Point and Counterpoint
February 24, 2012 6 Comments
Based solely on the outcome of the three-man independent arbitration panel that nullified Ryan Braun’s 50-game suspension for violating the MLB’s performance enhancing drug policy, one would assume that Braun’s previously good name should also be restored. The arbitration panel was presided over by MLB executive VP Rob Manfred, union head Michael Weiner (who shockingly split votes), and independent arbitrator Shyam Das.
February 22, 2012 Leave a Comment
How I saw the Internet this week
Deep Routes
- NYTimes’ Keith Bradsher profiles Jeremy Lin’s grandmother in Taiwan. The extent to which his grandparents need to go to avoid the paparazzi is unreal. (via Richard Deitsch)
- Erik Malinowski with an excellent piece on Deadspin about the 20-year anniversary of the classic Simpsons episode Homer at the Bat. The Simpsons backlash referenced in the article is pretty amusing considering that kids now watch Jersey Shore and its other heinous equivalents. Even if it was crass, at least the Simpsons (at that point in time) was well-written, smart, and good.
- NYTimes food critic Pete Wells details Shake Shack’s struggles with consistency. His complaints notwithstanding, we are going to see continued exponential growth from that chain over the next few years (via BobbyBigWheel).
February 20, 2012 2 Comments
Written by Asif Attarwala. Find him regularly on Uninformed Commentary.
Tim Wakefield retired on Friday as the third winningest pitcher in Red Sox history after 17 years with the team. Wakefield won’t be remembered as the greatest pitcher in team history (that honor belongs to Pedro Martinez), but for nearly two decades he’s been the greatest point of continuity for the team as it emerged from the dark days of the late 90′s and early aughts to become a perennial championship contender. For the average fan he will perhaps be best remembered for giving up a series-ending home run to Aaron Boone in the 2003 ALCS. Red Sox die-hards, however, will recall Wakefield forgoing a Game 4 start by volunteering for mop-up duty in a Game 3 blowout loss to the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS. That effort, along with Wake’s three-inning appearance in Game 5, were critical to the Red Sox preserving their pitching staff to complete the greatest comeback in sports history. For that we’ll always be thankful.
February 17, 2012 Leave a Comment
In yesterday’s New York Times, Friday Night Lights author and former Philadelphia Inquirer reporter (as well as one of my favorite writers) Buzz Bissinger penned an op/ed that details the dangerous prospect that Philadelphia’s two daily newspapers–the Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News–as well as Philly.com are being bid on by a consortium led by Edward G. Rendell. Previously, Rendell has been the mayor of Philadelphia, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and, most recently, governor of Pennsylvania.
February 15, 2012 1 Comment
How I saw the internet this past week…
Deep Routes
- Steve Hehn writes about the biggest risks of Facebook’s impending IPO for NPR. What happens to the company’s culture when Facebook’s most talented employees–many of whom are in their 20s–are set for life? If I were in their position, I’d probably bounce.
- Grantland unearths David Remnick’s classic New Yorker piece on Michael Jordan’s first basketball comeback. Note to self: learn how to write this beautifully.
February 13, 2012 3 Comments
My friend Asif, who writes Uninformed Commentary, also took a stab at the Jeremy Lin story. Here goes…
Linsanity has taken hold here in my light-less bog cave. Even though I’m a huge Celtics fan and long-time Knicks hater, I have to admit that I’m rooting for Jeremy Lin’s continued success. The honest truth is, I can’t think of another time that a player has come out of as much obscurity as Lin to post these types of numbers. Since being inserted into the Knicks’ starting lineup, Lin has filled up the stat sheet, he’s averaging 22.7 pts, 3.8 rebounds, and 6.8 assists in just over 30 minutes per game in February. And while the competition hasn’t exactly been the strongest out there (last 5 opponents: Minnesota, LA Lakers, Washington, Utah, New Jersey), he’s done this without the help of Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire and there’s some reason to believe that this performance is sustainable (more on that later). One of the things that surprises me most about the Lin phenomenon is that I haven’t seen a rash of columns comparing Lin to Tim Tebow. You know it’s going to happen — sportswriters LOVE writing about Tim Tebow — so I figured I’d get out ahead of this and break down why Jeremy Lin is much easier to root for than Tim Tebow (leaving aside the respective popularity of their sports).
February 13, 2012 4 Comments
Like a Republican presidential candidate rocketing to the top of the polls, New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin has come out of absolutely nowhere to captivate the national consciousness this past week. Lin–the son of Taiwanese immigrants and a 2010 Harvard graduate–went undrafted, played in just 29 games and 285 minutes last season for the Golden State Warriors, was released twice before the start of this season–by the Warriors and, later, the Houston Rockets–and emerged only due to a string of Knicks injuries.
February 10, 2012 5 Comments
By now you’ve certainly heard, watched, read, and thought about the video Rob Gronkowski on Sunday night after the Patriots’ Super Bowl loss to the Giants and developed your opinion on the subject accordingly. But I’m in football withdrawal, don’t have much else to write about, and find myself in the odd position of agreeing with a talking head studio host, Rodney Harrison, who I normally ignore while disagreeing with one of my favorite writers, Drew Magary, whose philosophies on sports, food, and life I almost always find to be spot on. So I feel like I need to chime in.
February 8, 2012 2 Comments
New weekly feature in which I pull up the best links from my week reading the internet. I’ll also sprinkle in some hot foodporn action and some cool stuff from the Youtubes. If you have anything to contribute in any of these categories going forward, by all means do so. Especially foodporn. Here goes…
Deep Routes
Gabriel Sherman’s NY Mag cover piece – The Emasculation of Wall Street – gives a very detailed account of where Wall Street compensation is at, how the glory days aren’t returning anytime soon, and analogizes investment banks to big box retailers like Wal-mart, a comparison that would have been unthinkable just a few years back. There’s the usual tone-deaf quotes from bankers and traders but by and large this piece is well-written, informative, and fair and Sherman got some great access for it.
February 6, 2012 2 Comments
Part I – Madison Weekend Diary here.
Part II – Super Bowl Party gluttony here.
Quick takeaways:
