It has been about a month, so I thought it would be fun to get out every random thing that is on my mind.
Since we all make a field day about complaining about ESPN's faults, I compiled a list to vote on what truly ruins watching ESPN - and presented it in an overused playoff bracket! Vote Now!
1. Brett Farve's 4 year retirement tour
One can become sick of updates from Dr. James Andrews and Minnesota's pathetic desparation for him to become a Viking. Did they see the second half of his 2008 season??
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8. Twitter updates
The media's reliance on twitter only helps it become more established. Using celebrities' posts as reaction to Steve McNair's death demonstrates their laziness in journalism... or is this just the "new" form of journalism??
2. Steroids in baseball
With the 100+ names on the 2003 list of failed drug tests, we have fuel for this story for the next 10 years. Steroids in football? Who cares. Manny takes estrogen? Let's follow it for 2 months!
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7. ESPN becomes THE story
With the Sports Reporters, E:60, Around the Horn, and PTI, ESPN has often shoved their personalities into the sports spotlight. As a result, we have to watch Skip Bayless (who has never actually seen a sporting event in his life) for 3 hours a day. Plus, they shove Stuart Scott and Chris Berman down our throats.
3. BCS Backlash
We know that every year there will be dissention over who is #1 and #2; some more than others. With MSU rising in success, I fear that one year we will be able to put together a miracle season and will be brushed aside for Oklahoma to get clobbered in the National Championship game (OU is the new OSU). With contractual obligations tying up the system for the next few years, do we have to lament on teams that got screwed each year?
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6. Who's Now
When the summer sports season gets boring, they invent a new ranking system or poll. Using "who cares" categories like "most commercial endorsements" and "salary", they try to fill a month of SportsCenter airwaves. Playoff voting systems are so uninventive.
4. (Insert WR Here)'s latest antics
Chad Johnson learned to count in Spanish, Plaxico shot himself, Hank Baskett married a famous stripper (and guaranteed upped his fantasy football draft stock as a result). These days, TO seems like a boy scout.
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5. The Ticker
Sports updates... on a channel that provides you with sports updates. Excited to learn about the result of the game from the :30 highlight reel? Just look down and find out the Tigers lost! The ESPNNews tickers are the ADD playground - news video, reports on the side AND bottom of the screen!
In defense of ESPN, I present the best things about the network (in no particular order):
Erin Andrews
Bill Simmons' podcasts, mailbags, and chats
College (football) Gameday
Outside the Lines
Instant Classics
The Ombudsman - they hire someone to call themselves out!
If you run a humidifier and a dehumidifier in a room together and shut the door, what is the end result? I get that a humidifier helps your congestion when you're sick and a dehumidifier protects your basement from mildew, but which is more powerful?
One of the best shows you've probably never seen before is "30 Days". It's hosted by Morgan Spurlock, the guy from Supersize Me, and is based on a similar premesis. People spend 30 days living a life that is completely opposite of their own in some facet. I netflixed it and was impressed with the first 3 episodes. They followed an IT programmer whose job was outsourced on a trip to India, a border Minuteman Guard living with a family of illegal immigrants, and an atheist woman living with a devout christian family. For the most part, the subjects were open-minded and the participants left the experience a little more enlightened about the other side. In each hour long episode, the show did a good job of digging into the issues revolving around each conflict. I thought the India episode was really insightful because it presented the culture clash that is occurring with more women wanting to enter the workplace. It also portrayed the widening economic gap that is being created by an influx of corporations and the sometimes violent outlashes that come from their large poor population.
New Homeowner Lesson #12938 - Being able to tell the difference between grass seed and grass fertilizer is key. Spreading the latter in lieu of the former will scorch your lawn.
One of the most difficult things to cope with the loss of a loved one is running over old e-mails from them. It is such a false feeling because it is communication that lives on. You feel like they are still communicating with you, but in reality they are just words. It is tempting to dig through them because it makes them seem more alive, but that can be damaging as well. Deleting them is too hard because you feel like you should hold on to something from them. It is really hard to explain. ...seeing the Mii you created for them show up in Mario Kart is just uncomfortable.
Prediction for Home Run Derby:
2nd Round: Gonzalez, Howard, Mauer, Pujols
3rd Round: Gonzalez, Howard
Champion: Gonzalez
I got my Ohio drivers license this weekend and it still looks weird to me. I feel like I have lost the last piece of Michigan in me.
18 comments:
~Twitter over Favre...I hate the Twitter updates...I would take the other seven faults you listed and enjoy them if you could guarantee there would be no more Twitter updates (especially from Shaq). God I hate Twitter.
~Steroids over ESPN. I can tolerate most of their personalities...your mind just goes numb to all the "Whops!" and "Boo-Yas".
~Who's Now over BCS. Why can't they just let me enjoy my summer and my baseball highlights? Why do they have to interupt me with this crap? The Mt. Rushmore thing was okay...but let's not overdo it.
~WRs Antics over Ticker. I enjoy my ticker. Now with DirecTV they have a button on the remote that brings up a scoreboard whenever I want. I love it. ESPNews is becoming obselete for me...except I still watch it, haha.
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My patch of lawn is so small that I don't even bother trying to make it look all green and lush and shit. A cut once a week and it's good to go. I did, however, rip out our entire back yard garden full of Tiger Lillies and other tall flowers, and you know what? Yardwork and gardening...they kind of suck. We are going to try a vegetable garden though =) (probably next year).
