I think I brought this up several months ago, but with the prolonged layoff the Basketbawful staff could do a countdown of the worst players in NBA history. Who wouldn't want to reminisce about the legendary Yinka Dare?

I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but can we get some basketball related articles? I frequented this site daily, sometimes multiple times. But ever since these travel logs started I've lost all interest in this site.

"I'm not trying to be disrespectful" is code for "I'm about to be disrespectful."

P.S. If you ignored Traveling, you missed out on the ground floor of something special. In years to come, you'll see.

P.S.S. How was the last post NOT about basketball?

I was just waiting for someone to come back along and be a buzzkiller....Bawful should be back next week. You can write unintentionally disrespectful things to him upon his return.

ET

lol, ripthejacker, are you are theres a lockout? and that this is a site where they make fun of things related to basketball as they occur?
nothing is occuring! i feel the same way as you though, i am bored. so i wrote david stern because he can actually do something about.
maybe if that doesnt work i'll start picking on other people who are just trying to make do as well. thankfully, i havent regressed that far yet.
btw, i've been shopping with td sinse 2003 when i ran into him at a poetry reading in a feminist book store. does that mean i am, i dont know, bi friend curious? i feel so wierd and dirty.

Heh.

Reminds of a verbal tic I found amongst southerner when I moved here: "She's a little skank ho, bless her heart."

Apparently you can say the worst things about people in the South, as long as you add "...bless her/his heart" at the end.

So yeah. "Not trying to be disrespectful...."

Hey, I'm not a hater, but yes - I find stuff like the "Pick-up Diaries", and "Traveling" not really that interesting. I mean, I'm sorry, but I don't think that's what people come here for. I'm not saying that you shouldn't have written it, but haven't you noticed that the people commenting on those posts were, from what I've seen, not the Basketbawful "regulars"?

I guess I just wanted to let you guys know that there's more than one regular reader and commenter who aren't really thrilled about the summer reading material you've been giving us. I mean, I guess I could just go to deadspin or another blog, but I've always found Bawful's posts perfect for catching up on the NBA, and basketball-related stuff in a hilarious way. Now, with the lockout, it feels like I need that stuff even more...and, instead I'm getting...I don't even know what the hell it is.

Mladen -- 1) There is almost nothing basketball related worth talking about at the moment, 2) Bawful needed and deserved a nice break after writing a billion words every day during the season and the past several summers, 3) I needed a bit of a break myself, and 4) there still seemed to be quite a few people who came here and really enjoyed Evil Ted's story (myself included). We'll start having more and more basketball-oriented material now that ET's story is done I'm sure (I'm not sure what exactly my fellow writers/editors have planned, but I've got a thing or two up my sleeve as well).

I second what Mladen, I have been reading Bawful since 2007, commented a few times, and this summer, I lost interest in follow.

It is completely your prerogative to write that series Ted, and it seems that a lot of people enjoyed it. That is great for you, I was fine with going mostly to Deadspin as your segment progessed. That is of no inconvenience to me. You guys do this for free.

My issue lies with your incredibly thin skin Ted. You are like Bill Simmons if he wasn't making millions. I would let this slide if this were a one time thing but anytime anyone has any sort of criticism on your work (some admitedly non-constructive, but a lot of it was), you go on the defensive and start an internet war. This has happened in arguments with Yams,over your "adjusted playoffs" idea and especially with traveling.

Part of being pubished online is dealing with detractors. It seems Bawful acknowledges this and deals with it well, you on the other hand, do not. All I ask is that once in a while, you consider someone else's opinion.

Thanks

Blogger: "Hello reader...here's some stuff you might like."

Reader: "I like that very much, thank you. I would like to exercise my free well and express how much I enjoy your work."

Blogger: "Why thanks. Most appreciated to have a pleasant, constructive discourse with you, dear reader."

Reader: "You're welcome, blogger."

Blogger: "Today I have some other things you might like."

Reader: "Hmmm. No disrespect, but that's kind of crap."

Blogger: "Oh, not your cup of tea? Well, feel free to go elsewhere and enjoy Deadspin or whatever else it is you like to like to read, because I'm going to be doing this for a while."

Reader: "That's crap. Why are you doing that? I liked the other thing."

Blogger: "But I'm not doing that right now. I'm doing this. You can go somewhere else if you like."

Reader: "No, I'm going to sit here and tell you you're crap."

Blogger: "Well, you're a total buzzkill."

Reader: "God, you have such a thin skin. You need to be able to take criticism."

Blogger: "Well, I do. And so I'm criticizing you in return. Aren't I allowed to do that?"

Reader: "No."

Blogger: "Why?"

Reader: "Because your purpose is to entertain me. And you're not doing that right now."

Blogger: "With all due respect, I don't really care."

