Bill Simmons podcast

[poindexter]

Okay I am late to the podcast world - I got a nano for Father's Day - and am completely excited about listening to podcasts for my commute. I have downloaded various podcasts, and am happy with the quality.

I am not a Bill Simmons fan, yet think he does great work on his NBA writings (when they are linked here). I downloaded a recent podcast, where he talks soccer with ESPN's Rob Stone.

I appreciate that Simmons earnestly tries to understand a sport he knows little about (my uneducated guess is that he has a young kid playing soccer, and now is in the 'soccer world'). Stone does a great job describing the details of World Cup qualifying.

But eight minutes in, he falls upon the classic ESPN cliches: comparing something in soccer (or any sport) to either:

a) the U.S. beating Russia in 1980; or
b) a team winnning feels like the Celtics and Red Sox winning championships

Its so lazy - and so cliche. No matter what the sport, does it always have to come down to the U.S. beating Russia; Michael Jordan; or Tiger Woods?

If you have to use the US/Russia analogy, or the Sawx winning the World Series, just don't say anything.

Thanks for letting me know early, Bill. I can delete you off my list.

 

[2 Mannings 1 Cup]

Okay I am late to the podcast world - I got a nano for Father's Day - and am completely excited about listening to podcasts for my commute. I have downloaded various podcasts, and am happy with the quality.

I am not a Bill Simmons fan, yet think he does great work on his NBA writings (when they are linked here). I downloaded a recent podcast, where he talks soccer with ESPN's Rob Stone.

I appreciate that Simmons earnestly tries to understand a sport he knows little about (my uneducated guess is that he has a young kid playing soccer, and now is in the 'soccer world'). Stone does a great job describing the details of World Cup qualifying.

But eight minutes in, he falls upon the classic ESPN cliches: comparing something in soccer (or any sport) to either:

a) the U.S. beating Russia in 1980; or
b) a team winnning feels like the Celtics and Red Sox winning championships

Its so lazy - and so cliche. No matter what the sport, does it always have to come down to the U.S. beating Russia; Michael Jordan; or Tiger Woods?

If you have to use the US/Russia analogy, or the Sawx winning the World Series, just don't say anything.

Thanks for letting me know early, Bill. I can delete you off my list.

It's Bill Simmons. Don't think too hard and you'll enjoy the show.

 

[KVV]

It's Bill Simmons. Don't think too hard and you'll enjoy the show.

What a pefect summary of the state of sports journalism today.

 

[imjustagirl]

Poin: Get the Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me podcasts. Thank me later.

 

[maberger]

Poin: Get the Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me podcasts. Thank me later.

i'd add This American Life and Studio 360

 

[poindexter]

Thanks, folks.

 

[TigerVols]

The best podcast available: Planet Money.

Great stuff there.

 

[Starman]

In other words, a "pudcast."

: :

 

[Batman]

Poin, you might want to give Simmons another chance. He often has some discussions on there about writing, or the creative process, that are interesting. He also has had some good stuff about the old media vs. new media debate. The podcast he did with Mark Cuban was great.
In short, Simmons seems like he's trying to use the podcast to break out of his Sports Guy gimmick. He falls back into it once in a while, but as a whole there's more good than there is bad.

 

[JackReacher]

Poin, you might want to give Simmons another chance. He often has some discussions on there about writing, or the creative process, that are interesting. He also has had some good stuff about the old media vs. new media debate. The podcast he did with Mark Cuban was great.
In short, Simmons seems like he's trying to use the podcast to break out of his Sports Guy gimmick. He falls back into it once in a while, but as a whole there's more good than there is bad.

I agree.

I listen to a little bit of nearly all his podcasts. I usually don't listen to the ones where he does nothing but chat with his old buddies. Too much Yankees-Sox talk for me. But his NBA stuff is great, and he has indeed done a ton with the new media angle.

Apparently, he's got a new one up with Chad Ford. I'll check it out at work tomorrow.

 

[Rhody31]

I like Simmons and Adam Carolla's is very good.
And if you're a fantasy baseball dork, ESPN's Fantasy Focus is usually a-plus.

 

[poindexter]

A week later:

Carolla is just fantastic.
Wait, Don't Tell Me didn't make the cut. Sounds too much like a late night talk show (Leno-ish). Just not my cup of tea
This American Life from PBS is a winner.
World Soccer Daily is a winner

I will check out Planet Money.

 

[TrooperBari]

A week later:

Carolla is just fantastic.
Wait, Don't Tell Me didn't make the cut. Sounds too much like a late night talk show (Leno-ish). Just not my cup of tea
This American Life from PBS is a winner.
World Soccer Daily is a winner

I will check out Planet Money.

I, too, am a recent Carolla convert -- really dug the Dr. Drew episode.

World Soccer Daily, though? Please consider this high-quality, low-cost alternative (of which I am in no way affiliated):
http://www.kenn.com/the_blog/?page_id=1530

 

[poindexter]

World Soccer Daily, though? Please consider this high-quality, low-cost alternative (of which I am in no way affiliated):
http://www.kenn.com/the_blog/?page_id=1530

Absolutely I will.

World Soccer Daily has been great with the USMNT Confederations Cup run, but I don't follow the day-to-day EPL/Champions League, etc and I see where that podcast is going.

Thanks for the link.

 

[TrooperBari]

My pleasure, poin.

I swear by the Guardian's Football Weekly podcast, too, but that is admittedly too Euro-centric for some.

 

[Webster]

Carolla can be very funny, although there are only so many times you can listen to the same stories about when he worked construction.

I've never listened to World Soccer Daily -- only Football Weekly (which is simply fantastic)

 

[nafselon]

Carolla's is pretty good. Oddly I found myself enjoying his one with Joe Rogan where they spent most of the hour talking about killer whales.

 

[TrooperBari]

For those who like John Oliver's work on The Daily Show, or just good satire, for that matter:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/the_bugle/

 

[ArnoldBabar]

The podcasts against which all other podcasts should be measured: Ricky Gervais. People often look at me funny when I laugh out loud on planes.

 

[sgreenwell]

I love Carolla's podcast. He always has a wide spectrum of guests too, ranging from his buddies to the shockingly good on radio David Alan Grier to Francis Ford Coppola, and David Cross and Bob Odenkirk. The only issue is that the sound quality is pretty bad at times, especially since he's paying for Donnie to edit it.

I'm also a fan of Dave Dameshek, although I realize this his voice and focus on a lot of Pittsburgh sports talk (even though he's on ESPN and based in LA) might turn some people off. I agree with the others who said you should give Simmons another chance. I'm a fan of his anyway, but he has some good ones with Cuban, Carolla, etc.