The last two weeks if you've ventured over to our friend Richard Deitsch's media column at Sports Illustrated you would have seen a pretty cool panel on various topics in the industry. Included were some unique voices from around sportswriting and blogs and even Geoff Schwartz of the Kansas City Chiefs. You can check Part 1 and Part 2 for some diverse thoughts on the most interesting person in sports media, Fox Sports 1, who's overrated and underrated, women announcing NFL games, and one bold prediction for 2014. (For what it's worth, I said that Fox Sports Live would beat SportsCenter at least once head to head – yes, I'm drinking the Jay and Dan Maple flavored Kool-Aid, that's what I get for having so many Canadians around these parts.)
But there were some questions and answers that didn't make it into the SI column. It'd be nice if I had a website and/or blog to post some of those thoughts… wait a second, I do have a website and/or blog! Yoder, you genius.
* It's impossible to pick one Twitter account as a must-follow above all others, but we were tasked to give one Twitter recommendation. I'm relatively new to his feed but Dan Jenkins of Golf Digest is an uproarious follow @danjenkinsgd and shows that old guys can get Twitter.
* As far as national talk radio shows go, it's more of a crowded field than ever between ESPN Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and the upstarts at NBC and CBS. Even with more options at listeners' disposals, the best is still The Dan Patrick Show. DP does a great job with interviews and his merry band of Danettes add an element not seen elsewhere. This show proves you don't need contrived debate or low-rent humor to be entertaining.
* NBA rights are the next big property to be up for bidding. They'll remain with ESPN and Turner, although the allure of Fox will be tempting.
* SEC Network will have plenty of attention when it launches soon. As far as how successful the newbie will be, it should quickly surpass or at the very least be on par with what BTN has accomplished. ESPN leading the "S-E-C" chant certainly won't hurt.
* Social media integration is becoming a big focus in the industry. When it comes to innovations or future trends, I liked what Grantland did with their second screen coverage of the NCAA Tournament featuring Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons. It was a way to get a piece of the action without having any rights to the event. Why wouldn't Turner try something in the future as I can imagine a big audience for Charles Barkley's running commentary during the Finals.
That'll close the notebook for now.
