Grantland.com (1 Viewer)

[otello]

The fairest way to determine homefield advantage, it seems to me, is to give it to the team with the better record. When I tweeted this, I was barraged with return tweets about how that would not be fair, because teams don’t play the same schedule , one league is often markedly weaker than the other and so on. This to me seems to miss the point. Of course it’s not perfectly fair — nothing on this earth is perfectly fair except for the slice-and-choose method of dividing pie*.

*One person slices the pie, the other gets to choose which piece she wants, That — along with 90 feet between bases, grilled corn on the cob, Thunder Road and “the sea was angry that day my friends” Seinfeld — are the closest man has come to perfection.

 

[No. 16]

The other problem I have with him is that he can't really be "The Sports Guy," just a regular sports-loving Joe like the rest of us, when he's a multimillionaire with tons of famous friends, tremendous access to sporting events and athletes, and is one of the more recognizable media guys at the world's biggest sports media empire. But he seems to know that, and in any event there's dozens of good writers on the internet writing from the "regular guy" perspective that took his place.

Don't really understand how his celebrity prevents him from being the a "Sports Guy." He's like many of us in that we have never played any of the sports at a professional level, never coached sports at a professional level, and probably never had the talent to play sports beyond 8th grade. He also didn't enter the sports media to become a broadcaster or analyst. So his columns/writing lacks the technical nuance of a former professional coach, player, or broadcaster. To me he analyzes things in a way that die-hard fans of a sport do. I don't think his writing/perspective has changed much, just his tax bracket. He's still a mega homer for the Boston teams, still loves basketball above all else, and still is the most entertaining sports columnists.

Posnanski is far better than Simmons these days.

Where can I read his stuff? Never heard of the guy.

LinkI can't possibly recommend him highly enough. He's easily the best sportswriter alive in my opinion. He's only been at SI for a year or two but was at the KC Star before that and has been blogging for years. Here's one of my all-time favorites.

Thanks. Will continue to follow him but I don't think he'll ever touch Simmons for me because he seems more of a 1) Baseball 2) Football 3) Basketball compared to Simmons who is a 1) Basketball 2) Baseball 3) Football. My favorite sport is basketball and Simmons has some of the best insight amongst the sports writers out there regarding basketball. I can't think of a writer out there who I agree with more regarding basketball.

 

[Daywalker]

You've all got to be kidding me.

Nearly all the podcasts are golden.

Do I read all of the articles? No. But is their one a day that I do. Yes. Great website. Did I mention it's free?

Some people deserve a punch in the face. No wonder I ignore most people.

 

[TobiasFunke]

You've all got to be kidding me.Nearly all the podcasts are golden.Do I read all of the articles? No. But is their one a day that I do. Yes. Great website. Did I mention it's free?Some people deserve a punch in the face. No wonder I ignore most people.

Yeah, I really hate it when people share opinions about what they like and dislike about various stuff in the FFA. What's wrong with this place?

 

[Garrett]

I thought this was a pretty good article on the site...http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6769890/on-whiskey-grease

I didn't get it.

To Klondike Bars.

 

[ODoyleRules]

The other problem I have with him is that he can't really be "The Sports Guy," just a regular sports-loving Joe like the rest of us, when he's a multimillionaire with tons of famous friends, tremendous access to sporting events and athletes, and is one of the more recognizable media guys at the world's biggest sports media empire. But he seems to know that, and in any event there's dozens of good writers on the internet writing from the "regular guy" perspective that took his place.

Don't really understand how his celebrity prevents him from being the a "Sports Guy." He's like many of us in that we have never played any of the sports at a professional level, never coached sports at a professional level, and probably never had the talent to play sports beyond 8th grade. He also didn't enter the sports media to become a broadcaster or analyst. So his columns/writing lacks the technical nuance of a former professional coach, player, or broadcaster. To me he analyzes things in a way that die-hard fans of a sport do. I don't think his writing/perspective has changed much, just his tax bracket. He's still a mega homer for the Boston teams, still loves basketball above all else, and still is the most entertaining sports columnists.

Posnanski is far better than Simmons these days.

Where can I read his stuff? Never heard of the guy.

LinkI can't possibly recommend him highly enough. He's easily the best sportswriter alive in my opinion. He's only been at SI for a year or two but was at the KC Star before that and has been blogging for years. Here's one of my all-time favorites.

