Thought NBA All-Star Weekend was over? Not so fast!

His self-importance is for people's buttons and it works ever time he posts.

 

mesoanarchy:

with all due respect, if i might offer a suggestion about something you wrote:

"There are soooo many events topics to explore that would aid in exploding any of the carefully crafted myths used to maintain the veil separating the general fandom from knowledge of the sports they enjoy."

how about:

"a lot of carefully-crafted myths need exploding to help fans enjoys sports more."


let me ask this - to you as a person who consumes sports media non-stop - and is more PASSIONATE than even the screaming ninnies on TV - (who by the way aren't really passionate - they're paid actors)
why haven't these "myths" diminished your enjoyment of sports?

 

I personally like Whitlock--find his writing and his opinions a helluva lot fresher than most. But that doesn't mean the "self-important" label has no teeth. Does he ever contribute to threads here that weren't started by him or about the subject matter of one of his pieces?

 

i contribute to threads i'm interested in... the wire, the shield, the sopranos, all sorts of stuff... u just remember the threads i start

 

I like Whitlock well enough but he is a little overexposed on this board and self-absorbed is right. From his 50th column on Las Vegas: "(and I stand by the brilliance of my Black KKK analogy)"

If it's schtick, then fine, but it's kind of hard to tell at times. I wrote on here that I thought the analogy was smart but there is this thing called humility, Whitlock.

 

henry,

what the hell does passion have to do with sports writing?

if you are writing a feature on Jeff George, do you have to be passionate about him?

What if you just find him mildly attractive?

I think you should have a passion for writing. Should be excited about story ideas and breaking news and great angles, but the passion should be to the craft, not the sport.

 

That's cool, probably true.

 

Ace -
Very true....

Henry-
'why haven't these "myths" diminished your enjoyment of sports?'... Precisely because I do know the ridiculous myths exist..... Besides----- I love sports... no ---- I "Heart" Sports! I grew up playing every sport I could and became a very good tennis player (played on the Challenger circuit for two). I love athletic achievement - and I love to write.... Really, I Heart Writing!, too (two English majors for parents didn't hurt). And I really feel that sports is the most flexible of news topics. Where else can you write about just the event (game), write separately about those participating in the game, write about people watching the game, write about those who control the game (coaches and referees or umpires), and derive socio-political commentary from said event!!!!..... that is beautiful. There's not a damn thing in the world of writing like chronicling the games and everything surrounding them.... It's too bad I didn't realize that when I was 20, when I left the field for 13 years. But hey, never again!

 

yes. i agree.
i was being tongue-in-cheek.
once had an idiot boss who made a speech to the staff: (in a southern drawl) "you have to be PASHUHNUT about sports to work here - if you aren't PASHUHNUT you don't belong"
he was the dumbest man i ever worked for
but it's funny how things have come full circle - and the people who get the plum electronic jobs are the ones who can manufacture passion at the drop of a hat - about anything, literally (the arena football playoffs)
the print guys are no slackers at manufacturing passion, either
passion is a shtick

 

henryhecht -
true, too (and that's another reason to dislike self-proclaimed "sportswriters" who are actually diary-keepers, er, bloggers). And yet, it is nice to be passionate about both even with the latest brouhaha-hubbub going on with the White House's "OG" (that's "Original Gonzalez" for all you still shaking off the four-day Big Dance extravaganza).... BTW Henry, where can I read your work (there's ALWAYS more to absorb and someone to read)?

 

love when you play the dick hand. never gets old ... but do everybody a favor and jerk off in the privacy of your bathroom next time.

 

henry-
Wait wait wait, did you contribute to "Top of the Heap"????? The Billy Martin piece?! You're the perfect example of a writer unafraid to put athletes, coaches, managers, etc. on blast (ummm, "on blast" - new jack term for harshly critiquing someone, akin to putting someone on notice). There are too few writers like you... I tip my skully to you.