By David Scott
Boston Sports Media Watch

• We got Wally ! But we lost Ricky? What happens to the Get Buckets Brigade? ESPN.com was crediting the story to the Herald and TNT. The AP (in the story that Boston.com went with) gave credit to the Herald’s website as well. Looks like Steve Bullet Bulpett still has some rounds left in his chamber.

ESPN.com made it “Breaking News” in the upper right of its homepage, using an updated AP story with both McHale and Ainge quotes, just before 11 p.m.

We can probably expect some parting shots from Ricky on the way out, but let’s make this clear: He was everything the Celtics could have hoped for and he was never a REAL problem. Ricky’s not the problem, but we understand the move - especially from the Caucasian Shooter Obsessed GM himself, Danny Ainge. He won’t be through until the starting five is Raef, Wally, Dan Dickau, Adam Morrison and Steve Nash.

. . . Former Celtic, eternal Deadhead, Bill Walton was recently quoted at ESPN.com as saying: “Anytime you bring Michael Olowokandi on to your team, disaster is soon to follow.”

Great. Thanks, Big Fella. Go listen to Europe ‘72 would you?

. . . NECN’s Chris Collins called the Twin Cities Swap a “blockbuster” and a “doozy” as he led the consistently inconsistent “Sports Late Night” with news of the trade. But the deal wasn’t big enough to get coverage at the top of any of the three, major, local newscasts (NBC7, ABC5 and CBS4) - how could it with a Boston/London murder mystery unfolding?. Dan Roche got a slot at ten past the hour for CBS4 and ESPN’s “SportsCenter” got around to it a few minutes before that, after some game highlights. NESN’s SportsDesk was also able to pick up on the story mid-broadcast with Hazel Mae calling Ricky one of the franchise’s faces - true enough, we guess.

. . . In the local sports segments, ABC5’s Mike Lynch reported that Wally has already indicated to the Celtics Brass that he was thrilled to be part of the Celtic Family. Meanwhile, NBC7’s Joe Amorosino innoucuously threw out the possibility that the Celtics have also been working, in recent hourse, to move Paul Pierce. It stunk of throwing something out there in hopes of it happening eventually (90 Percent Collins comes to mind). To make that statement and not back it up with anything of substance is nothing short of Amateurino’s lowest moment in the market. And this is a guy who once did his Sunday night show dressed as a Hip Hop homie. Credibility and professionalism be damned!

. . . Not only does Delonte West get a Hawk to play with in the deal, Dwayne Jones also brings with him a bit part in the infamous John Chaney Sends In A Goon incident from last season, where Jones took one of the hard fouls administered by Nehemiah Ingram. It ain’t Rudy T or anything, but it is good for a slow news day down the road. The real victim of that incident, you’ll recall, was John Bryant - and Chaney, of course.

. . . The Track Gals should love this trade: Handsome, photogenic Wally (check out his beefcake crap at the Wally site) AND a “Kandi” to turn into jazzy, bold, subheads.

• Did everyone catch how the Globe hailed its “prep blogoshpere” entrance earlier this week? Never mind that Dan Ventura at the Herald has been a one man HSBlogging machine since November, the Globe is seemingly sinking some manpower into its version. And be sure to note that Blog Daddy, Mike Reiss, is also contributing to that worthwhile endeavor. Is there nothing he can’t blog?

The rest of the line-up includes: Bob Holmes (Globe High School Sports editor); Zach Hosseini (boys basketball); Jeff Schaible (girls basketball); Jeff Powalisz (boys hockey); David Auguste (baseball); Reiss (West regional updates); Chris Gasper (North regional updates).

Shots wonders where the South Regional rep is? - should fall to Monique Walker, we’d guess, and we’d hate to see the Hull Pirates get short-shrifted in Blog Land. This Henry O’Loughlin kid is quite a story - as Walker detailed nicely last Sunday.

•We couldn’t endure Entercom’s Sports Leader for the entire 90 minute commute during the snowy Monday morning, but what we did hear at WEEI 850 AM was the biggest instance of burying the lead we’ve seen since the Collegian Days of Yore.

Kobe Bryant scored 81 points the night before and the item was a final nugget for Flash Boy Jon Meterparel and hardly got a mention in the Shots listened-to 6:50 – 8:10 window from Cranky Callahan and Dino Rutillo Rudillo Dennis. In fact, when Meter read it the first time, I thought I had heard it wrong – how could someone score 81 points and the information was being delivered last and talked about least?

