So true. At that point you can actually hear Zach Lowe's eyes rolling.Mystic Merlin said:Every sentence of his that starts with 'it seems like' always produces a winner.
So true. At that point you can actually hear Zach Lowe's eyes rolling.Mystic Merlin said:Every sentence of his that starts with 'it seems like' always produces a winner.
drleather2001 said:Oh you missed a couple of profundities.
At one point he tries to explain his pop culture reference by explaining what "Hill Street Blues" was, and then explaining how a catch phrase to that 30 year old show is kinda-sorta applicable to today's NFL because lots of people get hurt.
CouchsideSteve said:Finished listening to the 2nd Birdmester marathon podcast(s) with Jalen - yet another entertaining listen. However, the one thing I just can't get over is the number of times that Bill makes a reference to his experience playing pick-up basketball to justify an argument or draw a parallel to something happening in the NBA. He does it about 3x per podcast at this point and it's driving me fucking insane. You're absolutely right Bill, playing with Russell Westbrook is exactly like that year at Holy Cross that Hench went on a hot streak in intramurals, but refused to pass and it made you and Jack-O sad. Glad you could synthesize the Westbook-Durant dynamic for us in relatable terms.
/end rant
Exactly. Taking down his gambling manifesto? Edgy stuff. Even Simmons, for as thin skinned as he is, has been destroying his picks for weeks now in his mailbag. Looks like someone at Slate wants to pick up some page views/listeners by taking down an easy target with a big name.Nick Kaufman said:Taking down his playoff manifest is like shooting fish in the barrel. Is there anyone who takes this shit at face value?
Stu Nahan said:Looks like someone at Slate wants to pick up some page views/listeners by taking down an easy target with a big name.
Nick Kaufman said:If we all agree that Simmons' gambling manifesto is utterly worthless and best read for a chuckle or an interesting tidbit here and there, what is the audience for which a takedown is aimed for?
Dan Dierdorf?
Pollard also concussed Wes Welker in December, then Welker came back for the playoffs and knocked Aqib Talib out of the AFC title game — it was like Pollard transferred his evil powers to Welker like they were starring in a Wes Craven movie. If Welker takes out any Seahawks in the Super Bowl, we might have to use the Indiana exorcism specialists on him.
epraz said:The podcast with Wesley Morris about Phillip Seymour Hoffman is a perfect example of why I find him frustrating. I really would like to listen to Wesley Morris talk about PSH's career for 30 minutes, but as they go through his roles, they get sidetracked because Simmons keeps acknowledging that PSH was good in a particular movie but that he just didn't get the movie. I would listen to a lot more of this stuff if Simmons never gave his opinion on anything.
epraz said:The podcast with Wesley Morris about Phillip Seymour Hoffman is a perfect example of why I find him frustrating. I really would like to listen to Wesley Morris talk about PSH's career for 30 minutes, but as they go through his roles, they get sidetracked because Simmons keeps acknowledging that PSH was good in a particular movie but that he just didn't get the movie. I would listen to a lot more of this stuff if Simmons never gave his opinion on anything.
FungosWithJimy said:Does anyone in this thread LIKE Bill Simmons? Or is this strictly the "shit on Bill Simmons" thread?
FungosWithJimy said:Does anyone in this thread LIKE Bill Simmons? Or is this strictly the "shit on Bill Simmons" thread?
To be honest, I don't like his public persona. I don't know him of course and one of the elements of fame is that thousands of total strangers get to express strong opinions of you as a person without actually knowing you. We critique the public image, which I don't doubt is a pale imitation of the real thing.FungosWithJimy said:Does anyone in this thread LIKE Bill Simmons? Or is this strictly the "shit on Bill Simmons" thread?
Bill Simmons the basketball historian/fan is great. He also gets great guests on his podcasts and generally does a good job.FungosWithJimy said:Does anyone in this thread LIKE Bill Simmons? Or is this strictly the "shit on Bill Simmons" thread?
FungosWithJimy said:Does anyone in this thread LIKE Bill Simmons? Or is this strictly the "shit on Bill Simmons" thread?
Dalton Jones said:To be honest, I don't like his public persona. I don't know him of course and one of the elements of fame is that thousands of total strangers get to express strong opinions of you as a person without actually knowing you. We critique the public image, which I don't doubt is a pale imitation of the real thing.
That said, I think that for a person with his power and in his position he lacks a lot of things: gravitas, for one. This is probably an antiquated virtue that is absurd to employ in this context. But I think when he treads on ground that requires a little reflection beyond the fratboy sensibility that, as I say above in the thread, he's cultivated throughout his career, he reveals himself to be a callow young lad, which is no longer funny when you're 44.
He's very thin skinned, too, a fact that has been amply demonstrated on this site, on local radio, and on the national stage with his spats with Doc Rivers among others.
His writing is no longer good. As is the case with Peter King, he needs an editor to reign him in but he's become too important to have one and his writing isn't important enough to merit one. He has carte blanche at Grantland and there's no one around him to tell him when his writing sucks. This is a formula for laziness and self-indulgence.
He's not stupid. He got out in front of the recent disaster of the horrific piece on the transsexual golf inventor and nipped the professional consequences for him and his online mag in the bud. Perhaps he learned from the episode and it will give him an opportunity to grow up.