CURT SCHILLING BLOG

Curt Schilling, star pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, has begun writing his own blog. The blog, entitled "38 pitches," gives Schilling the oppurtunity to respond to fan questions, critics, and offer members of the Red Sox nation a personal look at their ace like they had never seen before.
Schilling has had his disputes with the media, one of the many topics discussed on his new site:

For any of you newbs that didn’t get it, “The Media Sucks” was tongue in cheek. I assumed that went without saying, but obviously that was a mistaken assumption. While I certainly have issues with some, there are some pretty cool people in the sports media. Like any profession there are bad eggs but there are more good ones than bad ones in my opinion."

But what does this mean for the future of sports journalism? Why read what some news reporter is saying about the game when you can hear it directly from the player at his personal website? While many athletes lack the capacity to put together congitive sentences let alone an entire blog post, Schilling's posts seem well-written. (Although internet speak can be found throughout, and he doesn't seem particularly tied up on gramatical errors.)

While Curt Schilling having his own blog is amazing enough, the larger issue is whether or not other athletes will follow his lead. This will offer readers an entirely new form of journalism- while many readers will prefer to hear the actual sports news from trained journalists- the fact that some athletes will post their own thoughts will spark interest in both fans and sports writers.

Sports athletes, who are generally "media-controlled" by the owners of the team, will be given the chance to speak out in ways that they had not been able to before. And while many of their points will be made with prying eyes considered, there is the off chance that some of these posts will be controversial.

Start of Spring - Determined by UMass Females

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For centuries, man has labeled several sightings as symbols that winter has finally released its grip on the Northeast, and that springtime is here to stay. While many people remain devoted to watching for the return of Canadien geese, robin sightings, and the blooming of flowers- on the UMass Amherst campus it is our ladies- yes our ladies- who decide when it is, and isn't, officially springtime.



In New England, unlike other parts of the country, our female students are given several months between Thanksgiving and April when they are allowed to stop wearing makeup- start wearing hoodies- and essentially put on weight and hibernate for the duration of our winter months. While in other parts of our country, "Cali Girls" and "Southern Belles" are forced to look sexually appealing all year round, our northern biddies take full advantage of their Uggs weather and hide beneath an outer shell of four to six layers of clothing.

This- of course- has an adverse affect on the overall mood of male students on campus, and as a result, the winter months are some of our most violent as a campus. Proving that when the tank tops and skirts go away- so does the love.

But when do they come back? Is it a certain temperature? Is there an all points bulletin that men don't get? How do you all know when it is appropriate weather for some cheer shorts and a wife beater? I'll tell you how- and it begins with one brave girl.. and two cold legs.


Somewhere between March and April something amazing happens. At first it begins slowly...A lone female pokes her head out of her apartment door and decides that yes- this is skirt weather- and yes - she is going to wear one. While it is still kind of cold out, and many of the other girls on campus are still happy looking like shrews, this brave young woman walks to class with legs exposed. Many of the other girls on campus- who aren't wearing such "springy" outfits will notice that she is standing out. As the following days pass, more and more skirts, tanks, bootie shorts, and other forms of female spring apparrell will sweep campus. Finally, those hideous Uggs will go back in the closet- flip flops will come out- and girls will all at once again try to look good on a daily basis.

UMass males, in an attempt to see the girls who had been hiding all winter, will begin playing outdoor ruit, grilling, and throwing balls of all shapes and sizes. Southwest beach will become inhabited by hundreds of sun bathers, and classes will lose all priority over drinking and being out in the weather.

And who do we owe springtime to? Ill tell you one thing, it isn't some stupid bird with a red chest. It isn't flowers blooming, it isn't the stupid geese returning to fill our pond with crap... its that one brave girl. Who wherever she is, had the cahones to say "Hey, screw it- its skirt weather."

THE MANY FACES OF A FACEBOOK CREEP

"Facebook Creep" has become a term that is recognizable to anyone unfortunate enough to live in the Facebook era. While I too have an account, and have been known to creep from time to time, I have noticed that certain people have gone above and beyond the call of creepiness. I have categorized them into groups, in an attempt to not only expose them for what they are, but to warn other members of the facebook community to consider these descriptions when thinking of their friends; chances are you know at least one of them.


