I think one of the drawbacks of working at a specialized company like an ESPN is the level to which you can get just deluged with information and discussion of one topic.
To start on the positive side, I really have expanded my knowledge of sports through this internship. I never proclaimed to have a mastery of all sporting information or anything, and this has really let learn some of the more intricate details of the sporting world. (I know way more about college football and basketball recruiting than I ever thought I would. Whether that’s a benefit to my life … well, that’s another conversation.)
But the problem with being so inundated with just sports news means that I feel like I keep slipping behind on my awareness of the news on other topics.
I know, when I get home from work, that I should take some time to pick up in my room, do the laundry, make sure all the dishes are clean … you know, the “responsible” stuff.
But a lot of times — probably too much depending on who you ask — it’s straight to the things I want to do: watching TV, using the computer, talking with friends in the courtyard (which, despite the claims of the non-ESPN interns, is not as impressive as it apparently sounds).
Now, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with this. Obviously, too much time doing tasks you don’t want to do can be a problem:
The summer weather in Connecticut is sort of predictable. It’s usually pretty hot, and there’s a strong chance of some rain at some point in the day.
Today’s weather continues to follow that pattern … sort of.
The whole 90-in-90 concept was Brad’s idea. Yet for some reason, I was foolish enough to think it wouldn’t be that bad. A lot of days, these posts can just flow out; you get inspired by a topic and just let your fingers flow.
I should have known better that he wouldn’t put himself in a situation that wouldn’t challenge him.
The idea of writing 90 posts in 90 days about, hopefully, differing and interesting topics. (For better or worse, my readership is nowhere near by predecessor, so I guess I don’t have the same audience to “let down.”) And eventually, you almost feel like you’ve run out of things to say.
One way or the other, I will get 90 post done in the near future. I can’t guarantee I’ll make the 90-day deadline, as it would require two posts per day from this point forward, and I know my weekend may not make that feasible. But I will complete this by the end of the internship at the worst.
So, I’m a big fan of listening to podcasts. They get me through long drives, work, cleaning, pretty much anything that takes a long period of time that I want a distraction for.
One podcast I listen to is “The Adam Carolla Show” or whatever its calling itself these days — for better or worse, it has changed names and formats a few times in its 12-plus months. Adam Carolla, more well-known from his days on “The Man Show” or “Dancing With the Stars,” covers a lot of topics on his show, and he is rather opinionated while he does it.
One topic he has spoken on several times is the rights of paparazzi and tabloids to take photos of celebrities and use those photos to turn a profit. He thinks it’s inappropriate for people to invade your privacy and make money off your likeness without that person’s permission.
And I see his point. These institutions — the TMZs, the Perez Hiltons, the OK! Magazine — profit because they buy and publish pictures of the Hollywood elite and the scandals (and sometimes the mundane) of their lives.
But this made me start to think, where’s the line? Is it appropriate for People magazine to publish photos of Sandra Bullock and her new child or whatever it is the cast of “Jersey Shore” is or isn’t doing (I guess they’re on strike, although I’m not sure how you can quit working when you never really started).
I’m know I’m a little late on this and that it’s been covered before, but this incident at the end of the Nationwide Series race Saturday night has made me a little sick.
Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski have battled a few times in recent history. (I’ve attached a couple of their other incidents at the end of this post.) And I understand the racing mentality of NASCAR, but we’ve reached a point where only two outcomes seem possible at this point:
A Twitter spat began between IndyCar drivers Ryan Briscoe (@RyanBriscoe6) and Graham Rahal (@GrahamRahal) after today’s Honda Indy Toronto race.
The two cars collided going into Turn 3 on Lap 61. Briscoe went into the wall and lost the front wing of his car while Rahal continued on, seemingly unscathed.
Rahal managed to survive the remainder of the incident-filled 85-lap race and finished with a season-best result of fifth place, just ahead of Danica Patrick.
Briscoe made it to the pits, replaced the destroyed wing and stayed in the race. He eventually finished in 18th place, two laps behind race winner and Penske Racing teammate Will Power.
The fireworks didn’t start to fly until both made it to their social media accounts.
Briscoe threw the first punch, tweeting, “I wish Rahal could have tried making a clean move instead of punting me! Guess he doesn’t care about championships being a part-timer.” This first tweet came at 4:17 p.m., about 90 minutes after the race has ended.
The “part-timer” alludes to Rahal’s migratory status on the IndyCar circuit this year. Thus far this year, he has raced for Sarah Fisher Racing, Rahal Letterman Racing and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. Sunday’s race was with Newman/Haas Racing, and Rahal has a contract with it for five more races this season.
Briscoe’s wife, Nicole, even threw her two cents in, writing, “There is a reason [Rahal's] only a part time driver.”
Rahal defended himself about two-and-a-half hours later, tweeting, “i made tons of clean moves today! @RyanBriscoe6 tough race, that’s what you get for blocking and breaking early!”
Rahal continued, “my style isn’t to hit people, I hope everyone knows that. I had a run, was all the way to the right, and you blocked!”
Briscoe later tweeted that he and Rahal did not speak after the race.
“He quite simply screwed up today and can’t man up,” Briscoe wrote.
Briscoe entered Sunday’s race in fourth place in the season points standings behind Power. He maintained his fourth-place position, but lost another 38 points to Power, trailing him by 85 now.
Time will tell if this brooding feud will stay online or will come up again at the next race (July 25) in Edmonton. Briscoe said he expects to speak with Rahal about the incident there.
This story was initially published at 7:15 p.m. It was updated with additional comments at 7:30 p.m.
One of my fellow DJNFers from Nebraska came by the ESPN campus today for a tour of the facilities.
(Unfortunately, due to a mix-up in timing, we didn’t get to spend much time together because I had to go back to work after lunch. So, I apologize for not being a better “host.”)
The thing that struck me about meeting with him was just the awe-struck nature he seemed to have about getting to set foot on the campus. ESPN is like the candy store for many 18- to 45-year-old males, and he really was lapping up every minute of it.
Which made me start to think — have I undervalued what this experience has been? Certainly, I’ve been told how unique this opportunity is.
For some reason, for the last two nights the final story I’ve edited for the work day has been my toughest story.
No, it’s not fatigue (well, maybe a tiny bit). It has happened to be that I’ve run into some larger issues with these stories — big questions, paragraphs that should be moved around, a lede that doesn’t make any sense.
So, I roll up my sleeves, do the best I can and then call it a day.
But I’ve also been leaving work a little stressed.
My apologies to Mickey, as I wasn’t the best company man tonight. Yeah, I didn’t watch a second of the ESPYs.
Admittedly, I was at least curious enough to find out who won (props to Drew Brees, who effectively moved out of the pocket past my attempt to talk to him last week, for the multiple victories), but I never did turn the TV on to watch any of it. I guess if I missed anything important, I can catch it via a friend’s reference or the Twitterverse or YouTube.
It’s not that I don’t enjoy awards shows either. I’m a big Oscars fan — although I still curse whoever decided to go “back” to 10 Best Picture nominees — so I understand the glitz and glamour and the spectacle of the whole thing. (Plus, I’ve always wanted to get my hands on one of those goody bags!)
