Moneyblog: Barbarians at the SB Nation Gate

Many happy returns, Ryan and Jay. Hey, do you need Scott Boras' number?

about 1 year ago SuddenSam 56 comments 2 recs |

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Thanks. It’s pretty cool that that roster of people thinks enough about what SB Nation is doing to invest in us.

by Ryan on Oct 28, 2008 11:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It’s cool that anybody is investing in anything.

by SuddenSam on Oct 28, 2008 11:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Its better than investing in Bear Stearns

by world dictator on Oct 28, 2008 11:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

We’re ruined.

by Jay on Oct 28, 2008 11:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You get my emails?

by afh4 on Oct 29, 2008 12:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes. That’s how I know we’re ruined.

by Jay on Oct 29, 2008 12:50 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just checking to make sure that’s why you were ruined.

by afh4 on Oct 29, 2008 12:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If this means I’m going to have to start wearing pants when I post here….

by APV on Oct 28, 2008 11:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Since I think of you as a skull, picturing this does not actually bother me.

by Voltaire on Oct 28, 2008 11:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

A pie in your collective faces.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Oct 28, 2008 11:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The dotcom bubble days are back! Invest everything into Netscape now.

by Toxicadam on Oct 29, 2008 12:22 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

No way. This IS the “sports section” of the newspaper. Ryan and Jay are what, the top 2 out of every 2000 sports writers? 20,000? Paying for talent is as old as Chuck. Letsgotribe is not pets.com. There is real product here. Just this morning, I told myself I’d never watch ESPN again. Maybe I’m just sanguine right now.

But I think it would be hilarious if they start shameless product-plugging.

by joeee on Oct 29, 2008 2:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This IS the "sports section" of the newspaper.

To support this point, the venerable Christian Science Monitor announced yesterday it would cease production of its daily newspaper in April 2009. The website will continue.

The media outlets with the strongest web presence will be the most successful. Some will be affiliated with traditional media, others will not. Users increasingly don’t care. Whether it’s sports, news, political analysis, science, arts, humor, whatever, i judge a site by how good it is for me, not by what its parent company did fifty years ago. Just because the Plain Dealer was once the essential source for Indians news and commentary doesn’t mean cleveland.com is now.

by SuddenSam on Oct 29, 2008 9:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

LGT is great, I check it repeatedly throughout the day, but it is something new entirely, not the sports page. Even when there is news on it, we all expect a link to a substantiated source which is usually the online version of a print or broadcast source. I like LGT for analysis and witty banter, but without other sites that do reporting, it would be just banter.

The Plain Dealer’s days may be numbered, but be careful what you wish for. Less paid reporters equals less information. You think the Indians beat is poorly covered now, just wait until you have no one in the clubhouse reporting outside of MLB.com employees.

by PatBordersHelmet on Oct 29, 2008 9:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You are making an assumption that on-line sites cannot and do not have paid employees or do original reporting. That simply isn’t true, as is becoming obvious in political reporting. There is journalism going on at sites like Slate and Politico, not to mention the many overtly partisan sites. TPM, for example, broke the story of the U.S. Attorney firings and ought to get consideration for a Pulitzer.

There is no reason why LGT or DiaTribe cannot apply for media credentials, if they so choose. Of course, we will have to immediately discredit these shameless towel chasers.

Funny how ESPN is now the example of the old media. At least, it is if you are my age and remember what an upstart it once was.

by SuddenSam on Oct 29, 2008 10:40 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I can’t wait for the day when Jay and Ryan join the BWAA and get to vote for MVP and Cy Young.

Of course, if they won’t let Rob Neyer in . . . .

The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay

by Buckeye Brad on Oct 29, 2008 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

First words ever spoken on ESPN: “yea, verily, a sampler of wonders.” Old-fashioned media. Of course, Grande went on to say we all know a lot about softball because we all play it on Sunday while we drink a little beer, so there’s that.

by FredOx on Oct 29, 2008 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And then we came to know a lot about Australian Rules football.

by SuddenSam on Oct 29, 2008 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And there was evening and morning, a third day. And it was good.

Pronk Needs You

by woodsmeister on Oct 29, 2008 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

For a while there in the early 80s, the USA Network was giving ESPN a run for its money in sports. While the only major sport on ESPN was college basketball, USA had MLB (Thursday night games, subject to draconian blackout rules), the NBA, the NHL, early rounds of major golf and tennis tournaments, plus a healthy share of college hoops.

