It’s no longer a question whether or not Tom Brady is the best player in the NFL; the
question is by how much?
We’re exactly halfway through the 2016 NFL season. TB12 ranks 1st in the league in
completion percentage (73.1), 11th in passing yards (1,319), 11th in touchdowns (12)
and he hasn’t thrown an interception yet. On the surface, those numbers are
impressive. But considering the fact that Brady has only played in half of his team’s
games makes those stats simply unbelievable.
The New England Patriots signal-caller is back after serving a four-game suspension
as a result of the Deflategate incident—and he’s mad. Playing against an all-time
great is never easy, but playing against a pissed-off future Hall of Famer with
vengeance and vengeance only on his mind is damn near impossible. Brady is taking
all his frustration with commissioner Roger Goodell out on the rest of the league,
and if this continues, there’s not a team in the NFL that can slow down the Patriots’
offensive onslaught.
Since returning, New England has outscored its opponents 136-71. That’s a 34-
point-per- game average, up 14 points from the four games the team played without
him. Those numbers are skewed a bit with the team’s shutout loss to Buffalo in
Week 4 with Jacoby Brissett running the show, but New England’s still averaged an
entire touchdown less with Jimmy Garropolo than they are now with Brady.
We use the word elite a lot (too much) when talking about certain players. Just
because you were once called elite doesn’t etch that status in stone. You can play at
an elite level one year and then never reach that plateau again.
Brady reached that top tier in 2002 and he hasn’t fallen back since. In fact, he’s
elevating his level while much quarterback play around the league seems on the
decline.
His 133.9 Quarterback Rating this year is the best of his career—and it’s 17.7 points
better than every other QB this season. His Total QBR rating of 91.6 is also
significantly higher than his competition. Matt Ryan ranks second on that list with a
Total QBR of 82.
The rest of the stars in the NFL aren’t living up to expectations. JJ Watt is out for the
season with a back injury. Aaron Donald is dominating the interior line, but his play
alone isn’t enough to transform the Rams into a top-10 defense, Antonio Brown’s
production has dropped off significantly since Big Ben went down with an injury,
Odell Beckham Jr. and Julio Jones are struggling to find the end zone, Aaron Rodgers
has struggled at times, and Russell Wilson has only found the end zone 5 times in 8
weeks.
While other stars around the NFL seem to be dimming, Tom Brady’s is only shining
brighter.
Brady is on pace to throw for nearly 4,000 yards and 36 touchdowns in just 12
games this year. In fact, the 39-year- old ageless wonder is playing arguably the best
football of his career.
Written by Carter Bowers
The Celtics should represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.
All Boston-based bias aside, objectively they are one of the most complete teams in the league, and it’s infuriating, ignorant, just plain foolish that some people refuse to accept that.
The term “rebuilding” gets thrown around way too often in professional sports, the art of a franchise tanking on purpose for draft picks, looking ahead to the next trade period and constantly sifting through the free agent market.
This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Danny Ainge and the Celtics.
It still is.
How were they supposed to win in an improved Eastern Conference with all of these questions they are sure to address with the Brooklyn draft picks this summer?
“You don’t have an All-Star caliber player.”
At a generous 5’9”, he might be hard to spot amongst a throng of bodies, but what do you call Isaiah Thomas, who was elected to the All Star game for the first time after averaging a career-high 21.6 pgg while dropping 6.7 dimes a contest?
An All Star.
“Where are you going to find points off the bench?”
Kelly Olynyk was frustrating to watch at the beginning of the season, but his offensive presence off the bench is key, and his efficiency from behind the arc at 42% has been a big help for Brad Steven’s second unit. Marcus Smart, Evan Turner, and Olynyk are all averaging double-digits off the bench, while Smart and Turner also happen to be two of the best defenders for the team.
“Where are the rebounds going to come from?”
He might not be your conventional center, but Jared Sullinger is an accomplished player on the glass averaging almost nine boards a game. Collectively, the Cs are the 7th best rebounding team in the NBA.
