Hub

Though not attending any games this weekend, Scribe is back where it all began... well, at least the sports media career. Some duties at the alma mater have taken away the focus from what has already been a wild and intriguing start to NFL free agency, the official arrival of Starbury in The Hub, the "What?!?!" in terms of Manny Ramirez and all else happening in the world of sports.

With that said, that does not mean that there will be total silence on Scribe this weekend. So while anticipating some new posts, this would be a good time to catch up on previous work, vote on the ongoing poll and check a few links for your viewing pleasure.

• Attention has rapidly faded in regards to the Michael Phelps bong fiasco, yet that's not the case for Kellogg, the cereal maker that canned the Olympic champion swimmer as an endorser. According to this Advertising Age report, their reputation, as opposed to Phelps, has taken a hit.
  
  
• Even with his loss at the WGC - Accenture Match Play Championships, Tiger Woods is still a pretty big deal this weekend. This BusinessWeek piece talks about the return of his impact beyond the PGA itself (expect more on this topic this weekend).
  
  
• From the Los Angeles Times, the City of Industry says to the NFL, "let's do this". Now, with all due respect to the Left Coast, California is kinda broke right now. You decide if this is a wise move as it shouldn't surprise anyone that public funds will be requested... and there's that matter of a team actually moving there. More to consider from Field of Schemes.
  
  
• Finally, from the Chicago Sun-Times... DAMN!

So?

Put yourself in a museum.

There’s a great work from one of the emerging talents in the art world. Throughout the last two weeks, many people who have heard about this famous painting –either from the news or the huge marketing campaign surrounding it – have come to take a gander to see what the fuss is about.

96.324% of the people who have come across this haven’t been in a museum in at least four years; most of them not having done so since passing notes on the bus to a crush on that fateful high school trip twenty years ago. So it’s safe to say that this is the first artwork in generations that has made the public take notice.

So here you are, among curious onlookers, curators, scholars, actual art lovers and critics. The reception is overwhelmingly positive and the artist herself is absolutely humbled by the adoration for her masterpiece. It’s the only thing that Keith Olbermann, Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck have shared a similar praise for EVER!

A few months pass and while the painting remains in public view, our artist decides to take a personal break from the media circuit and the art college tour. While on this break, she partakes in a little recreational activity with a few friends. She enjoys a couple of drinks, some laughs and a few puffs of marijuana.

Some genius decides that this is the perfect time to make use of his cellphone camera.

Before she can exhale, the picture he took has been splattered all over the Internet.

Immediately after she exhales, the art critics that once extolled the virtues of her work and shared her life story to the world are suddenly asking if her image will be tarnished because she took a toke.

What’s crazy about this is not that she smoked a little weed, but that those who help shaped her image to the public are asking this question amongst themselves and not the public itself.

That’s the frustration with this Michael Phelps situation. In all honesty, the only people who are talking about this as some sort of a national crisis are reporters on the evening news, opportunistic public relations executives and sports marketing experts with the news networks on speed dial. Yet, there’s a general shrug of the shoulders by most purveyors of sports media. While there are your usual jokes and potshots (had to fit one reference in there), this news was bestowed front-page status when all it needed was a small paragraph on page 36.

Phelps, who was already a star because of the 2004 Olympics, became the stuff of legends for two weeks last August when collecting eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics. It’s extremely rare for most Olympic sports, let alone swimming, to cast a shadow over ongoing professional action in other sports. So what Phelps did was nothing short of remarkable. However, it seems as if people forget that under the visage of corporate sponsorships, ever-flowing superlatives and a can’t-miss smile happens to be a guy who has the right to be human, whether we like it or not.

Even more maddening is that if there was a time to get on his case about behavior considered ‘unbecoming’, it was shortly after those Olympics in Athens when he was arrested for DUI. That news was relegated to page 36, despite the potential of harming others because someone was bent behind the wheel.

This seems like a bigger deal because he took the world by storm five months ago. Yet, the rest of society moved away from him and swimming within days while turning their attention towards the remainder of the baseball and soccer seasons, the upcoming start of NFL training camps and the push towards tennis’ US Open. Phelps made an initial flurry of appearances on TV and began speaking at corporate functions, but he also began to fade back into his own life as we moved back into ours. Unless he shot himself in the thigh at a club, what he did in his own life was no longer the sporting public’s obsession of the moment.

Would be nice that the next time someone on your TV screen asks if a star’s image is hampered by a perceived minor misdeed that he or she actually talks to the public and not another person in the know? Let the fans – who mostly couldn’t care less – decide if his image is sullied. Since Speedo and Omega brushed off Phelps’ day in infamy with relative ease, the experts probably didn’t ask them, either.

Just remember, kids: Image is nothing...

Say What?!?!: By the way, how much of a fool is the person who actually took the picture and sent it to the media?

Thanks

2008 presented all sorts of wonderful and astonishing moments in not only the sports arena, but anywhere there was a camera, a voice recorder and an associated media outlet. Yet, the past 365 (soon to be 366) days also gave us head-scratchers, heart-breakers and fist-clenchers that will reverberate into the next twelve months. While it's not necessary to rehash what made us applaud, condemn, wonder and hope, it is necessary to capture the year as a whole to look ahead.

In this year, we've seen our fair share of challenges that may - if they have not already done so - affect our lives in ways that we have not witnessed in quite some time or ever before.

Leaving this year behind, we are well aware of the global recession that threatens the way we consume, produce and entertain going forward. Again, this is not just in the sports realm as the overall economy continues to take Miguel Cotto-like body shots.

This year made it rather clear that no matter how much we clamor for change - and beyond this seminal political moment, many of us do the best we can as individuals day by day - some things (as this, this, this and certainly this) are resistant to actual change.

This year, we were given new faces of realized dreams, vindication and outerworldly triumphs while familiar ones gave us another reason to take notice. Yet, there were new names to file under 'WTF' and the reemergence of people whose singular strength is the ability to tick off the masses.

There was a reason or 55 to fall in love with sports in 2008. There was a reason or likely more than 55 to absolutely abhor the sports realm in 2008.

If anything, the blog has taken a significant part of your sports consumption in 2008 than in the last four years since the medium’s mainstream arrival in 2004. The blogopshere has served your sports sunny-side snarky, scrambled in über-analysis, over-easy fanboy, straight & no-chaser serious and chopped-up speculative. As the folks at Yahoo! Sports put it, this was the year of the sports blog and while few have had the resources and/or success as the folks behind Big League Stew and Puck Daddy, millions of bloggers are doing whatever they can to become famous or more often, infamous.

When I began A Sports Scribe back in May of 2007, the number one goal was to join the realm of the most recognized independent blogs such as Awful Announcing, Kissing Suzy Kolber and the like. Understanding that some of those sites discuss sports in a far different manner than I do, I accepted the challenge of going forward with a less typical media-driven an admitted pro-athlete slant, despite being a member of the most infamous group in the industry, the New York media. This past year, Scribe has found its voice, but not in the way that I expected.

I found that for some people, the allure of the blog is that the content comes from a New York City native that doesn’t exactly kowtow to the stereotypical “Noo Yawk” perspective. For others, the carrot on the stick happens to be the visits to various ballparks in my travels, whether I have attended a game in another city or had the chance to provide construction updates in person. Many appreciate that there isn’t the sarcastic and jaded view of sports that they come to expect from someone who is apparently in-the-know. For all, however, I hope that Scribe has achieved its singular goal; to be a blog that combines the action, discussion, culture, business and politics of sports… without being an ass.

With that said, this long post is my way of saying thank you. The audience isn’t earth-shattering, but there has been a noticeable and steady growth. Some of you are personal connections; family, friends and co-workers who have supported me on this journey to provide the best possible content. Some of you are rediscovered connections; former classmates and colleagues who have wondered if I’m still the kid who made playoff trees and kept index cards of player statistics (before the Internet made that a little bit easier). Others have come to Scribe through the sheer power of randomization or the shameless promotions on Facebook and MySpace, wondering why does this guy have something to say, let alone what. No matter how you found Scribe, I want to thank you for sticking with it and I will do my best to retain your intrigue and trust in this forum.

I want to say a special thanks to Ken Fang and Paul Sen, the respective proprietors of Fang’s Bites and Sports Media Watch. Both gentlemen have not only added me to their blog rolls (which is still unbelievable considering that many on their rolls are well-established writers), but have provided food for thought along with direct and indirect support.

Also, I want to say thanks for the various scribes, talkies and faces of the industry that actually make being a part of the press worthwhile. To those who I have emailed, chatted with and met in person, it’s been a thrill and I hope to approach your levels of talent and experience.

Finally, though they say that they don’t read the papers, watch television, listen to talk radio or check the blogs, I’d like to thank the players that make what I’m doing possible.

To all of you out there, Happy New Year and please celebrate safely. May the challenges, lessons and fortunes of 2008 make us all better in 2009 and beyond. And to bring it back to the college radio show and former blog that helped start it all, take care of your own and they’ll take care of you.

Whoa...

Eight gold medals in nine days.

What Michael Phelps has done is nothing short of remarkable. While his teammates were electric earlier in the week and deserve far more attention than they received, it is clear that the Baltimore native not only met the seemingly unreachable goals of these Olympic Games, but has earned much of the hype bestowed upon him.

He’s the greatest athlete of all time.

Hold up... the greatest athlete of all time?

If that sentence is jarring, it should be. It should be because too many folks are quick to make this claim.

This isn't to discount or discredit what he does in the swimming pool as he established a career unlike no other before him, including Mark Spitz, the swimmer who Phelps eclipsed in Olympic accolades. Yet, to say that he's the greatest to ever attempt something athletic is a bit of a stretch. It's not due to fatigue of his hype or the relatively low exposure of the sport in non-Olympic years, but because there is no single metric that can be used across all sports to compare the excellence of one athlete to another.

