ESPN, Page Six, Fortson’s Tooth
Scattered, smothered and covered. To go.
Monday! Yes! And welcome to Hell Week here at the SLAM Dome. That’s right, we’re grinding once again, cranking out the next issue of SLAM so it’ll be in your grubby little paws a few weeks from now. And it don’t stop.
To be totally honest with you, I’m going into a little bit of Operation Shutdown right now. This is my least favorite time of the NBA season, the week or so before the Playoffs start. The worst teams are benching their good players, hoping to plummet into a better lottery slot. The best teams are just trying to play without getting anyone injured. About the only thing worth watching is the Playoff race out West, where the Lakers and Clippers are clinging to their Playoff spots as Golden State and the Hornets breathe down their necks.
So we’ll keep an eye on that, as everything else enters cruise control. And I’ll post here every day this week, as we all get set to enter our playoff push.
• A few people emailed me last week about ESPN Radio host Colin Cowherd, who asked his listeners to simultaneously attack the servers of the website thebiglead.com. They did, and their traffic knocked thebiglead.com off the internet for nearly two days. ESPN publicly addressed the problem on ESPN.com by having their ombudsman write a no-brainer column about how this was the wrong way for an ESPN Radio host to act.
(By the way, what exactly is an “ombudsman”? According to ESPN.com, the ombudsman is “the public’s representative to ESPN, offering independent examination and analysis of ESPN’s media outlets.” Which is interesting, because their last ombudsman, George Solomon, wrote monthly columns as a representative of the public and pretty much nothing has changed there as a result of those columns. There would always be something they didn’t handle correctly, they’d always run quotes from an ESPN exec saying that they wish they’d handled things differently, and then everyone would move on. So, rather appropriately, ESPN seems to treat their official “public representative” the same way they treat the rest of the public: They ignore them and keep on making money doing whatever the heck they want to do.)
I don’t count myself as a listener of sports talk radio. I sit at a desk in an office all day, so there’s not really any opportunity for me to listen to sports talk radio. But I don’t feel as though I’m missing out on anything by not tuning in. In a way, SLAMonline.com is what I imagine sports talk radio to be like. We throw out topics, we give our opinions, you guys respond, there’s a healthy back-and-forth. The times that I have listened to sports talk radio, there’s usually a lot of yelling by one of the hosts. This must be how they attempt to generate excitement, because it’s not like listening to someone in a booth speaking into a microphone and expressing their thoughts is going to get anyone fired up otherwise. It would be like IF I ONLY STARTED TYPING IN CAPITAL LETTERS! DOES THAT GET YOUR BLOOD BOILING? The hosts also often seem to not care about the opinions of their listeners, wanting to mostly hear themselves ramble on instead.
This brings us to Colin Cowherd. A few months ago, someone emailed an audio clip of Colin Cowherd on the air using SLAM as a punchline. Then, a few weeks later, he did it again. And then, a few weeks later, he did it again. I had never heard of Colin Cowherd, so after I googled his name and found out who he was, I figured we should just let it go. It was such a transparent attempt of starting beef where none existed, so why should we give him free publicity?
A person who knows a lot about these kind of things once taught me that you should always fight up and you should never fight down. Because when someone smaller or less-known than you tries to pick a fight, they’re probably doing it because they want recognition they can’t get through the product they produce.
To me, responding to this Colin Cowherd guy seemed like fighting down. More than anything, it just seemed sad. So now Cowherd found an even smaller outlet to pick on, and he succeeded in shutting it down. (Which means either Cowherd actually has a substantial amount of listeners who take what he says to do very seriously, or thebiglead.com had a crappy server.)
Again, I personally don’t have a problem with Colin Cowherd because I’ve never listened to his show. (From what I can tell, ESPN Radio in New York chooses not to air his show.) For all I know, Cowherd could be a thoughtful host who provokes interesting discussion on the radio. If he doesn’t like SLAM, fine. If wants to use us as a punchline, that’s fine, too. If he wants to discuss why he doesn’t like SLAM, my email is on the top of every post I write.
The real loser in all of this is ESPN. As much as they like to remind us of how they’re the “The Worldwide Leader in Sports,” all too often they prove that they’re still just following the herd.
• We had Friday off, but I got a text message early Friday morning that SLAM was mentioned in Page Six, the New York Post’s widely-read gossip column. I couldn’t imagine why we’d been mentioned in Page Six; I was just hoping that my marriage hadn’t ended without my knowing about it.
