New (and improved?) Robbing Homers

On August 8, 2014, the managing editor for the Idaho Falls Post Register sat me down and recited the "spiel," aka -- the introduction to working at the newspaper. It was my first day as a sports reporter for the Register, so the managing editor, Rob, who hired me, walked me through all the employment logistics -- time cards, bill sheets, potential benefits, etc. But he also laid out his hopes and expectations for Register reporters, a fraternity for which I was now initiated.

At the end of his spiel, Rob told me about a writer by the name of Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway, Rob said, would party until 4 in the morning, wake up at 8 a.m., write until the evening, rinse, repeat. Rob wasn't encouraging me to become a functioning alcoholic, of course. He was illustrating the importance of writing. Constantly writing. Even a self-destructive force such as Hemingway could master the craft (sure, Hemingway also benefitted from his once-in-a-generation talent). 

Rob's story stuck with me, and I've been writing my fingers off since that day. But I recently read some of my previous work, and I couldn't get past the holes in my stories, even the best ones. I also read this story, written by Tommy Craggs, former Deadspin editor-in-chief who is in charge of all editorial operations at Gawker. I've known for a while that Craggs is a good writer (Grantland nearly snatched him), but Craggs wrote the piece linked above in college. I'm older than he was then, and that college column was better-written than thing I've done. I often feel self-conscious about my writing ability, but this amped my insecurities to 11.

Why am I telling you all this? It's the reason I'm writing this post. I've been spurred to write more. Not that I need to write more, necessarily, but it can't hurt. That's why I'm ending my 16-month Robbing Homers hiatus and vowing to update it frequently. I don't know how often I'll by posting, since my job is  priority number one, and I'm sure I'll encounter days where I'd rather read, watch a TV show/movie or hang out with friends. Unless I build an audience (lol), this blog is purely meant for me to keep the writing juices flowing. 

That written, I do have a plan for this blog, and it diverges from the original goal. This is not going to be a baseball-only blog anymore. In fact, the title will probably change once I think of something else decent. I'll still write about baseball, but I'm going to focus on all sports, or at least the big four (baseball, basketball, football and soccer -- sorry, hockey). And this is going to be more like Outside the Lines than Pardon the Interruption. In other words, the topics discussed on this site will generally veer toward off the field issue (i.e. human interest stories, business, violence and media). Don't get me wrong, I love breaking down on-field happenings and I'll be doing that in this space. But I care more about the off-field issues. What can I say? I'm a reporter.

All of my posts will include links, as well. Some will serve as citations, others will simply be links to stories I enjoyed. On Sundays, I'll provide links to my favorite stories of the week (see below). The volume of links will vary.

I don't expect this blog to turn me into Hemingway, or even an obscure scribe for an average newspaper. But I love to write and I express my thoughts most effectively in this medium. That can't be overstated. I'm doing this for fun more than anything else. Becoming a better writer and building an audience (LOL) would be gravy.

Best stories I read this week*:

1) Suspensions to Oregon players bring NCAA marijuana policy into question, by Pete Thamel, Sports Illustrated. 

Full disclosure: I'm an Oregon alum and I'm rooting for the Ducks tomorrow. But my thoughts would be the same if players from Ohio State were suspended for smoking weed. Thamel provides a well-reported column on an issue that shouldn't be.

"The intention of this column isn’t to offer a pass to Carrington or Forde; both made immature mistakes that could cost their team the national title.
...
Still, no one is sure how much marijuana each smoked to flag the test. As marijuana becomes more integrated in society, it’s probably wise for the NCAA to, well, roll with it."

2) The Blame for the Charlie Hebdo Murders, by George Packer, The New Yorker. 

An excellent reflection on Wednesday's tragedy in Paris.

"Others want to lay the blame entirely on the theological content of Islam, as if other religions are more inherently peaceful—a notion belied by history as well as scripture."

3) The Intercept’s ‘Serial’ Trolling Is Just Mind-Boggling, by Martin Austermuhle, Medium. 

I'm a big "Serial" fan. I've listened to every episode, read several articles discussing it and pondered its quality. Some have done a little more than ponder, as Austermuhle explains.

"Being adversarial is an important trait for a journalist. ... But Vargas-Cooper and Silverstein seem to take being adversarial as its own virtue — truth and evidence don’t really matter, as long as what you’re saying cuts against the grain."

4) Hearing Is Believing, by James Atlas, The New York Times. 

Speaking of podcasts, Atlas dives into the growth of the form. 

"Listening to a podcast is like watching a movie, listening to music and reading a book all at once."

5) The Case for Reparations, by Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic. 

This is Coates at his best. Thought-provoking, strong and beautiful writing.

"'The reason black people are so far behind now is not because of now,' Clyde Ross told me. 'It’s because of then.'"

6) The Innocent Man, Part One, by Pamela Colloff, Texas Monthly. 

I had been excited to read this two year-old true crime story for months, and it didn't disappoint. I have not finished Part Two, but I have no doubt it is as excellent as Part One.

"When he broke down as Anderson held up a succession of grisly crime-scene photos, his reaction was seen not as an outpouring of grief but as the remorse of a guilty man."

*In Sunday posts, I will mostly link to stories published during the previous week, but I will always include at least one story published previously. Those will usually be old stories I finally got around to. Other times, if I don't read an old story that week, I'll link to a favorite of mine. Also, I'm setting a false precedent this week by providing only one sports link.