Deadspin: media+approval+ratings

Media Approval Ratings: Jeanne Zelasko

Drew Magary — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:00:38 EDT

If you were in attendance at Citizens Bank Ballpark last night, the first voice you may have heard over the loudspeaker after your team won the championship was that of Jeanne Zelasko. And while I have nothing against Jeanne Zelasko personally, I’m not exactly sure she was the right person to have speaking at that particular moment. Zelasko has all the gravitas of an assistant brand manager reading through a Powerpoint deck at your local Days Inn.

But perhaps I’m being too harsh. Then again, perhaps Zelasko is just another in a long line of undertrained Californian FOX prompter bunnies who put an inhuman, android-like gloss over any human event over which they preside. So let’s bring back the fabled Deadspin Media Approval Ratings to see what you think. Do you like the Jeanne Zelasko? Do you not like the Jeanne Zelasko?

Let us know what you say.

(Co-editor's interruption: This is a blurry, very dark picture of Zelasko's ass when I chased her down Broad Street Saturday night. Who's classy? Me. Who's a World Champion? ME. As you were...)

Media Approval Ratings: Braylon Edwards

Will Leitch — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:45:37 EDT

When will the blogs vs. mainstream media debate finally end? Hopefully soon, right? Please? Pretty please? There is perhaps only one man who can settle this once and for all, build that oft-mentioned bridge to the 21st Century. And that man is obviously Braylon Edwards.

Smooth, stylish, kickass taste in cars and clothes and Christ, man, not gay, jerks, Braylon is perhaps the only man who truly, deeply understands the future course of sports media. It is through him that we will all be saved. Who else?

So: Do you like the Braylon Edwards? Do you not like the Braylon Edwards? Speak truth to power, people.

Media Approval Ratings: John Saunders

Will Leitch — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:05:15 EDT

We learned last year that John Saunders had been shopping memoir about his rough-and-tumble life on the streets of Toronto. We wouldn't have guessed his life was that rough-and-tumble, but what do we know?

Saunders is a former All-Star hockey player but has mostly been an NBA guy — along with "moderating" those sports reporter people — since coming to the states. Many will remember his palpable anger at Detroit fans after the Palace Brawl in 2004, calling Pistons fans "punks" and "sissies." You go, John Saunders!

So: Do you like the John Saunders? Do you not like the John Saunders? Hit it up.

Media Approval Ratings: Terry Bradshaw

Will Leitch — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:05:08 EDT

We can say with 100 percent certainty that, of all the people we've mentioned in this Media Approval Ratings business, Terry Bradshaw is the first whose bare ass we have seen. We're not sure which is worse: Having that happen, or admitting that we've seen Failure To Launch.

Anyway, Bradshaw, who apparently can spell "cat," has been on FOX forever now, it seems; remember when their "rollicking" halftime show seemed new? Oh, and according to Wikipedia, he "remains one pro football's most popular retired players. As of September 2007, Bradshaw was the top-ranked former pro football player in the Davie-Brown Index (DBI), which surveys consumers to determine a celebrity's appeal and trust levels." Hey, why would you not trust a guy who admitted doing steroids in his career? It helps the ass!

Anyway: Do you like the Terry Bradshaw? Do you not like the Terry Bradshaw? Woo!

Media Approval Ratings: Michael Smith

Will Leitch — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:05:25 EDT

There's probably no show on earth that we hammer on more than "Around The Horn," and jeez, how could we not? But of all the regular cast of characters — Mariotti, Plaschke, Paige, what not — Michael Smith (who's probably a semi-regular) seems to escape a lot of hatred.

Not to talk crazy here, but it might be because he actually reports and has info. We enjoyed this segment from an interview with The Starting Five.

I had my own apartment at eighteen and played [Tecmo Bowl] on my Rent-A-Center TV all night long. Damn, that was way back! Randall Cunningham was the truth! I would fill up the stat sheet with nothing but Randall and Bo Jackson. I had both rushing for 2000+ and Randall throwing for way over 4000. He was sick on that game. Being a Philly fan, I made sure he was well represented…trust.

Somehow, we don't imagine Mariotti ever playing Tecmo Bowl.

So: Do you like the Michael Smith? Do you not like the Michael Smith? Let's go.

Media Approval Ratings: Sean Salisbury

Will Leitch — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:05:12 EDT

No one has heard much from Sean Salisbury since he was let go by ESPN, and honestly, we kind of hope he's OK.

His Sean "Big Mouth" Salisbury site has been taken down, depriving us of constant updates on his current goings-on. We assume his next job — FOX analyst seems about right — will give him a lesser profile, which should definitely benefit him. We can see him working well with Kenny Albert.

And no, sorry: He's not in Our Five.

So: Do you like the Sean Salisbury? Do you not like the Sean Salisbury? Go to it.

Media Approval Ratings: Jeremy Schaap

Will Leitch — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:05:50 EDT

Right now, we desperately wish we had video handy of Jeremy Schapp in one of the "meetings" on "E-60"'s conference room segments. He is ... saying something ... very serious.