Thanks. Will continue to follow him but I don't think he'll ever touch Simmons for me because he seems more of a 1) Baseball 2) Football 3) Basketball compared to Simmons who is a 1) Basketball 2) Baseball 3) Football. My favorite sport is basketball and Simmons has some of the best insight amongst the sports writers out there regarding basketball. I can't think of a writer out there who I agree with more regarding basketball.

I tried Posnanski too. He's good and someone I'll read more of - thanks. I still prefer Simmons though.

 

[Frostillicus]

+1 on Posnanski.

And one.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

I'm just going to say it:

Bill Simmons is fucking terrible.

 

[biggamer3]

F word is uncensored now? Hell yeah

 

[biggamer3]

What bothers me about this site is it feels like writers make up things to match their agendas.

In todays article about why Cowboys and Aliens flopped they have 10 reasons for it which were pretty logical but then they went and just made up a fact without checking

3. Obscure Source Material

Outside of the major superhero franchises, recent comic-to-screen adaptations have been hit-or-(mostly)-miss. The 2006 graphic novel on which Cowboys & Aliens was based might have registered with Comic-Con attendees, but general audiences didn't know it from Scott Pilgrim, Kick-###, or Jonah Hex, three other little-known comics that were adapted into money-losing movies last year. As even the big-ticket heroes stagnate, the mere presence of staple-bound source material isn’t enough anymore. Which unfortunately means another season in development hell for our dream adaptation of Klarion the Witch Boy.

kick ### was a very nice hit as it was made for 30M and made 96M worldwide, how was that a flop?http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=kickass.htm

 

[Good Posting Judge]

What bothers me about this site is it feels like writers make up things to match their agendas.

In todays article about why Cowboys and Aliens flopped they have 10 reasons for it which were pretty logical but then they went and just made up a fact without checking

3. Obscure Source Material

Outside of the major superhero franchises, recent comic-to-screen adaptations have been hit-or-(mostly)-miss. The 2006 graphic novel on which Cowboys & Aliens was based might have registered with Comic-Con attendees, but general audiences didn't know it from Scott Pilgrim, Kick-###, or Jonah Hex, three other little-known comics that were adapted into money-losing movies last year. As even the big-ticket heroes stagnate, the mere presence of staple-bound source material isn’t enough anymore. Which unfortunately means another season in development hell for our dream adaptation of Klarion the Witch Boy.

kick ### was a very nice hit as it was made for 30M and made 96M worldwide, how was that a flop?http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=kickass.htm

 

[Cliff Clavin]

How has it flopped already? Isn't $40M in a weekend pretty good? Budget was $163M but that doesn't seem to be out of reach.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

How has it flopped already? Isn't $40M in a weekend pretty good? Budget was $163M but that doesn't seem to be out of reach.

Action movies do well overseas too, because foreigners are stupid and like explosions and ####, not emotion or nuance. This movie will definitely make money.

 

[Joe Summer]

How has it flopped already? Isn't $40M in a weekend pretty good? Budget was $163M but that doesn't seem to be out of reach.

It made $36M in its first weekend when it was projected to make $45M. So while it may not have flopped yet, it's definitely underperforming.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

How has it flopped already? Isn't $40M in a weekend pretty good? Budget was $163M but that doesn't seem to be out of reach.

It made $36M in its first weekend when it was projected to make $45M. So while it may not have flopped yet, it's definitely underperforming.

It may not be a blockbuster, sure, but there's a big area between a multi-billion franchise and a Mars Needs Moms-type flop.

 

[Sarnoff]

Regardless of the total, it was the #1 movie of the weekend.

 

[biggamer3]

Regardless of the total, it was the #1 movie of the weekend.

Smurfs baby!!

 

[Kev4029]

What bothers me about this site is it feels like writers make up things to match their agendas.

In todays article about why Cowboys and Aliens flopped they have 10 reasons for it which were pretty logical but then they went and just made up a fact without checking

3. Obscure Source Material

Outside of the major superhero franchises, recent comic-to-screen adaptations have been hit-or-(mostly)-miss. The 2006 graphic novel on which Cowboys & Aliens was based might have registered with Comic-Con attendees, but general audiences didn't know it from Scott Pilgrim, Kick-###, or Jonah Hex, three other little-known comics that were adapted into money-losing movies last year. As even the big-ticket heroes stagnate, the mere presence of staple-bound source material isn’t enough anymore. Which unfortunately means another season in development hell for our dream adaptation of Klarion the Witch Boy.

kick ### was a very nice hit as it was made for 30M and made 96M worldwide, how was that a flop?http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=kickass.htm

The problem with big budget movies that bomb is the fact that they are ####ty movies, it has nothing to do with the source material. ....and you're right about Kick ###.

