Reaching the Sweet 16 of the Fox Sports Next Great Sportswriter contest has changed my life. Now that I am a role model I feel a great responsibility to all the kids out there who dream to one day stand on the sidelines with pencil in hand racking their brains for a fresh angle as the clock ticks away.
So, let me begin by stating for the record, "I have never used steroids, period. I do not know how to say it any more clearly than that."
That might seem hard to believe, especially with my 20 plus quality posts and with BALCO head Victor Conte claiming that I injected myself in the leg with human growth hormones in an interview for "20/20," to be aired Friday - but I assure you that I am clean.
Sure, I have been using a hand cream called “the clear III” from BALCO for the past month of the competition but they told me that it is basically aloe vera in a tube and I believe them.
So with that out of the way let me get to the meat of this post – who are the 16 finalists?
I can best be described as someone who writes primarily about the NBA but also about the NFL and MLB – especially as it related to Chicago or a hot topic. My approach is to try and find something unique to say and to say it concisely and with a twist.
Since I hadn’t written about sports for a long time my first few posts were just OK as I struggled to get my footing. That day finally came with Enough “D” in Da Bears? I am sure that most people didn’t see it or read it but I knew after I had written it that I was hitting stride. It revealed something about me, it was concise and prophetic and it all came together at the end.
A few post after that, I came up with a new type of article that I think could be on FoxSports.com or ESPN entitled Reading Between the Lines. Although it needs more development it demonstrated an innovative nature to my writing.
Ron Just Wants to Be Like Mike is still one of my favorite posts and I think it is most indicative of my writing style. I followed that up with several more posts that shared many of the same qualities.
Just before Christmas an idea that had been germinating in my brain for the month finally came out. NBA 3 on 3 is, in my humble opinion, my best idea – although not my best post. It a whole new way of looking at the NBA and evaluating the strength of the organization. I should have been more concise and ended stronger but the content is solid.
After all of that, with the clock ticking away, I attempted to push myself and committed to three more posts in the
The Brackets are Being Filled that captured some of what it felt like to have the first phase of the contest winding down.
As for the other 15 finalists – I finished reading most of their posts late last night and I considered writing up a summary of each finalist – including the sports covered, team and city affiliations and my general impressions. I thought it would add something to the competition – a way to get to know the contestants before the voting that will determine this whole thing gets under way. But knowing that my summary might not faithfully represent the other writers’ work I decided to do the next best thing – highlight my favorite post from each one.
After tonight the contest changes dramatically - with only 16 writers going on to compete for the ultimate prize – becoming a contributing writer at FoxSports. In another five weeks it will all be decided. But what’s next, after that?
Assuming FoxSports wants this community to grow and mature it is in everyone’s interest to open up the lines of communication. Below are my initial thoughts and suggestions.
Blogs.FoxSports.com As the Farm System for FoxSports.com The first step is for Blogs.FoxSports.com to be transformed into an online magazine just like FoxSports.com. It would look and feel just like FoxSports.com but be populated with articles and posts from us.
Which posts would be included? This could be handled in any number of ways and may require that writers categorize their posts but the main idea is that we would all vote on our favorite writers and the top ones would be included. This would give writers a chance to hone their skills and create a following and give the editors at FoxSports a good way to farm new talent.
I also think the Blogs.FoxSports.com site could be a little different than the main site – swapping out modules for our own creations. Instead of the Free Video module that is on the home page maybe the new site could create a different module - devoted to humor, or the odds and gambling, or something more blog-like and interactive. We could establish modules that map well to the different styles of the various writers.
A Little Love on the FoxSports.com Home Page On the home page of FoxSports.com the farm system could take over one Feature slot – like the far right one that I circled in red – and a feature article from the Blogs.FoxSports.com site could be highlighted there daily. This would give everyone who continues to write a chance to get on the main site in a real way.
It's tourney time. The committee is filling up the brackets. You can bet that some
bloggers are definitely in, while some look good as many more rest on the bubble. This last day is going to be big - especially for the bubble bloggers.
How are we going to respond? We talk a good game - or at least write a good one. We sit at our keyboards late at night with the glow of the monitor radiating on us while our loved ones are fast asleep - and we judge. We judge this shot and that pass and this trade and that draft pick. But now it's us and it's our time.
Isn't this great and isn't this why we joined the Next Great Sportswriter competition in the first place? We are not only fans - we are competitors.
How am I going to respond? I have to assume that I am on the bubble - even if I am so far away that the judges have yet to see my blog. It is the only course of action since we have no standings.
I have a lot of ideas. I want to write a piece about how the NBA needs to either add a Best All Around to go with the MVP or they need to eliminate the award altogether. Aren't we tired of the same old stale arguments every year? With an MVP that is the most valuable person to his team and a Best All Around that is the best athlete, we could be spared countless future meaningless arguments.
I also want to write a piece and introduce a new offensive productivity stat for the NBA - the field goal yield. Looking at players' productivity in terms of shots made to total points has a way of uncovering who is a valuable contributor and who is not for a game that just demands you take it to the rim.
And I would like to end on a real ####. I would like to combine my ideas on how FoxSports could turn this new blog space into its own farm system for up-and-coming sports writers with a much overdue calling out of my favorite fellow writers.
Sure, you are thinking, everyone want to dribble left at the top of the key, fake out Craig Ehlo, jump and hit the winning shot at the buzzer. Everyone wants to think that they will dig deep down and pull it out. Everyone wants to think that they are a winner.
But we all know that only 16 move on and I can't help but sit here and wonder - will I be one of them? And I think to myself, I could wait like everyone else for the judges make their big announcement but maybe there is better way. From the corner of my eye - sitting on the dining room table - I see it - the ultimate authority - the Magic 8 Ball.
And so, I pick it up - begin shaking - and say out loud "Am I moving on to the Sweet 16?" And with one last shake I look down only to see - Ask Again Later.
I have played baseball, basketball and football my whole life. I have suffered the tragedies of defeat and tasted sweet victory for me and my team. And it's these experiences that will come in handy as I compete with my eyes closed and my hands tied behind my back.
What do I mean?
I haven't watched sports for the last 5 years and I currently don't have a t.v. or cable. I will cover my beat from cyberspace. I will read the box scores and articles and "watch" some games refresh every 15 seconds - but that is it.
What else?
I will be suspended by my feet with my head hanging over a boiling pit full of crocodiles and snakes. All ending on February 8th - with a fiesta at my house (mariachis and margaritas for everyone) celebrating my new job at FoxSports.
So, let me begin by stating for the record, "I have never used steroids, period. I do not know how to say it any more clearly than that."
Sure, you are thinking, everyone want to dribble left at the top of the key, fake out Craig Ehlo, jump and hit the winning shot at the buzzer. Everyone wants to think that they will dig deep down and pull it out. Everyone wants to think that they are a winner. 