“There’s no identity.”
This team prides itself on it’s depth, offensive efficiency, clogging up passing lanes, but most of all, working harder on both ends of the floor than the opposition.
Smart, though in just his second year has a lot to learn, is a work-horse. He never takes a play off, never hangs his head, regardless of the situation. He’s insatiable, buzzing with energy, and makes an immediate impact the second he checks into the game.
Avery Bradley is arguably the best perimeter defender in the NBA, evidenced by his spectacular block on Gordon Hayward Monday night in the final minute of a Celtics comeback victory at home, where they’ve now won 11 games in a row. His offensive game has struggled in stretches, but he’s still the second-leading scorer with 15.5 ppg and plays more minutes than anyone on the team, logging over 33 minutes a night.
And then there’s Jae Crowder, the ultimate “glue-guy” necessary for any team with post-season aspirations.
Though his status as an elite swingman defender is unquestioned, leading the team with 2 steals per game, it’s his offensive development that has Bostonians antsy with anticipation about the player he looks set to become.
After a string of clutch-shots against Utah and the Wizards in recent weeks, Crowder is fourth in the NBA with 5 game-tying or go-ahead buckets, shooting a ridiculous 83.3% on those attempts.
He averaged 16 points a contest in the month of February, including a career-high 27-point outing against the Timberwolves on February 23rd.
Want to foul him to stop the clock? Fine. He’s an 83% free throw shooter, another under-emphasized facet of a playoff-caliber club.
He’s a down-right bargain at $6.7 million a year until 2020, especially when you compare that to, say, Tristan Thompson of the conference-leading Cavaliers, who makes more than double that figure while averaging half as many points a night on team who is a LeBron temper-tantrum away from imploding altogether.
Hell, if he wanted to, he could walk into the Cleveland front-office and declare himself as the first player-coach since Bill Russell. Long story short, the Cavs are a team with more locker room problems than positives, and it’s looking more and more likely will come up short in the playoffs. They play the Celtics on Saturday.
Crowder is the trash-talking, chest-pounding, clutch-shooting undisputed leader of this young team. And he, and the Celtics, are playing their best basketball at just the right time.
The biggest issue, pun intended, to address in the offseason is their lack of a two-way center, a true rim protector who can post up and open the floor offensively. Now we get back to this “rebuilding” process.
Contract-wise, they’re in a better position than any other team in the league to sign a big name, not even taking into account the salary cap, which in all likelihood will effectively fluctuate. They’re young, winning, located in the best professional sports city on the planet, and have a true player’s coach in Stevens who is steadily staking his claim around the league as one of the best sideline minds in the game. Any player in his right mind would be foolish not to want to come off of pick and rolls with Thomas and immediately put himself on a championship level team just by his presence.
Imagine a troubled but other-worldly talented DeMarcus Cousins, or a smaller but effective Al Horford, to drop a couple names, added to this roster…
They have more first-round draft picks than any other team, and many, including myself, believe that Ainge in all of his draft-day wizardry will find a way to package a pick or two with say a Jonas Jerebko or one of the starters to land a franchise big man.
Their $77.5 million dollar payroll is 14th in the NBA, and 7th in the Eastern Conference. For the 2016/17 season, they’re locked into just $27 million, 27th in the league and second to last in the East in front of only the bottom-feeding Sixers, whose “rebuilding” process has become a league-wide joke.
The Celtics pride themselves on their ability to win on the second night of back-to-backs, what with their depth and stinginess on the defensive end. They’re heading into the last quarter of the season, and look miles better than they did in November, which you have to attribute not only to Brad Stevens overwhelming influence, but to his developing young core of players.
They’re a basketball purist’s dream to watch, with fundamental basketball concepts to the occasional flair, but never lacking the team-wide will to win that has put this team in this position, third place in the Eastern Conference with 20 games left to play.
This Celtics team is a star center away from being a real championship contender, if the Warriors ever come back to this galaxy, for the next few years.
And they’re still in the process of “rebuilding.”
- Photo Courtesy: YES Network
For the Lucas&Lucas Show on April 15, 2014, co-hosts Mike Lucas and Lucas Frankel teamed up with freelance producer Isaac Moore to create the first simulcast in the show’s three-year history.
You can view the show here.
We had interviews from Comcast Sports’ Tom Curran and Sports Town Chicago’s Mike Pendleton, but sadly, we had technical difficulties recording it, so it didn’t make the video cut. On the bright side however, we have the full audio of the show if anyone would like to hear our guests’ insight. You can listen to the full show here.
courtesy: Emerson Channel Sports
The Emerson men’s volleyball team needed to do two things against Mt. Ida on Thursday night for the match to be considered a success. The Lions needed to win to remain in the playoff hunt, and they needed to win quickly to preserve some energy for a Saturday afternoon with the nationally ranked Rivier Raiders.
To put it simply, the Lions did just that, sweeting the Mustangs 3-0 in relatively easy fashion.
“It was a good win,” said head coach Ben Read “This will definitely give us some momentum for Saturday’s game.”
The Lions went on an early 11-4 run capped off by a Ben Hillman kill in the first set to separate themselves from the Mustangs. Mt. Ida fought back though, cutting the lead to two. That’s as close as
Brendan McGonigle sets for Jackson Wiley.
courtesy: Emerson Channel Sports
it’d get though, as Emerson would go on to win 12 of the next 17 points to win the first set 25-16.
Sophomore setter Brendan McGonigle, who had the final kill of the first set, said the team did a great job executing its first set game plan.
“We knew we had to stop [James] Ames and I think he only had one or two kills in that first set,” he said. Ames led the Mustangs in kills coming into the game, but was limited to only two kills in the first set.
The second set wasn’t any closer. For Mt. Ida, A Nick Melillo kill cut the Lions lead down to two, but it also ignited the Lions offense. Emerson would go on to win 17 of the next 24 points to win the second set 25-13.
The third set was by far the most competitive of the match. After a back-and-forth affair early on, a Michael McCullough service ace gave the Mustangs a 13-12 lead; the team’s first of the game. Mt. Ida’s lead was short lived though, as the Lions won the next three points to take a 15-13 lead. The Lions would hold onto the lead for the next several points, but the Mustangs wouldn’t go away. Melillo kill cut the lead to one, a Dennis Miranda service ace tied the game up at 21, and a kill by Ames gave the Mustangs a 22-21 lead forcing Read to call a timeout.
“[Mt. Ida] was killing us there. We were playing flat so I wanted to set up our defense and call a set play on offense,” Read said.
A Hillman attack error gave Mt. Ida a 24-22 edge, one point away from sending the game to a fourth set. Whatever Read told his team in the huddle worked though, as the Lions came roaring back. Three consecutive kills from Dimitri Gorenc, Jackson Wiley, and McGonigle gave the Lions a 25-24 lead.
Connor Burton and Devin McIntyre go up for a block on James Ames.
courtesy: Emerson Channel Sports
Free volleyball for everyone.
With Emerson up 27-26, McGonigle’s serve went about three inches past the back line; game tied at 27. That would be the Mustangs final point of the match though, as back-to-back kills by Wiley and Connor Burton sealed the deal for the Lions, giving them a 29-27 third set win.
“We needed that one,” McGonigle said. “[Rivier] isn’t going to be anything like this team but we took care of business.”
For the Lions, it was their second game in as many nights. Emerson was swept by Johnson and Wales on Wednesday. There’s not much time for the Lions to celebrate the win as they’ll host the nationally ranked Rivier Raiders on Saturday. In the first matchup between these two teams, the Raiders won in three sets.
Lucas Frankel and Mike Lucas on the call for this game.
courtesy: Emerson Channel Sports
courtesy: frontrow.espn.com
For my final project, I am teaming up with Lucas Frankel and Isaac Moore to produce a one-hour simulcast of the “Lucas and Lucas” radio show. Isaac will be our producer and will deliver our “Sports Updates” before our short breaks.
courtesy: UTSanDiego.com
It was a wild week for the San Diego Padres. JR240 reporter Mike Lucas is here to clear it all up with the notes from the week that was.
