What's been the better hire Patrick at SI or Reilly at ESPN?

Yeahhh....Reilly today's not the Reilly he once was. I, like Mizzou, grew up reading his stuff and was inspired to be where I am today.

The Yankees/Cowboys thing was disappointing. His Homecoming shows have been a good idea but executed kind of "eh."

I think he's just too busy to be crafting those masterpiece stories and columns like he used to. Used to be all he did was write a column a week and books if he felt like it. Then he was awesome. Now he's writing the column, doing the TV show, making SportsCenter bits, broadcasting golf coverage.

In his farewell column at SI he called it all an itch he needed to scratch. But then, momma always said not to scratch at the chicken pox.

 

Rick is a good guy and a really great, rare talent. His product started going south right about the time he chopped off the ponytail and he started wearing suits. Now he's running down tennis balls and flying in F-14s every other month and mailing in his columns while forced to tell lame jokes like that Bob Saget did for years on AFV. If you only knew Saget from AFV, you'd think he was a totally useless comedian. Actually, onstage at comedy clubs, he was hilarious. Reilly's career arc is someehat similar.

 

Reilly is at least writing a column. Patrick's typing up a 300 word Q&A.
Let's not get nutty here.

 

The question isn't who the better writer is. Nobody should be expecting great insight from Patrick's column.

From Reilly, people should be expecting a lot more.

 

Too busy? You mean with work?

First time I've ever heard someone defend Reilly by claiming he is overworked.

 

I would think the salary difference should be taken into account.

 

This paragraph has to be Reilly's tweak at his detractors, right? Right?

When Lionel's staffing company was sold and he was pink-slipped, it knocked him flatter than forgotten beer. And it's not easy to flatten Lionel, who is as pessimistic as a rainbow and twice as colorful. His real name is Mike, but they call him Lionel because, like the train, he can't be stopped.

the whole story...

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3864246

 

A the worst Reilly column is worth more than the best 300-word Q&A Dan Patrick ever typed.

 

Patrick wasn't hired to be a writer. It's just one thing he does.

 

But how does anything else he does help SI?

 

I think RR may be the Bobby Bonilla of this. Great at his last stop but now he is a major bust.

DP is no writer -- nor does he fancy himself out to be. He is trying to find the 'middle of the road' in sports talk radio, between the overopinionated guys (Jim Rome/Colin Cowherd) and the hosts with no opinion on anything (Mike Tirico/Most of the FOX Radio Guys) because they don't ever want to offend.

DP's radio show is heavy on the name-dropping and I think he is too reliant on the interviews. DP can't do the hardest aspect of sports talk radio -- which is doing it solo. Rome & Cowherd are best when they are solo.

 

Isn't his radio show tied into SI on some level? All their writers are regular guests on his show. I don't know if he's ever had anyone from ESPN on, although I'm guessing they're banned.