Sports Media America has been on hiatus. June Swoon can hit the blogger as surely as it will the Chicago Cubs. Maybe it was Steve McNair leaving Nashville and heading to Baltimore that did us in. (He's looking great, by the way.)
At any rate, we weren't compelled to post much of late, and sometimes you simply have to attend to other business. Since SMA began in October of 2004, we've enjoyed our primary mission tremendously: to keep a watchful eye on sports, but mainly as the national and local media expresses it back to us. On the local level, we've received interesting feedback from Nashville television sports anchors, some of whom have actually taken our critiques to heart and have improved on their game. ESPN Radio's Dan Patrick gave us an on-air mention earlier this year. We've gotten enthusiastic feedback to our stories, and also encouragement to keep following the path of the little niche we've carved out for ourselves in cyberspace. We branched out bravely into covering horse-racing by welcoming the colorful and smartly written contributions of Steve Brady of Los Angeles, "America's Favorite Handicapper." (Yes, he's my brother, and a damn fine writer and keen thinker and the 21st Century's answer to Damon Runyon.) Thanks for adding style to the site, Steve. One of these days, that Pick 6 is gonna come in!
Meanwhile, besides pursuing our "real-life" duties as a local entertainment critic, we've been visiting family and dear old friends in the Delmarva area—Shout out for The Marge!!—and trying to figure out which next mountain to climb. Who knew that this blog would play a key role in securing some new employment as a writer and researcher for an online sports site. I never knew how much I'd enjoy scouring the waiver wires and looking over injury reports for pro football. But that's what's happening. We can only get smarter about the game this way, and once we can make our way clear, SMA's annual preseason NFL predictions will be posted. (That has to happen soon, 'cause the first game is not far off.)
It remains to be seen how often we can stay on this beat all by ourselves. It was a godsend to have brother Steve enhance our coverage. And we're always looking for a cool story about sports and how the media-meisters conduct themselves. Nashville's local TV scene has had a major overhaul in the sports departments around town. That's a story that needs to be written. Maybe me? Maybe you?
As always, ideas and feedback are paramount to keeping the spirit of SMA alive.
Goals for the short term: 1) Buy myself a cell phone; 2) Get a fast Internet connection (Do you believe this site has been done the whole time on dial-up?); and 3) Get cable TV. I know, I know: I'm living in the Stone Age. But journalism isn't often well-paid, and my 1988 Acura Integra (the Cadillac of the Honda line) just required a new clutch. $775—and $75 of it went to the government in taxes. Why, I wonder, does the government get $75 of my hard-earned money, just because my old car is in need of repair? And don't get me started on Nashville property taxes. (Let's see....take out a new mortgage to pay my property taxes... What's wrong with this picture?)
Anyway, to old friends and fans, this is our way of letting you know we're still here. Watch this space for the NFL preview soon. Go Titans!
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