Kelsey Johnson drives to the rim in a conference game earlier this year against Coast Guard Academy
(courtesy: Emerson Channel Sports)
Sometimes, the best things in life you never coming. That was the case with the Emerson Lions women’s basketball coach Bill Gould and one of his best players.
When Kelsey Johnson showed up to Emerson’s accepted students day in 2012, she was just as unknown as the rest incoming freshmen coach Bill Gould did not recruit. Little did coach Gould know; he was about to meet one the building blocks for the future of his program.
“[Kelsey] recruited us more than we recruited her,” Gould said. “Literally the first time I ever saw her play live was her freshman year here.”
Johnson grew up in Syracuse, New York where she played three years of varsity basketball for Christian Brothers Academy High School. She was named team captain her senior season, and said she put basketball over everything. Despite her team winning three league championships, Johnson wasn’t too heavily recruited as a senior. Despite the recruitment efforts from other colleges such as Babson and Endicott College, Johnson’s decision to come to Emerson was an easy one.
“I chose to come to Emerson for the education at first,” said Johnson. “I knew that marketing was something I definitely wanted to do with my life and I learned Emerson was an up and coming marketing powerhouse.”
When coach Gould is looking for potential recruits, he said he looks for three things in particular. Number one – the player has to be tough. Number two – the player has to be smart. And number three – the player has to have at least one skill that will translate to the Division 3 level. Johnson had all those traits, and Gould would have been interested in her if he ever had the chance to see her play.
“I just literally don’t think I was ever at anything she was at, so I never had an opportunity to see who she was,” Gould said.
But he’s glad he has Johnson now. As a sophomore, Johnson was one of the Lions most productive players this season. She was the Lions’ second leading scorer and rebounder.
Johnson struggled from the line this season
(courtesy: Emerson Channel Sports)
“Last season I was a freshman and was nervous all the time,” Johnson said. “This year I really had to calm down and be tough mentally and physically. This new mentality really helped me to become a better player.”
Coach Gould attributes a lot of Johnson’s success to the combination of her size and athleticism, which makes her a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.
“Her biggest strength is her physical ability,” Gould said. “At the Division 3 level, if you’re six-feet tall, you usually don’t have that type of mobility. If you have that type of mobility, you’re generally not that tall.”
Johnson is one of the tallest members of the women’s roster. But she wasn’t always tall.
“I was really small until about eighth grade,” she said. “I actually woke up one morning and was suddenly 5-feet 9-inches.” Now, she loves being tall, saying it separates her from everyone else.
On the court, Johnson is as competitive as any player on the women’s basketball team, according to junior teammate Catherine Cloutier. Off the court though, her personality couldn’t be more different.
“[Kelsey] is probably one of the teammates I enjoy being around the most because you know you’re going to have a good time,” Cloutier said.
Even coach Gould can see the difference.
“She’s the kind of kid that doesn’t crack jokes all the time.” Gould said. “But when you listen you go, ‘damn that kid is really funny’.”
Johnson still has two years of eligibility left at Emerson, and no one is more excited than coach Gould about her future. He says Johnson may not be the best at any one particular skill, but she’s as well rounded of a player as they come.
“She has the ability to score, shoot, dribble, block shots.,” he said. Nobody does all of things, but she does. Oh yeah, and she’s 6-foot and athletic too.”
Johnson elevates for a jump shot against Worcester Polytech Institute
(courtesy: Emerson Channel Sports)
When asked if he though Johnson could become an All-NEWMAC type player, Gould said, “I literally don’t know if there’s a kid in the league better at all those skills than Kelsey.”
Both Johnson and Gould are on the same page when it comes to her goals for the next two years.
“My own personal goal is to become more of an offensive threat,” Johnson said. “I was really streaky this year with my offensive game. I would love to be able to become a reliable offensive player.”
