Bill Simmons

by rbarton on Jun 6, 2006 7:01 PM CDT

What is the over/under on him leaving ESPN. 3 months??? His columns have been less and less frequent and he got rid of his intern and didn't replace him. We use to get 3+ columns a week and now it is 1.

I think he is an idiot when it comes to baseball, but he is generally good on basketball. Usually funny on everything IMO.

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From an SI interview a few months ago

"I really want to move into scripts next. I'm ready to do it. I've been doing this since '97. At the spring of next year, my contract ends. That would be 10 years. I'm not saying I wouldn't come back. But I think 10 years is a nice run. Maybe keep my NFL column and that's it."

http://www.maverickmoneyball.com/

by Wes Cox on Jun 6, 2006 7:42 PM CDT reply actions

HIs writing style

is Hunter S. Thompson-esque.

you trying to tell me jesus christ can't hit a curve ball?

by chief on Jun 6, 2006 9:38 PM CDT reply actions

I have never thought of him as a gonzo journalist

but I can kind of see it. I think he is a little lighter than Hunter, but that goes without saying.

by rbarton on Jun 6, 2006 9:46 PM CDT up reply actions

It never hit me

Until I was reading some of Hunter's archived articles on espn.com the other day. But all I could think was what a mentor the Doc must have been to Simmons, though I've never thought to actually write and ask if he's influenced him.

Gonzo journalism is definitely the most entertaining form of writing I've experienced. I'm glad to see someone like Simmons keeping it alive.

you trying to tell me jesus christ can't hit a curve ball?

by chief on Jun 6, 2006 10:04 PM CDT up reply actions

Thompson

Not to be a contrarian, but Simmons and Hunter don't even remotely belong in the same conversation. Simmons is typically (but definitely not always) funny.

Thompson, he may not always be funny, but when was he not original? The man will be remembered 100 years from now. Simmons? Uh, ahem, I'm thinking not...

"I could be wrong-but I'm not." Dan Jenkins

by Brian Thomas on Jun 7, 2006 1:08 AM CDT up reply actions

agreed

Thompson is by far better than Simmons, that doesn't mean their style of journalism can't be similar.

by rbarton on Jun 7, 2006 11:23 AM CDT up reply actions

Just thought I would share this

One of my favorite, yet typical, articles by the good Dr.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?id=1992213

you trying to tell me jesus christ can't hit a curve ball?

by chief on Jun 7, 2006 11:29 AM CDT up reply actions

Nobody will remember Thompson

20 years from now.

100 years from now? You have to be kidding.

When Sharky thinks your wierd, your wierd -- Sharky

by DJCahill on Jun 7, 2006 1:17 PM CDT up reply actions

Bill Simmons

has said many times that he is one of Thompsons biggest fans. I think they met on several occasions . I know Simmons wrote an article about him after his death.

http://www.maverickmoneyball.com/

by Wes Cox on Jun 7, 2006 1:55 AM CDT up reply actions

this sort of blaspheme

I'll chalk up to ignorance.

but they never met...simmons had the opportunity to meet him but the red sox WS run was happening at the same time.

there is NOTHING gonzo about simmons, his command of the english language might be slightly better than mine while hst approaches yates, he knows next to nothing about politics, simmons couldn't keep a column going without making some generic observation that one of us could have made while drunk on a couch while hst leaves you scratching your head wondering how much drug use over how many years it took for him to live in the world he does....

the list goes on. i thought i would be mad at the comparison but its too ridiculous.

by ab03 on Jun 7, 2006 6:47 AM CDT up reply actions

Plus Simmons

has never been in a drug induced haze for 3 decades or blown his brains out.

When Sharky thinks your wierd, your wierd -- Sharky

by DJCahill on Jun 7, 2006 7:52 AM CDT up reply actions

Ahem.

"Gonzo journalism argues that journalism can be truthful without striving for objectivity. It favours style over accuracy and aims to describe personal experiences or the essence or mood of things rather than facts. It disregards the 'Polished' edited product favoured by Newspaper Media and strives for the gritty factor."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonzo_journalism

Just because Simmons isn't political in his writing and hasn't done a metric ton of narcotics doesn't mean his writing can't be gonzo.

you trying to tell me jesus christ can't hit a curve ball?

by chief on Jun 7, 2006 10:34 AM CDT up reply actions

Gonzo journalism = Truthiness

by Adam J. Morris on Jun 7, 2006 10:57 AM CDT up reply actions

Agreed

That describes Simmons to the T.

by jthig32 on Jun 7, 2006 11:11 AM CDT up reply actions

Woah

Excuse me for not knowing 100% if he had met Thompson. Still doesn't change the fact that Simmons wrote about him a few times.

Ass.

http://www.maverickmoneyball.com/

by Wes Cox on Jun 7, 2006 2:42 PM CDT up reply actions

To be accurate

He actually writes two per week, plus a once a month ESPN the Mag article.

And the intern thing was only a two or three year thing I think.

by jthig32 on Jun 6, 2006 9:41 PM CDT reply actions

intern

it was a one year thing actually. But it was a success and they are not continuin it. He'll be gone after the nba finals i think.

by rbarton on Jun 6, 2006 9:44 PM CDT up reply actions

I wouldn't be surprised...

He has only two columns per week now, but every other week one of those two is the ESPN the Magazine column.

The other columns, increasingly, have been mailbag columns, or running diaries, where he seems to be basically mailing it in...

by Adam J. Morris on Jun 6, 2006 9:46 PM CDT up reply actions

It was a one year thing

But they did more than one intern.

They had at least two, maybe three. Hence the two/three year comment.

And he's already gone.

by jthig32 on Jun 6, 2006 9:58 PM CDT up reply actions

hmmm

My buddy just commented to me on this very topic a couple weeks ago.

To add into the above evidence, Simmons has been openly critical of ESPN personalities in recent article, whereas he used to bite his tongue or pretend to censor himself.

It's almost like he's toying with ESPN.

by willamos2 on Jun 6, 2006 10:27 PM CDT reply actions