The Photo Creep: You have over one thousand photos. As if that isn't creepy enough, you have to be that kid at the party with the camera. This creep (which usually is a girl- but is creepier when its a guy) takes it upon themselves to document every single night, week or weekend for your specific group of friends. No one else takes pictures because we all know that no matter how stupid the situation is your gonna force it into some kind of a photo op. You title your photo albums after lyrics to popular songs like "This is why we're hot" or "Fergalicious," even though the songs themselves have no relevance to the pictures found within.

The Wall Creep: It is understandable when you receive a random message from a random friend and see that it was sent at 3 a.m... A lot of stupid things seem wall postable at 3 in the morning on a Saturday. However, this creep chooses instead to post at a time when they can assure you that not only are they completely sober, but thinking about you. Often times this creep will approach you at parties and come up with some kind of stupid inside joke like yelling "Shiver Me Timbers!" like a pirate. Then, when you wake up hung over in the morning and sign on to see whats good with the book- they have already posted "YARRR SHIVER ME TIMBERS" on your wall at 8 in the morning.

The I Haven't seen you since Grade School Creep: I completely forgot you were alive. I had finally forgotten your name, face, and how I knew you, until you friended me last week. I havent seen or heard from you since we did the Christmas pageant at church in the third grade- but your convinced we are still close enough to be friends on the book. If I reject your friend request I run the risk of hurting your feelings, (which at this point I don't really care about) and if I accept God knows how long you will creep on me through the internet.

The Poke Creep: You poke people like it isn't creepy. Well it is. Stop.

The Message Creep: Messaging on facebook has become one of the only secure ways to transmit information without making it completely public. Using that to your advantage, you send unecessarily creepy messages to people knowing that no one else will ever see it.

The I quit facebook but still creep Creep: Whether it was a rough breakup, the surfacing of comprimising photos, graduation, or you just couldn't take being on facebook anymore - you decided to call it quits. You deleted your wall, you removed all of your photos and you even removed all information except where your from and what your name is. However, you continue to creep. You are the creepiest of the creeps because your lack of participation on facebook makes you hard to track. You can creep without detection- and without worrying about covering your tracks.

The I ruin relationships through tags creep: You, like the photo creep, have an unecessarily large amount of photos. Only you don't take pictures of yourself (either because you are unattractive or emberassed of your inability to look good in pictures,) you instead take random candid shots of your not single friends at parties. You mercilessly tag them when they are at class in the hopes of causing drama with their significant other. When people confront you about it you say- "Hey, I just put up the pictures from that night- I didnt force you to have Crystal sit in your lap on the couch."

The Photo Comment Creep: You comment on photos that you aren't even in. You didn't go to the party- and chances are you don't even go to that school, but just in case everyone doesn't know that you saw the picture...you throw a comment underneath it like "Lol" or "Sexxxyy" just to remind whoever posted the photo album you still creep on them.

The Boyfriend/Girlfriend I want to know your password creep: You demand that you know the password to your boyfriend or girlfriends account. Thats super creepy.

The Event creep: You invite every single one of your friends (even if they go to the University of Southern California) to a party at your house called "Big Party." You have invited 250 people, but only 3 have rsvpd- two are your roomates and one is you. No one wants to go to your stupid parties...because they are lame. However, no one really wants to hurt your feelings, so we all click "Maybe I'll show up," knowing damn well we won't.

The my facebook picture isn't me creep: Whether your picture is Tupac, Giselle from Victorias Secret, or some fat naked guy with a mullet, you should probably just have a picture of yourself. No one really thinks its funny- we all just assume that it means you have no good pictures of yourself. You don't really creep anyone out...because your just trying to be funny. But it isn't. And baby pictures don't count either. That just makes us all think you were cuter when you were a baby- which is true for everyone...so your just stupid.

