Browns lose, Joe Banner needs to come on the podcast – WFNY Podcast – 2014-09-21
September 21, 2014One week left, Tribe still hangin’ around
September 22, 2014Happy Monday, folks. We’ll obviously have plenty to discuss when it comes to the Browns and Indians over the coming hours. While we wait, let’s talk some scandal, shall we?
Some pieces are just too big to be buried in #ActualSportswriting. By now, you’ve likely seen the report from Don Van Natta Jr. (a Pulitzer winner) and Kevin Van Valkenberg (the Brian Windhorst of the Baltimore Ravens), claiming that the Ravens not only knew about the details surrounding the Ray Rice situation, but colluded with the league and other officials in hopes of covering up the shear brutality of what occurred in that hotel elevator, and endeavored to have the player receive as little of a punishment as possible. Van Natta and Van Valkenberg spoke to more than 20 different individuals over the course of 11 days and felt so strongly about the story they had uncovered that they were willing to publish it in the early evening hours on a Friday, a time when other stories go largely unread.
It’s been shared over 50,000 times on Facebook and Twitter. It has over 1,000 comments. It’s the kind of investigative journalism that not only becomes the talk of sports fans, but should, in time, garner a reaction from the team and the league itself. It makes Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, president Dick Cass and general manager Ozzie Newsome look like horrible human beings. It’s the kind of piece that could prove to be the dagger in the careers of Greg Aiello, a spokesman for the NFL, and commissioner Roger Godell, who appears to be more than willing to go down swinging.
Goodell has been steadfast that no one in the NFL had seen the inside-elevator video until Sept. 8 which continues to be more mind-blowing by the minute. That TMZ (TMZ!) of all outlets took him and the league to task on Friday speaks volumes as to how mishandled this entire situation has been. More an more details surrounding the incident, how it was handled, and everything in between will continue to trickle out. The ability for the league and the Ravens to claim innocence throughout it all, and the odds of Goodell being commissioner of the NFL come season’s end, will continue to diminish—rapidly.
Look: I’m an Apple guy. I’ve had multiple iPhones and iPods. I use a MacBook Pro and iPad with WiFi powered by an Airport Extreme. I stream with an Apple TV and subscribe to a handful of podcasts (like this one, for example)on iTunes. And as I sit here with my iPhone 4S, I’m bummed that I could not land an iPhone 6 on Friday—they were fresh out by the time I could make it to the store and I neglected to pre-order, preferring to be more hands-on before purchase. But still, using a three-year-old cell phone is all my fault because I refuse to wait in lines like this. Plenty of items I collect (for lack of better term) require lines or early adoption—sneakers, for instance. But even then, I’ll log in to a web site at a specific time; I won’t wait in a line in the middle of the night.
Now don’t get me wrong: I don’t begrudge those who do. I know plenty of people who have waited in lines for various items—phones, video games, Black Friday specials, you name it. And am I jealous of those who already have an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus in hand? You’re damned right I am. But I don’t like waiting in lines in general, so I would definitely not choose to do so. Plus, I’m at a point in my life where I prefer sleeping in. It’ll cost me  a few months of iPhone 6 usage, but I have a feeling I’ll survive. (Plus, I can still get a chuckle at the e-inferiority complex from Android users in the meantime.)
What about you guys? What would you wait in line for? Am I alone in this avoidance?
Speaking of podcasts: Huge congratulations to the Men in Blazers. Michael Davies and Roger Bennett will debut their new 30-minute television show on NBCSN this Monday at 10 p.m. ET. The show will run during the EPL season, with airings at 10 p.m. ET and an encore airing at midnight ET. It will also stream live on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports Live Extra app. Bennett and Davies will also produce a digital-only weekly podcast on NBCSports.com each Tuesday. Moving on from Bill Simmons Grantland and all of the coverage they received during the World Cup seems like both a bold move and fortuitous timing. Kevin Love was a guest on their latest show—if you’re not listening, you should be.
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More sad times in the world of Howard Stern. While many are still grieving the loss of Joan Rivers, Stern fans lost Eric “The Actor” Lynch who passed away at age 39 on Sunday evening. Lynch is a long-time Wack Pack member who was one of the more polarizing individuals to be a frequent guest. He was far from my favorite as I often struggled to comprehend what he actually added to the show. But Howard had a soft spot for the guy and landed him several roles on big time television shows. He was also the subject of some of the better bits in recent years, including “Fly me with Balooons” and the Carrie Underwood prank.
Stern, while still dealing with the loss of his close friend in Rivers, will undoubtedly be hit pretty hard by this one. Lynch was just on the show last week, and this passing came out of nowhere. Lynch outlived many medial estimations, but man—39?
