Friday, March 23, 2007
Crossroads
JR is chastising me again. He says that I'll get my Internet license revoked if I let a third blog die, and he's probably right. It's hard to maintain a loyal readership of 3-8 people if you don't post regularly, so I appreciate everyone sticking with me.
The issue here is that I don't know what my blog should be. It doesn't need to be a pure Cubs blog (Hire Jim Essian and Desipio have that locked down). I don't watch enough television or movies to truly comment about that sort of thing. As for music tastes, I only listen to what Pitchfork tells me to like, so I don't need to talk about that.
Just kidding about that last part. I hope.
JR Radcliffe has his top-ten list niche, and that works well for him. Andrew Hershberger (still one of my favorite blogs) brings little recommendations to you to improve your life. I can't compete with that.
Should I write about the mundane details of my day-to-day existence? Do I just write about how much I hate Peter King and Bill Simmons? Do you want a journal of everything I eat for meals? What clothes I wear? Tips on how to dominate two fantasy sports, but hopelessly fail in football? Maybe lend some of my extensive knowledge of rutabaga gardening? Anyone want to write a collaborative blog? Should Flotsam be dug up from its grave?
That probably won't happen, by the way.
So I am asking you, loyal readers, to help. Tell me what to write. I will hang up now and listen for your answer.
Read or Post a Comment
After re-reading that post, I probably should just post links to a bunch of stuff. That's an original concept.
If you want to be the voice that gets Bill Simmons fired, TG, I am firmly in your corner.
I'd offer some advice, but unfortunately, I still know not what to write about myself.
Though, I do think I speak for everyone when I inquire as to what did you have for dinner tonight? We need to know.
Cookies.
I'm not even kidding.
Bad Kermit is on to something.
It's not original in name to have Fire Bill Simmons as your mission statement, but I think you could make it a point of emphasis.
You see, and we have had many discussions about this, but you know not only how to be funny but you know why something is funny. That should enable you to poke a lot of fun at some of the more so-called lighthearted columnists out there, like Simmons, Scoop, DJ Gallo, etc. while embracing The Onion, FJM, etc. Why does it work? What do you like about it?
Upon writing this out, I realized it was a bad idea. Fuck Flotsam, too. Just be Marv. All the time.
Anything that still leaves room for your random observations, which are often fun even if they are sporadic. This is why I like the lists so much...they encompass those things and even go further.
to make you all jealous, I watched SEC softball today.
It took me five minutes to realize that this was JR, accidentally posting under his girlfriend's Blogger account.
JR posted on my computer two years ago and saved his password I'm guessing mistakenly upon logging in. For nearly 700 days I tried to figure out a way to comically use this against him and for 700 days I felt disappointed with every single idea I had. Then when blogger shifted to these google/beta accounts, I lost the password and the window closed. Then he posts under Liz's name and you, Eli, come up with something far funnier than I could for over year with your dry "It took me five minutes to realize that this was JR, accidentally posting under his girlfriend's Blogger account." That is why you should keep blogging about something, anything.
I don't know why you couldn't bring your own ascerbic voice to the Chicago sports blog network. It's not as though, say, the Celtics don't have about 20 billion blogs. The Wizards have at least three bloggers covering them that are must-read.
Really the key to any writing venture is to keep it passionate. You have to want to talk about it enough to sit in front of your computer for an hour or two (or more) each day, or you won't stick with it. Whether it's the Cubs, all Chicago sports, Bill Simmons, sportswriting in general, or some permutation of all those, go for it. And try not to let the fact that there's nothing new under the sun bring you down. After I started my recommendation blog, I found a whole galaxy of more focused, prettier, better-writing review and recommendation blogs out there. But I'm me and I cuss and talk about the best bourbons and so I'll keep doing that.