Dom set the standard after a La Salle win. This is perfectly appropriate: https://vine.co/v/bDhYFjUQVat Read more
John Koblin
koblin
A little something to add to this: Another ESPNer reached out to me to say that the majority of the layoffs will conclude this week. A few of those folks won't necessarily have to pack up this week, and may wind up staying on an extra few weeks if they want to. Read more
This is really helpful. Anyone else know any other streaming options? Read more
I am with you! Read more
Sorry about that. A write-around is a story where the writer gets little-to-no participation from the subject who's being profiled. In this case, DFW went out to Wimbledon, and there are quotes from RF in the footnotes, so I had assumed he spent some time with him, but decided to bury the interview. Read more
In the footnotes, DFW talks about how it was a pain getting the interview. He didn't mention how long it lasted. Was surprised to see that it was just 20 minutes even if it was during a Grand Slam! Read more
ESPN has made a habit of being surprisingly frugal in the last month or so. Don't forget about the X Games producer who asked staffers to work for free. Read more
I think CBS has to be relived that it can show 4pm games now, definitely. Read more
He's good when limited. ESPN gives him way too long a leash. Read more
Cliff Drysdale can handle the women on his own, obviously. Tirico could do it too if he doesn't need the day or two to prepare for MNF. Read more
It'll be interesting to see how they handle Fowler. You'd think he'd have to do GameDay that weekend (or at least that Saturday) unless that's one week they'll have to let him off. And yeah, for the love of god, no more Enberg. Read more
Obvious issue here: If he didn't have a degree then why did he OK that bio? And since he didn't graduate in 1985 then why did he claim in resumes that he had graduated in 1985? Read more
We wouldn't be killing them on it at all. But it should be said: SportsCenter had LZ Granderson on at 11:45 to talk about it. So, Jason Collins was certainly given air time (it took 40 minutes, which is a lot! but fine) before returning to Tebow and the Lakers. It wasn't until 1 p.m. that ESPN started to get the… Read more
Also, a pretty great screengrab here: Lipsyte's announcement paired up with a promotional photo for First Take on ESPN's website (via):
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I doubt he'll have great access, but that won't matter. When it came to the Times, I always preferred Okrent to Calame or Hoyt precisely because he had clearer, stronger opinons. He was a joy to read. They were not. That's all I need from reader's rep. Read more
OK, yes, that's true but. I'll just go ahead and say this: ESPN's rampant stupidity last year hasn't been nearly as bad in the first third of this year. Relative to the last 8 months of 2012, ESPN has been on downright good behavior Jan-April. Lipsyte? Yeah, he won't be an agent for change necessarily, but at least… Read more
I disagree that the rise of new outlets—NBC, Fox, online outlets—has contributed to ESPN's decline; I'd argue that they're very existence just showcases how wildly influential ESPN has become. ESPN trumps all these outfits, and by a mile. Read more
I guess it's a take what you can get deal. And of the four previous ombudsmen (Solomon aka John Walsh's buddy, Schreiber, Ohlmeyer, Poynter) this is finally one that I can get excited about. Best choice for this weird role probs since the NYT picked Dan Okrent. Read more