and learn about what really goes on in the game. Anytime I can hear scout’s views on sports, I enjoy it, because I know that I might learn something I didn’t know, or they might point out something I didn’t recognize. To give you a precedent for whjat kind of sports writing I like, ‘Men At Work’ by George Will is my favorite sports book if all time.

I picked “other”. And if I could describe the “other” it would look something like this:

atmosphere/smell of the locker room (not literally)/cool stuff that makes you feel like you’re there. alternated with “stuff you would never think about if it didn’t come up in a column.”

Too many reporters are willing to follow a really tired formula:

Main story: The game score was X. Trembley said Y. [Insert Oriole player A here] made a great/shitty play that won/lost the game. “That was really _” said [Insert Oriole player B].

Sideline story (if there is one): Human interest stuff about the players that doesn’t require a lot of research beyond Wikipedia: “Melvin has a lot of kids!” “Adam grew up in Canada!” “Millar dyed his hair blonde!”

What I’d like to see is stuff that puts me on the inside—way inside—like in-depth stories about how the Orioles’ signs all changed this year, or how coach X has started to grow tomatoes in honor of Earl.

Or stuff from a very different angle. Not the same rehash that mediocre sports journalists pump out day after day. The NY Times Bats Blog does a really good job of this (although this week it’s being dominated by A*Rod crap). They’ve got a story right now about Bernie Williams playing in the WBC even though he is no longer in the majors. That’s original and different. They’ve had stuff in the past about stuff that goes on in the clubhouse that has nothing to do with recent games and everything to do with the slower, quieter side of reporting the sport. The “pastime” side of it, if you will.

It’s hard to describe, I just know it when I read it. It’s stories that pull me in and feel fresh and aren’t just a formulaic retelling of the past 24 hours.

But that was a pretty tricky question. zhnower summed up my distaste for the the AP-style stories that you read for every single game.

I don’t really like or care for the questions we ask the players. Their answers are predictable. For example, lets say Markakis hits two home runs to help us win a game. In the papers, there would be a quote from his something like “it was very exhilarating to feel that ball of my bat. I just love being in the position to help this team win a game.” What the hell kind of question was asked? “Mr. Markakis, do you enjoy hitting home runs? And how about winning, is that a good feeling for you?”

I kinda wish sportswriters would just give the players better opportunities to show us that they have actual personalities. I wish they’d just sit back and ask “so…how’d you do it?” and Markakis could relax and say something like “what, you guys haven’t seen that before? I eat two home runs for breakfast. Come to the game tomorrow for another taste.”

I guess that dialouge was pretty redundant. And I know that sponsors and agents, and the reign of political correctness should get much of the blame. But damn, sportswriters should be fighting this, by asking better questions. I think the media is too complacent.

Surely these guys have some interesting stories to tell. Maybe I’ve missed a few of them, but I don’t feel as though they’re being told all that well. I also like the “insider” stuff. I’m sure some of you read that ‘Odd Man Out’ book excerpt in SI about the guy from Yale who spent a year in the minors. Unlike the Torre excerpt, the bit from ‘Odd Man Out’ made me want to check out the book.

every time I turn on MASN and its showing ESPNnews. If I wanted to see that…I would just turn to ESPNnews. I don’t understand why MASN even pays the money to do that. They would be better off just showing old games or something. But my whole point is this, you got a channel and you need to sell the team…why the hell don’t they do a “Hard Knocks” style thing covering in depth the Spring Training? Your telling me these guys would have interesting personalities to see? It has to be cheaper than paying money to ESPN so show their sloppy seconds.

HUFF TV

like how the redskins do it, I think maybe the ravens too. But where some guys sit with the coach and discuss pretty specifically certain plays and games and they have video and all that.

Probably not feasible with the baseball schedule though.

but I’d like more info on the players. Baseball related, but not necessarily. Like for example, I thought the article about all the O’s who ride their bikes to work was interesting. It’s hardly hard hitting journalism, but it’s fun and it’s interesting and it helps the fans connect with the team more. I remember when I was in middle school maybe, there was this special on HTS that was pretty much Brady Anderson and Mike Devereaux giving a tour of the club house, the kinds of things they do on a daily basis, what their training routine looks like. I ate that shit up.

Like zk said, the reporting is just so boilerplate these days. I think most teams fall victim to that, but it’d be nice to see them branch out more.

As far as MASN goes, I know they don’t have nearly as much money or fan interest as the YES Network, but I think that’d be a good business model for them to look at for the kinds of things O’s fans would like to see.

But my complaint about most of the local media is that they have no clue about statistics. yes, I’m that guy and I’m sticking with it.