Deadspin: bob kravitz

Are The Pacers Too White ... Or Not White Enough?

Dashiell Bennett — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:45:57 EDT

In the time-honored tradition of raising a controversial proposition for the express purpose of shooting it down, Indy Star stalwart Bob Kravitz asks, "Why are the Indiana Pacers so lily white?"

You know who else is white? Larry Bird, the Pacers president and the whitest white boy of all time. In a league that is almost 90% non-white guys, Bird has assembled a roster that is 50% see-through and just drafted the whitest of white hopes, Tyler Hansborough. So what gives? Does Bird secretly have a thing for his pale brothers?

Red (Auerbach) never saw color. And I don't, either. I just pick them. If we hadn't taken Tyler Hansbrough, it would have been Ty Lawson. And if I could have gotten another pick (later in the first round), I would have taken Sam Young or Wayne Ellington."

So he's really just prejudiced in favor of Tar Heels? Anyway, Kravitz then points out that eight of Bird's 10 draft picks have been black and that he once famously said that he was insulted when teams tried to guard him with a white guy. So why would you even ask such a silly question?

In the end, it's not about black and white, but the bottom line is printed in black and white.

Wins and losses.

And nothing else matters.

Oh, so I guess he's not racist. He just loves to lose.

Bob Kravitz: Are Pacers too white? No, all Bird cares about are finding guys who can play [Indianapolis Star]

Angry Indy Star Columnist Says Cuban's Blog Apology Adds To America's Sprawling Weeniedom

DAULERIO — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:05:11 EDT

"My biggest objection is the proliferation of blogs and posts by anonymous weenies — or pansies, if you will...[c]onfront them face to face, and next thing you know they're changing underwear." [IndyStar]

Why Your Hometown Columnist Sucks: Bob Kravitz

Leitch — Tue, 01 Nov 2005 12:30:35 EST

OK, our problem with Bob Kravitz isn't that he's a terrible writer. (He isn't.) It's that too often he phones it in. No, check that — he often doesn't even bother to phone, instead stuffing his column into the backpack of a mental patient, who then wanders in the general direction of the Indianapolis Star. Yes, Bob can be a very lazy writer. But before we detail the crimes and misdemeanors, let's go to the vital statistics:

Name: Bob Kravitz.
Columnist: Indianapolis Star.
Attended: Indiana University.
Nicknames: The Suck; Boob Kravitz; Master of the Obvious.
Most often seen on: NBCSports.com (contributing writer).
Best Question During an IndyStar.com Online Chat: "Why don't you go back to Denver? Seriously, no one wants you here, and I'm sure you could do some great work bashing Jake Plummer and writing columns on how terrible Jerry Rice really was. Indianapolis is sick of you and your crappy columns and bad attitude. Go away. (Jim from Indianapolis)." [IndyStar.Com]
Most resembles: Ryan Stiles (The Drew Carey Show).

The formula for a typical Kravitz column is much the same as it is for a bad TV sports announcer: Tell the viewer what he just saw by stating the obvious. Add to that the propensity for short, one-sentence paragraphs, and you have largely unreadable results. In our scientific study of 10 Kravitz columns, we noted an average of 26 paragraphs per column, which is very high. This one, on the Pacers-Pistons brawl, came in at 31. That's a lot of blank space per effort — kind of like when a potato chip manufacturer seals in a lot of air to make the bag feel heftier.

But even worse can be when Kravitz doesn't phone it in. Then you get moments like this, from his column on the NBA dress code:

"What? You lose the privilege to disagree just because you re rich? When I hear people say, 'Just shut up, take your money and buy some suits,' I hear something else.

Hey, just shut up and be happy you ve got your seat on the bus."

Whoa, slow down, Atticus Finch. Scout needs some help with the ham costume before you head back to the courthouse.

Bob Kravitz Archive [Indianapolis Star]