Bye for now, big guy.
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Have a sweet take to share with the world? That’s too bad. Here’s some #ActualSportsWriting:
“Donte Whitner was raised tough…” by Tom Reed (NEOMG): “Donte Whitner stood in the tunnel that leads to the FirstEnergy Stadium field Sunday and pointed a finger at cornerback Justin Gilbert. Music blared. Fans roared. Primal emotions welled as the Browns prepared to be introduced for their home opener. In that moment Whitner, who became the man of the house at age 12, took the mental temperature of his teammates.”
“Together we make Football” by Louisa Thomas (Grantland): “On Valentine’s Day 2005, Tennessee Titans cornerback Samari Rolle hit his wife, Danisha, giving her a gash that required three stitches over her left eye. Three weeks later, the Ravens signed him to a six-year deal worth $30.5 million.”
“What happened to Anthony Kim?” by Alan Shipnuck (SI.com): “Anthony Kim has become golf’s yeti, an elusive figure who is the source of endless conjecture. What we know for sure is that Kim, 29, has not teed it up at a PGA Tour event in more than 28 months. Once considered the future of U.S. golf, he is now estranged from the game that brought him fame and fortune. His handlers at IMG rarely speak to him. In April, golfchannel.com asked Kim’s agent, Clarke Jones, about his client’s whereabouts. The best Jones could come up with? “He’s not living under a bridge, he’s not living in a box.” The players on Tour wonder if they will ever cross paths with Kim again.”
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And finally, a section I think I’ll try out for a bit called Brew du Jour where I share some thoughts on a beer I enjoyed over the weekend. Given the proliferation of pumpkin ales, and the fact that it’s officially autumn, a good one to start with is “Spooky Tooth” from Cleveland’s own Fatheads Brewery. Spooky Tooth is an Imperial Pumpkin Ale (read: way better than a regular pumpkin ale) and clocks in at a 9 percent ABV. While it’s not up there with Southern Tier’s Imperial Pumpking, it’s a a very, very good beer. It’s a little darker than most pumpkin ales, but the pumpkin pie scents and aftertaste are both formidable. Hints of brown sugar give off that pie crust feel and the cinnamon tops it off as a perfect brew for the fall. You can obviously get a goblet of this bad boy at Fathead’s out in Westlake or pick up a four-pack wherever craft beers are sold (likely within this region). If you haven’t given Spooky Tooth a whirl, you have a few weeks to do so, but I would highly recommend it.
28 Comments
I refuse to wait in line for anything that isn’t completely essential. Grocery stores, beer at sporting events, and security lines at airports are about the limit for me. I plan on getting an iphone 6 or 6+, but I’m also willing to wait for it to get shipped to me a month or two from now.
I’ve gotten my last two iPhones (4S and 5S) by waiting in line. But all I did was get there about an hour before the store opened. Both times the store had coffee and pastries for people in line. It was completely painless and I was in and out of the store in under 20 minutes once they opened.
While I may have tried Spooky Tooth in the past, there’s so many pumpkin ales out now that I can’t remember which I’ve had from year to year. But I’ll definitely keep an eye out for it this season.
I discovered Southern Tier’s Warlock this year – the pumpkin stout to Pumpking’s ale. I actually happened to go to Souther Tier Brewery while in Chautauqua a month ago only to find out that Warlock has been out for a few years, so I’m guessing it’s just new to this region as I had never heard of it before. I HIGHLY recommend it. The stout tempers the sweetness of the pumpkin slightly, making it easier to drink a whole bomber IMO.
I’ll never, ever understand waiting in line for a phone. Wait a couple of weeks, then walk in the store, buy the thing, and walk out. On your lunch break. What’s the rush? Somebody, anybody tell me what I’m missing today that I can’t enjoy in a month.
Wait, you’re an Apple guy? [loses respect]
I don’t generally wait in lines for much at all. Black Friday happens without me every year. I’ll do crazy things for stuff I love, to be sure. I drove to Youngstown for a rock show last week. Last year on a Sunday night after the Browns game I drove to Pittsburgh to see Mansions play in a small club. I’m driving to Columbus on a Friday night to see Cloud Nothings with Andrew. So I guess my brand of crazy is just different than the crazy that would have someone stand in line for a new phone.
I guess I’d claim some superiority though because I’m going to one-time events. Scott, when you’re buying collector shoes, you know they’re limited run. The fact is that we know Apple is going to meet demand for their device eventually. That being the case, the benefits of standing in line so you can have it a month before other people seem minimal.
Not to mention the new iPhone while excellent I’m sure, is just an iterative improvement over the ones that iPhone users have in their pockets already.
