Talking points: a little bit of everything edition

by Joel on Feb 25, 2008 7:54 AM EST in Rocky Top Talking Points Comment 7 comments

Image by Manitou2121.

Chest bump if you scratch the nearly. Scout.com says that the Tennessee-Memphis game "nearly" lived up to the hype.
Sobering quote of the day: "Pearl said the four-game stretch that started in Memphis and ends in Gainesville will be more difficult than any Final Four run UT could face in the NCAA Tournament." Feet. Ground. Quick.
No-dunking-zone. A little on the defense Tennessee employed to defeat Memphis.
On Pearl and Peterson. Mark Packer says that the hiring of Bruce Pearl will be the cornerstone of UT Athletic Director Mike Hamilton's legacy. Agreed. Brilliant move. But a little love for Buzz Peterson, too: "Buzz Peterson was an up-and-coming young coach with the lineage and the look to be the man for years and years to come. He brought in talent and had the program headed in the right direction. Don't forget that Peterson discovered Chris Lofton, gave a walk-on named JaJuan Smith a chance and had signed Tyler Smith." All true. Funny how things work out, huh? Speaking of Mike Hamilton . . .
Message to Mike Hamilton: unlike media, fans can be friends: "Instant media" makes Hamilton's list of four key issues confronting college athletics. From an interview with VolQuest.com:
And, you guys, VolQuest, are a credible source of information, but there's a lot of information that's on the Web right now that's not credible. And there's no accountability. That affects peoples' lives. The number of questions that I have to answer just based on crazy rumors. And you think about the wasted time in the day to answer a question about something like why in the world would this even be a question, and the lost work productivity that comes from that.
Mr. Hamilton, credentials for bloggers might help. Do you even know that Sports Information Director Bud Ford is refusing credentials for bloggers because they don't also print on paper? Does that make any sense? First, that perspective is based on an increasingly outdated notion. If "instant media" is one of your primary concerns, simply ignoring it won't solve any problem, perceived or otherwise. More importantly, however, bloggers, because they are fans, are not burdened by the whole "unbiased objectivity" standard under which mainstream media members labor. We not only concede our bias in favor of the institution, we embrace it. Unlike journalists, we do not feel compelled to periodically author a piece criticizing the program simply to re-establish our objectivity. We have no objectivity, and that can be a good thing for you. In short, we are friends of the program. How about a little access?
Live-blog. Ghost of Neyland's got his Tennessee-Memphis live blog up.
The story that won't die. Fulmer's Belly updates the John Adams Hate-O-Meter in light of the comments, still increasing in number and, um, fervor, on Adams' Fulmer piece, and, more importantly, reminds us that Memphis is the Home of the Blues.
Travelin'. I'll be traveling and attending a conference beginning on Tuesday, and I'm unsure of whether or how much I'll be able to post the rest of the week. That's good for all of you because we've got several excellent readers and bloggers lined up to do guest posts, so watch for that. This would also be a really good time for you, yes you, to jump in and write your own post over in the diary section.
And finally, this guy is my hero:

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Agreed.

That guy is a hero. Orange blazer and everything.

Also:

By "nearly", I read into it that Scout.com was hoping for a Memphis win. At the very least, they were hoping to see that much-publicized DDM a little more than, oh, twice. Credit the defense for that.

Most importantly, and I do mean most importantly:

If you get blogger press credentials, I hereby volunteer to be your representative for every home football game you can't make. Eyes. Ears. Laptop. Quiet in the media area. I'll even put up a good showing at the media food spread. Maybe I'll even ask them if I can get a photo or two in the media area. You know, for the human interest angle (or whatever excuse is needed for me to send pics home of me in the media booth).

I work for the low, low cost of free. I'll take my pay on the food at the buffet. I'll blog. I'll schmooze. I'll even try to get things lined up with the traditional media types.

Mmmm, media food...

by Hooper on Feb 25, 2008 9:17 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Joel

Serious question--we've been having this same conversation on an NFL blog I frequent

When it comes to blogger press credentials, how do they dole them out?? It seems like everyone who believes that they can write can just log on and start their own "blog" and then would they all be able to receive credentials?

I guess there is no precedent, but would they decide by viewership? Or just a blind lottery?

It just seems much easier to start your own blog than it is to start your own newspaper. And maybe I am just extremely uneducated in the "blogosphere," but that is why I ask you the tough questions!

Go Vols!

by gramsey712 on Feb 25, 2008 9:48 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I don't have them . . .

. . . and I know only a couple that have ever received them. My understanding is that you have to apply, then they decide, case by case. Yes, anyone can blog, so they'd want to be selective, but there are ways to evaluate a blogger's credibility. Google PageRank, Ballhype, Technorati, resume (such as radio interviews (like The Sports Tap ;-)), interviews with the MSM (like NBC Sports ;-)), etc.

Some markets are much more open to bloggers than others. My one conversation with Bud Ford was cordial, but he just didn't understand, and I didn't get the feeling he even wanted to try to understand.

There's an ongoing debate about whether credentials for bloggers would even be a good thing for the blogger. Perhaps having creds would turn him into a journalist and impose the standard of objectivity upon him. The view from the press box is surely much different than the view from the nosebleeds, and that unique perspective is one of the things that makes blogging a much different medium than MSM news-gathering and commentary.

I'm torn on the question. But it sure would be nice to be able to listen to conference calls and be able to take some pictures from closer than 50 yards.

Go Vols!

by Joel on Feb 25, 2008 11:58 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs