Turn it up/Turn it down: The good, the bad, and the ugly of the media

Week of June 2nd - June 8th

Every week I will write a Media column, giving the good, the bad, and the ugly of the week in media.  Print, radio, internet, and televison are all considered.  The feature will be called "Turn it up/Turn it down" and this is the first installment.  Enjoy and as always, feel free to comment and nominate your favorites too...

The Good

Waddle and Silvy (ESPN Radio 1000) - On Friday, they had a great interview with Mark Cuban about his potential ownership of the Chicago Cubs.  Cuban was quoted as saying "I think I've got a shot."  The interview lasted over ten minutes and allowed Cuban to explain his relationship with Jerry Reinsdorf, his future involvement with the Chicago community, and the fact that he wants Wrigley Field included in the deal.

Bill Simmons (ESPN.com) - After some silence from The Sports Guy, he returned with vengeance Thursday, launching a huge Celtics vs. Lakers preview and a Game 1 follow up column the next day.  With the Rick Reilly era officially beginning this month on ESPN, expect Simmons to crank out as many columns as he can.

David Kaplan (WGN Radio) - Last Sunday, Kaplan hosted his new show called "Cubs Confidential," a weekly interview with a Cubs player about anything and everything.  His first guest was Ryan Dempster, who explained his passion for autographs, his hatred of Randy Johnson, and his obsession with working out.  The show was 30 uninterrupted minutes of pure greatness, especially with a player like Dempster, who has an unbelievable personality.

The Bad

Erik Kuselias (ESPN Radio) - EK can be really annoying sometimes.  He was filling in for Mike Greenberg on Wednesday during the national morning show Mike and Mike. It wasn't so much his opinions, but his overall attitude that placed him in the section.  He talks too much about his desire for a theme song and he never really adds to any element of the show. Mike Golic pretty much carried him the entire morning, and hopefully ESPN will bring back Trey Wingo as a temporary fill-in when the time is right again.

Carol Slezak (Chicago Sun Times) - In Sunday's paper, Slezak continued to write about topics no one cares about.  This time she chose the hot button issue of the annual 2008 Hall of Fame exhibiton game between the Cubs and Padres this month. Slezak ponders why MLB has tried to remove the game from its schedule but still keep the games over in Japan. First of all, Carol, the games in Japan actually count, and the stadium can hold more fans than the tiny 10,000 seat Cooperstown field.  Plus, lets not forget the impact the game has had internationally and how important it is to maintain some form of relationship with a booming Japanese market. The next logical article Slezak writes will be the first.

Jeremy Green (NFL Football Today Podcast) - This will probably be the last time Green appears in this section, but his lack of professionalism was too hard to ignore.  Green is constantly eating something during the filming of his weekly podcast and it has really become an issue.  In between chewing, his analysis is great, but is it really that hard for him to eat before or after the recording?  Can't he turn the microphone off if he is that hungry?

The Ugly

Sam Smith (SportingNews.com) - Since leaving the Chicago Tribune as the number one basketball analyst, Smith has been writing exclusively for the Sporting News.  He writes bi-weekly columns addressing more national NBA topics and those famous potential trade scenarios he became famous for.  His more recent column, however, was a bit hysterical.  Instead of a column, he produced his first NBA Mock Draft, and some of his picks are sure to raise some eyebrows.  He has the Timberwolves drafting Kevin Love third overall, saying, "Kevin McHale loves Love's basketball skill and acumen."  If Kevin Love goes third overall, I will quit school.  Smith also says the Grizzlies are going to offer Rudy Gay, Mike Conley, Hakim Warrick, and the #5 pick to the Bulls for the #1 pick.  I guess Smith and his incredibly insane trades still haven't changed....