The Untagger creep: You have less that 20 pictures on your account. You are either unphotogenic or just ugly... You're at parties or events just like everyone else only when you get tagged in photos you untag them before the album is even saved. Hey...Genius....everyone sees the pictures anyways....anyone else in the photo with you will save the photo to theirs and it will be viewed by everyone you know irregardless of whether or not you want them to see it. Only when they look at it they are going to think "Hey- Mark didn't like the way he looked in this one...or this one...wow Mark has no self esteem." What do you think having only pictures of you from High School is fooling anyone? Let go. Be tagged. Live life. For all of us.

The "Hey I got your screen name from facebook" creep: Stop trying to get our relationship from wierd casual acquaintance to someone you can talk to on a regular basis. You didn't have my screen name for a reason...I only accepted your message request because I couldn't tell who it was by looking at your purposely vague screen name...its people like you that are ruining it for everyone. And now you can look at my away message and find out where I am... creep.

The group creep: You belong to over 50 groups on facebook. These groups are entitled things like "Largest facebook group ever" and "If this group gets to 1,000,000 people we can end AIDS," hey....dunce....facebook isn't going to save the world just because you teamed up with a million other creeps in one forum. We get it. You want to help people with AIDS...well this just in...your sitting at home joining groups instead of doing anything. And no- I don't want to join your group about that kid you know that people made a group about...because he's not that awsome.

After reading this article, I dare anyone with a facebook account to deny fitting into at least one of these categories. This was written in an attempt to cut down on the creepiness that is swallowing us all on facebook. However, it was also written to open our eyes as a campus, and as a generation to how "creepy" we all are.

After watching the video

I think that the video report we watched following our response definitly added to the story. Being able to see visual descriptions of the building and viewing the wounds suffered by the soldiers made it more realistic. I think that any story- when placed on sound over video- grabs the readers attention more than just text itself.

If i was the editor at the Washington post- I would include more visuals in the article- possibly a picture of one of the soldiers missing an appendage- or an eye.

In Response to the Washington Post story

After reading this article I was especially impressed with the lack of information I have been exposed to regarding the amount of soldiers who are injured both physically and psychologically in Iraq. When describing the inside of the hospital in question ( and the government leased hotel rooms that the soldiers are pouring over into) I could not believe that it was something that the United States Army had put together.

When I think about the United States Army, from what I've been told in school and on television, we are a well-oiled war machine, which dwarfs the capabilities of any other country on the planet- however when reading the descriptions found within this article, the army found here is one of continued frustration.

Should we pull the troops out by 2008? Well- we have been fighting in Iraq for longer than we were in World War II already. Judging from this article I would say for the soldiers housed in Iraqi hospitals sake I think we should.

I don't think I'm cool because I listen to rap music. But I do. The last CD that I purchased with my own money- (which is saying something because I download 99% of my music)- was "Kingdom Come" by Jay-Z. Jay-Z is one of my favorite artists, and when asked to do this assignment I thought that this CD would be something that a lot of people would have responded to. (Considering it sold so many copies.)

Some of the things I found within the reviews on this site were:

Like all Jays albums it sometimes take a few listens to grow on you. But this album just didnt catch me at all. I really tried to like this album and I avoided droppin a bad review on this for a few weeks. Just because Jay spit a couple bars about not helpin out in Katrina and a few more about his mother doesn't quit mean his lyrics matured. Jay's best is gone you'll never see it again. If you consider this even close to his best, then this is the first Jay album you ever listened to. The production isn't all that great either. This is Jay's worst album to me and the worst I bought in awhile and I dont buy everybody s***. Save your money and Cop Ghost album more fish. It stomps all over this s***.

and

Although this album is a bit more insightful and less materialistic than his previous work, with the exception of BluePrint which is a classic and in a class of its own, I wasn't so anxious about him coming back or this album in general. He should've retired after Blueprint if he wanted to do it while he was ontop. The Black Album was alot better than the BluePrint2 which was one disc so-so to good and second disc made of 90% filler.
While this album shows a more storytelling, poet side of Jay-Z, it ain't exactly his best work. Actually this falls down at the bottom, right beneath his 1997 Vol 1 album. While his maturity as an artist has improved, his lyrical content has suffered. The first 5 songs are classic Jay-Z and the last two songs are classic hip-hop but the rest of the album in between sound more like demos of MC such&such. In my opinion, he has faltered quite a bit on this album, this is right under BluePrint2; BluePrint2 should've never been two discs let alone be a sequel to a hip-hop classic. Kingdom Come has a few good moments starting with the intro and leaving at Lost One, then coming back with Minority Report and ending altogether with Beach Chair, which could've had a better song title given the point of the song. Beyonce, Usher & Ne-Yo, John Legend and Chrisete could've been more utilized than singing hooks, let alone singing hooks on so-so songs. More thought could've been put into the album to make it a 3, and more could've been covered to make it a 4. But Jay is starting to let his Def Jam position affect him.


I chose these two posts because I think that they show that yes, the customer reviews found on amazon can be at times well-written, and even helpful when deciding whether or not to purchase the item, but they are certainly not journalism. Journalism when pertaining to reviewing a certain CD or movie or play is best left up to professionals.

When we put the ability to critique and formulate opinions to anyone, there is a certain level of doubt that follows it. We listen to what critics have to say not because they are smarter than us, but because we asuume that because they are professional "media critics," they must know something about the field they are critiquing.

What do Ebert & Roeper know that John Smith doesnt? Why do we hold their opinions to such high standards? Because we as buyers know for a fact that they have watched thousands of movies, they know what people look for in movies, and can make us feel as though if they think it is good it must be.

I would say that these reviews are not journalism until someone is being paid to review it. Until then its just a bunch of opinions from a bunch of people who don't know a whole bunch about what the hell they are talking about.

10 steps to "most hated" status in a forum

1. Take several days to find out who the most popular person in the forum is, and then take shots at their posts.

2. Say something you know is completely wrong just to stimulate a rush of feedback.

3. Spell every post you put up in "internetspeak," a.k.a. "Man vs. Wild is gr8 I watched the last episode lol omg!!! Manvswildfan1 u r sooo stupid! I kno more about the show than u!"

4. Perpously mispeel werds: this will make everyone in the group assume you are just some idiot posting, and will fuel their rage.

5. Stop arguing about what the forum is about and make a comment about something completely different- "I think the war in Iraq is great! George Bush is the best president this country has ever seen." (Sneak in a few misspellings.)

6. Post every fifteen minutes: When people feel your taking over their favorite forum- they will respond angrily.

7. Make outrageous claims that can be easily disputed: "I met Bear Grylls in a bar and he was only 5' 6. He's way smaller than he looks on TV."

8. Post pictures of yourself in the comments you make. This will give the other members an idea of who you are, and their insults will become more personalized.

9. No matter how logical the response is to your post act as if it is completely wrong. "There is no way that Bear Grylls was in the Military- If he was in special forces he would have some kind of tattoo."

10. Make outrageous claims about yourself and threaten other members to meet you at a specific location: "I go to UConn, if anyone wants to settle this outside you can come see me any time anywhere- I'm 6'4 230 and have a fifth degree blackbelt."

How to be recognized in a forum full of people

When you join a forum that has more people commenting than you can actually manage, there are several things that you can do to get yourself noticed. One is to make a comment that grabs the attention of everyone in the group; "MAN VS. WILD IS FAKE!!" written entirely in caps lock would raise a few eyebrows. Another option is to respond to posts to people by name. If you respond to someones comment by saying "Hey Tom, I disagree with what you had to say because...." people will be quicker to respond.

You don't always have to disagree with posts to gain recognition. If you read a post that you agree with, make sure to comment on it in a manner that adds to the conversation. If you respond to someone else's post with "Hey thats true," you aren't going to be someone noticeable in the community of the site. However if you say "Hey thats true," and then offer a fact or comment that would stimulate the overall conversation of the group- you will force other people to comment on what you had said; and then would be an important member of the forum.

