Remember when the Beatles said Everybody had a hard year, Everybody had a good time…and them some other stuff about wet dreams, etc.? You were probably too young. God knows I was, but I have heard that song, and I think that lyric pretty well sums up those of us who grinded it out on the blogging circuit in 2009. Guess we’ll have to wait until 2010 to quit our day jobs, comrades (kudos to those who actually did quit their day jobs).
To close out 2009, I asked a few of my fellow members of the sports and pop culture blogging intelligentsia to send me their best post from 2009. I’m proud to say that I at least retweeted most of these when they first went live, and had a chance to go back and re-read. This list revisits Barry Bonds, Brett Favre, cartoon characters who juiced, and the seemingly insurmountable number of Harry Potter-lookalikes in the sporting world.
I didn’t pick a best post myself, but my favorite post - or should I say community organizing effort - by another blogger came from Yardbarker’s Alana G back in late November, who through her site campaigned MTV Jams to air a Tiger Woods video playlist. I never did follow up, and ask if they played my submission (Usher - Confessions, Part II), did I?
Check out the rest of the links below. I hope this leaves you feeling good, looking towards the future.
Like his Washington Wizards teammate and blogging kinsman Gilbert Arenas before him, Brendan Haywood has decided to retire from the blog game. When he started out blogging for Yardbarker earlier this year Haywood, the self-proclaimed Bad Guy, hoped to openly express his opinions w/o having to worry about people calling up the organization and inquiring as to why exactly he wants to buy Backstreet Boys records for Elin Woods? Well, as Victor Mancini would say, Hope is just a stage of your life (or blogging career) that ends - and can be seemingly be expedited when you support Mike Vick.
I’ve had a great time blogging, interacting with the fans and letting yal know my points of view on different dicey topics but with the way this season has gone –at this point, I don’t want anything written about me that’s not basketball related. When you’re winning and you’re on top, you can really speak your mind and put your thoughts out there. When you’re losing and trying to stay afloat, you’ve got to know when it’s time to be seen and not heard.
I know some of my blog topics have been controversial but I just felt like writing a boring blog about how I went to the gym and got a certain amount of shots up just wouldn’t cut it. I tried to keep yal on the cutting edge and really let yal know what’s going on in my mind and it was hard to do at times. It was hard because a lot of times when you make comments, people really blow them out of proportion and interpret them in a lot of different ways than you originally meant them. Gilbert Arenas told me that it would be like that when I first started blogging but I guess I had to see for myself. I was amazed at how people cold really misinterpret my words!
Haywood won’t be concluding his blogging career on the heels of his own Blogger of the Year award like predecessor, Agent Zero. He did get 234 comments (not all negative too) on that Elin Woods post though. And speaking of comments, those who left comments on his retirement announcement post are mostly sad to see him go - there’s only six comments, but that’s six more than I’d probably get if I retired from blogging. Even Buster Douglas stopped by with some kind words for Haywood:
Dag, just when I was going to ask you for four Cavs floor seats!!!
Take care Brendan, now who’s going to fight with Chantelle’s?
Truly understand that people are going overboard.
I agree with not just blogging about your sport, because you want to show people who you really are.
Thanks for keeping it real!
Just another case of blogging bringing 7-footers and former Heavyweight champions together as brothers.
While @Adam_Schefter was busy debunking the myth of @RodneyH37, and subsequently dispelling the rumors of an actual feud between Rodney Harrison and self-proclaimed leader of men Kerry Rhodes (stay savvy, Schefter), something far more compelling was happening in the twitterverse, tweeple…
(Side note: somewhere a kitten was just kicked into a coma because I used “twitterverse” and “tweeple” consecutively.)
The Double J is kind of a live wire. I don’t see him enjoying his nose’s presence on Twitter. Although whoever set this up makes a solid case for a little creative leeway in the bio:
THIS IS *NOT* REALLY JERRY JONES’ NOSE TWEETING. Its just a random, automated script that’s tweeting as his nose. This is satire. Get a sense of humor.