I know – I know – we’re a “local” market. But sheeesshh – compelling sports news is compelling sports news. If you talk about it – intelligently and with facts and figures thrown in – you will get the same number of callers as you do for a discussion of the plight of the Red Sox No. 5 slot in the line-up.

If this market isn’t grown up enough to talk about national stories like Kobe, or Texas-USC or even Antonio Davis, than this market has heck of a lot of growing up to do.

• Save The ‘Nana.
• If a Super Bowl happens and the entire New England region ignores it, does it actually take place?

• A great tale from an old southern sportswriter that I came across in some of my research work this past month, talking about the “good old days of sportswriting”:

“. . .my friend I worked with all those years, somebody asked him what the difference was being a sportswriter today and what was sportswriting back then. He said, ‘Well, back then if you got drunk in the press box and passed out, you’d have four or five guys pitch in and write your story for you.’ He said, ‘Now if that happened, four or five guys would write a story about you.’ And that’s about true. We used to look out after each other, really, and now…”

. . . Sadly, it’ll probably be Shots writing the story about the drunken lout. But at least I appreciate the sadness of that – that’s gotta count for something.

• The Boston Sports Guy is 20-something days into ’06 and he might just sew up the “Comeback Writer of the Year Award” before Groundhogs’ Day. His Kobe column would have been spectacular if it ONLY included the Special Olympics aside graf at the outset. The fact that it went on for another few minutes after that was pure gravy. We’re starting to wonder how we ever questioned this Guy’s longevity at ESPN.com. . . HOWEVER, we did have some trouble digesting the Schilling back-and-forth – not to mention the format it took and the inordinate amount of set-up BSG took up for each supposed question. There were two factors at work from my perch: Schill talks SOOOOO much that even when BSG manages to get him to “open up” it sounds like all the other opening upping he’s already done; and secondly, the back-and-forth email is still evolving as a technique. In this latest “Curious Guy” the format appears to have been edited into a more conversational tone by some ESPN.com editors who needed to justify their own existence. For instance:

. . . Simmons: Well, in just 14 months, you ended up losing 16 of your 24 teammates from that night. I know you have to be careful with what you say here …
Schilling: Why would I start now?
Simmons: … and I’m not trying to put you in a position where you might get in trouble. Really, I’m not.
Schilling: [Dan] Shaughnessy says the same thing, often.
Simmons: But if that was the greatest Red Sox team ever — and we all agree it was — then why wouldn’t the front office do everything possible to bring everyone back?. . .

A real email exchange could never go like that – not even in an IM session. So, on the surface, we’re getting into a bit of that “Million Little Pieces” gray area where things aren’t always as they seem. Don’t get me wrong – it’s nothing scandalous or deceitful but it’s a heckuva lot different than just cutting and pasting the email exchange.

And yes, I realize I’m the only anal retentive bitter man who would nitpick to that degree, but I also believe there’s a better way now, technologically, to do an ‘email exchange.’ At this point, in fact, I might be more inclined to download a Curious Guy/Schill Guy podcast onto the iPod (or Archos Jukebox) of my choice. I bet a whole lot of commuters would do the same.

• You’ll probably see it many times for yourself, but the similarities between the Virginia Tech “basketball face-rake kick” and the Virginia Tech “football step-on-the-lineman kick” are undeniable. Maybe when the Tech athletic department teaches the Hokie Pokie, they also teach the kickie-wickie.

• Yahoo! Sports scored a big coup when it named Dave Morgan its new executive sports editor. LA Observed has a copy of the inner-office memo sent by Los Angeles Times sports editor Bill Dwyre, who does his best to praise Morgan’s move but takes an ink-stained shot in the last line that’s worth checking out.

Morgan, up until today (Friday the 27th), served as the Deputy Dog to Dwyre at the Times and was even expected to be the “heir apparent” to Dwyre at the prestigious Times sports section. Interestingly, Morgan serves as the Associated Press Sports Editor’s West region chairman, according to the organization’s website. A definition of who’s eligible for membership in APSE reads thusly at that same website:

“WHO CAN JOIN: Membership is open to all daily newspaper administrative sports department executives, their supervisors and their assistants, regardless of whether those papers are members of the Associated Press.”

