November 20, 2008
Link-O-Rama
A lack of recent progress on the "Top 40 Minnesota Twins" series is evidence of me being "more keen on starting something new than following it through," but otherwise that description couldn't be further from the truth. There's a decent chance that no one has ever described me as "active and playful" and "engaging in physical, outdoor activities" likely would lead to a bit more success with the Fat-O-Meter. Plus, no human has less of "a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time."The Doers
The active and playful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking, and engaging in physical, outdoor activities.
The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time.
Derek Jeter hasn't shown that much range in years.
These things obviously don't happen overnight, but the ball is definitely beginning to roll. Locally there's MinnPost, which recently celebrated its one-year anniversary and was featured in the Times article:As America's newspapers shrink and shed staff, and broadcast news outlets sink in the ratings, a new kind of Web-based news operation has arisen in several cities, forcing the papers to follow the stories they uncover. ... Their news coverage and hard-digging investigative reporting stand out in an Internet landscape long dominated by partisan commentary, gossip, vitriol and citizen journalism posted by unpaid amateurs.
The fledgling movement has reached a sufficient critical mass, its founders think, so they plan to form an association, angling for national advertising and foundation grants that they could not compete for singly. And hardly a week goes by without a call from journalists around the country seeking advice about starting their own online news outlets.
As one of those freelance contributors I'm obviously biased, but clearly sites like MinnPost will continue to pop up all over the country as newspapers continue to shut down. Good writing and reporting is not limited to ink on a page and given some time to develop the online world will become a fine home.Most of this new breed of news sites have a whiff of scruffy insurgency, but MinnPost, based in Minneapolis, resembles the middle-age establishment. Its founder and chief executive, Joel Kramer, has been the editor and publisher of The Star Tribune, of Minneapolis, and its top editors are refugees from that paper or its rival, The Pioneer Press in St. Paul.
MinnPost is rich compared with its peers--with a $1.5 million bankroll from Mr. Kramer and several others when it started last year, and a $1.3 million annual budget--and it has been more aggressive about selling ads and getting readers to donate.
The full-time editors and reporters earn $50,000 to $60,000 a year, Mr. Kramer said--a living wage, but less than they would make at the competing papers. MinnPost has just five full-time employees, but it uses more than 40 paid freelance contributors, allowing it to do frequent reporting on areas like the arts and sports.
If you haven't already, make sure to order a copy of The Hardball Times Baseball Annual, which begins shipping next week and includes articles from Rob Neyer, Joe Posnanski, Will Leitch, John Dewan, Tim Marchman, Tom Tango, Craig Wright, and Don Malcolm, plus THT's awesome staff of regulars.
Childress apparently made an enemy of Troy Williamson, the former No. 7 overall pick who was a bust in three seasons with the Vikings. Williamson is now on the Jaguars, who host the Vikings this week, and said Thursday that he'd like to "go at it" and "duke it out" with Childress at the 50-yard line prior to Sunday's game. "I'd even tie my hands around my back," Williamson said. Of course, as Childress and Vikings fans know all too well, Williamson's hands were never good for much anyway. Rimshot!
After initially trying to avoid addressing Williamson's comments, Childress eventually loosened up and displayed some rare humor to all those men who come down from the mountains after the battle and shoot the wounded. "I'm not like a woman, I'll give you my weight," Childress offered. "It's 190 pounds of twisted steel and rompin', stompin' dynamite." Then, to make sure that his status as a world-class blowhard with a grating personality wasn't in danger, Childress asked: "Is that enough humor for you?"
Once you're done here, check out my latest "Daily Dose" column over at Rotoworld.