“[Kelsey] could be an absolutely dominant, put her wherever you want type of player,” Gould said. “She has the potential to be just a spectacular player.”
Two years ago, Johnson was an unknown commodity to the Emerson basketball community. Now, she’s one of its brightest stars.
“Playing basketball at Emerson means commitment and dedication to me,” Johnson said. “I’ve always been committed to everything I do and basketball isn’t any different.”
Len Elmore (left) and Mike Patrick (right)
courtesy: ESPN.com
I usually turn the TV on mute while I watch college basketball games. As a current player, I feel I understand the game well enough to follow it on my own instead of following someone else’s commentary.
But for this assignment, I turned the volume up on the #20 Memphis versus #24 Connecticut game and was blown away by the performances of Mike Patrick and Len Elmore. Patrick did the play-by-play and Elmore did color commentary.
As far as picking a game to watch, I could not have asked for a better game. UConn (20-5, 8-4 American Athletic Conference) ended up winning 86-81 in overtime and the game was exciting from start to finish. UConn senior guard Shabazz Napier scored a career high 34 points while senior guard Joe Jackson led the scoring charge for Memphis (19-6, 8-4) with 21 points. Napier had a chance to win the game in regulation, but his buzzer beater attempt rimmed out.
The actual game itself was great, and the announcers were spot on as well. I was truly impressed with Patrick’s ability to keep up with the game. There was a sequence in the first half that really stood out in my mind.
One of Memphis’ players tried to drive to the lane and a UConn player tipped it away. Napier recovered the ball, threw it down court and hit Niels Giffey in stride who was fouled on a dunk attempt. The whole sequence happened in a matter of seconds, but Patrick never missed a step. The call was so spot on it was almost as if Patrick knew what was coming before it actually happened. The audio and the visual on the call synched perfectly. What was happening on TV matched the words coming out of Patrick’s mouth, which is how it is supposed to be done.
Len Elmore is one of the most respected color commentary guys in the industry. Elmore played 10 seasons in the NBA, and clearly
Len Elmore back in his Maryland days.
courtesy: nasaljerseys.com
has a wealth of knowledge about the game. There were two instances in the game in which Elmore’s vast knowledge stood out.
The first was early in the first half. A Memphis played tried to pass out of a double team to his teammate Michael Dixon Jr., but the pass appeared to be tipped so Dixon trotted over to the ball behind the half court line. The referee immediately called a backcourt violation. From my own observation, it appeared the ball was tipped. Elmore though wasn’t fooled. Before the replay was shown, Elmore pointed out he thought the pass was tipped, but by a Memphis player instead of a UConn player. The replay confirmed what Elmore thought. Patrick asked Elmore how he saw that in real-time, and Elmore said he saw the spin on the ball as it rolled down the court, and that type of spin can only occur if the pass is tipped from a certain direction. A minute detail like that is something that caught me off guard, but it clearly demonstrated Elmore had seen a similar play before.
Later in the second half, Napier came off a DeAndre Daniels screen and pulled up for one of his five threes on the afternoon. To the common fan, the star of the play was Napier for draining the triple, but to Elmore, the star was Daniels for the terrific screen he set. Elmore broke down the dynamic of the screen and how Daniels positioned himself perfectly towards the sideline to force the defender to go under, giving Napier enough space to
Napier’s game winner against Florida was one of the shots Patrick explained too vividly.
courtesy: ESPN.com
elevate on his jumper.
Patrick and Elmore never fought for air time which made the broadcast enjoyable to listen to.
Mike Patrick’s biggest flaw in this game was his descriptions of Napier’s previous game winning shot attempts. ESPN played the video of Napier’s previous attempts, but Patrick explained the plays like it was a radio broadcast. It would have been better if he let the video do the explaining while he just explained the situations.
Elmore’s biggest flaw was the lack of intonation in the biggest moments of the game. Patrick’s voice changed during the biggest moments, adding to the excitement of the broadcast. Elmore’s voice remained the same throughout which stuck me as odd. Intonation can make a huge difference if used correctly, and Elmore failed to utilize it.
