For the ESPN Addict: Ten Links

If you're like me, you can only go to ESPN.com so many times before the image of its red title banner and rolling scoreboard starts to haunt the black void behind your eyelids. And even then you still find yourself going back again, not even reading articles anymore, just going to the homepage, glancing at every score and the same month old Sports Guy mailbag. It's nothing -- as sports fans -- we can avoid. The fact is simply that: A. because we are obsessed with sports to the point that the mere sight of a box score comforts us; and B. because ESPN provides the best combination of dependable coverage and solid writing on the web, most of us have little reason to ever venture outside of ESPN.com. Therefore, I have decided to dedicate this list of links to blogs that can be found within the ESPN website. For those who are too loyal (or too lazy) to get acquainted with another sports website, these blogs will keep you informed enough to stand tall in any barstool sports conversation.

To gain a small measure of credibility for these evaluations, I used the IMSA criteria, which includes (but is not limited to), blog materials, blog Influence, content, depth, language, timing, bias, and usefulness. I also separated the blogs into categories, MLB, NBA, NFL, and Fantasy Sports. If you notice the absence of NHL here, good for you. Until the NHL leaves its ridiculous deal with the VS. Network and comes back to basic cable, I will refuse to follow it or acknowledge its existence. Lastly, you can find the links to the following blogs under the linkroll section on the left side of the page. Some blogs can only be viewed in full form by ESPN insiders.

The first baseball blog is probably the one I frequent most on ESPN, given that I am both a baseball loyalist and die hard Red Sox fan. Peter Gammons' credentials need little mention, beyond the fact that he is enshrined in the MLB Hall of Fame outstanding writing. For a straight forward, old school approach to baseball journalism, a better read than Gammons is hard to find. Year in and year out he provides a solid combination of reporting, news, speculation and MLB updates. For those who want a little less Boston/East Coast bias in their MLB blogs, Buster Olney is a solid alternative to Gammons. Olney writes a similar blog to Gammons, providing a good mix of reporting, insider information, and speculation. Unlike Gammons, Olney also provides good advice for any fantasy baseball players out there who like to get their advice from established journalists as opposed to gurus. The third and final MLB blog here belongs to Curtis Granderson. Granderson is the starting center fielder for the Detroit Tigers, and an up and coming MLB star. His blog lacks the polish of either Olney's or Gammons', but he often writes about subjects that have nothing to do with baseball, which gives his readers a unique insight into the ways players distract themselves from the stress and rigors of an MLB season.

Three NBA blogs that I spend much of my time on are True Hoop (which was already mentioned in that last linkroll entry and will not be further discussed here), Chris Broussard, and Agent Zero. Of the several NBA blogs on ESPN, Broussard's is probably my favorite. Instead of dedicating post after post to the upcoming NBA draft, which I could care less about until June, he focuses on a range of current topics, from the MVP race, to the playoff chase, to each team's coaching state. His writing is polished, and if you want to read a good opinion piece each week, he's your bet. Agent Zero is the last blog. This blog belongs to Washington Wizards' star, Gilbert Arenas. Arenas, along with Curt Schilling, was one of the first star athletes to embrace the blogosphere. He adds something new nearly everyday, and provides his readers with a rare glimpse into the mind of one of the NBA's most eccentric stars.

Ever since the Patriots lost the Super Bowl I haven't been able to stomach ESPN's NFL pages. That said, the first NFL blog I frequent is definitely John Clayton. John Clayton probably knows more about football than any man on the planet outside of Bill Belichick. His blog posts aren't going to remind anyone of James Joyce, but if you want the best source for NFL information on ESPN, John Clayton is your man. Much like Clayton, Len Pasquarelli is another good source for the most up-to-date information about the NFL. Every so often, he also writes very good opinion pieces. Unlike some ESPN writers (cough, Gregg Easterbrook), he rarely gets swept up by the hoopla of an incident (see his very grounded articles on Spygate for example).

The final three blogs are for those in search of fantasy sports advice and information. Probably the best source of advice is Eric Karabell. Winning your fantasy league is all about speculation, and few writers on ESPN have the background, knowledge, and foresight to lead your team to first that Karabell has. Best of all, he covers all three major fantasy sports (NBA, MLB, NFL), so as long as you aren't one of the three people in America who plays fantasy Nascar, you should be able to live off of Karabell. Matthew Berry is another fantasy guru for ESPN. When I read Berry, I'm often torn regarding how I feel about him. On one hand, he provides very sound advice, and often offers you the kind of risky advice that will win you a league (giving us the Corey Harts and Ryan Brauns of the world). On the other hand, at times he gets sidetracked when talking about his personal life. It's funny to hear a joke now and then, but who really wants to read a paragraph about his lack of a dating life when they're looking for fantasy advice. The last blog belongs to Stephania Bell. Stephania is the newest fantasy guru, and while she doesn't offer the same quality advice that Karabell and Berry offer, she often provides in depth, insider information that, in the right hands, can be deadly.