Reader: "How could you not CARE? I'm your READER? What the hell's the matter with you? I'm just expressing my honest opinion."

Blogger: "But I am too. You see how that works, right? You can have an opinion of what I have to say, but I can also have an opinion of what you have to say. Isn't that fact that I have opinions the reason you came in the first place?"

Reader: "No. I came because you said what I wanted to hear."

Blogger: "So you just want me to say what you want to hear all the time?"

Reader: "Yes."

Blogger: "Don't be offended, but I'm just curious...is this my wife?"

Reader: "What?"

Blogger: "Honey, is that you?"

Reader: "No, I am not your wife."

Blogger: "Ok, sorry, just checking. I don't want you to get offended."

Reader: "Well, clearly you do, given the crap you've been putting out for the past 2 months."

Blogger: "You do realize how many Web sites there are, right? Like, millions."

Reader: "Are you telling me to GO AWAY? Jesus, are you like a professional douchebag? Are you a super hero who's special power is pissing people off?"

Blogger: "Apparently. It's not the special power I was hoping for. Christ, X-ray vision alone would at least let me look at women naked."

Reader: "See, this is what the crap you've been putting out is like...meaningless, meandering shit."

Blogger: "But that's who I am."

Reader: "Well, don't be that guy. Or at least just put the other guy on."

Blogger: "I told you, he'll be here next week. I mean, I didn't say it in the nicest way, but he'll be here."

Reader: "Yeah, that's what it is. The way you say it. It's demeaning and rude."

Blogger: "But I thought what you were saying was demeaning and rude. So can't I respond to it?"

Reader: "Just take it. You put yourself out there, so you need to expect criticism."

Blogger: "But when you comment, don't YOU also put yourself out there for criticism? See? It's kind of an interesting philosophical argument when you think about it."

Reader: "Seriously...this is exactly like all the crap you write. Get back to basketball, you thin-skinned dope."

Blogger: "Do I get to respond to you calling me that?"

Reader: "Seriously, dude, I'm gonna friggin stop reading this blog-"

Blogger: "But I just said, a while ago, to feel free. I'm not offended if-"

Reader: "JUST CUT THE CRAP, STOP BEING YOU, AND BRING THE OTHER GUY BACK TO TALK ABOUT BASKETBALL THE WAY I LIKE IT!"

Blogger: (sigh)

END OF CHAPTER ONE:

THE BLOGGER

Exactly what I was talking about, aer thinly veiledthroug humour, effective.

That's the thing Ted, you perceive any criticism of your work as a personal attack on you. As the great tv theme song advised, D'fferent Strokes for different folks. I think it is awesome that a lot of peopleon the blog liked Traveling, you worked hard for it and deserve the accolades. All I am saying is it would be niceif you laid off the pedal someties when it came to fighting all criticism coming your way. If you want to make it in the entertainment business, you'll have to, lest you become another Michael Richards.

See Ian? The entirety of Traveling was like that! It was a blast for a lot of people who read it. Maybe you're a fan and you don't even realize it.

Are you writing in Gaelic or something?

Ian - Obviously trying to argue this is merely a rehash of what I so adeptly satirized above, and yet, I'll try anyway...

I don't know that the Michael Richard comparison makes any sense, but if you want to comedy-club-situation this, there's a big difference between:

- Quietly walking out of a club when you think someone isn't amusing, and

- Remaining seated, screaming out "I don't like your stuff!" and being somehow mystified to have a rebuttal of free speech slung right back 'atcha.

Think about how controlling we are as people:

I, for one, really want you to like my stuff, clearly.

YOU want to see to it that I write stuff you like, and when you don't like it and let me know about it, you ALSO want me to take it in the keister with wrinkled brow and a forced smile.

I don't do that. It ain't me. I hold people accountable for what they say, and they don't like that. I hold myself accountable for what I say, and frankly, I will tell you straight out that I have a tendency to have knee-jerk, sensitive reactions to criticism of my work, because I think my work is good and those who criticize it typically either haven't read it, or don't understand it. Sometimes I push a little too hard when I should let things go, but that's me. That attitude managed to cast Yams off into oblivion, and I was, honestly, a little disappointed in the both of us that we managed to get riled up and STAY riled up for so long.

My fiction chapter response was a way diffuse the situation, and avoid a less tactful, more demeaning way of talking to my detractors, which I have been known to do in the past - obviously, considering you've paid attention to previous scuffles.

Girl wearing revealing clothes on the street, with a "Praise me if you like me" sign round her neck and money jar on tow.

Onlooker #1: "Cute!"

Girl: "Thanks!"

Onlooker #2: "Nice!"

Girl: "Appreciate it"

Onlooker #3: "Meh."

Girl: "You shut up and look away if you have nothing nice to say"

Me: *GIGGLE*

Well done, EL.

Wait a second, was a jab at ME???