All and all, Patrick and Elmore did a great job on the call. From start to finish, I was able to follow the game and their commentary was insightful and well delivered.
courtesy: SportsIllustrated.CNN.com
Sometimes, size really does matter.
In sports especially, the taller or bigger athlete gets the nod over the smaller athlete 99 out of 100 times. It’s just the way it is.
Pierre Jackson of the Idaho Stampede is a perfect example of the rare occasion where size shouldn’t matter.
Coming out of high school, Jackson wasn’t a highly sought after recruit despite putting up incredible numbers. As a 5’10” senior, he led the state of Nevada in assists, but decided to play junior college basketball at College of Southern Idaho. Jackson led Southern Idaho to the National Junior College Athletic Association National Championship and won the MVP award. After finishing his junior college career at CSI, Jackson transferred to Baylor where he’d go on to have a decorated two-year career. Jackson was named an honorable mention All-American and led Baylor to the Elite Eight in
courtesy: ultimatesportstalk.com
his junior season. In his senior season, he was named the National Invitation Tournament Most Outstanding Player as the Bears beat the Iowa Hawkeyes in the championship game.
Jackson entered his name in the 2013 NBA Draft and was selected 42nd overall by the Philadelphia 76ers before having his rights traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Right now, Jackson is obliterating the NBA Development League, averaging more than 30 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists per game. He was named a D-League All-Star this season, and broke the D-League scoring record with a 58-point outburst on February 4th. However, Jackson still hasn’t gotten a chance to prove he can play on the NBA level, and frankly, I don’t understand why.
The knock on Jackson is that he’s too small. At 5’11”, Jackson doesn’t have the size of most prototypical NBA point guards. A few years ago, the average size of point guards was about 6’1”, but today, most of the top point guards in the league are about 6’4”. Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose, Damian Lillard, John Wall, Deron Williams and Rajon Rondo are just a few guys that have raised the average height of the position. But that doesn’t mean Jackson can’t compete with these players just because he’s five inches shorter than they are.
Look at a player like Ty Lawson for example. Lawson is very similar in size to Jackson, but the argument can be made that he’s in the top echelon of point guards in the league. What Lawson lacks in size, he makes up for in strength and quickness. Despite his lack of height, Lawson consistently gets to the rim because of his elite quickness and understanding of how to break down a defender. Those same traits apply to Jackson, who is nearly impossible to get out of the paint.
I’m not saying Pierre Jackson is as good as Ty Lawson, but he can be an effective player in the NBA despite his lack of height. Jackson has more
Ty Lawson and Nate Robinson
courtesy: denver.cbslocal.com
of a scorer’s mentality than Lawson, just like the mentality of Lawson’s teammate Nate Robinson. Robinson is another NBA player that doesn’t have great size but is an effective scorer. I don’t understand why a NBA team in need of some bench scoring won’t take a chance on Jackson. Throughout his career, Nate Robinson has shown that little guards can put up big scoring numbers in the NBA, and Pierre Jackson is showing all the NBA scouts at D-League games that he’s too good to be playing against this level of competition. Give the guy a shot!
Pierre Jackson will probably never be an All-Star caliber point guard in the association, but I truly believe he could be a valuable role player in the NBA. Look at some of the back up point guards in the league, and then look at some of the teams that need depth at the point guard position. Detroit’s backup point guard is Peyton Siva. The Knicks’ backup point guard is Beno Udrih. Cleveland’s backup point guard is Matthew Dellavedova. Please try and tell me that a guy averaging 30 points and 6 assists per game in the D-League can’t produce the same, if
courtesy: NBA.com
not more than some of these current backups. It just doesn’t make sense.
