When I heard the news that New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has likely thrown his political career away because he was caught on a federal wiretap arranging to meet with a prostitute at a Washington hotel last month, I immediately thought of Eugene Robinson.
Robinson, for those who have forgotten, is the former Atlanta Falcons safety who received an award for his "high moral character" from the Christian group Athletes in Action on the day before the Super Bowl, then went straight from the award ceremony to pick up a prostitute, unfortunately choosing a woman who was not actually a prostitute but rather an undercover cop.
Until this Spitzer news broke, I didn't think I'd hear of a man who damaged his image more by hiring a prostitute than Robinson did. But there's good news for Spitzer: Robinson's life seems just fine these days. He's working as a radio announcer for the Carolina Panthers, he's married with two kids, and he's a coach at Charlotte Christian School. I guess the lesson is that prostitution arrests are humiliating, but far from fatal.
― David R., Monday, 10 March 2008 22:22 (seventeen years ago)
Although I remain baffled that a United States senator has this much time to devote to focusing on whether or not a football coach cheated, there's no question that Sen. Arlen Specter is going to keep pressing the NFL to get to the bottom of Patriotgate.
In an interview with Greg Bishop of the New York Times, Specter was harshly critical of the way the NFL has handled the investigation into the New England Patriots' practice of taping their opponents. And he suggested something that would certainly be unethical and might even be illegal when it comes to the NFL's treatment of former Patriots employee Matt Walsh:
"I'd like to issue a challenge to the commissioner to make public the extensive exchange of correspondence between the league's lawyers and Walsh's lawyers," Specter, a Republican from Pennsylvania, said ...
"Any objective or accurate reading of the correspondence would show the N.F.L. is trying to discourage Walsh from coming forward," Specter said. "Especially the requirement in the letter, where the N.F.L. calls for the destruction of whatever Walsh turns over without any provision for me or anyone else to see it."
If the NFL is trying to discourage Walsh from coming forward, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Specter tries to make this a criminal matter, in much the same way that Roger Clemens may end up prosecuted for the cover up but not the crime.
― David R., Monday, 10 March 2008 22:24 (seventeen years ago)
On the day that Brett Favre announced his retirement as Green Bay Packers quarterback, I wrote that we could expect an all-Favre, all the time approach from the sports media because media coverage more or less reflects what the fans want, and the fans love Favre.
The latest example of how much the fans love Favre: Sports Illustrated announced that it was releasing a book called Brett Favre: The Tribute, and that book -- which won't even be available for another month -- is the No. 1 best seller on the Barnes & Noble list. The Big Lead writes that it's been atop the list all weekend.
Turning on ESPN or opening Sports Illustrated and complaining that there's too much coverage of Favre is kind of like taking a vacation to Alaska and complaining that it's too cold. Gushing about Favre is what the sports media do, and as long as Favre tribute books are best sellers, they won't stop.
― David R., Monday, 10 March 2008 22:25 (seventeen years ago)
Cleveland Browns running back Jamal Lewis appeared on ESPNews today and talked about his off-season activity of studying at Harvard:
"It's a great experience and a good networking tool," Lewis said, adding that NFL players including Ty Law and Sammy Knight joined him at Harvard Business School in classes this off-season.
Oscar De La Hoya is the best businessman in American sports, but one of the approximately 120 NFL players who spend their off-seasons taking business courses could some day rival De La Hoya for that title. Lewis, who owns his own trucking business, sounds serious about planning for his post-NFL life, and he could end up making more money in business than he has in football.
Three years ago, Lewis spent his off-season in federal prison on drug charges. Now he's spending his off-season at Harvard. Lewis is a guy who has put his mistakes behind him and has his life going in the right direction.
― David R., Monday, 10 March 2008 22:26 (seventeen years ago)
It's like he's Chris Berman crossed with some Davey & Goliath scripts and a sports-centric spambot.
― David R., Monday, 10 March 2008 22:29 (seventeen years ago)
[/and what]
Huh? I don't see anything bad about this.
― Mr. Snrub, Tuesday, 11 March 2008 16:35 (seventeen years ago)
I rest my case.
― David R., Tuesday, 11 March 2008 16:53 (seventeen years ago)
seriously nowhere is it more evident that blogs truly are the cathedral/bazaar problem for journalism than in sports. on one hand you have kissing suzy kolber type stuff that can be hilarious and fo stuff that can be ridiculously in-depth (and for free!) but then you have dudes who never - never ever - should have gotten into the business. guy puts this shit together like he's at a college newspaper.
― El Tomboto, Tuesday, 11 March 2008 20:11 (seventeen years ago)
why do you read this stuff at all? wtf
Well, it started because there were a few things on the blog he contributes to (AOL's House of Fan) that I liked, but now it's just to keep tabs on daily ongoing sports crap and other "researchly" purposes of a KSK-ish nature (tho if I start in on KSK-ish crap I will never shut up and you'll have to ban me).
BTW, this -- "guy puts this shit together like he's at a college newspaper" -- gets right @ what chafes me.
― David R., Tuesday, 11 March 2008 20:28 (seventeen years ago)
I will give him credit for speaking this truth to Blogger, tho:
I guess the lesson is that prostitution arrests are humiliating, but far from fatal.
He seems to be writing all his articles via template, which is something I greatly appreciate as a pathetically lazy writer.
― polyphonic, Tuesday, 11 March 2008 20:36 (seventeen years ago)
-- El Tomboto, Tuesday, 11 March 2008 20:11
^^^^^^
― am0n, Wednesday, 12 March 2008 16:28 (seventeen years ago)
...and now you know the rrrrest of the story
― brownie, Wednesday, 12 March 2008 19:59 (seventeen years ago)
Actually he reminds me of that hard hitting journalist from Parade Magazine:
http://www.davidmorse.org/news/images/BradysBits.jpg
― brownie, Wednesday, 12 March 2008 20:02 (seventeen years ago)
Christ, I just found out he's spread to PRINT (even if it's only the New York Sun).
― David R., Thursday, 7 August 2008 12:57 (sixteen years ago)
(found this out via a BLOG, fwiw -- will resist the awesome temptation to read his thoughts on FAVRE and gouge out my eyes)
― David R., Thursday, 7 August 2008 12:58 (sixteen years ago)
In honor of Tom's request to sequester all FUCKING BLOGGERS SUCK talk into one thread, maybe this thread can be used? (And maybe a mod can change the title to MICHAEL DAVIS SMITH AND OTHER SHITWITS: STOP BLOGGING).
― David R., Tuesday, 16 September 2008 20:19 (sixteen years ago)
everyone involved in deadspin should be thrown into gitmo.
― the schef (adam schefter ha ha), Tuesday, 16 September 2008 20:54 (sixteen years ago)