New linkroll items: Doing the hard work for you

Let's face it, there are more sports websites and blogs out there than any one person could ever read. Some are good. Some are bad. Some are credible, and some are little more than a clever title. I've decided to include ten sites that I frequent in the linkroll of my blog. You can find them on the left hand side of the page, under the title "LINKROLL." I will also provide a concise description of each link (I will neglect bigger sites, such as ESPN or Fox Sports, because I'm sure you've heard of them) in the following paragraphs.

Bleacher Report: The site is primarily a collection of blogs. Anyone can write for bleacher report, so the blog posts tend to be biased, and may or may not be credible. I've read many good posts on the site, primarily ones that have been linked to the front page. I've also read a few blogs that give me the sense that they were written by a guy after a long, drunk day at the ball park.

Boston Dirt Dogs: You won't find much in the way of articles on the site, which is linked to The Boston Globe website. Instead, the site consists manly of terse, witty posts, which take jabs at many Boston rivals. The site also provides tracking for many former, and current, Boston players.

CelticsBlog: This is the primary site for Celtics blogging. I haven't read much from the site, but from the small sample I've read, I glean that, similar to Bleacher Report, there are some good blogs and some poor blogs on the site.

Deadspin: The site is similar to Bleacher Report, in that it allows pretty much anyone to comment. The site proclaims in its "Commentist Manifesto" that the first rule of writing for the site is "to be funny," and it is strictly moderated to keep it that way.

Onion Sports: The Onion obviously isn't known for its sports coverage, but the sports articles on here are actually pretty funny, albeit completely false.

Reiss's Pieces: Mike Reiss is a blogger for The Boston Globe. He writes on the Patriots, and while he doesn't often write the longest, or wittiest articles, he provides a lot of "in the locker room" information about that team, that isn't really available anywhere else.

Sons of Sam Horn: Originally dedicated only to the Red Sox, the site has since expanded to all teams in all sports. You won't find any articles on here, but it is a great site for discussion forums.

Sports Guy's World: Every Boston sports fan needs to know who Bill Simmons is. He is probably the most popular sports writer at ESPN, and while you will either love or hate him, because he is a complete homer, he is very funny, very relevant, and a great read.

True Hoop: In my opinion, this is one of the best daily running NBA blogs on the internet. It is highly credible, and can be found at ESPN.

WickedBruinsFan: I'm not very familiar with this blog. But from what I gather, it is pretty much the Bruins version of CelticsBlog. The writing on here is solid, informative, and provides information about a team many people in Boston have forgotten.

The Hope for Banner 17: Gauging the Celtics Chances in 2008

This time last year, the Boston Celtics were coming off the worst losing streak in franchise history. For 18 consecutive games, as Paul Pierce sat on the bench, injured and disgruntled, a hodgepodge of could-bes, might-bes and never-will-bes had found new heights for futility. Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge were lampooned by local and national media, which almost unanimously called for their dismissals. And just when season that was supposed to be dedicated to the late Red Auerbach couldn't seem to get much worse, another Celtic legend, the man Magic Johnson once called "the greatest back court defender of all time," Dennis Johnson, passed away suddenly at the age of 52. It was the lowest of the low for the team synonymous with good luck, and for all of the fans that suffered alongside them. Then, a few unlucky ping pong ball bounces later, everything changed. Realizing he wasn't going to get either of the stars he wanted in the draft, Danny Ainge acted quickly, trading first for Ray Allen, one of the best shooters in league history. Then, without giving up his prized young point guard, Rajon Rondo, he traded for future NBA Hall of Fame megastar, Kevin Garnett. Overnight the Celtics were back to being relevant. The media dubbed the trio of stars headlining for the Celtics "The Big Three," and since then, the Celtics have exploded to the best record in the NBA, and the best Celtics' start since the last time a "Big Three" was in Boston. But while the Celtics' hot start is obviously the toast of the town in Boston right now, especially in lieu of the Patriots' recent collapse, it's hard not to wonder about the Celtics' actual chances come playoff time. In order to find this out, I decided to search the blogosphere. In my travels, I came across two posts that address the chances for the Celtics to win a championship. The first, on I've Made a Huge Tiny Mistake, is a post called "The Western Conference is a Tad Better Than Its Eastern Brethren." The poster discusses the current and future superiority of the Western Conference in the NBA. In my response I mostly agree with his post, choosing only to elaborate more specifically on how the Celtics stack up against the West. The second post I found, addresses whether the Celtics will be able to handle the rigors of the second half of their season. The post, by Andy Miller on Bleacher Report, is entitled, "Boston Celtics: Can They Survive the Second Half?" In my response to his post, I also agree with most of Miller's observations, and choose only to dispute his suggestion of the Celtics' need to earn the number one seed in the East. My responses to the comments can be found by clicking on the aforementioned links, but for your convenience I have also included them below.