Not funny, EL. Not funny.

I'll drop it since you admitted to having knee jerk reactions to your work, which was my gripe. And to be fair to you, I understand that it is annoying to have one's work criticized and glossed over. Alas it is something every writer has o go through, editors are tough SOBs.

Well, since this evolved into a full-on discussion, let me add on to what I previously said.

First of all, I have to take something back: I realized, after posting, that when I wrote "Pick-up Diaries", I actually meant "Livin' Large" (that's what it was called, right?). The Diaries were actually kind of cool, because I think that they tapped into the childhood (and teen years) memories of most of us, and, at least to me, it seemed as if I was watching an '80's movie about a plucky kid who just wants to be good at the game he loves... So, yeah, I actually read the first few installments. :)

However, with "Livin' Large" I already lost interest, and for a very simple reason: Bawful was talking about his life. A lot. This was basically the equivalent of me telling you guys "a funny story about something that happened to me that one time", but doing so over the course of many days (and *spoiler alert* it's not actually one thing, but pretty much a recap of a part of my life). See, that's the thing: most people think that their lives are interesting, or that what they have to say will blow everyone's mind. (Hell, I'm guilty as well - that's why I'm writing this, instead of going out and living it up on the beach, or chilling in my hammock...) Most of the time, they are wrong. The basketball-related stuff that you guys write is pretty cool, and it definitely is worth reading. After all, the name of the site pretty much indicates the content. Stuff like "Traveling" is something that I think much fewer people can appreciate, because most of us don't come here to listen about your life. We simply don't care. Okay, I'm lying. We like you guys and wish you all the best. And I did like most of the videos that you posted. And your kids are really cute. The bottom line is that your writing in "Traveling" might be stupendous, and one day, it might turn into a best-selling book, but it's not something I come to this site for, and I'm just really disappointed when I log on here, and see a new chapter of it. And don't be fooled: I (and I'm guessing many others) don't stick around. For the last month, I've barely visited the site (and when I did, it was mostly, because it's on my Speed Dial). That actually pains me, because visiting this place was a part of my daily routine, and I loved it.

Jesus.... I gotta side with common sense on this one. There's fuck all worth even commenting on ball wise. Bawful celebrates the worst of pro ball... and they ain't workin' (Debris, by the Faces. Ronnie lane. listen to it)

I think this summer read stuff is great. That Duncan thing is hysterical. \m/

Mladen -- That's the problem with entertainment becoming so fragmented these days. Everything is hyper-specific. That's why I like the hugely diverse range of materal they're covering at Grantland. Sure, I don't give a damn about 50% of the material they're covering, but the writing is in general so good that if I read it, I end up enjoying it anyway. Just because it doesn't fit into the narrow scope of topics I normally care about doesn't mean it isn't something worth reading.

i am a regular reader, not so much a regular commenter. over the years i've loved all the odds and ends that appear on this site in the summer. part of what makes it cool to me. there are a ton of sites out there trying to drag through the muck of off seasons and this years lock out. i personally think the random things and goofy journals are what seperate this site from others in the offseason. i do think there stories are interesting, and sometimes, they blow my mind.

Mladen -

There's a guy in my office - weird dude - who absolutely, positively despised the movie Titanic. Worst movie ever, he would say. This fellow has never seen the movie. Oh, he's seen advertisements and promotional stuff, but he's never seen it. He just made comments based on what he presumes the movie to be on what little he managed to gather. His opinion, ergo, has no real substance.

There's another fellow in my office who read every word of Traveling. He told me it was brilliant and perfect up until the end, when he felt it became too farcical. (I thought the whole damn thing was a farce, but whatever). As much as I hated having to hear something negative about my work, I respect the his opinion because he read every word, and politely told me what struck him - where he was pleased, and where he was disappointed.

You're the first guy. Your comments make it clear that you didn't read much, if anything, of Traveling. I took a personal event and constructed great tracts of fictional material around it. It was hardly "my life."

I'm glad you like my videos, and that you think my kids are cute. Thanks. I would have thought that other stuff you enjoyed would have granted me a little leeway with you to come along on what a lot of people considered a great ride, but you didn't, and I think you missed out. The chapters are still sitting there, if you change your mind.

Rhett - If you're trying to become my favorite person whom I've never seen, it's working.

God damn! Why does everyone hate America so much around here?

Because I'm Canadian? SNAP! But in reality I don't, please don't send those fancy FBI guys after me...

Let me break from the comment trend and say this video is hilarious, great find! I always forget to check their site, and watch their show.

I'm a regular anonymus commenter and have been reading this blog for years. Summer included.

I just want to add that a lot of people are making a valid point here ET. You have very thin skin for a blogger. Although i've enjoyed some of your flamings of others, it is starting to get a little sad.
You seem to make a point of adressing every single critique as well. Maybe it's your supercompetitive nature, but you don't need to do that.
Not all the time anyway.

