Grantland.com (2 Viewers)

[Old Smiley]

I'm guessing everybody at Grantland is under contract to ESPN. I'd love it if there was an exodus of talent from that site in sympathy. But I won't hold it against anyone if they don't. Money's money.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I don't know if it compares, but they did just run a long article a couple of days ago on the dude who ran the Yankees in the 60s/70s that may be more in line with what you remember.

That sounds like the kind of thing they ran more of back when it first started.

Here ya go

http://grantland.com/features/mike-burke-new-york-yankees-team-president-spy-world-war-two-baseball-mlb/

 

[Capella]

Pretty big media story. Probably good for him too, he's completely stagnant now. I don't even open his columns anymore.

I never did; no loss to me.

Who did you read for sports humor?

Sbnation and deadspin.

Awful Announcing.

They're not funny. This may explain much about you two.

AA used to be and is now more of a media coverage site. Dead and SB are the two best sites on the innerwebs.

 

[Ghost Rider]

I agree with those saying Simmons is a great writer, but bad on TV. He's too insufferable when doing the talking head thing on TV. Please keep him far away from the TNT show with Chuck, Ernie, Kenny and Shaq.

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

Read that Simmons market value will be in the 5-10M annually as he seeks a new deal.

Yeesh. That's buying high. I read Grantland every day and also one of the biggest fans of the 30 For 30 series, but I wouldn't pay anyone $5MM to run those projects.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Yeah, Grantland has seemed to devolve pretty quickly. I think it's a lot harder to do quality long-read stuff in loo of just churning out "Top 10 Worst NFL Draft Mistakes" (not that I wouldn't read that) or "Who Won Tango and Cash?"

On the topic, Brin-Jonathan Butler's piece on Mayweather/Pacquiao was truly masterful, I'd dare even say the definitive take on the whole debacle. Amazing art, layout, writing, and the guy knows boxing. ####### fantastic.

http://www.sbnation.com/a/pacquiao-mayweather-fight

 

[RedmondLonghorn]

Yeah, Grantland has seemed to devolve pretty quickly. I think it's a lot harder to do quality long-read stuff in loo of just churning out "Top 10 Worst NFL Draft Mistakes" (not that I wouldn't read that) or "Who Won Tango and Cash?"

On the topic, Brin-Jonathan Butler's piece on Mayweather/Pacquiao was truly masterful, I'd dare even say the definitive take on the whole debacle. Amazing art, layout, writing, and the guy knows boxing. ####### fantastic.

http://www.sbnation.com/a/pacquiao-mayweather-fight

SB Nation's long form stuff is excellent.

 

[Brony]

I don't really like Kenny smith all that much, so I just avoid shows where he is on and his success or failure doesn't bother me all that much. I certainly don't waste hours trying to find articles bashing him nor would I ever think to waste time posting in a thread about him. Quite frankly, I am fascinated in why people spend all this energy hating him. Simmons isn't that great or horrible or polarizing for the amount of attention he gets by some people. (Yet here I am too)

 

[freeannyong]

ATH and PTI completely avoid the topic

 

[Tick]

Fox sports does make sense. I forgot they have that awful cable network now.

Would be easy to work him into a segment on their NFL pregame show, too.

The thought of Joe Buck and Bill Simmons in the booth calling an MLB playoff game seems like a phenomenal trainwreck. Could Buck finish himself off to thoughts of Madison Bumgarner before Simmons could toss off to Papi Ortiz?

Simmons hates Joe Buck.

And Magic, and Kobe, and Doc Rivers... and didn't he make fun of Jalen Rose a lot before they became best buddies? Simmons likes anyone he's in front of.

A few podcasts ago, he did his own history to this point. I assumed then that he was done at ESPN.

 

[mphtrilogy]

I stopped all things Simmons after the goodell hissy fit, I just got kinda tired of him and ESPN.

This is a good thing, I will definitely give him a new shot wherever he lands.

 

[Capella]

There is good writing about this today. Particularly this:

http://www.rollingstone.com/sports/features/bill-simmons-a-begrudging-appreciation-20150508?page=2

They are throwing away ungodly sums of money on a vanity site for Jason Whitlock, who seems delusional to the point of locking all the doors to a house and burning it down with himself and his employees inside so he can use them as his warriors in the afterlife.

 

[John Bender]

There is good writing about this today. Particularly this: http://www.rollingstone.com/sports/features/bill-simmons-a-begrudging-appreciation-20150508?page=2

They are throwing away ungodly sums of money on a vanity site for Jason Whitlock, who seems delusional to the point of locking all the doors to a house and burning it down with himself and his employees inside so he can use them as his warriors in the afterlife.

Yep...the RS article was the definitive read IMO. Summed up my thoughts exactly on the whole deal.

 

[Zow]

Gonna miss bill barnwell

 

[Jack White]

Gonna miss bill barnwell

Barnwell is leaving?

 

[Daywalker]

Fact we are discussing this says Simmons moves the needle.

Would be interesting to see Netflix/Amazon/Hulu jump into the fray with a daily PTI type show.

 

[roadkill1292]

The Rolling Stone piece was indeed a good one. Does anybody know the origins of the Simmons-Pierce spat?

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

The Rolling Stone piece was indeed a good one. Does anybody know the origins of the Simmons-Pierce spat?

Not sure when it all started. However, I do remember Pierce wrote a scathing negative review of The Book Of Basketball. Just trashed it. Brought up several factual and narrative errors in the book, said Simmons's writing tone was misogynist, and that Simmons was ill-equipped to discuss race relations.

Simmons cited Pierce a couple times in the footnotes and bibliography of the book. But when the paperback edition came out, Simmons had all the references to Pierce removed, and was explicit he had it done because Pierce trashed the book.

 

[Capella]

Absolutely nothing Pierce said was wrong.

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

Absolutely nothing Pierce said was wrong.

I agree. I got TBOB right away and enjoyed reading it, but I was surprised how much incorrect/uninformed material made the final version.

I guess Simmons thought removing the Pierce references from the paperback would be badass in a Corleone kind of way, but it made him look like a thin-skinned #####.

 

[Mr. Retukes]

Grantland isn't going to survive this. Some of the writers will leave out of loyalty, others will leave because ESPN will cut Grantland's budget, and eventually the whole site will be shut down when everyone realizes that Simmons was largely responsible for the site's traffic.

And when history writes Grantland's epitaph, Bill Simmons will ultimately be seen as the bad guy, not the hero.

 

[Capella]

Absolutely nothing Pierce said was wrong.

I agree. I got TBOB right away and enjoyed reading it, but I was surprised how much incorrect/uninformed material made the final version.I guess Simmons thought removing the Pierce references from the paperback would be badass in a Corleone kind of way, but it made him look like a thin-skinned #####.

Yea I really did enjoy that book, mainly because it was so different than what other people have done. I disregarded a fair amount of it, but it was a fun read.

 

[Capella]

Grantland isn't going to survive this. Some of the writers will leave out of loyalty, others will leave because ESPN will cut Grantland's budget, and eventually the whole site will be shut down when everyone realizes that Simmons was largely responsible for the site's traffic.

And when history writes Grantland's epitaph, Bill Simmons will ultimately be seen as the bad guy, not the hero.

A lot of those guys and gals there are apparently getting way more than market value. I expect Barnwell and especially Lowe to go with Bill. But yea, grantland won't be there in 3 years I imagine.

Honestly the only thing I will miss are the Bill and Jalen YouTube NBA previews. Those were terrific.

 

[Capella]

Fact we are discussing this says Simmons moves the needle.

Would be interesting to see Netflix/Amazon/Hulu jump into the fray with a daily PTI type show.

I don't think anybody has said he isn't important. Quite the opposite actually.

 

[Mr. Retukes]

Simmons doesn't want to answer to anyone. I predict that he'll start his own website and he'll poach a bunch of writers from Grantland, but eventually the whole thing will collapse when Simmons realizes that he's too cheap to pay the writers what they're worth and that maybe having an "Angel Investor" like ESPN isn't such a bad idea after all.

 

[dparker713]

Grantland isn't going to survive this. Some of the writers will leave out of loyalty, others will leave because ESPN will cut Grantland's budget, and eventually the whole site will be shut down when everyone realizes that Simmons was largely responsible for the site's traffic.

And when history writes Grantland's epitaph, Bill Simmons will ultimately be seen as the bad guy, not the hero.

Why on earth would Simmons be seen as the bad guy in your scenario? He was the driving force behind the site. It doesn't exist without him and his firing and the subsequent failure of the site would prove he was essential to its success.

 

[Capella]

Was that Jacobi guy a friend of Simmons who somehow got a job at ESPN? I never heard of that guy until a year or two ago and all of a sudden he's doing podcasts with Jalen Rose.

 

[Tick]

Jacoby worked at a bunch of lesser ESPN shows for a few years, then went with Simmons to Grantland. He wasn't a friend of Simmons before ESPN as far as I know.

 

[Mr. Retukes]

Grantland isn't going to survive this. Some of the writers will leave out of loyalty, others will leave because ESPN will cut Grantland's budget, and eventually the whole site will be shut down when everyone realizes that Simmons was largely responsible for the site's traffic.

And when history writes Grantland's epitaph, Bill Simmons will ultimately be seen as the bad guy, not the hero.

Why on earth would Simmons be seen as the bad guy in your scenario? He was the driving force behind the site. It doesn't exist without him and his firing and the subsequent failure of the site would prove he was essential to its success.

You just answered your own question. Simmons allowed his own ego and his petty vindictive attitude to destroy something that he loved. He needed to put Grantland first and his stupid authority complex second. Does anyone really think that all those Grantland employees are going to be agreeing with Simmons when they're on the unemployment line?

He didn't do himself OR Grantland any favors by getting himself fired.

 

[No. 16]

Was that Jacobi guy a friend of Simmons who somehow got a job at ESPN? I never heard of that guy until a year or two ago and all of a sudden he's doing podcasts with Jalen Rose.

Not sure, but I remember Jalen Rose saying they gave Rose the autonomy to choose his partner for the podcast and that he chose Jacoby because of all the work he did behind the scenes.

 

[GroveDiesel]

Pretty sure Jacoby is a college buddy of Simmons.

 

[rockaction]

I have to admit that I found the RS article pretty typically tinged with soft SJW stuff, which is probably why I generally don't read Grantland's pop culture or socio-political work, nor do I take it that seriously. Especially Pierce and the gang, who never met a leftist trope they weren't afraid to expound upon.

Barnwell, Baker, and Brown are different stories altogether. I read their sports coverage, and think that the people they hired to do it are excellent.

eta* I also thought, for a while, that Katie Baker was the best writer and most astute social commentator that they had at Grantland. She still may be, but I stopped reading Grantland daily, so I'm not sure anymore.

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

Pretty sure Jacoby is a college buddy of Simmons.

Simmons's college buddies are early BS Report guests: JackO, House, Hench, and the like. Jacoby's claim to ESPN fame pre-Grantland is being one of the co-creators of SportsNation. Before that, he was a producer on other ESPN original shows like 2-Minute Drill and Stump The Schwab.

 

[dparker713]

Grantland isn't going to survive this. Some of the writers will leave out of loyalty, others will leave because ESPN will cut Grantland's budget, and eventually the whole site will be shut down when everyone realizes that Simmons was largely responsible for the site's traffic.

And when history writes Grantland's epitaph, Bill Simmons will ultimately be seen as the bad guy, not the hero.

Why on earth would Simmons be seen as the bad guy in your scenario? He was the driving force behind the site. It doesn't exist without him and his firing and the subsequent failure of the site would prove he was essential to its success.

You just answered your own question. Simmons allowed his own ego and his petty vindictive attitude to destroy something that he loved. He needed to put Grantland first and his stupid authority complex second. Does anyone really think that all those Grantland employees are going to be agreeing with Simmons when they're on the unemployment line?

He didn't do himself OR Grantland any favors by getting himself fired.

I always find it odd when people side with the multi-billion dollar corporation.

 

[roadkill1292]

Grantland isn't going to survive this. Some of the writers will leave out of loyalty, others will leave because ESPN will cut Grantland's budget, and eventually the whole site will be shut down when everyone realizes that Simmons was largely responsible for the site's traffic.

And when history writes Grantland's epitaph, Bill Simmons will ultimately be seen as the bad guy, not the hero.

Why on earth would Simmons be seen as the bad guy in your scenario? He was the driving force behind the site. It doesn't exist without him and his firing and the subsequent failure of the site would prove he was essential to its success.

You just answered your own question. Simmons allowed his own ego and his petty vindictive attitude to destroy something that he loved. He needed to put Grantland first and his stupid authority complex second. Does anyone really think that all those Grantland employees are going to be agreeing with Simmons when they're on the unemployment line?