 

[biggamer3]

What bothers me about this site is it feels like writers make up things to match their agendas.

In todays article about why Cowboys and Aliens flopped they have 10 reasons for it which were pretty logical but then they went and just made up a fact without checking

3. Obscure Source Material

Outside of the major superhero franchises, recent comic-to-screen adaptations have been hit-or-(mostly)-miss. The 2006 graphic novel on which Cowboys & Aliens was based might have registered with Comic-Con attendees, but general audiences didn't know it from Scott Pilgrim, Kick-###, or Jonah Hex, three other little-known comics that were adapted into money-losing movies last year. As even the big-ticket heroes stagnate, the mere presence of staple-bound source material isn’t enough anymore. Which unfortunately means another season in development hell for our dream adaptation of Klarion the Witch Boy.

kick ### was a very nice hit as it was made for 30M and made 96M worldwide, how was that a flop?http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=kickass.htm

The problem with big budget movies that bomb is the fact that they are ####ty movies, it has nothing to do with the source material. ....and you're right about Kick ###.

though to be fair all big budget movies are ####ty movies.all the transformers are pure garbage and all superheros are garbage besides for Iran Man and Batman

About the Kick ### blunder, A site as critiqued as much as Grantland (Ahem Deadspin) should make sure they are at least factually correct. I knew as i was reading it the author was making up stuff and went to check and sure enough Kick ### was a bona fide hit that made 3X the cost of the film

 

[FDASv2.0]

I might be a simpleton, but I am enjoying Bill Barnwell and his Viva Las Vegas contributions so far. Every guy I know dreams of moving to Vegas to be a gambler, and this guy is getting to live that dream and write about it.

 

[roadkill1292]

I might be a simpleton, but I am enjoying Bill Barnwell and his Viva Las Vegas contributions so far. Every guy I know dreams of moving to Vegas to be a gambler, and this guy is getting to live that dream and write about it.

I liked that series as well.Interesting piece today by Klosterman on small college football.

 

[mr. furley]

Barnwell has been doing good work lately

 

[Saints-Man]

 

[Bogart]

The piece on Hagler vs. Leonard was a fun read.

Back when boxing was an important sport.

 

[roadkill1292]

The piece on Hagler vs. Leonard was a fun read.

Back when boxing was an important sport.

That era was the last time I followed the sport because Hagler, Leonard, Duran and Hearns could all really fight. Marvin was the baddest of the bunch and I thought he got screwed in the Sugar Ray decision.

 

[wadegarrett]

Q: Listen to the chorus of Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten." Isn't it about masturbating to porn? "Staring at the blank page before you" (open up the Internet) "open up the dirty window" (obvious) "let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find" (you can't find the words because you're busy grunting) "reaching for something in the distance" (again obvious) "so close you can almost taste it" (almost there) "release your inhibitions" (climax!). Have fun listening to that song the same way ever again.

— Ryan Wittman, State College

SG: Ryan, on behalf of everyone reading this Mailbag, thanks for not keeping that email going through the chorus of "Feel the rain on your skin, no one else can feel it for you, only you can let it in … "

 

[biggamer3]

Q: Listen to the chorus of Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten." Isn't it about masturbating to porn? "Staring at the blank page before you" (open up the Internet) "open up the dirty window" (obvious) "let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find" (you can't find the words because you're busy grunting) "reaching for something in the distance" (again obvious) "so close you can almost taste it" (almost there) "release your inhibitions" (climax!). Have fun listening to that song the same way ever again.

— Ryan Wittman, State College

SG: Ryan, on behalf of everyone reading this Mailbag, thanks for not keeping that email going through the chorus of "Feel the rain on your skin, no one else can feel it for you, only you can let it in … "

holy crap, I heard that song a million times and never picked up on that

 

[roadkill1292]

Malcolm Gladwell's piece today on the Nets was pretty damning of NBA ownership so don't read it if you side with the league. I liked it very much. I like Gladwell very much.

 

[NutterButter]

Malcolm Gladwell's piece today on the Nets was pretty damning of NBA ownership so don't read it if you side with the league. I liked it very much. I like Gladwell very much.