Before Xena, before Nikita, there was Hockey Night in America. And the MISL, can’t forget the MISL.

by SuddenSam on Oct 29, 2008 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kai Haskivi!

by macasson on Oct 30, 2008 12:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think the Indians beat is covered poorly now because the writers that cover it are, possibly without exception, awful. I get all of my Indians news here or from Anthony Castrovince. Most of the time what starts at either of those places as an “unsubstantiated” report turns out to be the story that the Plain Dealer breaks a good 12 hours after we knew it. Castrovince and LGT are the future of the sports page.

by fwembt on Oct 29, 2008 5:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Castrovince does a great job and I look to his blog frequently to confirm things that I may have heard elsewhere. However, even he must admit that no matter how objective he tries to be (which by all indications it looks like he does a very good job of doing) his paycheck comes from MLB. I don’t know if he’s been presented with any ethical dilemmas where’s he’s not reported on something because his bosses may not approve, but I imagine he will soon if not already. It’s foolish to think that it won’t be a factor for him and all the other MLB beat reporters.

LGT likely has not current intention of paying beat writers to watch the games. People may blog (not live from the park during games, of course, because MLB already prohibits it) team coverage to SB nation for free. I imagine what the investors in SB Nation realize that it’s a great site is that the large majority of the content is provided and updated for free by the users. This keeps cost incredibly low as far as generating content is concerned, which is a concern for most sites. Jay and/or Ryan, am I off here?

by PatBordersHelmet on Oct 29, 2008 8:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think there’s an understanding that it has to be a blend of blogger-generated content and a format that allows an active content-generating community to take root. I would not necessarily assume that SBN doesn’t intend eventually to invest significantly in content, beyond just splitting ad revenue, but it all depends how things go in the next couple of years.

What first attracted me to this site was Ryan’s writing and analysis, but I did immediately take note of the potential for a big community element. In fact, my very first suggestion to Ryan once we partnered up was that we slide the Diaries/FanPosts as far up to the top of the page as the format would allow, to emphasize that anyone can write an article.

by Jay on Oct 29, 2008 10:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’M NOT GOING TO MAKE JOKES ABOUT LAKE ERIE FOR FREE FOREVER, PEOPLE.

by afh4 on Oct 29, 2008 11:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well, I’m happy to hear this news. Where is my dividend check?

by NickFantana on Oct 29, 2008 10:31 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

SELLOUTS!!

Don't be stupid. PUT IN MELOAN.

by gte619n on Oct 29, 2008 10:51 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

When do we start the shameless plugs for our own made-for-blog movies, exclusively, here on LGT. Not to mention all of our Disney crossover ads.

"Lotta heart in Cleveland." - Ian Hunter

by Denver Tribe Fan on Oct 29, 2008 12:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I’m looking forward to the Budweiser Post of the Week, the Toyota Transactions, and the Levitra Mood Meter.

by SuddenSam on Oct 29, 2008 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs

This post was made green by recs from IBM: Go Green and save up to 40% on energy costs!

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Oct 29, 2008 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs

Rec a post and have your name entered in an all-expenses paid trip to next year’s SABR convention!

by bewwolv on Oct 29, 2008 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs

Maybe we can start having annual LGT meetings with expensed bar tabs?

by bewwolv on Oct 29, 2008 12:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Maybe we can start having annual LGT meetings with ~~expensed~~ expensive bar tabs?

fixed

by APV on Oct 29, 2008 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I thought that was implied

by bewwolv on Oct 29, 2008 2:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Speaking of which….Dana Jacobson to appear at roast for Jay and Ryan.

"Lotta heart in Cleveland." - Ian Hunter

by Denver Tribe Fan on Oct 29, 2008 4:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe Ryan and Jay could get Congress to pay for it.

Railing against the sacrifice bunt since 2000.

by jdudas on Oct 29, 2008 10:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sure, once I get my bailout.

by Jay on Oct 29, 2008 10:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

In all seriousness (whilst knocking on wood), whatever media company SB Nation becomes or is merged with, I’ll be in line at the IPO if there ever is one.

I wish there was an SB Nation for investors, because so many of the news sources are garbage.

by jhon on Oct 29, 2008 1:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Can we ban the “Yawkee Way Store” and Boston merchandise ads from this site, or are they a big source of the traffic?

by jhon on Oct 29, 2008 1:36 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The ads aren’t controlled by the bloggers any more – I don’t know if I could remove something if I wanted to. I believe the ad on the right is influenced by the content on the blog, so maybe we’ve been talking about That AL East team too much.

by Ryan on Oct 29, 2008 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wonder why the “Animal House” DVD ad is showing up now

by APV on Oct 29, 2008 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

FREE IQ TEST!

Seriously, how many of us really click on ads like that?

by Voltaire on Oct 29, 2008 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry, Jayan. I do not.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Oct 29, 2008 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If I were more open, I might say that I don’t see the ads thanks to AdBlock, but I wouldn’t want to admit that.

by FredOx on Oct 29, 2008 3:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

One hopes that the system is (or soon will be) sophisticated enough to rotate ads in and out of individual sites based on which ones are getting clicked. Anyway, it’s not really our problem. Our problem is the content.

by Jay on Oct 29, 2008 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs