Link-O-Rama
Before I get to this week's link dump, I have some writing-related news to share.
First, in addition to being syndicated over at FoxSports.com, my Rotoworld.com columns will now also appear at USAToday.com. For instance, my "Channel Surfing" column from last Friday is available at Rotoworld.com, FoxSports.com, and USAToday.com. The beauty of it is that if you click on those links, you can see that each version looks completely different and has gone through vastly different editing.
It's an odd feeling to see the same piece appear at three different places, but how many people can say they write for Fox Sports and USA Today simultaneously? It looks good on a resume, that's for sure.
In addition to that, I wrote a fairly lengthy article for an interesting magazine that is coming out next month. It's called the Maple Street Press 2006 Red Sox Annual, and along with my article there are also pieces from Paths to Glory co-author Mark Armour, Boston Sports Media Watch publisher Bruce Allen, and The Hidden Game of Baseball co-author Pete Palmer.
I'm most excited about seeing my name alongside Palmer's because he's sort of a sabermetric legend, but the entire lineup of contributors is extremely impressive. The magazine obviously appeals most to Red Sox fans, but there is enough quality analysis included about baseball in general to make it a good read for just about everyone. If you're interested in ordering a copy, click here.
With that little bit of self-promotion out of the way, here are some links ...
I did an interview recently where I was asked whether writing on blogs is more "cynical and negative" than writing in mainstream outlets. My answer was a fairly complicated one, but I probably could have made a long story short by simply linking to this complete hatchet-job Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti did on Frank Thomas last month.
I'm not sure if I was more surprised to learn that the actor who plays George O'Malley on Grey's Anatomy is from Minnesota or that he's 32 years old. What I won't be surprised about is the amount of crap I will now take for liking Grey's Anatomy. In fact, it is the only current, non-reality show I watch on a regular basis.
Now that I'm out of school, I was amused to read last week that "binge drinking" at the University of Minnesota is up. A survey showed that "more than 45 percent of students ages 18 to 24 ... had five or more drinks in a row within the past two weeks." My favorite part of the Minneapolis Star Tribune article on the survey is this quote from Boynton Health Service director Dr. Ed Ehlinger:
When you're looking at 45 percent of students binge drinking on a campus of 50,000 people, that's a lot of people drinking.
The very first party I ever attended as University of Minnesota student was billed as a "dry party." That supposedly meant there was no alcohol involved, which is why they were allowed to openly invite freshmen like me just a few days after we moved in. Well, I got there, eventually made my way downstairs, and was met with perhaps the largest supply of booze I have ever seen in one place before or since. And no, I don't really have a point.
Speaking of drinking, a bunch of high school students from Michigan found out the hard way that you have to be careful about what you write on a blog. As I've learned over the years, you can never be sure what may be read by people who actually know you and how they'll react to it. For instance, it's easy for me to write that my mom screws up macaroni and cheese every time she tries to make it. It's not quite so easy when she comes home and asks me why I had to tell everyone that. Hi mom!
I'm not sure why, but I got a kick out of actually seeing the impact I had on Twins Junkie's visitor totals by simply making a goofy mention of his site yesterday. And again today, I guess.
Here's a very succinct explanation of why, despite turning 23 years old last month, I am far from considering myself an adult: Mohr-Cox made laugh for at least five straight seconds.
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel wrote a column about Super Bowl-related anecdotes that included this amusing one about current ESPN loudmouth and former Denver Post columnist Woody Paige:
Several years ago, he was sitting at a hotel bar when a scantily dressed woman sidled up to him and said, "Hey, honey, I'll do anything you want for $100." Replied Woody: "Sounds good. I'm in Room 123. Go up and write a column and a sidebar."
Nothing beats corny sportswriting humor.
You'll never guess who won "2005 Sportswriter of the Year." Seriously, if you'd have asked me to name 25 likely candidates I'm pretty sure the actual winner's name wouldn't have even crossed my mind. It's not that he isn't good, just that he isn't exactly who I think of when someone says "great sportswriter."
Speaking of sportswriters, I'm as big a Tony Kornheiser fan as you'll ever meet, but even I think he's going to be a Dennis Miller-style disaster on Monday Night Football.
I've long suspected that actor Paul Walker and I were on the same page regarding life's most important issues, and that feeling was confirmed this week.
Upon reading this ridiculousness, I immediately began to imagine Bill Simmons taking on NBA coach after NBA coach like Louis Gossett Jr. in Diggstown. I've put far too much thought into this issue, and have come to the conclusion that Simmons would go 4-26, with wins over Lawrence Frank, Larry Brown, Mike Fratello, and Jeff Van Gundy.