He didn't do himself OR Grantland any favors by getting himself fired.

I always find it odd when people side with the multi-billion dollar corporation.

Classic Politician Spock Jack White schtick.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Hotness of the Grantlandesses:

Molly Lambert. I'm not a ginger fan, which makes her all the hotter. She gets it and her appreciation of Christina Hendricks' boobs seals the deal.

Mallory Rubin (she may actually be my hottest, as she's got killer geek cred and a smoking body - watch her on the weekly GoT podcast; if Molly doesn't respond to my many marriage requests in the next 2 years, Mallory moves to #1).

Holly Anderson. She actually makes me laugh out loud and knows her #### about college FB, something I can say about exactly zero other college gridiron writers. She's probably the best writer on the site.

Katie & Juliet: I'm not really sure why they're there. I'm sure they're nice and all.

 

[Rirruto]

Grantland isn't going to survive this. Some of the writers will leave out of loyalty, others will leave because ESPN will cut Grantland's budget, and eventually the whole site will be shut down when everyone realizes that Simmons was largely responsible for the site's traffic.

And when history writes Grantland's epitaph, Bill Simmons will ultimately be seen as the bad guy, not the hero.

Why on earth would Simmons be seen as the bad guy in your scenario? He was the driving force behind the site. It doesn't exist without him and his firing and the subsequent failure of the site would prove he was essential to its success.

He didn't do himself OR Grantland any favors by getting himself fired.

Wait. How did he get fired? His contract was up, he and ESPN have been negotiating for months, he reportedly asked for $6 million, and ESPN reportedly refused to pay that much. Is Joakim Noah being fired by the Bulls if they don't meet his salary demands this summer?

 

[Jack White]

Grantland isn't going to survive this. Some of the writers will leave out of loyalty, others will leave because ESPN will cut Grantland's budget, and eventually the whole site will be shut down when everyone realizes that Simmons was largely responsible for the site's traffic.

And when history writes Grantland's epitaph, Bill Simmons will ultimately be seen as the bad guy, not the hero.

Why on earth would Simmons be seen as the bad guy in your scenario? He was the driving force behind the site. It doesn't exist without him and his firing and the subsequent failure of the site would prove he was essential to its success.

He didn't do himself OR Grantland any favors by getting himself fired.

Wait. How did he get fired? His contract was up, he and ESPN have been negotiating for months, he reportedly asked for $6 million, and ESPN reportedly refused to pay that much. Is Joakim Noah being fired by the Bulls if they don't meet his salary demands this summer?

Semantics.

 

[dparker713]

Grantland isn't going to survive this. Some of the writers will leave out of loyalty, others will leave because ESPN will cut Grantland's budget, and eventually the whole site will be shut down when everyone realizes that Simmons was largely responsible for the site's traffic.

And when history writes Grantland's epitaph, Bill Simmons will ultimately be seen as the bad guy, not the hero.

Why on earth would Simmons be seen as the bad guy in your scenario? He was the driving force behind the site. It doesn't exist without him and his firing and the subsequent failure of the site would prove he was essential to its success.

He didn't do himself OR Grantland any favors by getting himself fired.

Wait. How did he get fired? His contract was up, he and ESPN have been negotiating for months, he reportedly asked for $6 million, and ESPN reportedly refused to pay that much. Is Joakim Noah being fired by the Bulls if they don't meet his salary demands this summer?

Well, the deal isn't up until September. All accounts are that ESPN broke off the negotiations and said they're done with him. So they're definitely the side ending the relationship.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

The speculation that Simmons going after Goodell again was the tipping point is fairly troubling, albeit not surprising. Can the guy for #####ing about ESPN, fine. But for taking shots at the golden goose? Or at least being the straw on the camel's back? Bad.

But nobody will care I guess.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

How much does the ESPN brand help Simmons? Remember Rob Neyer? He was one of the top writers on the site. He also used to be a regular on "Baseball Tonight", and on Sportscenter anytime a big story broke. He was a big part of the network.

Then he left for more money....and has since dropped into obscurity.

 

[BoltBacker]

Fact we are discussing this says Simmons moves the needle.

Would be interesting to see Netflix/Amazon/Hulu jump into the fray with a daily PTI type show.

I don't think anybody has said he isn't important. Quite the opposite actually.