Schapp still hasn't had his signature breakout to escape his father's large shadow, and Dick Schapp comes up even when it's not Jeremy's fault, like in that famous Bob Knight interview. We also love the way he says "EEEE SSSSSS P NNNNNNN."

Oh, and his Cinderella Man book is pretty good.

So: Do you like the Jeremy Schaap? Do you not like the Jeremy Schaap? Go.

Media Approval Ratings: John Feinstein

Will Leitch — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:05:50 EDT

The first time we ever read a book that had the word fuck in it was in John Feinstein's Season On The Brink. Bobby Knight liked to say that word a lot. It was also the first time we had seen the c-word. We were 14 years old.

Feinstein just keeps pumping out the books; he seems to have written three this year. (Seriously.) Some are classics; some seem like easy bestseller churn. This productivity led to a famous devastation of his "Last Dance" in The New York Times, which contained this brutal line: Feinstein is not just a woeful writer; he's a woeful writer who repeats himself. ... Is it too much to hope that "Last Dance" might be not just Feinstein's last "Last" book but his last book?

OK, now that's just kind of mean.

So: Do you like the John Feinstein? Do you not like the John Feinstein? Onward!

Media Approval Ratings: David Aldridge

Will Leitch — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:05:09 EDT

It seems like an extremely long time ago that David Aldridge was on ESPN. He almost seems the exact opposite of what the network wants out of its NBA coverage.

Aldridge seems to have little love lost for his old employer, but he'd doing all right for himself over at TBS and TNT. (We always forget that he does sideline reporting — or whatever they call it in baseball — for the network's MLB coverage.)

We also enjoyed this Starting Five interview.

So: Do you like the David Aldridge? Do you not like the David Aldridge? Yep.

Media Approval Ratings: Bill Plaschke

Will Leitch — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:05:00 EDT

While searching for photos of Los Angeles Times columnist (and "Around the Horn" regular) Bill Plaschke, we came across this one. How in the world did Plaschke get on that panel?

Plaschke is the master of the five-word, one-sentence paragraph that so many newspaper columnists employ to make their columns run longer with less work. He's also one of the more egregious flat-earthers out there, as gleefully documented by Fire Joe Morgan.

When we lived in Los Angeles, back in 1997, we thought Plaschke was a compelling read. Then we discovered Rob Neyer and intelligent thought and the notion that sometimes people win because they're lucky and lose because they just weren't as talented, not because they were "chokers," or "champions." This revelation destroyed Plaschke's schtick pretty quick. Of course, it's possible we didn't change, and Plaschke did; television has done worse to stronger folk. And at Jim Murray's paper, of all places.

Anyway: Do you like the Bill Plaschke? Do you not like the Bill Plaschke? Yip.

Media Approval Ratings: Bill Walton

Will Leitch — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:05:27 EDT

It is easy to forget sometimes that Bill Walton used to stutter. Remembering that little factoid makes his signature BOLD PROCLAMATIONS a little easier to handle; he wouldn't be Bill Walton if he didn't sound uncertain.

We feel like Walton lost a little bit of pathos when he stopped broadcasting Clippers games; that added some emotional heft, some angst, that might not be there anymore. We're surprised how well he plays with Stephen A. Smith sometimes; they're testaments to volume control, that's for sure.

And yes: He's the only person left on earth who still likes the Grateful Dead. We don't think the Grateful Dead like the Grateful Dead anymore.

So: Do you like the Bill Walton? Do you not like the Bill Walton? Throw it down!

Media Approval Ratings: Jeff Van Gundy

Will Leitch — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:05:16 EDT

We are pretty sure that most of you would agree that Jeff Van Gundy is an unlikely excellent NBA analyst. We're sure he would have never imagined that's the way his career would go. He's just coachy enough to be a TV preener.

In a way, we kind of hope Van Gundy never goes back into coaching; we can see this accidental career being his ultimate true calling. Can't you kind of see him as a Dr. Jack Ramsey in 30 years?

Plus, you know, he might not just grab onto his players' legs anymore. Though that could be a downside.

So: Do you like the Jeff Van Gundy? Do you not like the Jeff Van Gundy? Sweep the leg, JVG.

Media Approval Ratings: Gregg Easterbrook

Will Leitch — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:05:52 EDT

When Gregg Easterbrook's old "Tuesday Morning Quarterback" initially appeared on ~~ESPN~~ Slate, way way way way back in the day, it seemed like a revelation, and we say that not only because of his consistently amusing (and depressing) "Arizona (CAUTION: MAY CONTAIN FOOTBALL-LIKE SUBSTANCE) Cardinals" crack.

Once it was tossed around from Football Outsiders to NFL.com back to ESPN.com, because of those famous "Kill Bill" comments — irony alert: "Kill Bill" didn't even make that much money! — it began to feel a bit more rote and tired. But we still read it every week ... or at least 50 percent of it, which is still a rather substantial amount.

Easterbrook is also famous for his criticism of the space program. Yeah! NASA sucks!

So: Do you like the Gregg Easterbrook? Do you not like the Gregg Easterbrook? Line 'em up.