So, once Morgan officially becomes a Yahoo! he will no longer be a member in good-standing of the APSE – a fact that is completely absurd when you consider Morgan’s new ‘pages’ attract at least 10 times the amount of eyeballs on a given day than the LAT and his reach nationally and internationally becomes almost incalculable. To recap: An editor becomes more powerful in the area of sports news delivery, BUT his industry’s respected overseer won’t be able to have him as one of its own. Do you really need any more examples of how antiquated and ass-backwards the sports editors of America have become?

. . . The shift of big-time newspaper folks to the web isn’t new and it isn’t over, but it is starting to heat up. When the trickle of the print guys to the web started in earnest during the Boom, paper pushers scoffed and said, “They’ll be back.” Now, the exodus is continuing and multiplying and the paper people can’t say much more than, “Keep me in mind when they’re hiring next.” Look for more Yahoo! Sports moves to follow the long-waited Morgan move (he replaces old Umie friend and Boston-bred, Sam Silverstein), as they begin to get even more serious about original content for all the major sports. The site’s reach is just outrageous and it potential is even more mind-boggling.

. . . Along those same lines, ABC5’s Chronicle trotted out newbie Anthony Everett’s old media/new media assessment on Wednesday night and the Professor himself, Kevin Mannix was part of the package. It was an earnest effort to explain how the Internet has affected the newspaper world and, the TV world.

But every interview subject was from Old Media entities – although the progressive Cape Cod Times did get some deserved lovin’. Everett chose to focus more on credibility than content and missed one substantial part of the whole “Blog Revolution” – consumers may want credibility, but they also demand characters and compelling topics. It wasn’t enough just to mention how blogs have become the trend or how the Old Media has been using them, it would have been beneficial to the whole package to actually meet some of these bloggers who have caused such an undercurrent and resonated with users (Wonkette/Drudge/Smoking Gun).

Still, Chronicle continues to deliver with regularity and Everett needs to be commended for his smooth transition from news anchor to TV magazine man. And he tackled a tough topic with tons of tentacles.

•Young buck, < B> Ben Larsen wouldn’t mind if you checked out his rantings over at evenflowsports.com. It’s both even and flowing and covers the gamut from TV to sports. And the simple fact is, I just found this sample chapter from a book I once conceived based loosely on my time as an intern at the Beverly Times in the late 80s. And that brought back some wonderful memories of when I though I had it all figured out (and when my writing felt a whole lot like a cheap, Robert Parker imitation).

Anyway, anything to help a North Shore dweller fella on the come. Check it out when you can.

• All you Umies out there will be glad to see the latest UMass Magazine where Shots’ Pioneer Valley liaison (and Hampshire Gazetteer) Matt Vautour (’96) pens a “Where Are They Now?” piece for the Winter 2006 issue. Yes, folks, it’s been 10 years since the Minutemen went (or didn’t go, if you’re an NCAA muckety-muck) to the Final Four and Matty Vee catches us up with all the fellas, including Dana Dingle (hedge fund guy, also coaching AAU ball on Long Island), the Padilla Brothers (living and working in Puerto Rico) and even Rigoberto Nunez (assistant admissions director at Lewis and Clark in Oregon). (Next time you see Reiss’s Pieces, ask him for his signature Nunez introduction from the early days of the Mullins – still brings chills to think about how he brought the “yezzzzzzzzzzzz” out of Rigo’s final syllable.)

Motor Vautour also cleared up what the COX UMass broadcast couldn’t (see below): what’s Tyrone Weeks doing? Weeks, shown in the crowd at the URI game, left coaching and is working for the Stop & Shop company. A kinder, gentler giant would be hard to find – that kid was a true success story, and one of Cal’s Warriors. Like Harpah and Lou Roe.

• Regional Hoops Night on Wednesday had a particularly Tobacco Road feel. On CN8, courtesy of COX in Rhody, we got to witness UMass’s frantic comeback at URI (which fell short). At the same time, America East gave us a double-OT grinder with scrappy, spunky UVM finally succumbing at Binghamton. FSNE then took center stage with another crushing, close, Celtic contest which ended on a Ricky Davis foul – and yes, it was a foul. It had to have been, Tommy didn’t go into cardiac arrest over it.

That was all by 10 p.m. and served as a filling appetizer for the finish of BC at UNC – Billy Packer, Tim Brando and all.

If I didn’t know better, I would have guessed it was early March, not late January.