Or rich people for that matter. Very good article.

 

[biggamer3]

That Nets article was amazing

 

[Adebisi]

Malcolm Gladwell's piece today on the Nets was pretty damning of NBA ownership so don't read it if you side with the league. I liked it very much. I like Gladwell very much.

Why not? Is it unconvincing?

 

[roadkill1292]

Malcolm Gladwell's piece today on the Nets was pretty damning of NBA ownership so don't read it if you side with the league. I liked it very much. I like Gladwell very much.

Why not? Is it unconvincing?

It will make you uncomfortable if you're someone who simply believes that the labor dispute is all about player greed. If you're honest with yourself, you'll have to examine those beliefs. (general you, not particular you)

 

[Jutz]

I might be a simpleton, but I am enjoying Bill Barnwell and his Viva Las Vegas contributions so far. Every guy I know dreams of moving to Vegas to be a gambler, and this guy is getting to live that dream and write about it.

I liked that series as well.Interesting piece today by Klosterman on small college football.

Speed Chess. That was a good article.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Malcolm Gladwell's piece today on the Nets was pretty damning of NBA ownership so don't read it if you side with the league. I liked it very much. I like Gladwell very much.

Great article but I still side with the league.

 

[scoobygang]

Malcolm Gladwell's piece today on the Nets was pretty damning of NBA ownership so don't read it if you side with the league. I liked it very much. I like Gladwell very much.

Why not? Is it unconvincing?

It will make you uncomfortable if you're someone who simply believes that the labor dispute is all about player greed. If you're honest with yourself, you'll have to examine those beliefs. (general you, not particular you)

I'm generally sympathetic to the players, but I didn't think much of that piece. It's pretty much the problem I have with everything Gladwell writes. He argues by anecdote. The Nets' situation is unique. And while Stern's off the cuff response to an interview question is fair game for correction, it's a bit much to then use that unique situation to indict all the owners who are losing money. Most owners didn't get sweetheart eminent domain decisions. Most franchises are significantly weaker factors in alternate revenue streams than a team that is moving into the largest media market in the country complete with a favorable real estate agreement.And despite what Gladwell argued in his first column, there is nothing inconsistent with the idea that owners who may own a franchise as a sort of luxury good would also want to maximize their return on investment from that asset. Gladwell characterizes the owners' argument as "the players are greedy" but he never posts one quote to confirm that the owners are publically saying any such thing.

 

[Eephus]

Malcolm Gladwell's piece today on the Nets was pretty damning of NBA ownership so don't read it if you side with the league. I liked it very much. I like Gladwell very much.

Great article but I still side with the league.

Brooklyn ≠ Milwaukee/New Orleans/Sacramento

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Malcolm Gladwell's piece today on the Nets was pretty damning of NBA ownership so don't read it if you side with the league. I liked it very much. I like Gladwell very much.

Great article but I still side with the league.

Brooklyn ≠ Milwaukee/New Orleans/Sacramento

 

[Eephus]

Malcolm Gladwell's piece today on the Nets was pretty damning of NBA ownership so don't read it if you side with the league. I liked it very much. I like Gladwell very much.

Great article but I still side with the league.

Brooklyn ≠ Milwaukee/New Orleans/Sacramento

Gladwell's piece was pretty specific to the Nets. There are unique circumstances involving Ratner, Prokhorov and the Barclays Center development that don't apply to small market NBA franchises with existing arenas.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Malcolm Gladwell's piece today on the Nets was pretty damning of NBA ownership so don't read it if you side with the league. I liked it very much. I like Gladwell very much.

Great article but I still side with the league.

Brooklyn ≠ Milwaukee/New Orleans/Sacramento

Gladwell's piece was pretty specific to the Nets. There are unique circumstances involving Ratner, Prokhorov and the Barclays Center development that don't apply to small market NBA franchises with existing arenas.

Ah. Yeah, I completely agree.

 

[Abraham]

Not sure how anyone can side with the league in the NBA mess. Yes, the salary levels are inequitable and unsustainable but the owners got in to this mess of their own free will. No one forced them to sign the Al Harrington and Corey Maggette's of the world to long, bloated contracts.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Not sure how anyone can side with the league in the NBA mess. Yes, the salary levels are inequitable and unsustainable but the owners got in to this mess of their own free will. No one forced them to sign the Al Harrington and Corey Maggette's of the world to long, bloated contracts.