Anyway, it turned out to be a positive mention. As it reads…
“THE greatest basketball player you’ve never heard of” — that’s the tag line for “Release: The Jack Ryan Story,” a documentary about the only white player on Slam magazine’s list of “50 Greatest Playground Legends.” Post columnist Peter Vecsey called Ryan “the biggest waste of talent in the history of basketball.” A New York product, Ryan ran into trouble with drinking, anger and dealing with authority before turning his life around. Wall Street trader Aaron Bierman, who spent three years on the film, recently quit his job at JPMorgan to take “Release” to film festivals and make movies full time.
So, not so bad after all. The funniest thing about it to me is that we’ve now been mentioned in the Post and the Times in consecutive weeks. Who knows what would happen if we had anyone actually doing publicity for us.
• I wrote today about what video games mean to sports fans for SI.com.
• Hey, basketball is still being played, and we all know what that means: Danny Fortson! How do I love D? Let me recount the latest way, which was reported here over the weekend:
The Danny Fortson saga continues and this one is a doozy. Fortson canceled an appointment with the dentist today and was told he could not fly because the abcess in his mouth could explode in the air. So of course, for his safety, Fortson will miss the two-game road trip and be available for the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, until he comes up with another excuse.
Love it! And it’s not just for Danny’s safety — how’d you like to be sitting across from him on the plane when his tooth exploded?
• Josh Smith was suspended for two games for cursing at Hawks coach Mike Woodson. Or, as I like to call it, playing too well while the Hawks are trying to lose games.
• Read two great hoops stories this weekend: First, Jack McCallum behind the scenes with the Suns and Mavs as they prepared for each other. Also, crazy to find out that my main man Robert Traylor was gone ’til November for a reason.
31 Responses to “ESPN, Page Six, Fortson’s Tooth”
Apr.9 at 2:59 pm
Derms says:
So you took the Jigga approach to the beef. You shoulda made a diss track called, “Col- in” Dip Dip, Set Set. Slam is the king and everyone wants the crown. People who hate are morons and have never read the top tier journalism that exist on this site or in the pages of the greatest sports mag ever. Hate! Hate ! Hate !
Apr.9 at 3:13 pm
Alex says:
That’s really sad what happened to Robert Traylor. Not that he was on the verge of superstardom or anything. But to go from solid NBA role player to facing jail time is never a good thing. I guess it’s just another episode of “When keepin it real goes wrong”.
Apr.9 at 3:18 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
Interesting that the ombudswoman contacted the senior VP of ESPN radio and posted his official statement but didn’t talk to Coward at all. Don’t you think that a public apology and/or ESPN offering to pay for the damage done (thebiglead had to switch servers) would have meant more than that useless article by the ombudswoman? thebiglead wasn’t the only website hurt - ALL the websites on that server were shutdown for 48 hours…
Apr.9 at 3:20 pm
Chris says:
I think there’s a little drama in the eastern conference playoff race. Specifically who will get the first round bye (otherwise known as the washington wizards). I’m pullin for the raptors.
Apr.9 at 3:41 pm
J.E. Skeets says:
“I don’t count myself as a listener of sports talk radio.” But do you listen to podcasts, Lang?
Apr.9 at 3:47 pm
SwingMan says:
Shoot Lang, you aren’t the only one going into “Operation Shutdown” right about now….. How’s about telling your Hawks to quit out with the game tanking, huh? It really sucks to have to depend on Milwaukee to make the Hawks give my Suns their lottery pick, you know?
Apr.9 at 3:50 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Fighting up? Dammit, Lang, I really wish you’d mentioned that to me before I fought GQ…
Anyway, as for Jack Ryan, I have to correct one thing: The funniest thing about that is the fact — and I can’t imagine how you didn’t mention this, unless you just forgot — that we actually played pickup with this dude at the playground on 21st St and Second Ave. Remember, like 6 years ago, that like 40-year-old white dude with the perma-tan who never actual moved but whipped trick passes around the court with stunning accuracy? Ben? Russ? Anyone?
Apr.9 at 3:51 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Hey, Skeets! Remember when you and I had media beef, too? That was like, parallel or something, right?
