tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post2584228680715943557..comments2023-10-10T06:51:06.526-04:00Comments on Ryan's Take: How Did I Miss This?Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04523572927796479670noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-88545483079955410452007-10-01T22:39:00.000-04:002007-10-01T22:39:00.000-04:00I'd forgotten that Steve Almond is the guy who wro...I'd forgotten that Steve Almond is the guy who wrote this:<BR/><BR/>http://www.thebostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/other_stories/documents/02814298.htm<BR/><BR/><I>Now look: I’ve been a sports fan my whole life and I’ve rooted for the same three teams all along. I rooted for the Oakland A’s during the darkest days of that franchise, when they routinely lost 90 games per season. I rooted for the Golden State Warriors (the Golden State Warriors, for God’s sake!) through the entire Manute Bol era. I am on intimate terms with the agonies of fandom. What’s more, I’ve traveled this fine country of ours and witnessed the behaviors of numerous sports habitats.<BR/><BR/>And yes, it’s true that most fans are prone to unconditional complaint.<BR/><BR/>But I hope you’ll believe me when I observe (with no intention to offend) that I have never encountered a group of fans as whiny, sanctimonious, and unforgiving as Red Sox Nation.</I><BR/><BR/>Fuck him. :)bostonphhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13024891936639690660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-51221253553567703692007-09-29T16:11:00.000-04:002007-09-29T16:11:00.000-04:00Mr. Almond was so off base when he said blogging e...Mr. Almond was so off base when he said blogging elicits the worst in people. Oh, no. Most bloggers are the most pure of heart. In addition, bloggers have the most crafty and well reasoned analysis. Just ask Ryan. He did after all connect Kerry Healey to the slave trade in his witty campaign commercial for Deval. Instant pundit, indeed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-89859355045626317102007-09-24T12:22:00.000-04:002007-09-24T12:22:00.000-04:00Ryan,To be honest, Steve's article is no worse tha...Ryan,<BR/><BR/>To be honest, Steve's article is no worse than your periodic "why the MSM sucks" columns. Frankly, both are really, really boring.bostonphhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13024891936639690660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-14801589655783032292007-09-23T14:27:00.000-04:002007-09-23T14:27:00.000-04:00David, here's why that argument doesn't fly: the G...David, here's why that argument doesn't fly: the Globe gets all sorts of different submissions for Op-Eds. Anyone can actually send them one; it's just very hard to get them published. There's usually some kind of a reason on why they'll publish Op-Eds and, I'd contend, pieces such as the one I blogged about are printed because it only helps further the MSM's continual and unwarranted attack on the blogosphere. My evidence? I've seen many, many Op Eds published in the Globe that have attacked blogs. I've never seen one that sings our praises. <BR/><BR/>Joel, I agree with your point - and I sort of tried to make the same point. Why not write a column that points people out to good blogs out there, instead of attack the entire blogosphere? What service to the latter do, especially compared to how helpful the former would be.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04523572927796479670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-48142696276421378852007-09-23T12:50:00.000-04:002007-09-23T12:50:00.000-04:00I liked Steve Almond's book "Candy Freak," and I r...I liked Steve Almond's book "Candy Freak," and I recommend it if you want to learn more about candy and its history in America.<BR/><BR/>Almond could be right that the Times isn't offering us anything better with the blogs it has.<BR/>"The Times, for instance, now offers readers live blogging - in real time! - from presidential debates. Does this instant kibitzing give us any deeper insight into the policies of the candidates in question? Just the opposite: it provides a kind of superficial play-by-play that frames these events as rhetorical boxing matches."<BR/>I, for one, have not been impressed by the insights provided by The Caucus at NYT. <BR/>Generally, I find independent bloggers like Atrios & Digby & Outraged Liberal provide the insights that newspapers lack.<BR/><BR/>And this is where Almond falls into a common trap of articles on blogs: He leaves the impression that they are a vast wasteland instead of constructively steering people to good blogs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-7693908000113556292007-09-23T07:10:00.000-04:002007-09-23T07:10:00.000-04:00In all fairness to The Globe, the piece in questio...In all fairness to The Globe, the piece in question was an op-ed written by a moderately successful free-lance writer named Steven Almond (http://www.stevenalmond.com), who is not otherwise associated with The Globe. <BR/><BR/>Almond seems to have some axes to grind with literary bloggers, in particular. He also seems to be someone who sometimes writes with tongue planted in cheek.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-44987152805184289992007-09-23T01:19:00.000-04:002007-09-23T01:19:00.000-04:00Charley, don't be so humble. You're one of the bes...Charley, don't be so humble. You're one of the best bloggers out there, at least in the MA blogosphere. You just prove that you don't need a degree in journalism to both research and come up with sound, often original, analysis. It would be nice if the media could recognize what the blogosphere is good at - advancing the dialogue and getting people to think about what's important. You don't need to be an expert in any field to do that (though, it certainly helps).Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04523572927796479670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-35279378174332533822007-09-22T20:35:00.000-04:002007-09-22T20:35:00.000-04:00For the record: Indeed, I have no qualifications, ...For the record: Indeed, I have no qualifications, for much of anything, much less for writing on matters of public import. That is very true.<BR/><BR/>The sad thing is that it's mostly we unqualified ignoramuses that make up the electorate. And that pretty much can't be helped.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08128763436786030358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-27179070968756119412007-09-22T18:36:00.000-04:002007-09-22T18:36:00.000-04:00That is amusing, particularly from an MSM rep, the...That is amusing, particularly from an MSM rep, the <I>Globe</I>, that is so terrible with their own blogs. They can look to the <I>Financial Times</I> to see how the big kids do it right.<BR/><BR/>Quite a few of us came out of newspapers and other careers in which we check and research. A lot of BMG and Huffington Post blog entries show that. <BR/><BR/>It must be comforting for the wee brains to lump all blogs into the lowest common denominator, while pretending that every newspaper is top tier and every column in them is thoroughly grounded. <BR/><BR/>They have already lost this one. Yawn.massmarrierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02358207247771711952noreply@blogger.com