Amen, I expand that out to include rollercoasters as well. If that little sign says more than 1/4 hour I’m passing. It took me forever to convince my wife that when we don’t have the kids it is perfectly acceptable to sit at the bar to eat dinner instead of wandering aimlessly around the front of a restaurant with one of those silly buzzers. My theory is that Ive wasted a lot of minutes of life span through chemical and physical abuse of my body and its organs. One way to recoup that time is staying out of lines. Let the teetotalers have their gadgets I say, I’ll have some brandy.
In general, I try to make efficient use of my time, so I avoid the lines when I can. Really, the main thing I try to do though is spend as much time as I can with the people who are most important to me. So, if I had a teenager (thankfully, not yet), then I would absolutely wait in line with them to get an iPhone. But, I would care little about getting them the phone and much about the dedicated hours in line that I would get to spend with them.
On the same topic, my Mom and sisters go Black Friday shopping every single year. Yes, they do the pre-work and know which stores to go to and do their Starbucks run that morning together too. But, what really matters is that even in a time where their lives are busy and crazy and pulling them apart, they get 6-8 hours together.
So, if you are going to wait in the line, then I just humbly suggest trying to utilize it for more than what you are actually getting at the end of the line. But, then again, you guys know I am more of a “journey over destination” type person 🙂
Case in point 🙂
“I guess I’d claim some superiority though because I’m going to one-time events. Scott, when you’re buying collector shoes, you know they’re limited run.”
Very good point.
“…my Mom and sisters go Black Friday shopping every single year.”
All of the women in my immediate family do as well. They plot out store and times and who’s running to what sections like it’s the Situation Room. That said, I’ve slept and we’ve ended up with really cool things—a DSLR for example—on bargain bin prices. Like I said, I don’t begrudge at all.
I once waited in line two hours for a chance to walk on the infield at the Jake. The line stretched all the way to the top ramp of the concourse. And I was at the end of it.
wait – you just said that you “wasted a lot of minutes of life span through chemical and physical abuse of my body and its organs” yet you argue that it’s “perfectly acceptable to sit at the bar to eat dinner .”
I like your style.
the Chinese people here wait in line for weeks because they buy the phones for $700 and ship them back to China where they get sold for $2,500. Take a look at any video of the 5th Ave apple store line, and you’ll see about 50 Chinese faces at the front.
But, Oh, what I wouldn’t give to be able to wait in line to buy tickets for a sporting event or concert – instead of NEVER having the opportunity to get the best tickets at market value because the scalpers compu-purchase them all with their algorithmic programs.
I don’t begrudge either – as long as someone else is doing the line-waiting!
That OTL article was great. If nothing else it puts the burden on the Mueller dude to be on point. If the Rooneys and Maras thought they could have a little influence over this investigation they must now certainly understand the stakes and the risks they would incur if they were to meddle, and end up on the wrong side.
I’m thinking they should re-visit Spygate, too. If Baltimore is found guilty of some sort of tampering, i think 3 straight 1st round picks would be appropriate punishment.
If I can add a suggestion for the #ActualSportsWriting list:
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11558730/does-football-contribute-bad-behavior-nfl-prevent
Cleveland favorite Le Batard asks how much the NFL culture contributes to the problems it now faces.
Dude, chinaman is not the preferred nomenclature. Asian-American, please.
I’m more than willing to allow links to #ActualSportswriting in this space. That’s a great piece. Thanks!
I didn’t say Chinaman. I didn’t say American. I said Chinese. You know, people from China, who don’t speak English but live here in NYC. And when you say “Asian-American,” how do I know you’re not talking about an Israeli, a Russian, or a Syrian?
Was Nelson Mandela African-American?
Warlock is both wonderful and dangerous. Enjoy in moderation, folks. Or at least don’t go six pints on an empty stomach.
I never, ever understand the waiting in lines. I buy a new one every other year, and I simply set my alarm for 3 AM, order the phone, and go back to bed. I usually get it the day before all the people who wait in line for a week or more. I think the line-waiters are foolish, but I have to believe that they enjoy it for some reason.
And continue to do so. Thats why eating at the bar is a zero on the net gain/loss scale.
Would you just take it easy, man.
Join the Upside of Downs Buddywalk next August. You could lurch in for free or better give a small donation and walk the the perimeter of the field at your leisure, sit in the dugouts scope the pen. And you dont have to wait in a 2 hour line
Cavaliers lift ban on fan:
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/cavaliers-lift-ban-on-fan-who-ran-onto-court-to-beg-lebron-james-to-return-to-cleveland-163125545.html
Not to mention the new phones always come with a new software release which, inevitably, always has bugs that need to be fixed