At this time, @jerryjonesnose has a whopping seven followers. Maybe promotional rich media like this will help populate…
On September 14, 2009, the great Patrick Swayze lost his battle with pancreatic cancer and passed away too young at the age of 57. Swayze had a prolific acting career, one that inspired his devoted fan base to believe that if anyone could beat this disease it was him (Swayze played a bank robbing surf ninja and villainous sky diving enthusiast in Point Break. Cancer? No problem, compadre). He was diagnosed in January of 2008 with a sickness that most people will succumb to in under a year - he held on for 20+ months. During that time period, his 1989 film Road House was the most broadcast movie on American television in the past year according to Rolling Stone - airing 45 times on AMC, A&E and CMT. Maybe you were lucky enough to flip it on and catch a riveting scene like this…
In lieu of burying Swayze with Dalton’s medical dossier, each Tuesday during football season I’ll be awarding one player the “Pain Don’t Hurt” Award to honor Swayze’s memory. This week’s recipient: Frank Gore of the San Francisco 49ers.
On Sunday, Frank Gore was Loaded like a freight train. Flyin’ like an aeroplane, so to speak. GNR reference.
In self-serving Fantasy Football news, this brute’s 207 yards on 16 carries and 2 TDs scored me 40 points, and has moved me to rename the team “Frank, Frank, Frank, Frank.” I’m excited. Check out that pair of touchdowns here - the second coming on an 80 yard scamper to start the second half…
That first touchdown run, a lackadaisical 79 yards. He joins Barry Sanders as the only RB to have two 70+ yard TD runs in one game in NFL history.
Gore suffered an ankle sprain in the second half versus the Seahawks. The X-rays came back negative and he’s listed as probable for this Sunday’s contest against the Vikings.
Thanks to everyone who voted in the What’s The Greatest Sports Day of the Year? poll. The results are in and posted - wait for it - at my new posterous blog.
Unnecessary redirect of the year.
But seriously, if you’re up on Posterous you should subscribe to me, and we can communicate as friends in yet another rambunctious internet hippodrome - I plan to post about this year’s zombie pin-up calendar there later on.
One hint, the day that received 47% of the votes partially relates to this event happening soon that’s going to be badass - http://www.secbigeastinvitational.com
Everything must go, including a whole mess of lanyards and credentials with his goateed face laminated on them.
Former ESPN broadcaster and Detroit radio personality, Mark Wilson, is leaving town (the state of Michigan, actually). But before he goes, he needs to sell off all the memorabilia his career in sports has afforded him over the years. The stash includes autographed bats, balls, crates of baseball cards, those radio guy jackets that will never go out of style, really old golf clubs and jerseys galore. It’s not all treasure - a replica MVP trophy from the Great Lakes Hockey championship - but there are items like the signed Joe Louis boxing gloves to be had. He’s even got a Charlie O. Finley baseball - the orange ball that Finley tried to replace white Major League baseballs with. Finley also wanted to institute designated runners and a mechanical rabbit that would pop up behind home plate and deliver new balls to the umpire (I digress, but I made up none of that).
Most notably, Wilson was the co-host of the popular Detroit sports-talk radio show Parker & The Man, he was ‘The Man.’ Wilson has also worked as a sports anchor and producer in Houston, Miami and Lansing. Judging by the array of Super bowl gear in his collection- a ceramic football from Super Bowl XL designed by Steve Mariucci? - he was something of a radio row lifer superstar.
Now, say you just wanted the Louis gloves, and maybe a lanyard or two. Well, liquidation stipulation - the whole lot needs to be moved at once and the asking price for the boat is $47 K. The kicker, assuming you live in the state of Michigan, The Man Wilson will drive all his swag to your house!
And if you talk Motor City Chiefs hockey with him, I’m sure he’ll throw in some heavy lifting too.