Michael Jordan's scoring exploits cannot be compared to Jim Brown's rushing prowess, Martina Navratilova's successful aces in Grand Slams or Wayne Gretzky's penchant for hat tricks.

It is not to say that he shouldn't be considered one of the greatest of this era or of any time, but the love affair for Phelps has clouded to judgment of some.

Let's just appreciate what he's done for what it is in this moment. Let us also hope that if there is something to take away from Phelps' accomplishment beyond his future endorsements and parades, it's that an opportunity to promote the sport of swimming is right in front of him and the powers that be in the industry.

Say What?!?!: Speaking of the moment, take a moment to read this article from the New York Times. Maybe, just maybe, there is a true social haven for sports fans.

Knowledge

Due to taking in a weekend excursion away from the hustle and bustle, there won’t be much to talk about on A Sports Scribe until at least Monday. Yet, while in transit, a few things popped to mind.

For starters, I can’t remember people talking so much about a quadrennial event before. If you think I’m talking about the Presidential elections, think again. Everywhere I turn, be it in New York or Newton, MA or Providence (hints of the excursion), Michael Phelps’ exploits have been the instant conversation starter. The dominance of both the U.S. men and women’s basketball squads has piqued the interest of even the most ardent pro-basketball detractors. Some of you may consider giving beach volleyball a shot, at least as the summer fades into the fall.

For all of the nasty controversies surrounding the Beijing Olympics, they have managed to capture excitement that hasn’t truly existed Stateside since the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta; an event made infamous by the tragic bombings. Maybe it’s the high-tech swimsuits, the fire hydrant-like statures of the male gymnasts (they’re short, but JACKED!) or Dwayne Wade’s aerodynamically-altered hair. Yet, when was the last time you’ve heard these gems on your way to work (forgive the Stuart Scott moment for those who don't sip that cup of tea, but I'm from and still live in the 'hood):

"Yo, son, did you see that synchronized diving sh*t last night?”
“Hell yeah! That sh*t’s crazy. Same time, my dude. That’s crazy”
“When those Chinese chicks did that spinning (acts out the spinning with his hands), I was like DAYMN!"

OR

“Hey, John, I’ll send you those competitive runs in a few minutes once I clean up the Excel a bit.”
“Sounds good. By the way, did you watch the Olympics last night?”
“I watched until about midnight because I had to wake up early.”
“You’re real good about that because…”
“Let me guess: you stayed up.”
“Until 2.”
“It’s Tuesday.”
“Phelps, man. Phelps.”

Have you ever checked the mail and asked yourself “why the hell do I subscribe to this magazine again”? Then, it hits you; you subscribed because the annual price was next to nothing and you got a free choctchkey out of it. Of course, there has to be much more to it. After all, you’re not going to grab just any magazine, but one that is going to enhance your knowledge or at least give you the kick in the pants to get some personal project done. You keep telling yourself this after eight months of piling up unread magazines that are not propping up your Nintendo Wii. Yet, one day, something really catches your eye that reminds you of why you invested $20 annually in the first place.

It is that reason why you might have seen more links from trade magazines on this blog than, say, ESPN or FOX Sports. Sports as an industry has seemingly exploded over the past decade because even the most old-school of scouts, managers and media personalities have been compelled to embrace the digital wave and the business that surrounds the action.

As you can tell from this not-so-aesthetically pleasing template, I’m not the most savvy when it comes to the web. However, something that my brief involvement in sports media (as well as the fulltime job) has taught me is that the very best in both businesses have at least a working knowledge of another industry that connects to their careers. It’s for that reason why you will see references to general or non-sports media from time to time. It's the reason why I subscribed to WIRED over a year ago, even though admittedly, I have only thumbed through some issues and forgotten others. However, I was pleasantly surprised to how much sports-related pieces are in the magazine each month. This month has a few worth reading.

• If you recall from the visit to the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, the new playpen for the Dallas Cowboys is essentially down the block. Now, I mentioned how massive it was in person, yet because I was unable to get close to the construction site for more pictures and video, it was hard to capture its largesse. The September print edition of WIRED gives a sectional view of the new stadium’s design and technological treats. Even while writing this brief note about it, I’m in awe. It’s believed that everything is bigger in Texas. I just had no clue how much bigger.
  Imagine a stadium where there are support arches that are as long as the Empire State Building; high-definition LED displays over midfield that stretch from 20-yard line ot 20 yard-line and a 410-foot X 256-foot retractable roof . Oh, and it's a 2.7 million-square foot facility that costs at least $1.1 BILLION to build.
  
• Also in this month's edition, they have a quick matching game about athletes who are bloggers themselves; turning a platform littered with the most cantankerous and snarky pages on its head.
  
• While those will eventually land on the magazine's website, currently, they have a ton of work about the Olympics, including this bit that will enrage fellow bloggers who have taken NBC to task about its coverage.