The sports themselves aren't important. The people that scribble about them are even less so. Simmons is about half a degree different than Nancy Grace standing on his little soap box wagging his finger.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

How much does the ESPN brand help Simmons? Remember Rob Neyer? He was one of the top writers on the site. He also used to be a regular on "Baseball Tonight", and on Sportscenter anytime a big story broke. He was a big part of the network.

Then he left for more money....and has since dropped into obscurity.

He's held editor positions at SBNation and now Fox. So he's been less visible, sure, but that's not to say his career has tanked.

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

The speculation that Simmons going after Goodell again was the tipping point is fairly troubling, albeit not surprising. Can the guy for #####ing about ESPN, fine. But for taking shots at the golden goose? Or at least being the straw on the camel's back? Bad.

But nobody will care I guess.

There's also some speculation that Skipper had a particular problem with Simmons using the old Mick Foley catchphrase "testicular fortitude" while on Dan Patrick's show.

The nature of Skipper's resistance - the anatomical reference within the phrase, Problem with Simmons lifting from a pro wrestler, or the staleness of the phrase - is unknown.

 

[Baloney Sandwich]

The speculation that Simmons going after Goodell again was the tipping point is fairly troubling, albeit not surprising. Can the guy for

#####ing about ESPN, fine. But for taking shots at the golden goose? Or at least being the straw on the camel's back? Bad.

But nobody will care I guess.

I think going on a non-ESPN show (Patrick's) without clearing it with ESPN per protocol had more to do with it than the Goodell comments although I'm sure that didn't help either.

 

[GroveDiesel]

How much does the ESPN brand help Simmons? Remember Rob Neyer? He was one of the top writers on the site. He also used to be a regular on "Baseball Tonight", and on Sportscenter anytime a big story broke. He was a big part of the network.

Then he left for more money....and has since dropped into obscurity.

Simmons is different in that he's not just talent, he is also a producer, editor, etc. But there's no question that ESPN is a huge platform either. Len Pasquarelli was ESPN's #1 NFL guy, and he totally disappeared after they let him go. The same is true with Peter Gammons from the baseball side. Of course, both those guys also had health issues too, so who knows exactly how much of their disappearance is related to health, and how much is no longer being with ESPN.

 

[roadkill1292]

The speculation that Simmons going after Goodell again was the tipping point is fairly troubling, albeit not surprising. Can the guy for #####ing about ESPN, fine. But for taking shots at the golden goose? Or at least being the straw on the camel's back? Bad.

But nobody will care I guess.

Grantland pieces are the only things on ESPN.com that take on the serious institutional problems with the big sports like the NFL. I don't count the braying of the sycophantic pack whenever King Roger doesn't punish some schmuck hard enough for their tastes.

 

[Abraham]

I think he goes to HBO with a multi platform thing that includes TV and web.

 

[Fariq]

I have to admit that I found the RS article pretty typically tinged with soft SJW stuff, which is probably why I generally don't read Grantland's pop culture or socio-political work, nor do I take it that seriously. Especially Pierce and the gang, who never met a leftist trope they weren't afraid to expound upon.

Barnwell, Baker, and Brown are different stories altogether. I read their sports coverage, and think that the people they hired to do it are excellent.

eta* I also thought, for a while, that Katie Baker was the best writer and most astute social commentator that they had at Grantland. She still may be, but I stopped reading Grantland daily, so I'm not sure anymore.

SJW?

Single Jewish Women?

 

[rockaction]

I have to admit that I found the RS article pretty typically tinged with soft SJW stuff, which is probably why I generally don't read Grantland's pop culture or socio-political work, nor do I take it that seriously. Especially Pierce and the gang, who never met a leftist trope they weren't afraid to expound upon.

Barnwell, Baker, and Brown are different stories altogether. I read their sports coverage, and think that the people they hired to do it are excellent.

eta* I also thought, for a while, that Katie Baker was the best writer and most astute social commentator that they had at Grantland. She still may be, but I stopped reading Grantland daily, so I'm not sure anymore.

SJW?

Single Jewish Women?

Social Justice Warrior. The kind of stuff that Rolling Stone is really prone to publishing. See, Sabrina Erderly, Matt Taibbi, etc.

Grantland articles about pop culture, movies, and even some of their sports coverage often raise the social concerns coming from the cultural left in many of their articles.