Quite Lame

I'm not sure what it is exactly, but Bill Simmons has really fallen in the last few months. It started right around when he took an extended time off to do the book tour, only writing one column a week. When he got back to regular posting, the articles seemed especially shallow and not completely thought through. Almost as if somebody else was writing the columns trying to emulate the Simmons style. It's seemed really off the last couple weeks, in particular. He's a busy guy and writes a lot, so I'm not completely dismissing him just yet, but it seems we've hit a rough patch. His bitching about the Patriots is the worst. Absolute worst. Like a little baby. He was the one who wrote the rule stating the 5-year waiting period to bitch about a championship team. Now he goes out and calls the Pats loss to the Broncos "One of the toughest Boston losses ever" Good God man, are you for real? Have you become that spoiled that you honestly believe an overachieving Pats team, which won 3 of the last 4 goddamn Superbowls, losing to a team in the playoffs on the road was one of the toughest losses ever? I seriously doubt it. Get over yourself.

Sorry. That came out angrier than I meant it to. But it's really frustrating watching the guy who set the standard on how to rationally hate teams like the Yankees turn into something equally as bad. On the positive note, he managed to name drop a couple of bands in his last column as a recommendation to the NFL promo dept. as to what they should be using as "Cool music with a quick riff to get you fired up for the football game":

"Banquet" by Bloc Party
"Sweet Troubled Soul" by StellaStarr*
"Tribulations" by LCD Soundsystem
"This Isn't It" by Giant Drag
"Finding Out True Love is Blind" by Louis XIV

Well played, Mr. Simmons. Especially on the Giant Drag nod. Sounds like someone's been listening to indie 103 on their way to the Clippers game...and perhaps reading more of The ILB (who ranked Giant Drag #34 on the list.)

Comments

[holmes]

simmons' articles have seemed fine. the problem with the patriots lamenting isn't that he's necessarily a big fan, thereby ignoring the 5-year rule. i think it's more of the fact that he bet on them (which he proudly stated in an earlier pick) and they totally blew it. he's talked about how his lifetime goal is to go 11-0 in the playoffs, and the patriots creamed him for some good money last week. i guess, in other words, take a gamblers standpoint.

and let's not forget that we're approaching the worst time of the year for sports. personally, football is great and baseball is the ultimate, but i fucking hate basketball and hockey and nascar racing. once baseball season picks up, i bet his articles will be even better.

[jeff]

Well, then it's his fault for betting so heavily on his own team. Everybody knows that’s a bad idea. There’s just been too much blaming the refs, taking the stance of “we’re better than everyone anyway” without the usual convincing backing argument…been really getting to me. I think the first sign was when the pats lost to the colts in the regular season. It’s gotten worse since then.

Yes, I expect him to pick it back up...but I feel like he's been extra unreasonable of late. He should move back to Boston for the baseball season to try and get grounded again.

I trace the fall of "The Sports Guy" back to the exact date of Hunter S. Thompson's suicide (which is around the same time you've referrenced in regards to his book tour). A 'Fear and loathing' tone does not suit him very well. I prescribe Chuck Klosterman!!

[jerry]

Last week during Dan Marino's pregame interview with Tom Brady, CBS played the Editor's Munich.

[jjjay]

clayton, pasquarelli, Mortenson, Flemming and smith (my favorite new kid on the block) are the only names you need. i could read len and john's diagram of their best 10 shits and be totally psyched. i'm so bummed there are only three football games left this season.

[Matt Berlyant]

Right on Jeff. Being a Dolphins fan, I've never liked the Patriots and they've gotten more annoying over the last 5 years or so given their winning ways, but it's obvious that it's amazing that they got as far as they did this season given the injuries and what not.