No one forced 5 tonnes of twinkies down Eddie Curry's throat either. Both sides are to blame for the mess. The owners need protection from each other and from the players. One Isiah Thomas can single handedly inflate contracts through out the league.

 

[thecatch]

Not sure how anyone can side with the league in the NBA mess. Yes, the salary levels are inequitable and unsustainable but the owners got in to this mess of their own free will. No one forced them to sign the Al Harrington and Corey Maggette's of the world to long, bloated contracts.

If the owners are locked into paying the players 57% of BRI, it doesn't really matter how that money is distributed among the individual players. If Harrington wasn't getting it, someone else would. That's a problem if the league as a whole is losing money.

 

[thecatch]

Not sure how anyone can side with the league in the NBA mess. Yes, the salary levels are inequitable and unsustainable but the owners got in to this mess of their own free will. No one forced them to sign the Al Harrington and Corey Maggette's of the world to long, bloated contracts.

No one forced 5 tonnes of twinkies down Eddie Curry's throat either. Both sides are to blame for the mess. The owners need protection from each other and from the players. One Isiah Thomas can single handedly inflate contracts through out the league.

The counterpoint to the Gladwell article would be a profile on Eddy's Curry's pro basketball career.

 

[scoobygang]

Not sure how anyone can side with the league in the NBA mess. Yes, the salary levels are inequitable and unsustainable but the owners got in to this mess of their own free will. No one forced them to sign the Al Harrington and Corey Maggette's of the world to long, bloated contracts.

Labor disputes aren't basketball games. Why do people "side" with anyone? If the owners made a mistake in the last CBA, that doesn't mean they don't have a right to try to fix it now. Who cares who's responsible for escalating salaries? It's not remotely relevant. The owners have the right to refuse to operate a professional basketball league under the terms the players are insisting on. And the players have the corresponding right to refuse to play under the terms the owners are insisting on. That's how the process works.

 

[pollardsvision]

Not sure how anyone can side with the league in the NBA mess. Yes, the salary levels are inequitable and unsustainable but the owners got in to this mess of their own free will. No one forced them to sign the Al Harrington and Corey Maggette's of the world to long, bloated contracts.

I don't have a "side" in this, but leagues putting restraints on the free will of GM's/owners is nothing new.Without a hard cap and the non-guaranteed contracts that the cap leads to, I think you'd find alot of NFL GMs would look pretty stupid too. NBA GM's are in a tough spot. If you don't have a HOFer (preferrably 2 or 3), your season will almost certainly not matter. You still have to con the fanbase into thinking it does though. Not a small task. They are desperate to sell tickets and most know that putting a championship team on the court is impossible. You end up with bad contracts that make the problem even worse down the line. NFL GMs generally don't have to worry about selling tickets and can easily shed bad contracts. MLB is a whole different animal. A smaller roster magnifies the problem even more.I think NBA GMs need some help.That said, I have no idea what the answer might be. Personally, I think competitive balance in the NBA is neither possible nor ideal.

 

[roadkill1292]

Goodness, I didn't mean for this thread to get sidetracked into NBA labor wars discussion.

Still, Fight The Power.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

The Worst Website In The World - A response to Toronto being an awful sports city.

 

[Dexter]

Have they hired an editor yet?

 

[roadkill1292]

Not sure how anyone can side with the league in the NBA mess. Yes, the salary levels are inequitable and unsustainable but the owners got in to this mess of their own free will. No one forced them to sign the Al Harrington and Corey Maggette's of the world to long, bloated contracts.

Labor disputes aren't basketball games. Why do people "side" with anyone? If the owners made a mistake in the last CBA, that doesn't mean they don't have a right to try to fix it now. Who cares who's responsible for escalating salaries? It's not remotely relevant. The owners have the right to refuse to operate a professional basketball league under the terms the players are insisting on. And the players have the corresponding right to refuse to play under the terms the owners are insisting on. That's how the process works.

Your obvious intelligence and your ability to stay rooted firmly in reality are two of the things I have long admired about you, even when we disagree about stuff.I, however, am prone to wild flights of fancy and therefore was positively giddy after reading Simmons' and Kang's email exchange today about their idea for the ownerless NBA.

 

[Abraham]

Still enjoying most of their articles. I read 60% of what they post and enjoy it.