debate pretty much any topic from any sport because he followed everything, and he could always make a convincing argument for pretty much any idea.  Since he moved to LA, started on Kimmel, got married, had kids etc he hasn't been the same.  He doesn't follow the NFL or MLB like he used to, only the NBA.  He doesn't do the research that he used to, doesn't present the stats that he used to etc because he hasn't done his homework.  

Worst of all, he barely even writes anymore.  In the old days he put out three columns a week, plus a mailbag every other week. Then he went to Kimmel and cut back.  He was supposed to go back to doing that number of columns when he left Kimmel, but instead he got into a pissing match with the editors at ESPN(which he lost) and has decided to pout(probably until his contract runs out in 2010)...which means he's cut back on the writing.

He wrties plenty.  More output than ever if you count the podcasts.
He doesn't come up with anything new?

collumn on how twitter and tech are effecting how athletes can control fan perception: http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=4137488  

The best article on why the bulls/celts series was great before it even got great:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090423&sportCat=nba

I suppose you can name dozens of other writers who would publsih something like this one:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3965213

Great one on what stats need to be added to basketball in order to accuratly rank players on defence:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=4011524

If you don't think that he follows nfl closely enough than you must not be interested in his gambling picks where he puts out about 1200 words each week on all of his picks against the spread.  Again, no where else on espn.

He recently had a series of podcasts where he discussed the downfall of newspapers with a few writers and editors that were fantastic.  Not going to see that anywhere elese on espn.

These are all grabbed from his front page.  You sound like one of those people who like a band before it becomes popular and once it gets popular starts crapping on all the new stuff.  Total snobbery.

He has a series of things he does every year.  NBA draft diary, Super bowl diary, nba trade rankings ( http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090415 ), mail bags and a few others.   Which you can claim get old but all of which would piss off his fans if he skipped.

I do skip pod casts about realworld and if he starts talking about that in one of his email responses i move to the next one.  What i don't understand is why anyone would go to espn.com unless it was to read him.  99% grabage.

[MU B2002]

 What i don't understand is why anyone would go to espn.com unless it was to read him and make picks on Streak for Cash.  997% grabage.

Fixed

[StillAWarrior]

My biggest problem with Simmons is how Boston-centric his columns and podcasts are. It was ok in his earlier years on espn.com because a large segment of his reading audience was from Boston. However, he's now become the most popular and leading writer for what is probably the most read sports website. Columns on the Pats, Soxs and Celtics only appeal to small percentage of the total espn.com audience, yet makeup a large portion of his current writings. Personally, I'm not interested in those teams, so why should I read those columns?

This reminds me of Yogi Berra's old quote (I'm paraphrasing):  "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded."

He's the most popular writer on the most widely read sports website...but what he writes about only appeals to a small percentage of the audience.  Am I missing something?  I hate all the Boston teams, but I like Simmons.