The yoga must be working for Simmons

I dunno...Simmons is all right. There is a new school here with the internet and Goalmouth has a great point. However, he needs to sharpen his knowledge of other sports, as I feel his column is way too NBA-centric. I could give a rat's ass about Doc Rivers.

 

I thought the column was pretty good. That's 2 for 2 since it's only the second thing I've ever read by him.

I like this part because he offers solutions. I don't read any of the Boston papers and wouldn't know if any of the writers can think of how the C's can improve.

I also liked the part early in the column on how the Knicks came back from 22 down by running the high post 27 straight times sans a single stop by the Celtics. How many other Boston writers paid attention to that detail?

 

Well, it helps that he had two weeks to TiVo the game and rewind-fast forward-rewind to find that stat.
And it helps when you can just make things up and don't have to worry about silly little things like attribution.

 

Beat writers are supposed to know their teams inside and out, and that means paying attention to detail at games. Big fat stat-packs are provided after the games so all writers need to do during games is follow the action and pay attention to trends. You see the team's inability to defend the high screen 2 or 3 times in a row, well then, you see if it happens a 4th time in a row, 5th time, 6th, 7th, etc. I'd be interested to know if Simmons is left-handed (we tend to see things in patterns compared with righties, who tend to see things on a linear scale). Neither here nor there. Was there one Boston writer who, in his/her gamer, even mentioned the C's inability to stop the high post?

Re: "two weeks to TiVo the game" ... Wasn't the Knicks game the other night?

What wasn't attributed?

 

In that SI piece on the new role of the internet/blogging last year didn't Simmons say he was hanging it up soon? Somehow I don't see that happening.

 

He keeps mentioning it himself, I think even somewhere vaguely in his latest column. If he does stop working for Page 2 it'll be rather interesting to see what he does next and how long it is before he comes back.

 

That's just not true for many writers. When you have to send your first story in at the buzzer for early additions, you can't sit around and wait for big fat stat-packs to reach your media seat hidden in the corner of the lowerbowl. You have to keep a running score. You have to write your story. You can't focus on each moment of the game as it's happening and break down each and every trend. A lot happens on every NBA possession. If you have the luxury of going over the game film, rewinding, scrutinizing in your own time, well, teams do that for a reason. You learn a lot that way.

Now, should you notice if the team fails to defend a high pick and roll 27 times in a row? Probably. But I'm just sayin... Being a beat writer under deadline pressure and reviewing the game after watching the game on TiVo are two very different things.

Also, the thing I don't think Simmons gets is, it's one thing to write a guy should be fired and never have to see the man face to face, never have to ask him a single question about his team, his job, his life, anything. Never have to face the consequences of making that statement. That's what he does. It's quite another to write it and then go to practice the next day.

 

As a reader, I don't care how he got it, but he did & if no one else did, and I found it valuable, informative or entertaining, I'm going to go back, whether he goes to locker rooms or not.

 

You're right about the final stats, but having covered an NBA game or two (literally), I seem to remember that they bring stats after each quarter, so that by the 4th quarter you should have 36 minutes worth of stats. By no means am I implying that writing a game on deadline is simple, especially at the highest level, but I do think it's important to follow the flow of the game and focus on trends. Unless, of course, you go into the game with a lede already in mind because the editor has ordered you to ask questions about something an athlete/coach has done/said off the court, and so to keep up with every other newspaper/media outlet you must follow suit.

Now that Simmons is writing for ESPN Page 2, I think he's considered "media." He should try to establish media credentials so he can cover Celtics games and interview Rivers on an official basis. So you're right about that, Ramona.

 

Akin to asking a millionaire shortstop to develop range he wasn't born with. His columns are spruced up Mad Libs. As a writer, the guy is as predictable as they come. At some point, you just are what you are. And Simmons is pop cultural references from the dustbin of the '80s and shout-outs to his slack-jawed friends.

 

I generally enjoy reading Simmons, but he loses me when he starts ripping a profession in which he couldn't cut it. And when he refers to a professional sports team as "we."

 

Whether or not you like Simmons, you know he brings a different perspective without interviewing players or sitting in the press box. If he starts doing that he will lose his unique style.