Size does matter, but it only matters to a certain extent. A 6’3” point guard with a broken jumper and turnover issues shouldn’t get looked at in the same light as someone like Pierre Jackson who is 5’11” but has an NBA skillset. I hate to use Brian Scalabrine as an example here because I love the White Mamba, but he had a multi-year NBA career with half the natural ability as Pierre Jackson. Scal was a great college player at USC, but he could never score 58 points in a D-League game. He just doesn’t have the kind of ability. But clearly, Pierre Jackson does, and it’s a shame all 30 NBA teams are overlooking him because of his height.
If Jackson hasn’t gotten the NBA call for another reason, I’d love to hear it. All reports indicate that his character off the court is up to par and his play on the court shows that he’s ready to take his talents to the next level.
In most cases, size does matter. In Pierre Jackson’s case, it shouldn’t. It will be absolute blasphemy if Jackson spends the rest of the season in the D-Leage. This guy deserves a shot to prove himself in the NBA.
photo courtesy: Bleacher Report
#2 Syracuse defeated #17 Duke 91-89 in the Carrier Dome on Saturday in what will go down as one of the best games of the season. Every major news outlet had some sort of story up right after the game, but the three I decided to compare are: ESPN.com’s recap of the game which they got from the Associated Press, Gary Parrish’s recap on CBSsports.com, and Pete Thamel’s recap on Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. These just happened to be the first three articles that came up after I searched the game, but it ended up working out because all three authors took different approaches to covering the game.
The Associated Press story that ESPN.com posted did a good job of walking the reader through the game in a chronological order. The article opened up with the basic “who, what, when, where and what”, and then had quotes from both coaches on their thoughts of the game. After that, the article went in chronological order of how the end of the game played out. It talked about how Duke’s Jabari Parker fouled out late in regulation and how Duke’s Rasheed Suliamon hit an off-balance three pointer to send the game to overtime.
Then in overtime, Syracuse used its’ height advantage to pound the rock down low, and Jerami Grant had three dunks in the extra period. The article touched on all the big plays of the final few minutes, but it didn’t go into any real detail about the atmosphere of the game or the significance of it. It was written in a summary style and even though it told all the facts, it was pretty boring.
Gary Parrish’s piece for CBSsports.com took a totally different approach than the AP article. Parrish started off his piece talking about the atmosphere in the arena
Jerami Grant
photo courtesy: Seattle Times
and the coaching matchup between the two winningest coaches in Division I history and how this only the third time Coach K and Jim Boeheim have ever met. Parrish talked about how this game will be remembered 15 years from now and how the outcome of the game was more important than the beginning of a new conference rivalry. Parrish did touch upon some of the big plays late in the game, but the article was focused more on the other aspects of the night instead of the game itself. Although it sounds odd, this article was extremely effective. Parrish did a great job painting a picture of what the atmosphere was like in Carrier Dome during the final minutes of the game.
Pete Thamel’s piece for Sportsillustrated.cnn.com was a mix of Parrish’s piece and the AP piece. Thamel weaved the summary of the game with the story lines of the night together in a piece that flowed nicely. The lede of his story was completely different than the other two pieces and it instantly captured the readers attention. If there is a more vivid lede in any game recap this week, I’ll be damned.
“As debuts go, this is like playing your first round of golf at Augusta, drinking your first beer at Oktoberfest or planting your first kiss on Kate Upton,” he wrote.
Even though that lede has nothing to do with the game or basketball in general, it painted the picture of something epic, and the Syracuse/Duke game was definitely epic. Thamel used the same energetic tone throughout the whole article which really added to his story telling. Every sentence, no matter what it was about, was interesting because of the adjectives he used. Thamel’s piece has less summary than the AP story but more than Parrish’s, and less about the atmosphere of the night than Parrish’s but more than the AP story.
It’s pretty amazing that three different writers can cover the same event but produce three completely different articles. It just goes to show how many different angles a news outlet can take when covering a certain event. If I had to rank the three pieces, I’d rank them like this: 1. Parrish, 2. Thamel, 3. AP. Parrish’s article took me into the Carrier Dome and I felt like I was there watching the game as it unfolded.
Mike Lucas' Sports 