Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Jock-osphere 5-12

REPORTING FROM THE JOCK-OSPHERE

by Ryan Corazza

Getty Images

"Actually, the scuba dives are a part of the search for the underwater fountain of youthful appearance. So … you seen my flippers?"


[Ed's Note: In the long view of the sports media industry, it's still a relatively new concept that athletes, agents, executives and yes, mascots, could circumvent us and tell their own stories…instantly, on blogs. We say, fantastic—but we're going to cover what they're writing.]


Marques Douglas: Athletes Need to Change

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back Marques Douglas is tired of seeing athletes in the headlines for off the field problems. To wit:

"I look back at some of the all-time greats who played the game, like Deacon Jones and John Randle, and wondered how would they would have dealt with the problems facing the game and communities," he writes. "I wonder how the social issues that face our communities would be different if, we as professional athletes, would take a stand. … Change in a way that would allow others to come in and play the game the right way and function in their lives as productive members of society. Athletes used to be revered in the communities and across the world for how the lived their lives, not only during the hours of "the game" but also after the game."

Greg Oden: Back on the Mainland

Greg Oden is back from a ten day stint in Hawaii.

"I worked out everyday but my workouts were split between riding the bike for 13 miles and having a basketball workout for an hour," he writes. "I also got to go enjoy the island of Kona. I went on a helicopter ride of the island. I never been snorkeling before but by the time I left I went 5 times and felt like I've been doing it for years. I also went to some really good restaurants. "Tommy Bahamas" became my favorite spot."

Since it's clearly too late to write an Oden cameo into Forgetting Sarah Marshall, we're only asking for a possible spot in the next Magnum PI run. Come on Selleck, don't fight it anymore.

Detroit Tigers: Time to Ship Out the Slogan?

The Detroit Tigers are looking for a new slogan. Maybe.

"Internally we have been debating for the last two years if it's time for 'Who's Your Tiger?' to be retired as our slogan. There has been a lot of discussions (both for and against) on our message boards as well. On the one hand, there's a lot of 'equity' in the slogan—meaning that most of Detroit is familiar with the slogan and many people often refer to players as 'their Tiger.' We've even been selling WYT T-shirts for the past few years. Hitting the right note with a marketing slogan is extremely hard to do (we've had quite a few slogans that were 'one and done' —anyone remember 'Earning Our Stripes' or 'We Come to Play'?"

A suggestion for this year's squad: "Where'd our pitching go?" Hey-oh!

Rajon Rondo: Hard Rock Life

Where do you go after a rough loss in Game 3 in Cleveland? The Hard Rock Café? Somebody get Rondo in touch with the concierge. Oh well. At least he's a huge fan of the spinach dip. He also clears the air on the flagrant foul by Marvin Williams from the Atlanta series.

He and Marvin are still boys.

Paulie D

Paul DePodesta, an exec for the San Diego Padres, just stepped into the blog game over the weekend. Check him out HERE.


Evan Bartsch contributed to this report

[Origin of the Species]

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