• Both ESPN and the NFL Network were able to make various levels of programming out of the Senior Bowl. BC’s Mathias Kiwanuka was pegged as a first-round, early 20-something pick by ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Jr. , who said Kiwanuka’s technique needed work but projected him as a potential Bronco. Kiper also called Will Blackmon a two-way “mystery.” The surprise, as least to these eyes, was the prominence of Vanderbilt’s Jay Cutler. A riser for sure. . . Old WLVI Boston face, Michael Barkann, was working the other SB for NFL Network along with Mike Mayock and the very impressive Pat Kirwan. . . Pony Expresser, ex-Pat and former Shots’ Professor-for-a-day, Craig James, worked the sideline for ESPN along with a cast of thousands, including an XFLesque camera crew.

• With the new CW harming the UPN38 folks and empowering the WB56 crowd, it’s an even sadder time to be losing the Red Sox Friday night games. If the U could have that package, at least they could ensure some local eyes during baseball season – without the Sox, the U has the Phantom Gourmet and a bunch of second-run programming. Time to bring back the Movie Loft (comboed with Cheap Seats) with your host. . .Scott’s Shots.

• Our heart bleeds (dripping sarcasm intended) for Phil Knight and Nike after they couldn’t “culture” convert William Perez in 13 months of Swooshicizing. The ex-S.C. Johnson was said to have “failed to get his arms around the company,” according to Knight. The severance for Perez? Four and a quarter mill and a $3.6 mill of Nike money to pay for his Portalnd, Oregon home.

Have I mentioned recently my experience with AND 1, the sneaker and apparel company? Call me Phil – I know I could help out.

• Ex-Pat, Garin Veris showed up on CN8 with Ed Berliner on Monday night and Veris was tremendous. Certainly better than any other ex-Pat currently providing expertise here and there (non-Tim Fox/Scott Zolak division).

• Wow – can this stuff still happen? Last Saturday afternoon this note appeared at the Worldwide Leader’s home page:
ESPN Back In Action
Editor’s Note: ESPN.com was off-line for several hours early Saturday morning due to a power outage. Story publishing and scoreboard updates were affected.
The site is returning to normal operations. We appreciate your understanding.

Shots continues to investigate whether a pull-the-plug, power struggle ensued when Scott Van Pelt and Neil Everett could not agree on who was the smarmier and more contrived SportsCenter emcee from the night before.

• A spectacular Saturday of college basketball was interrupted by these two disturbing diode emanations:

Seth Davis at CBS, in the course of a two-game block, asking Gus Johnson to “break up the Johnnies” after St. John’s upset of Pittsburgh at MSG and later, to “break up the Bison,” as a Davis tribute to North Dakota State’s win AT Wisconsin.

How ‘bout, instead, we break up your inexplicable marriage with CBS? You can keep the CSTV stuff – we can easily avoid you there. But not on Saturday afternoon basketball and certainly not on CBS when they give use such treasures as Duke falling to Georgetown and West Virginia beating UCLA. Wow – it felt like March outside AND inside on Saturday at the Shanty.

. . . The other unsettling sight was former Umie coach Steve Lappas doing an interview with Tom Izzo on CN8. The primary reason, as far as we can tell, that Lappas is out of coaching is because his personality never meshed well enough with alum and ticket-buying fans. So what does he do? He finds work in the “personality business” of TV.

Where do I get Lap’s Guardian Angel? He has as about as much business on television as the Gastineau Girls. Which is to say, in no uncertain terms, NONE.

. . . On the bright side, ex-Catamount Mentor, Tom Brennan got some Network time on Saturday and is already showing glimpses of brilliance after about a third of a season of studio work. Forget Jay Bilas as the “next” voice of college hoops for ESPN – we’re nominating Brennan to be the Vitale replacement in three, four, five years.

• Shots will take part in a more subdued version of the annual Hull Drowned Hogs swim this Saturday – but rest assured, even with temperatures expected to hover near a balmy 50 degrees, Shots will continue the tradition of proving both my insanity and my loyalty. (For all our Steel City Swillin’ readers, please know there is a “Pitts-Burrrrgh” DROWNED HOGS SWIM next weekend to prepare all you Roethlisbergers for the Motown Meeting.)

David Scott writes from a seaside shanty on the shores of Hull, Mass. and can be reached at shots@bostonsportsmediadotcom