The Media Circus

We’ve never been ones to given a whole lot of credence to the concept of a media “East Coast Bias”. There are big cities on the East Coast that are home to some very historic sports franchises which inevitably means they’ll command a good chunk of attention. Nothing surprising about that. But occasionally there comes an event where the coverage is altered so intensely towards a prominent East Coast team that the theory is difficult to ignore.

The first round of the NFL Draft just happened to be one of those events.

Perhaps in part as a way to placate the obnoxious Jets fans who insist on being the center of attention during every draft, ESPN was determined to make the New York Jets trade and subsequent selection of Mark Sanchez into the watershed moment of the 2009 NFL Draft.

Forget that Sanchez wasn’t even the first QB taken or that four other players were taken ahead of him, the pick had everything it needed to become the over hyped moment of an already over hyped day.

By the end of Day 1 of the coverage, viewers were being treated to musical montages showing the various stages of Sanchez’s day, culminating in his Jets press conference.

The slobbering over Sanchez was no doubt tenfold what it would have been had Cleveland remained in the spot and selected him with perhaps the most bizarre aspect being the fawning over the pick by the panel as if Sanchez was the primo star in the draft, especially considering opinions of him varied just months before.

Take Mel Kiper’s stance on Sanchez for example.  In a column on ESPN.com February 25, he had this to say about the new Golden Boy:

“(Josh) Freeman is a roll of the dice. Same with Sanchez—if he had another year at USC, he would’ve been the No. 1 overall pick.”

Fast forward two months, slap an NY helmet on him and suddenly Kiper had a different take:

“Mark Sanchez’s selection made this team’s draft because he’s a franchise-maker.”

From roll of the dice who should have stayed in school to franchise-maker without ever playing a game.  Amazing what being drafted by a New York team can do to a player. ###MORE###

Crap that actually came from Peter King’s crapper

It’s been a while since we’ve taken an uncomfortable look into Peter King’s personal business. Let’s see what’s happening, shall we?

Changing planes at DFW on Sunday, I used the men’s room near one of the American gates. I walked into one of the toilet stalls with the automatic flushers.

WHOOOOOSH. I closed the door to the stall and sat down.

Three more times I heard the same WHOOOOOSH as I sat there and minded my own business.

Of course, no flush when I get up and leave the stall. Gotta love technology.

You know what else you gotta love?  Stories about taking a jam in an airport bathroom.

The Motor Stereotype Just Keeps Chugging

We thought there had been some progress made recently via a crossover into the world of basketball coverage, but it looks like our optimism may have been premature. If Peter King’s comments are any indication, the adjective “motor” still doesn’t apply to anyone but white guys.

“Ravens have the highest motor DT in football in Kelly Gregg. Now they just might have a DE to rival Jared Allen for motor—Utah’s Paul Kruger, a first round prospect on one board that I know of.” – Peter King

That’s three motors in one sentence.  All three of them have one thing in common: Whiteness.

Yep; still white. And all still with one hell of a motor.

Sports advertising has gone bonkers

Another day in the world of sports, another example that advertising has gone well beyond the realm of sensibility. On Saturday, for example, the Fox telecast of the Cardinals and Cubs had various replays sponsored by Flomax. If there’s one thing Major League Baseball needs more of, it’s parallels between baseball and old men pissing frequently and being convinced they have to go when in fact, they have a growing problem and not a going problem.

At least the Flomax sponsorships have no sexual overtones. Online ads for the MMA WareHouse, however, seem to be taking a different approach.

Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that—and Frank Mir could definitely kick the crap out of the entire JoeSportsFan roster if he wanted to, but here’s hoping the warehouse will accompany pictures of half naked men with different word use going forward.

We suppose that’s better than being attacked by LensCrafters hands, though. My word; it felt like the hands were getting ready to strangle me when they hopped out of the corners of both sides of my laptop all in an attempt to show the undying love for the Sawx. Fitting, isn’t it?

Thankfully, these hands weren’t Wallmasters that returned us to the beginning of our computer start up process.

Hated those damn things.

You know who else hates the Wallmasters and the LensCrafters hands? Kevin Kennedy. He’s pissed about it, actually.

Memo to Foxsports.com: when you’re trying to promote your video content, it’s best to do so without an angry looking ex-manager. Perhaps he’s just peeved that his gal Jeanie Zealasko got replaced by Chris Rose. Whatever the case, wise up. Assclowns.

Bob Carpenter Memorial Snappy Line

To appreciate a truly snappy line, the Bobber likes to lean back in his rocking chair, sip on a mixture of iced tea and a Bartyls and James wine cooler and let the snappiness take over. This past Sunday, ABC/ESPN’s Mark Jackson catered to the atmosphere and Bobby was a relaxed, rocking individual …

“And the bank IS open on Sundays.”

Wow. That’s just a super original line. Never been heard before. In the mean time, the television play-by-play man for the Washington Nationals has issued a response for a recent, not-so-pleasant synopsis from Jamie Mottram at Misterirrelevant.com.

Mottram wrote …

Rooting for the home team is okay. Pretending they’re decent is not, nor is leading me to believe every ball hit in the air has a chance.

That sure sounds like the Carpster we grew to love in St. Louis, and that’s why we can say with conviction to Misterirrelevant to watch your back. Pretty soon Rob Dibble will attack your site with a fastball.

The Media Circus is written by Josh Bacott and Patrick Imig. They’re pretty sure Dibble stole those glasses from Gorilla Monsoon. Email them at [e-mail].