Otherwise, carry on

Rhett has nailed it.

Doesn't everybody getting all upset about my replies constitute thin skin in and of itself?

Dammit. The alter-ago me said I wasn't going to reply.

You're right, guy who doesn't even identify himself, I AM sad.

ET

YEAH! YOU GO DO WHAT THE READERSHIP WANTS!

because after all, Basketbawful only exists due to commenters! Right? Right!?

I mean, there wasn't a 2005 era of barely-anybody-commenting, was there? Nah. Clearly. This is all about getting our comment threads to triple digits.

So I guess that means the next post here will be some incisive jab at Lord Mamba then? INSTANT BANDWIDTH USAGE

I come on this site almost every workday & I love everything about it, I loved, loved traveling, livin large & pickup diaries. How hard is it really, you don't see something you like, move on. Thank you guys for all the hard work you put into this site, I appreciate it all!

Thanks for writing something to entertain us while there's NO BASKETBALL ABOUT WHICH TO COMMENT.

I liked it enough to keep reading. Probably helps that I'm a Celts fan. Also, I hate camping, and my wife loves camping.

Sure, I's rather read WOTN, etc, but (I repeat) there's NO BASKETBALL ABOUT WHICH TO COMMENT.

So this was an interesting diversion.

I generally like most of the material here. I read all of the Traveling series (as well as the other summer series) and, for the most part, enjoyed it.

That being said (which is, of course, code for "I'm about to say something unflattering"), ET does have an incredibly thin skin, but that's his prerogative as well. I mean, really, who wants to hear negative comments? That's so lame. If someone is giving away free content, just shut up and take it. Why should you voice your opinion if you're not going to say something positive?

If you don't like one piece of what's being offered, you should just go away and never come back, because people who blog for free are only doing it out of the goodness of their heart and it's downright rude to criticize the content they provide.

And then, to point out the fact that the blogger-for-free might have a character trait that some would consider to be less-than-desirable? What the %#$& are you doing being a negative nelly and bringing everyone down with that kind of comment? You think this is some kind of support group to "improve" each other? You can put that garbage where it belongs and, while you're at it, delete Basketbawful from your Favorites menu and stay away, because nobody wants that kind of talk around here.

my last though: i figure this blog exists only because there are a few people who love basketball AND love to write. it must be love because they do it for free.
the output of this site during the reg season is crazy. sometimes i cant finish wotn during a work break. its awesome.
if the offseason is a time for them to indulge in thier craft of writing and my reading and feedback is repayment for all of those wotn, i am totally cool with that.

Thanks for positive vibes, all.

I guess I understand where I'm getting this "thin skin" rep, but for me, I am just indignant when people get pissy for no good reason. And there really IS no good reason.

P.S.> Sold a couple more books today! My success rate is up to .04%! I'm getting through to somebody...

Hey, for what it's worth...

I have given ET regular feedback on spelling, use of words, etc.,and not once has he gotten snippy with me. In fact, he was very complimentary.

I've noticed that he gets annoyed with those who come off as entitled, i.e. expecting certain things from the blog, as if it were being written for their own personal gratification. Frankly, I can't blame Ted. Granted, Bawful is more patient, but I certainly don't suffer fools gladly, nor should Ted have to do so.

Besides, as many have pointed out, there's no NBA right now. No college. Should the blog start hyper-analyzing the soon-to-be-defunct WNBA? No thanks. Should they make up BS things to pontificate about, like the ESPN NBA page? Again, no thanks. That's all bull shit. There's no season going on and somebody comes up with something different to entertain us. Why? BECAUSE THERE'S NO FREAKIN BASKETBALL TO TALK ABOUT. If you don't like the content during the summer break, lock out or no lock out, shut the fuck up, go away and come back when the season starts. Is it that difficult? These guys don't exist to entertain your sorry, entitled asses. They do it as a labor of love. If you don't love it, then move on. If you do, stay. Is it that freakin hard? What don't you get about blogs?

There, is that "thin-skinned" enough for you?

One of you must do some sort of facepalm post regarding the stock market featuring some of the pictures posted here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/8683796/Financial-crisis-traders-at-stock-markets-around-the-world-watch-the-value-of-shares-fall.html

I've been a reader of this site for a long time and rarely comment. I don't understand why there's such shock when people who read a blog that is founded on the principle of criticizing things (read: basketball) that are perceived to be "awful" decide to leave comments expressing their negative opinions on something they perceive to be awful. So saying that there is no reason to post negative comments is like saying there's no reason for this blog to exist. The negative opinions are just as important and validated as the positive ones. I, for one, had no interest in ET's "book" but read it from Chapter 1 to 50.5 purely due to the habit of hitting basketbawful.com every day as my work lulls. It was disgusting to see such brazen pride in the comments section. Every hint of criticism was met with childish belittling comebacks and the reason I didn’t post any comments was because I knew there’s no chance it would be received constructively. There really IS no good reason to react so defensively to people's negative feedback, especially given your stance of "don't like it, go somewhere else". To me that's like having a guy on your pick-up team going 0-15 and when you say something to him he retorts, "Don't like it? Play somewhere else."

