PODCAST: ON THE DL
PODCAST: ON THE DL
Whenever you have a conversation with Nathaniel Friedman, aka ‘round the internet as Bethlehem Shoals, you have to factor in two things. First, whatever questions you ask will be answered honestly, candidly and thoughtfully. Second, hold on for dear life.
To call Shoals cerebral doesn’t really do it justice. It’s more...esoteric. And that’s what has made Free Darko one of the most fascinating places to visit on the internet. Shoals takes that same mentality to The Baseline at Sporting News and to his book, and other works. Lucky for us, he’s like that as a guest too.
You may remember his first visit to the show, before Blogs with Balls 1.0 in New York. Some people called it the best show ever. Others threatened to never listen again. (Note: there were more in the former category so the people in the latter can piss off). But that’s what you get with Shoals. He’s in his own mind, yet figures out a way to share his thoughts with you, hedging at every turn as not to offend, yet in no way being offensive. It’s like he’s conscious of his own brilliance and he’s concerned that might offend the other person. And it’s quite fascinating be a part of the conversation.
We talk a lot about Blogs with Balls 2.0 where we will both be in a few days. He’s on a panel about the future of sports media, so we talk about that future and wonder if the current model of blogger has evolved to the point of fiscal viability, or how long we have to go. Kevin Blackistone is on his panel, so I bring him up as an example -- somewhat unfairly -- to talk about the MSM and the narrowing, yet still wide, disconnect between the underbelly of American sports writers, bloggers, and the highfalutince of the mainstream (former) print journalists.
So what is the future? It’s the economy, stupid.
We talk about Grant Wahl being held up at gunpoint in Honduras and I ask Shoals what he’d do in that situation. His answer was simple -- hand over his wallet. The guy has a freaking gun. But I wonder if I’d pull a Larry David and fake a heart attack or a seizure. I’d like to think I’d have the presence of mind to fake a seizure. Glad to hear Grant is safe, by the way.
Somehow that transitioned us to basketball, and specifically about depression. I ask the same question I posed to Lang Whitaker: is depression the new microfracture? And do we forget that famous people, including athletes, are just people too? Is that fair to forget? After all, I wouldn’t care about them if they couldn’t shoot a basketball, so why do I care if they can?
And, talking actual basketball, If the Cavs don’t win the title this year, how quickly will the sportswriter meme become ‘LeBron can’t win the big one -- not even with Shaq?’ And is Shaq anything more than a mascot and cheerleader who occasionally puts in a good game? He’s not dominant, so will the expectations be too high for the Cavs? And having played with Kobe, Wade and now LeBron in their primes, is there a better trio of player a Hall of Famer has ever teamed up with? It’s quite fascinating to look back at the career of Shaq. If they don’t win this year, and LeBron leaves, that city may just crumble.
Last, we go back to Vegas. Shoals doesn’t play poker? We discuss his antipathy toward gambling and discuss how poker is different than any other gambling because, while some luck of the cards is involved, poker is more skill oriented than any other form of casino gambling. Sure betting horses and football games takes skill. And yes, there’s a betting pattern to craps or roulette. Blackjack is a skill game to some extent. But those are all bets against the house. Poker is your money vs. my money. That’s the way to gamble.
Thanks for listening. If you’re coming to Vegas, let me know what you think of the show. Or just email. Yeah, forgot you could just do that.
Monday, October 12, 2009
On the DL 262 - Bethlehem Shoals Interview