Posting in a forum of "superfans"

When posting in a forum, its always important to remember that other people in the conversation probably know more about the show or subject than you do. Several posts that I made were quickly contested with facts that I didn't know. After several instances where this happened I was forced to take my time and re-read the posts I was making.

One way to avoid being discarded as a "newbie" or someone who has nothing important to say is to wait for someone else to make a point. Its always easier to respond to someone elses post than come up with your own idea or comment. When you respond to several of these posts you can build a reputation as someone in the forum who has something to add to the overall conversation.

How to get noticed in a blog community

When I joined the "Man vs. Wild" official posting forum, I was unsure as to how I could become someone recognizable to all of the other posters who are out there. After reading through several pages of posts and seeing who said what, and who seemed to be in charge I realized one undeniable fact. The people who get the most out of the forum they are speaking in must constantly be checking and updating their comments.

In order to become recognizable by the other "superfans" in the group, you not only have to have a post names like "Iheartmanvs.wild1" but you also have to be someone with enough time on their hands to devote to getting into serious arguments with people you barely know. So, with this information in hand, I entered the forum and quickly made several comments in an attempt to stir up the other superfans.

Unfortunately, it was several days before anyone responded to my comment, and it seemed like it was relatively benign in the effect it had on the forum. Perhaps my next comment will have to be more offensive, or maybe I'll just wait until one of the regulars makes a comment and try to take down one of the big shots. Either way I plan on being noticed...and soon.

On joining a forum

When deciding which internet forum to join I thought it would be fun to join a facebook group and begin writing on the wall to get involved. While this isnt techinically a website devoted to fans of a show, movie, or network, it is certainly a public forum. I was unsure which group to join, knowing that there are so many I was less worried about which group to add to my list of groups, but rather focused on joining a group that I could make a scene in.

After scanning several groups I joined "Mainers who hate Massholes," a group started by High school students in Maine about how much they hate not only people from Massachusetts, but specifically students at UMass. This seemed like the perfect group to get involved in, and I was unsure at first how much of an impact I could make.

Two weeks later, a group that had only 84 members when I joined had 200, and the wall posts went from somewhere in the 90s to over 1,000. I now feel like I know every single student in most Maine high schools, and they certainly know me by name.

What started as me and several of my friends bashing Maine and its lack of sports teams turned into a flood of obscenties and personal attacks. When we had run out of things to say about Maine the wall posts became more and more personal. Everything was up for grabs, your facebook picture, your ethnicity based on your last name, your girlfriend if you were unfortunate enough to have her in your picture....anything.

The group, mainly dominated by males, became the breeding ground for all kinds of testosterone driven rants. People I had never met before were sending me their addresses and phone numbers demanding that I come and see them in "Hennebunk" or other unrecognizable Maine towns. Facebook pictures turned from school pictures into people flexing and looking as hard as possible.

I began friending people who would take my side in arguments, and they would defend me at all costs. Several of my friends had risen from new members to most hated members in a matter of two or three days. It got to the point where one of us would be constantly refreshing the web site to keep up with all of the posts.

After several days I had forgotten why I had joined the group in the first place, something that had begun as an attempt to defend Massachusetts and my college from High schoolers in Maine had turned into something completely different. While the wall posts I sent were too obscene for this classroom blog- the responses I received were much more than anything I had sent out. Which only fueled the fire, and let to profanities and word combinations that had never before been used.

After two or three weeks, my roomates and I left the group. We left a final note thanking everyone who had supported us and damming anyone who hadn't to hell. I took final shots at several of my favorite targets, said my goodbyes and reluctantly clicked the "leave this group" link.

I learned a lot from joining this forum- I had no idea how much impact I could have on a single internet source. I raised the membership of the group two hundred people, and contributed to amass over a thousand wall posts in a matter of ten days. Something I would have never expected in the beginning of this assignment.

If you are interested in seeing what I had to say (I warn you, it is not for those who blush easily) You can find the group on facebook. "Mainers hate Massholes."