Upon Sports Writing

Its hard work to find a new angle to sports stories. I worry that there are too many writers covering the same damn story, from the same angle. When this gets tired, the hacks then go after the reporting and the angle, blindly following the same pattern which they are criticizing. What do I mean? Some examples-

Barry Bonds- Yes there is a relevant story here. Can we all agree to let someone write it? This should not be your go-to topic on a slow or uninspired writing day. He will break Hank Aaron's career home run record, probably this year. He did in all probability use illegal substances to improve physical perfromance. People did go to crazy covering the story. People have subsequently gone crazy talking about how reporters went crazy...etc.

John Amechi/ Tim Hardaway- Amechi, a former NBA player, came out an said he was gay. Tim Hardaway, another former player, went on the radio and said he would'nt like playing with a gay man, that he hates gays, and that there should be no place in the US for them. So is Amechi the only gay athlete in pro sports? No. He did do a little for those others by admitting it, but not much, because he hid it while he played, and quite honestly because John Amechi sucked and most people don't know who he is. Cue the columnists bashing Hardaway and his ignorance. listen, we all know he was dumb professionally for saying it, and has cost himself a spot in the post-playing-days NBA. One day is enough, maybe two. Two weeks of articles is a bit much, especially when so many say the same thing.


I blame mass media outlets for appealing to a sensationalist approach to sports news and reporting. ESPN and friends should resist letting hype create and/or become the story, and let fair reporting create the hype.

Upon a Las Vegas All-Star Weekend

Over the weekend, the NBA became the first major professional league to test the sports waters in Las Vegas in a big way, hosting their annual All-Star festivities. Here is a quick look back at the events:

The Celebrity Game- Reggie Bush plays his first and last celebrity game, rolling an ankle and prompting horrified gasps from New Orleans fans.

The Shooting Stars- In a sloppy event, the team from Detroit edges the team from Chicago, in an event where a former NBA player, current player, and current WNBA player from the same city compete to hit 6 shots from around the court in the shortest period of time. Chauncey Billups, Swin Cash and Bill Lambier took home the crown this year, after Ben Gordon shot out of order for the chicago team. 41-year old Scottie Pippen participated, shortly after announcing his wishes to rejoin an NBA contender for the stretch run. Lowlights included poor clock management, and former Laker star Michael Cooper bricking shot after shot from the top of the key.

The Skills Competition- Lebron James, Chris Paul, Dywane Wade and Kobe Bryant competed in the Skills Competition, which involves dribbling around some obstacles, completing a few passes, and hitting some shots. In a lackluster affair, Wade edged Kobe, and the world sighed. This even is really maed for PG to shine, and not 3 of the NBA's best players to dog it.

The 3-point Shootout- Competitors this year included, Jason Terry and defending Champ Dirk Nowitzki from the Mavericks, Mike Miller of Memphis, Gilbert Arenas of the Wizards, and 0 Damon Jones of the Cavs. However, the title went to under the radar invitee Jason Kapono of the Miami Heat, who scored 24 of 30 possible points in the final round, setting the high score for that round and easily dispatching Dirk and Arenas. His .560 three-point % on the season is sick, and the win is a nice honor for a complementary player.

The Slam-Dunk Contest- Dwight Howard of the Magic, Tyrus Thomas of the Bulls and Gerald Green of the Celtics challenged defending champ Nate Robinson of the Knicks in a contest where the participants were overshadowed by the judges. This year's panel consisted of Michael Jordan, Dr. J, Dominique Wilkins, Kobe Bryant, and Vince Carter; quite possibly the 5 greatest dunkers the game has seen. Green won in a ho-hum final against Nate, who again struggled to get his dunk down when it mattered. Jordan was a very tough judge for an event which hardly resembles its heyday, giving out 8s regularly. Dwight Howard, who was unsuccessful in getting the NBA to raise the rim to 11' or 12' for his dunks provided the best moment by slapping a sticker of his face at the 12'6 mark of the backboard, before throwing it down. Maybe Vince and Kobe should be out there against Jason Richardson, LeBron, Josh Smith...etc.

A disappointing snub was the spectacular James "Flight" White, currently a call-up with the Spurs. Just look...




I will be back later with a look at the game itself.

Upon a Long Time Gone

Remember Me?

Well the Cleverly Titled Blog known as the Widening Geier may receive a revival. Graduate school has slowed me down a great deal, but I am taking my inspiration from Kevin's continued posting on Countryuniverse.net and getting my ass in gear. Seriously, I can give 30 mins to an hour each day.

So, onto stuff:

The Knicks head in to this weekend's All-Star break with the same number of wins as they had durin all of last year. With another 30 games left to play, the team lives on the fence between tantalizing and frustrating. On one hand, they get big wins against superior teams, a break-out season for David Lee, nights of Shaq-ish-ness from Eddy Curry, 52 from Jamal Crawford, resurgence from Steph. Then, they switch and lose games they have controlled, blow leads, can't get defense from Curry, and exist in mediocrity in the paltry East.

The Yankees just reported for pitchers and catchers down in Tampa. Mariano is asking for an extension before the season starts, threatening an open market for negotiations for every team when his contract expires at the end of the season. I don't want to think about a Yankee team without Mariano, and can not bear to see him run out of another team's bullpen.

Speaking of players who should never wear another uniform, Bernie Williams can not get a guaranteed spot on the Yankee roster. The Yankees' desire to carry 12 pitchers and a platoon at first base has pushed Bernine out of a spot currently. However, I think if Reuben Sierra can find a place on this squad for years after he stopped playiing the field, then one of the great Yankees of the modern era can get one more go-round.

Peyton Manning and the Colts won a blase Super Bowl against the Bears. I'm at least that story-line can be taken behind the barn and shot. Let the "Eli vs Peyton" comparisons go into overdrive.

I need to get this first post out there, just so I will have something to follow up on.

I think we're back