As I said before, I didn't comment during the story because in a sense you're right; this is something you obviously take lots of pride and joy in providing to the BB readership, and there's no sense for me to leave feedback to detract from that. But on the same token, for you to take potshots at anyone who disagrees with you is pathetic and immature. And now I want to comment to help defend the people who disagree with you because by insulting them you’re insulting me. Clearly posting this series was more for YOU than it was for US. This is epitomized by the shameless plug to sell your books you bumped at the end of the series. I recognize that you think this story is your ticket to bigger and better things as a writer (and I'm willing to bet a subconscious part of you hoped that the readership's comments would substantiate that theory), but given your resistance to all criticism and the general lack of humor/stringency/cohesiveness in this "story", I wouldn't hold your breath.

Now I'll just sit back and wait for you to tell me I can visit other websites (duh?), that I don't have to comment (neither do you..) and that obviously I'm in the minority because of the overwhelming positive feedback you've gotten. Hohum.

Just checking.... Charlie, did you just compare a blog reader to a teammate?

Hey, guess what haters? There's not gonna be any NBA this year, so get used to more digressions from the bloggers for the next year.

And stop bitchin' about free stuff. There a bazillion-eleventy other sites on the intertubes.

ugh, hate to crawl out of the woodwork, but another longtime reader.

look, on the one hand, I enjoyed the traveling series, and the pickup diaries last year, etc. but I think a lot of it boils down to: there is no basketball. being frustrated at ET for not writing more about basketball is missing the forest for a microscopic examination of a single square centimeter of bark on a tree.

the summer leagues could be analyzed, it's true, but in the summer leagues...NONE of the basketball players we know and love (to make fun of) do poorly, really. hell, even chris brown does fine in them, it seems.

personally, I'd support a wnba post or two. I figure the levels of bawful would be off the charts. at the same time, if they don't go up, I wouldn't complain because 1) I don't have the stomach to watch the wnba. there's no way I can demand somebody else do it and 2) free content. not that I like all of it, but it's way more than I do for random internet people.

as for the commenter battles that are breaking out...I would say Evil Ted could probably lay off a bit (no offense meant). then again, it's completely understandable that he has a kneejerk reaction to people not even disliking as much as dismissing work he clearly put time and effort into. still, part of having a comment section is about opening yourself up to criticism. otherwise, you could just have a "like" button and be done with it.

anyway, just chill, people. we'll all look back on this moment and laugh when basketball returns, in 2018.

Charlie - I don't want to mess up your entire theory here, but I happen to think you're a thousand times smarter, more sincere, and mature than any other detractors. You have opinions that you have stated with clarity. You're not hiding behind "Anonymous." And when you didn't like what you were reading, you were (originally) considerate enough to not openly criticize an attempt to entertain.

A few items I will dispute:

- Don't lump yourself in with the others whom I've criticized. You responded to a perceived persecution, and they were just being jerks.

- I don't agree that a Web site dedicated to criticizing awfulness in basketball gives people license to be rude, insulting, or disrespectful. If I overreact to such things, it is only because it genuinely riles me that there are people on this earth who behave that way. I honestly am not trying to control or insult anyone. I, frankly, hold people to a high standard, and expect more of them than they typically give. Wormboy made the point that I was polite to him despite his critiques. That's because he was, like a decent human being, helping me out, pointing out errors and being a person who is considerate despite the safety of the Internet watching his back.

There are a lot of people like that, who aren't thoughtless and inconsiderate, and I hate to break it to you, but I consider you one of those people.

I'm not trying to "kill ya with kindness" or "win you over." I just don't think a lot of people really understand that when they type something online that there is another person on the other side - and when people act like that, it reminds me of everything I despise about the Internet, so I fight it because I feel I should. I actually think the people saying these things are, in Mark Jackson's words, "better than that." It is difficult expect more out of people on the Net, but I do, and will continue to.

Part 1 over.

Part 2 -

Now, regarding the part about Traveling, it felt like you just got on a roll of nastiness there, and decided to go off on me a bit.

Sure, I kinda got off on sharing this story with others, so in that sense it was for me, but again, I have handled polite criticism with equal politeness. It is the needlessly callous nastiness I claw back at, and makes me look like I have "thin skin." Maybe I do.

