Sunday, September 30, 2012

Your Annotated Smartphone Bathroom Reader for Sunday, September 30, 2012.


Unfortunately, despite exhaustive searching on Google Images, I was not able to find a picture of Daryl Morey pooping.

When Do We Stop Caring?
rbiegler
Sactown Royalty

Those who survived the Sonics' last season in Seattle detail a sorry scene: where fans, for the first time, felt uncomfortable cheering for something that seemed destined to leave, and before long, stopped attending games and protesting a potential relocation as a means both to cope with the inevitable and also too not give too much financial support for an ownership group that seemed hellbent on screwing them over. Sadly, if this well written piece from Sactown Royalty is any indication, it seems that that moment has arrived for fans of the Sacramento Kings. The author of this piece, "rbiegler", seems openly anxious for the start of this Kings season, when support for keeping the Kings in town, and essentially rewarding the Brothers Maloof and their bad behavior, seems destined to come to an ugly end. Rbiegler does a good job listing off all the things that come with a professional sports team -- radio shows, bars, local commercials, and a different way to structure your year -- and how the Kings' presumed departure will take this away from them forever. It's a heartbreaking piece.
-JG

How Does a King's Fan Root For This Team?
section214
Sactown Royalty

In the above cited piece, also from Sactown Royalty, the author looks at the ramifications of whether the Kings leave or stay. This piece takes a closer look at a small piece of that pie: how do King's fans continue to root for their team? Author "section214" ultimately takes a pluralistic approach, arguing that there is no "right" or "wrong" way for fans to act in this unfortunate season. The piece ends with two lines that I thought were striking:

Go Kings.

Go Kings Fans.

Teams and there fans are often spoken of as if they are one entity. After all, what is a sports team without its fans? Thanks to the Maloof Brothers, we might just find out.
-FM

League's Answer to Floppers Might Run Afoul Upon Further Review
Ken Berger
CBS Sports

Ken Berger reports from the league's annual NBA referee camp, where the refs are apparently in a great mood, given the NFL's recent presentation of how truly difficult it is to properly officiate a professional sports game. Berger notes that one issue not discussed was flopping, which has officially fallen under the league office. Berger explains the trickiness of officiating the game from NBA headquarters in New York, where fines will send messages about the legitimacy of wins, and thus the product on the court (as well as the referees who oversee the product). Berger's comparison of the referees and league office to local police and the FBI, and flopping as a federal offense, is very interesting.
-JG

For Brooklyn's New Arena, Day 1 Brings Hip-Hop Fans and Protests
N.R. Kleinfield
New York Times

The New Jersey Brooklyn Nets media team has done a fantastic job dominating the offseason. It seems like every other day I am reading a story about how the new Barlclays center will make it easier to use public transportation, or about how it is eschewing Aramark and other large concessions companies and inviting local business to provide concessions. But, as any frequent reader of this blog knows, stadium construction is rarely sunshine and roses. In the Barclays Center case, in exchange for taxpayers heavily subsidizing the project, developer Bruce Ratner has promised to build gobs of housing. While the Barclays Center has opened with a Jay-Z concert, groundbreaking on the housing has yet to begin. Kleinfield spends a day outside of the Barclays Center, interacting with protesters, developers, concertgoers, residents and local businesses. In the end, Kleinfield is unable to answer the underlying question: is the Barclays Center good for Brooklyn? Only time will tell.
-FM

IAm the Houston Rockets GM, AMA
Daryl Morey
Reddit

Not an article per se, but you can read it on your smartphone in the bathroom right? Daryl Morey, the Houston Rockets GM, went on Reddit recently and answered a ton of questions (including one of mine!) So many people do AMAs on Reddit now that it is essentially another stop on the publicity tour. While I'm sure that factor didn't hurt, Morey seems to have just wanted to answer a bunch of questions, and that's what he did. He gets a lot of credit for answering all top-ranked questions, including one about why he donated money to Mitt Romney, and when he couldn't answer a question he gave legitimate reasons why not (I am prohibited by the NBA from talking about that, I can't answer that because of competitive reasons). This will only further Morey's reputation as the Bill Simmons-proclaimed Dork Elvis.
-FM

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