Media Approval Ratings: Sal Paolantonio

DAULERIO — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:05:10 EDT

ESPN's flashy-suited NFL reporter is the WWL's go-to guy when it comes to the headline-grabbing stories that require an Italian hard news punch. "Sal Pal", as he's wont to call himself, is a Philly boy, who's covered everything from Terrell Owens' driveway meltdown, to Spygate, to Vick's dogfighting trial, and even filled in for Stu Scott on the MNF pregame when Stu was having his little nodule scare.

He's also co-authored a lengthy-titled book, "The Paolantonio Report: The Most Overrated and Underrated Players, Teams, Coaches, and Moments in NFL History", which did not endear him to Cheeseheads.

So, do you approve of Sal Pal? Disapprove? Mangia!

Media Approval Ratings: Jay Bilas

Will Leitch — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:05:36 EDT

We would like to repeat our favorite piece of biographical information about Jay Bilas: He once starred in a movie with Dolph Lundgren. The movie was "Dark Angel," and Bilas plays an alien named "Azeck." Man this makes us happy.

Anyway, we tend to enjoy Bilas even more when he's doing courtside analysis than when he's in the studio. This is probably because he's really doing a Bill Raftery impression. There ain't nothing wrong with that.

Also: He went to Duke. Worth noting.

So: Do you like the Jay Bilas? Do you not like the Jay Bilas? Shoot 'em up.

Media Approval Ratings: Skip Bayless

Will Leitch — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:05:12 EDT

It's kind of amazing to think that, at one point, Skip Bayless was one of the top up-and-coming sportswriters in the country. At the age of 25, Bayless was hired as lead columnist for the Dallas Morning News, an amazing opportunity. He embraced this job by constantly claiming Troy Aikman was gay. And they say bloggers are bad.

Now Bayless doesn't write at all, instead just playing fake contrarian on television. As we've put it, Tiger Woods could win every golf tournament for the next 10 years, and Skip Bayless would say, "yes, but why can't he fly?

We wonder if Bayless ever looks at what he's become and wondered how that could have possibly happened. We doubt it.

So: Do you like the Skip Bayless? Do you not like the Skip Bayless? Fire.

Media Approval Ratings: Gregg Doyel

Will Leitch — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:05:04 EDT

We've had some fun with Gregg Doyel around these parts — we'd actually forgotten about all that "glog" business, though we think we and Doyel had the world's best ever Glog Feud — but generally speaking, we think he livens the place up over at CBS Sportsline.

But we've never gotten over this outfit; he wore it on CNN's Reliable Sources. (It was an episode we were on as well; contrasting with Doyel, we looked like Wally Cleaver. We worked this angle, a tactic that would benefit us later as well.) Hey, Gregg, you're on TV: Try something with a collar. Or at least something without numbers on the front.

Anyway, it's a Friday, and we're counting days. We had to fit Doyel in.

So, do you like the Gregg Doyel? Do you not like the Gregg Doyel?

Media Approval Ratings: Frank Deford

Will Leitch — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:05:04 EDT

We still can't quite get over Daulerio's interview with Frank Deford. This is still our favorite part:

Women sports writers have very little sense of humor. And they look upon women in sports with out any kind of freedom. It’s like mathematics: you’re supposed to look at is a science and not as entertainment. And that would’ve been the case 20 years ago. They get very, very defensive if anybody writes anything that’s at all critical of women’s sports. Ironically, I’m someone who’s stood up for women’s sports through the years, been a total defender of Title 9 against all the men who screamed about it, but that didn’t cut me any slack. And here I was writing about “booties” as opposed to athleticism and that’s a sin. You can’t do that.

Totally! It's nice to still have Frank Deford around, isn't it? By the way, we absolutely loved The National and wish it would have hung around. Pre-Web, of course.

Anyway: Do you like the Frank Deford? Do you not like the Frank Deford?

Media Approval Ratings: Beano Cook

Will Leitch — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:05:27 EDT

The last week has brought something wonderful: Official football preseason guides! Yesterday we bought the Pro Football Weekly version — which has the Buzzsaw in the playoffs! — and last week we grabbed Athlon's college football version. (Illini in the top 20!) Yep: It really never is too early to talk about college football.

Which means Beano Cook, which means Ron Powlus and his famous angry rant. We always enjoy Beano, even though he once asked, upon hearing that the American hostages in Iran had received lifetime baseball passes, "haven't they suffered enough?" Boo, Beano! Baseball is fun!

Anyway, Beano's 77 years old. He seems older than that.

So: Do you like the Beano Cook? Do you not like the Beano Cook? Scramble!

Media Approval Ratings: Chris Myers

Will Leitch — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:05:37 EDT

Chris Myers is the guy who came with the "Did You Know?" segment on "SportsCenter." We always liked that segment, particularly when Kenny Mayne did a "Did you know ... about ... sports."

If you watch NASCAR, Chris Myers is on that a lot, but these days, he's almost more a radio guy than a TV guy. Which is probably for the best. Whenever he's on TV, he ruins it when a guy's about the ask his girlfriend to marry him. Man, come on.

Anyway: Do you like the Chris Myers? Do you not like the Chris Myers? Let's go.