As for this being some brazen promotional scheme, I don't fool myself. Yes, I have books and enjoy spreading the work to those who want it, but as for this being my "ticket to bigger and better things"? Eh, I told Bawful I'd sell 3 books. I've sold 6. So in that respect, I'm thrilled and appreciative to those who purchased my stuff, and I hope they enjoy it.

Now, telling me my story lacks cohesiveness is one thing - it was a bit of mind screw that didn't make cohesiveness a priority, but when you tell me it wasn't funny, that is where I feel a dagger twisting in my sternum, and am going to hope that you were just rolling with your diatribe...

...my final word to you, Charlie, is a mix of appreciation, confusion, and pity:

Appreciation...that you hung steady through 50.5 chapters of material you despised without so much a comment,

confusion...that you hung steady through 50.5 chapters of material you despised without so much as a comment,

and pity...that you hung steady through 50.5 chapters of material you despised without so much as a comment.

I guess I should at once apologize for putting you through this torture, and thank you for enduring it...by virtue of what you've gone through for me, I suppose I should perhaps consider you my biggest fan.

ET

I read bits of pieces of Traveling and found it to be fairly entertaining, and this is from a guy who has crossed swords with ET before. That said, I found some joy out of the despair that came from the post about Game 7 of the 2010 finals (I'm a Laker fan if it isn't obvious by now), and even read past that. I haven't read it all, but that's more because I haven't had time to rather than me just not wanting to.

Traveling is in the same vein of what is posted during the offseason. It's happened 2 years prior, so why all the fuss? Especially considering that with a lockout currently in progress there really... isn't much to draw upon right now. And there most likely won't be for a good while.(Though a post about the recent pick-up violence of NBA players in Mortal Kombat form has some potential... hinthint..)

Chill. It's not the end of the world. Most of us here have weathered a lockout before. You will survive. And to the B-Bawful posters, keep up the good work. Perhaps in the lack of an actual season we can even simulate one with NBA 2K11 or something. Though I'm still holding out for Dirk Kang
taking on Stern Kahn in Kourtal Kombasketball.

For further amusement:

http://www.geekologie.com/image.php?path=/2011/08/08/mad-on-the-internet-full.jpg

ET,

I believe there is a wide spectrum from love to hate, I do not perceive from Charlie's comment that he depises your work. I also believe this is the key of why certain people call you out on skin thickness, as you have the tendancy to self-amplify the non-positive comments. (as in, neutral comments are still met with scorn)

I am another long time bawful reader who read from Chapter 1 to Chapter 50.5. Consider that it was free reading (other than opportunity costs) I feel justify to offer this free reading report (other than your opportunity costs in reading this)

First 20 or so chapters, I only read it out of a 4 year habit of reading the site daily. That, the the boastful comments by you that the book will get very interesting. I read on to see what you got.

The kid basketball games, clothesline, the character introductions, the build-up before the trip - honest to god I don't remember any thing specific. Forgetable does not equal awful, it is what it is.

The trip - I think it starts from Game 2? The laundry story is the first good moment in the book. The subsequent games do not carry the momentum but the subplot in the increasing irate Shannon is good. I like the seatbelt chapter.

Inexplicitly that tension between Shannon and Doug only lasts three games and is then thrown into the toilet with a simple nervous breakdown by Shannon. A waste of story line and relegates the rest of the series to ho-hum watching the game on a couch. It does not feel like a struggle to watch the game because it ends so soon. The old couple story is not funny but feels forced and contrived.

At the end of the series, the Nicholson story is tossed in with no connection to the rest of the story. It comes out of the blue in a rock paper scissor game, which itself is tossed in as a recess in the group session. You can put that part any where in the book and the result would be the same. It feels like a cameo and forced joke. Although in isolation it is a chapter I enjoy.

The yarthies game is fun and the lead in successfully portraits Frank as an ass. Like the last good story line it is abruptly ended with a trip to the highway in the middle of the night and a trip to an amusement park. Shannon should have played a much bigger role in it but instead she makes a little speech in the car and every thing bounces back to normal just like that.

The Starwar chapter is exactly like the Nicholson chapter, except less fun. Doug's freaking out of being asked to play in the softball team feels forced as it is not, in my mind, a reasonable response in that situation.

The supposed climax of the book involves a team of ragtags and Doug vs a bunch of allstars. Again the humor is staged and unrealistic. That Doug is considered overcompetitive by Larry Bird himself after two balls to the body - I am an aussie and am used to watching cricket. So honestly, bah humbug about softball hits.

The speech by Bill and Dev at the end are over the top in my opinion. Doug getting creamed by better competition does not make him egg or make him care about the game. Him calling Larry's name while having sex - call me whatever I still have not got the point.

The interlacing of two times and spaces is interesting at first, but quickly loses its luster and becomes a (albeit small) distraction. It feels like a gimmick.

