There is the potential to change the way people get their news. Fast-forward this to Opening Day. It's a 2 p.m. game, hopefully I'll pitch great and we'll win. Sometime around 7 or 8 o'clock that night I'll sit down -- I'm on the road, I'm by myself -- I'll blog out the game, pitch-by-pitch in some instances, inning-by-inning, I'll go into minutia ... By 9 o'clock that night I'll have a post up. ... Those people will know about things they could never read about [in the newspapers], 12 hours before the newspapers ever come out.I'm very curious how many players will eventually do something like this. (C.J. Nitkowski has been blogging for a long time. What other players write blogs?) Maybe they won't bang out 3,000 words a day, but they might dictate some thoughts to an assistant, something beyond post-game cliches, that fans can sink their teeth into.
SG quotes a great exchange Schilling had with WEEI's Gerry Callahan about a week ago:
GC: So, it's like you're kinda cutting out the middle man.The CHB wrote a beyond-lame parody (no link, you can find it if you're curious) of the Q&A posts that Schilling has been writing, answering questions from fans. Curt responds, umm, curtly:
CS: What do you mean, "kinda"?
Putting his inherent "toolness" on display for all the world to see did far more than I could ever hope to do by trying to explain what a dope he is.Expect to hear and read sarcasm, griping and ridicule from various print journalists who have few skills, no desire to inform, or even a love for baseball. They are fast becoming irrelevant.
P.S. How many families are there in which both the mother and daughter write Red Sox blogs?
I broke my rule about not reading Dickhead's material and got through about half of his swing-and-a-miss at satire. It was awful. The guy should be put out to pasture (if not his misery). And it's not because I feel like no one should make a little fun of Curt, or even a lot. Even though I enjoy his blog, there's no question Schilling's ripe for it. But it would require a half measure of competence, which way beyond Dickhead.
ReplyDeleteFire Joe Morgan had a good take on the CHB's column.
ReplyDeleteThe always-entertaining FJM.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of G38's blog could be the starting point for a fascinating study of this new media and how it is changing, and will continue to change, the dynamic between player, reporter and fan. (Add to that mix fan blogs like this one and sites like Baseball Prospectus and The Hardball Times that educate anyone willing to open his/her mind.)
It's a discussion that will be ongoing for years, perhaps decades.
It is clear that the CHB -- like Murray Chass and hundreds of others -- doesn't give a shit about it. Instead of digging into what could develop into one of the biggest sports stories of our time, they prefer to toss around insults they must have picked up in 2nd-grade and crack jokes of (as FJM points out) the "why do you park in a driveway and drive on a parkway" variety.
SI.com: I think what is really appealing for a fan is when you discuss the nuts-and-bolts of what's going on in a game.
ReplyDeleteSchilling: In Boston, that's a big deal. Fans in Boston want to know why I threw a slider 2-0, or they want to know the difference between my fastball and my change-up. They are smart as hell, and for me that's fun.
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A newspaper might have a one sentence quote about that slider -- but only if it was hit for a home run or something.
A blog allows the player to talk about whatever he wants, in as much depth as he likes -- with the knowledge that every single word will be published exactly how he wants it to be seen.
Even the perfect newspaper can't match that.
It is clear that the CHB -- like Murray Chass and hundreds of others -- doesn't give a shit about it.
ReplyDeleteThey are dinosaurs. Or maybe already fossils. They'll go extinct.
OK, I've lost control of this lame metaphor, but I do think that attitudes like CHB's and Chass's will become more and more rare until they all but disappear.
Especially if Curt get more visitors a day then the globe sells papers....
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the Globe has already sent in their bid to take control of Schilling's blog. Like anything cool, it will become uncool. Unless people don't allow money to get in the way. I could see that blog looking like a NASCAR driver in the near future.
ReplyDeleteActually, I wouldn't be surprised if Lucchino hasn't already talked to Curt about having his blog be a feature on redsox.com. 5 bucks per month to read it. Get your free MLB licensed 38Pitches hat with purchase of a one-year subscription. How much would you pay.....
I like that Curt is doing this. I just hope he keeps it the way it is.
Hmm, I wonder if that's a neat way to get around luxury tax exposure for Curt's next contract. JWH seed money for Schill's gaming company, sponsor money for the blog ... very interesting.
ReplyDeleteCommenting on some of the actual questions fans have asked Schilling at his blog --
ReplyDeleteQ-I understand the desire to not face AL East teams, but isn't the reverse true? Might you learn something from them by facing them in ST?
Q-Does one hitter protect another in the lineup, in the pitchers mind?
Q-I read that Beckett's problems last year were him relying on his FB too much, doesn't Tek make sure that doesn't happen?
Q-Does [the Sox'] "no renewal" stance make you feel like they are, in effect, betting against you having a big year?
Q-What goes through your mind between innings when things aren't going well or you are worried that you don't have all the tools you want or need on the mound on any given start?
--- SoSHer "The Gray Eagle" wrote:
Fans are asking Schilling these questions because CHB and most of his cronies won't. Fans who like baseball want to know the answers, but the dozens of media people in this area don't bother with this type of stuff very often. And if they do, they usually manage to slant it with their own agendas or predetermined conclusions.
The answers to those questions would produce an interesting baseball column. CHB is not interested in asking those questions, though, because he has absolutely no interest in writing an interesting baseball column. In fact, he goes out of his way to mock those questions about baseball as if only ridiculous nerds would be interested in the answers ...
CHB has written plenty more damaging articles, more mean-spirited articles, more unfair articles, etc. Tons of them. But this might be the most pathetically out-out-touch thing he's ever written. It certainly tells us more about himself and what he cares about than it does about baseball, blogs, Schilling or anything else. And it reveals just how incredibly lame he really is.
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Then "soxfan121" wrote:
The column was a blatant trashing of the FANS ("Loser38", "BasementDweller38", etc.) It demeaned and belittled the FANS who would ask Curt Schilling questions through a blog/internet site. Because Dan thinks that is his job - asking questions of athletes. Clearly, Dan thinks the FANS who would waste their time asking Curt Schilling questions are pathetic losers.
Um, Dan? Those "losers" are your readers. Every single person who reads a Dan-column is not interested in Dan - they are interested in the athletes and sporting events that you cover. And by characterizing those readers, those "loser fans", in the manner he did in today's column, it completely, and for all time, exposed Dan for what he truly is - a jealous, possessive sycophant who NEEDS Curt Schilling to be relevant. If Schilling can talk directly to FANS, then Dan is irrelevant. And that's mighty scary to Dan. ...
because of his misguided fued with Schilling, he unwittingly revealed his true feelings - the people who read his columns are "losers" to be made fun of and belittled. Fair enough.
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I agree with these guys 100%.