Apr.9 at 4:11 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
Ryan, I was actually saving that story for another post. Ben and Sam and I actually ran into Jack Ryan having dinner with Peter Vecsey out in Vegas and talked with them for a while. And I don’t remember the trick passes, but I remember him lighting Russ up play after play on outside jumper after outside jumper.
Apr.9 at 4:12 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
And Skeets, I only listen to podcasts that have me on as a guest
Apr.9 at 4:13 pm
J.E. Skeets says:
“Hey, Skeets! Remember when you and I had media beef, too?” Hell yeah, Ryan. I slept with a keyboard under my pillow all damn winter!
Apr.9 at 4:31 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Well, that explains that, then. Yeah, it was Russ who got stuck trying to guard him. Poor bastard.
Apr.9 at 4:40 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
And remember he had a tattoo of the Notre Dame mascot which looked vaguely like Russ, which allowed us to make jokes about him beating Russ so badly that he got his picture tattooed on him?
Apr.9 at 5:00 pm
Ryan Jones says:
I do, yes. Classic.
Apr.9 at 5:06 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
And I see Skeets didn’t take the bait. Hmm…
Apr.9 at 5:19 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Skeets is my people. We trade Passover cards and everything.
Apr.9 at 5:29 pm
Dylan Rice-Leary says:
Cowherd used to be all over the Portland market, moved away from there years ago, so I am not sure what he is up to, but the man always struck me as an affected personality with weak insights about sports. When the JailBlazers were kicking ass but smoking weed, he was a huge player in the Portland-media-alientating-their-only-pro-sportsteam junta (along with Jason Quick). A homelessman’s Jim Rome.
Apr.9 at 6:05 pm
J.E. Skeets says:
Lang, we got playoff preview shows coming up. Please tell your Hawks to get it together.
Apr.9 at 6:57 pm
Reggie Evans says:
off topic - didn’t undr crwn start the t-shirts with first names of players on a team (Michael & Scottie & Dennis & Toni & Ron), not wizznutz? who stole from who? or whom or whatever the correct grammar is?
Apr.9 at 7:00 pm
Hersey says:
ESPN is gangsta. They steal from blogs, they buy one of the best blogs, then they shutdown blogs who badmouth them. Next thing, they’ll have Stuart Scott beating up bloggers in 7-11.
Apr.9 at 7:53 pm
cjclean says:
DEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Apr.9 at 9:12 pm
Simon says:
That Cowherd is full of bullshit…
Apr.9 at 11:35 pm
David says:
I would love to see footage of the slam staff playing street ball. Who’s got the best game in the office? (past or present staff)
Apr.10 at 12:40 am
tedturner says:
oh shit, my tooth just exploded!!!!
Apr.10 at 12:59 am
Lang Whitaker says:
Out of everyone who’s written for SLAM? Out of all our former writers and columnists, LeBron is probably the best all-around at the moment, though Carmelo and Steph aren’t bad either.
Apr.10 at 2:56 am
g says:
watch out… i can see it now : Cowherd : “Let’s take down slamonline.com next!”
Apr.10 at 6:51 am
Hersey says:
Reggie Evans- Experimental Jet Set started the name T-shirts. They did the Beattles and the Ramones. Then Undr Crwn did it with starting fives. Wizznutz did it with the Wizards bench. I did it with the Suns starting five. I know Sam has one of mine.
Apr.10 at 8:12 am
Ryan Jones says:
I don’t know Lang, the way Eddy Curry is playing, he could do some damage down at W. 4th.
Apr.10 at 10:56 am
Petter says:
Didn´t see anyone mentioning it here, so here is a bit of info on the word “ombudsman” and it´s origins. Ombudsman is a Swedish word, and as far as I know one of very few that has been “loaned” to english from Swedish, along with old favourites like “smorgasbord”(A wide assorment of stuff, originally the word was used on big feasts were the food were served buffet-like). Ombudsman in swedish is a person who is representing another person, company or group in a certain field of the ombudsmans expertise. A very shady job, really:D
Apr.10 at 12:06 pm
Reggie Evans says:
Thanks Hersey. From the posts over at TrueHoop, It seems like Wizznutz is getting all the credit for ripping off someone else’s idea.
May.1 at 3:11 pm
Jake says:
This column just proves that Slam is not top teir journalism. This is what you have to talk to about to fill space? Talk about someone who talked about you? Wow, you guys need some new writers. Pathetic