So there you have it. A reading report by me. My rating to the book, after reading every word, is mediocre. I don't call this waste of time - I had some expectation following the very big promise you made before and during the release - which in my mind was not met by the actual story. That's no big deal. Each chapter only takes a couple of minutes max to read. My time is not so precious that I want it back.

I hope this comes across as a review of a fair minded person with no axe to grind. If you are still offended by it, consider the fact that I wrote this for free and using your own argument, you can always ignore it and celebrate with your fans.

I think some people may just want to give info to the wonderful people who write for Basketbawful about the kind of posts they're interested in. Maybe, however, such feedback isn't needed/wanted.

Once again, I loved the traveling series, thought it was hilarious! I love everything & I mean EVERYTHING about this site, don't let all these trolls get you down.

ET,

Thanks for your response; it is now clear to me that you take more issue with the way people express their opinions on your work as opposed to the content of what they're saying. I definitely understand how it can be frustrating when anonymous people or those who have never commented leave opinions like: "this story sucks". As for my post, I probably did take some jabs at you that were unnecessary but only because I felt like you were directing your anger more towards the general populous who didn't necessarily love the book and not so much towards the few idiot posters who expressed their opinions the wrong way. I felt personally attacked so I naturally fired back. In terms of my humor comment; we all know humor is like beauty, in the eye of the beholder, so it'd probably be fair to say that some of my humor would probably be met with crickets by a room full of ET's. I wouldn't sweat it.

Lastly, in response to your appreciation, confusion, and pity I think the one that resonates strongly with me as well is the confusion. And not confusion in regards to why I didn't comment (I laid that out in my previous post), but confusion as to why I kept reading something that I thought I wasn't enjoying. But thinking about it now, it's either a testament to a) my appreciation of Basketbawful as a blog or b) an interest to see where your book went. In both instances it should be a positive for you.

At the end of the day we're all just waiting for the same thing and the right chain of events from a lockout perspective will certainly unite the Traveling fans with the Traveling critics. But even if that doesn't happen, chances are I'll keep reading this blog, no matter what gets posted.

And if things don't work out from an NBPA perspective, well at least the Hawks have new owners and that will keep me happy for the time being.

I recognize that you think this story is your ticket to bigger and better things as a writer (and I'm willing to bet a subconscious part of you hoped that the readership's comments would substantiate that theory), but given your resistance to all criticism and the general lack of humor/stringency/cohesiveness in this "story", I wouldn't hold your breath...

EL - You don't think Charlie hated my story?

I appreciate you comments, thanks for reading to the end, and am sorry you found yourself disappointed. I've been to Australia, and my sense has always been that they take to American humor, as opposed to, say, New Zealand, where they seem to be more drawn to British fare, so your disappointment is, in turn, a bummer to me.

I also would like to point out that you have already poked at me, and I thought I took it rather gracefully:

********************

EL said...
Girl wearing revealing clothes on the street, with a "Praise me if you like me" sign round her neck and money jar on tow.

Onlooker #1: "Cute!"

Girl: "Thanks!"

Onlooker #2: "Nice!"

Girl: "Appreciate it"

Onlooker #3: "Meh."

Girl: "You shut up and look away if you have nothing nice to say"

Me: *GIGGLE*

8/05/2011 9:25 PM


Evil Ted said...
Well done, EL.

Wait a second, was a jab at ME???

Not funny, EL. Not funny.

*******************

You have still felt the need to critique and be heard further, and I have replied gracefully a second time. Not sure what else you want.

I don't really see how I was being a jerk when i merely ASKED when the basketball related articles were coming back... I don't remember demanding anything. In fact, I read a few of your travel posts and enjoyed them.

I'm not going to apologize for speaking what's on my mind, this is the interwebz after all.

Charlie - Yes, it is indeed the way people express themselves that I take issue with. And based on your comments and replies to me, you have proven what I said from the beginning - you're not the "them" I was taking issue with. Thanks for being considerate, and actually paying attention to the content of my reply, which is something people often tend to neglect as well...

RiptTheJacker - It seems fairly clear that it was my reply to you that started the "hater" ball rolling, so let me say that it was probably the "ever since these travel logs started I've lost all interest in this site" that annoyed me.

It's all in the presentation, and no matter how much you say "not to be disrespectful" or "pardon me for saying this" or whatever, you (and people in general) MUST know that a polite preface isn't going to "un-rude" what comes after.

In the end, all I did was call you a "buzzkill," which I felt you were. I probably should have kept my mouth shut, but I was riding a high of a lot of people who enjoyed my work, and your note was a real downer. I lashed out at you, and for that, I apologize.

Sweet Baby James, how is it we're still talking about this and there hasn't been ONE article on Metta World Peace yet?

I like the idea of counting down the most bawful teams/players/incidents from the past years if the lockout drags on. Sort of an All-Time Worsties.

Please...I need this. I live in Canada. I don't want to start liking hockey.

I'm just catching up on all of this after a few days of not reading, and I can't help but wonder of the complainers here: I, knowing there's nothing basketball-related going on, and knowing that Traveling is done, read elsewhere and didn't expect anything from this blog. I mean, come on guys - this is a FREE site containing FREE content that is FREE of advertising. We're not people that paid a subscription for content that are now getting screwed over with no content ... you're FREE to complain all you want, but that's really kind of pathetic.

The WotN are the bread-and-butter of this site, and unless you're expecting posts along the lines of "WotN August 8th: David Stern and Billy Hunter" everyday - what do you want? If you don't like the summer reading here, why not just wait until there's a season?

Personally, I read all of what gets posted; if it's of little interest to me, I don't complain - after all, I didn't have to read it, I didn't pay for it. So, my point/question is this: REALLY?!? you're complaining about the lockouted summer content of a site devoted to the NBA? You may want to assess the priorities of your life if you fall into the category of "compalining about free NBA-related content when there is no NBA".

ET - thanks for the effort to keep this blog engaged during this lockout. To say anything else is ridiculous.

Tree - Thanks for the positive vibe. I prefer to reflect less on the whole FREE thing than the simple issue of people hurling needless barbs...hell, even on a paid site, you get what you get. It's not like readers issue edicts and the content changes...or maybe it does. I don't know. I don't pay for content. Nor does anyone else, I suspect...

Anyway, thanks again for keeping it sane and simple. A lot of people, including myself, can learn from you.

ET

I don't want to start liking hockey.

Come on now. What's with the hockey hate? Great sport if you ever give it a chance. I split my time in the winter months watching basketball and hockey. (And it's looking more and more like I'll be spending more time with the Penguins games this year than I'd hoped.)

Gonna be honest, I saw there were so many comments and I was excited that I had finally found the place where I and like minded souls could talk about how much we love the Onion's (mostly true) rendition of Tim Duncan.

Damn you, Basketbawful readers!

The fallout has been nearly as entertaining as the main event. This blog is awesome.

Thanks Karc - BBF Summerslam 2011 at the United Center!

I've commented once before that I enjoyed reading "Traveling". It did lose me a bit after the Yarthies chapter. I think my lockout frustration was making it harder and harder to concentrate on the story.

That being said, I'm not an Evil Ted fan, I'm not even a basketbawful fan. It's just one of many basketball related sites I browse daily when work is quiet. I am a huge basketball fan though. I play in a local league, I referee the junior games, I help out with the local representative teams, I even handle scoring duties when no volenteers are around. I don't play because I think I'm Michael Jordan, or help coach because I belive the next Popovich, or work the scoreboard because I'm supremely gifted at pushing a few big buttons, and I know I'm only better than 90% of NBA referees (sarcasm). I'm not good enough to get paid to do any of those things. I do those things because I really love the game of basketball, and it shows.

The reason I say that is because I see the same thing in Ted. I'm no book critc (I think I made that clear from my three sentence "review" at the start) so I can't say what skill/talent he has as a writer, but he obviously loves to write. Whether he is or isn't the next..... some author.... he genuinley loves to write to entertain people and it shows. So he does it. And I can dig that.

Well, for those who complained that the summer at Basketbawful had gotten boring...

it's more entertaining now, eh? If by entertaining you mean people getting snarky with each-other on teh interwebs.

Wow, sorry I missed the flame war. I do not understand why people are complaining about content, it you do not like it, don't read it. They can write about whatever they want, and you can read it or not. I really liked all the summer reading stories, it is nice to learn about the guys who write for the site, they both seem like guys I would like to hang out with (even if they are Celtic fans, and I am a Laker fan). You certainly can suggest content, but they do this for free, you do not pay them, they are not your employees and can write about whatever the heck they want. Why the hell would you take the time to attack them for writing. A blog is for a person to write, and put themselves out there, try it if you think it is so easy, start your own blog and try to write something interesting everyday. I hope next time I am in the Chicago area, maybe I get the chance to play some pickup basketball with Bawful and Evil Ted. By the way his nickname is Evil Ted, so you would think he was given that name for a reason.

so glad 2 see a b_ball column. we got beasley face smushin, durant droppin 66, and jennings bouncin ball of fool's heads, and my favorite basketball site was absent. in a lockout we need our b-ball sites 2 step up. this one of the best. i expect nuthin less

God, what a spoiled baby.

Evil ted, just snap already. Your book ain't going to sell, you're going to wind up stroking out at 46, and your kids (if you've had any) fucking hate you.

Anyone who works on the internet and responds as egotistically and aggressively to a mild comment like Rip's ought to get some valium, wash'em down with a nice jack and coke, and go for a long drive.