I will take Mauer versus Pujols in the Derby...with Pujols winning. Give me the two best hitters in the game, and I'll let them figure out a way to get to the finals.
By the way...Detroit vs. St. Louis in the World Series...I'll say it again...
Farve over Twitter. I wouldn't have rated twitter and 8 seed, more like 2 or 3, but I really hate Farve coverage. Twitter will eventually be the number 1, but not yet.
ESPN personalities over steroids. Yes the steroids thing is way over covered, but it's a huge story deserves a lot of coverage. (not as much as it gets, but a lot)
Who's Now over BCS. I don't mind the BCS talk about who's left out and who should have been #1. I hate the filler ESPN polls.
WR antics over the ticker. The ticker is only sometimes annoying (I love it during fanstasy football season) WR antics are always annoying.
I also vote that the dehumidifier wins the humidity war and Brandon Inge wins the HR derby.
To break the ties, I choose Favre and Steroids. To format the bracket correctly, that leaves
Brett Favre's Flip/Flopping vs. WR Antics
A key matchup of what is more annoying about ESPN's football coverage: Favre or almost every WR in the league. The network reported today that a Vikings official WATCHED Brett throw a pass. Then again, they also have the footage of TO doing crunches in his driveway.
Who's Now vs. Who took steroids in 2003
Do we care about the Mt Rushmore/Who's Now/random meaningless poll? Apparently enough to make a TV show about it at 4pm called SportsNation! There's also the neverending (and sports-biased) coverage of steroids in baseball.
I can't believe Twitter lost!!! I am dumbfounded, and I can't believe that you didn't vote for that one, Kevin. Unbelievable. I am in a state of shock. THEY HAVE LED SPORTSCENTER WITH "TWEETS" FROM SHAQ BEFORE!!! And all he was saying was "Rootin' for my boy Kobe to get his 4th," or some stupid shit like that! Come on!!!
Okay, venting done.
~WR Antics over Favre. You know, at least Favre's story is somewhat football related and will have implications on the upcoming season. Ochocinco tweeting (grrr) during games? He's just going after attention, and we're giving it to him, which I can't stand.
~Who's Now over Steroids. Like Kevin said, steroids is a major issued, despite the fact that MLB seems to get the one-sided coverage. Who's Now is becoming a ridiculous time-filler for ESPN during the summer.
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Seriously, you'd rather have Tweets read on the air than hear about Favre's comeback. You guys make me sick...=)
Farve over WR antics. At least it's a new antic or a new player every week. It's always the same old story with Farve.
Who's Now over steroids. For the reasons previously stated.
Don't get me wrong, I hate Twitter. But it's just so new that I haven't had time to hate it the way I hate Farve coverage. Like I said, Twitter will eventually be #1, but not yet.
Kevin!!!!! I don't even know you anymore.
First, you'd rather watch WR Antics??? They've been going on longer than the Favre story!!!!! Come on!
Too new for Twitter?!?! No no no. Twitter is a creation devised straight from the mind of the devil himself. The devil, Kevin, the devil. Basically, by not choosing Twitter, you're saying you hate God. Do you really want that? Do you???
I'm going to sign up for a Twitter account, just to piss you off.
Not going to piss me off because I WILL NEVER READ IT!!! I'd rather stab my eyes out with salad forks instead...
...I hate you.
https://twitter.com/betterthanfavre
Even if you don't read it, I know it pisses you off to know that the account even exists.
And that makes me happy.
Out of curiousity, when did making me unhappy make you so damn happy??? How did that even start? Was it because I used to beat you with your walking stick while you slept????? Come on now, that was all in good fun =)!
And I'd rather poop out a porcupine than read your brand new Twitter page!!!
I chose Favre over Twitter because it takes up more of ESPN's airtime. They may only mention a twitter post (I do not say "tweet") once during SportsCenter. Favre dominates the scroll and their main page too much.
Sorry, Mike, but I choose Favre over WR antics as more annoying for the same reason Kevin did - at least WR antics involve different players doing different things.
That brings us to the finals: Who's Now vs. Brett Favre's indecisiveness over whether he is a football player.
I guess it started in middle school when I hid your eraser in drafting class. I've just always found your reactions to aggravation and provocation entertaining.
What's the point of this "bracket" anymore? Just name Favre the winner, because obviously you both have it out for that story (by the way, I choose Who's Now over Favre)! What did Favre ever do to you guys??? He's a future HOF QB that has given us countless highlight film plays. SHOW SOME RESPECT!!!
On something completely unrelated, did you hear Piston's season ticket sales are projected to drop 54% this coming season??? Ouch...how much has to do with the economy, and how much has to do with the team on the floor? I'd say it's a 40-60 split.
When an ESPN anchor mentions Brett Favre's possible comeback, I have to change the channel. When a Who's Now segment comes on, I only sometimes change the channel.
So I'll go with Favre over Who's Now.
(but you would already know that if you read my "tweet")
It's not that I hate Brett Favre, it's that I hate the way ESPN has covered the "story" of Brett Favre.
And I say it's 75% economy and 25% the players. Gordon and Villanueva would usually be enough to draw fans, at least in the first half of the season.
I was actually going to say "Who's Now" was more annoying than Favre, but oh well.
Remember before Dumars brought together Chauncey/Rip/etc and they had the teal unis? Attendance was down significantly. I think Detroit is just very fairweather over the Pistons and it is clear that the best teams in the East are collecting all-star teams. I would say 60-40 in favor of the lack of players. If they start winning, tickets will sell.
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