I've Made a Huge Tiny Mistake: "The Western Conference is a Tad Better Than Its Easter Brethren"

I agree with you that the parity in the West shows its current superiority as a conference. Look no further than the Mark Stein’s NBA Power Rankings, and you can see that 8 of his top 10 teams in the league are Western Conference teams. John Hollinger’s Power Rankings are a little less Western biased, but I have trouble accepting them, because he stubbornly uses a formula so complicated Einstein might struggle to grasp it. Still, I wonder how the two dominant teams in the East, Detroit and Boston, would stack up against the West. Detroit is obviously the more experienced of the two, having won the Championship in 2004, while the trio leading Boston has a combined zero Finals appearance. That being said, I feel like this year Boston may have the better pieces to make it through the East (it’s hard to argue against three perennial superstars in the playoffs after all). Once they get to the Finals, however, it’s a different story. As if the West weren’t already strong enough, the recent flurry of trades has only made it stronger. I would like nothing more than to see the Celtics fight their way through the East and win a Championship, so that all Boston fans can forget about the Patriots. But, assuming the Celtics prove to be the best of the east and make it to the NBA Finals, I wonder how they will handle one of the Western teams with a dominant big man, teams such as Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio, or Los Angeles. It seems, from watching the Celtics play, that unless Kendrick Perkins can somehow stay out of foul trouble, they really have no one with the size to match up. Kevin Garnett is obviously a great defensive player, all time great even, and while he could probably stay with Dirk Nowitzki, or maybe Tim Duncan (with whom he has not had historical success), I have a hard time picturing him handling someone as strong as Shaquille O’Neal, Amare Stoudemire or Andrew Bynum. You may recall the game earlier this season, when Dwight Howard pushed Garnett all over the floor, and Garnett was helpless to do much more than watch Howard dunk time and time again. I’m not saying that the Celtics can’t beat a team from the West. After watching the Super Bowl, I’ll assume anything is possible. Moreover, given the absolute dogfight that’s sure to ensue in the Western Conference playoffs, the Celtics might even have a small advantage going in to the Finals. Still, the Celtics certainly will have their work cut out for them against any of the elite Western Conference teams. And if they are truly the best of the East, then that means the rest of the East has an even tougher road ahead.

Bleacher Report: "Boston Celtics: Can They Survive the Second Half?"

If by trading the future, you mean trading away another ten years of mediocrity (assuming Al Jefferson continues to be Zach Randolph 2.0 and doesn't develop any sort of good low post defense), then yes the Celtics have mortgaged a lot for the current roster. With that said, it's impossible for the Celtics to have much regret. The Celtics are as good, if not better than most of us could have imagined before this season started, and there is obviously a new buzz and atmosphere surrounding this team not seen since the original Big Three of Bird, Parish and McHale donned Celtic green. Will they make it to the Championship? Maybe. But they'll have to go through a Detroit team that is just as good as they are, and either an Orlando team that presents obvious problems (Dwight Howard) for the Celtics, or a Cleveland team that LeBron James seems to will to win night in and night out. And that's not even addressing the Western Conference team they would face in the Finals. Because in order to get there, most of your observations will need to prove true. Foremost they need some sort of veteran point guard. While Eddie House is a nice player, and provides scoring spark off the bench, I really can't stand to see him handle the point went Rajon Rondo goes out. The Celtics need to bring in a veteran point guard like Sam Cassel or Jason Williams (I can't believe I'm calling "White Chocolate" a veteran point guard now, by the way). Kyle Lowry, as another responder already stated, is even younger (in NBA years) than Rondo, which means he is likely not the answer. After Danny (hopefully) finds a back up for Rondo, I believe the next two important things they need to do are stay healthy, which means limiting the Big Trio's minutes to under 38 per game, and keeping Brian "Veal" Scalabrine off the floor. I don't know how much I can stress the need to keep Scal off the floor. He is flat out terrible, and as long as Leon Powe, Glen Davis, Kendrick Perkins, James Posey and Kevin Garnett still have air in their lungs, Scal should never, repeat never, step on the parquet. The final point you make, which I have to dispute, is that the Celtics' need to capture the number one seed. Being the number one would definitely be beneficial, but I feel the risks outweigh the benefits. Sure, they'll get four games at home against Detroit instead of three, but as the two meetings between the teams this season have already shown, the Celtics can just as easily win in the Palace as the Pistons can win in the Garden. So assuming they don't blow their ten game lead over Orlando, the only team the Celtics may not have home court advantage against is the Pistons. And the idea of them playing in the Palace does not worry me. What does worry me, however, is the thought of them making a big push for the top seed, and wearing out Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in the process. I'm sure both players will give everything they have come playoff time, but two things you can't change are age and injuries, and as of right now neither is on those players' side. Therefore, unless the Celtics plan to unleash the Paul Pierce show, and fizzle out in the Conference finals ala 2002, it's in their best interest to keep the Big Trio healthy until playoff time.