The blogs are in ur base, killing ur profits.

Doug:
Memo to sports stahs, entertainahs, and all othah celebs: When you go on record saying you "don't care what people think" about you, you're pretty much saying that no only do you care but that it gets to you.

 

---

Mike:
The ballplayah doth protests too much, methinks?

 

---

Doug:
Seriously, because if you really didn't care you wouldn't even think to bring it up.

 

---

Mike:
It's kinda like how when newspapah guys try to dismiss the web phenomena as being a bunch of late-night blog boys who live in Ma's basement as a way of pretending it's still 1997 and newspapers ruled the earth.

 

---

Doug:
Yeah, meanwhile, as Schilling is getting a bazillion hits from "sheep-like fans," The Globe continues to slash jobs and staggahs around wondering what the frig is happening.

 

---

Mike:
And the conclusion from at least one of the Globe's dudes is, of course, that the readahs are stupid sycophants who should be made fun of at every opportunity.

 

---

Doug:
Of course, because, you know, it couldn't be that the dynamics of baseball reporting are changing radically and what fans want, or rathah demand, is thoughtful analysis, not clubhouse gossip, cliches, and innuendo.

 

---

Mike:
And since we blog boys are, in addition to Ma's basement dwellahs, all Star Trek fans …

 

---

Doug:
Proudly so, I might add.

 

---

Mike:
Absolutely. So here's some advice from Mr. Spock for all the hatahs in the MSM: Change is the essential process of all existence.

 

---

Author's Notes

The Mr. Spock quote is from the episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield," stardate 5730.2.

Regarding Shaughnessy's slam of Schilling'blog and its readers, I did get a real kick out of Shaughnessy using the handle "CHB38" for one of his faux commenters. I wanted to work that into the strip today, but couldn't seem to make it work.

Comments

[louclinton]

It would have been even nicer if he had used PHB38, but that's hoping for too much....
h.b. has hit it on the nose. We aggregate our own "news" here. Of course, garbage in garbage out, and all that, but what the hay.

lc

[Dave S.]

It really is such a pleasure to read as folks like PHB cry over the broken velvet rope that stands in front of their clubs. Their rants against blogdom remind me rather of the Iraqi Minister of Information...they called him Bagdad Bob, right?...who hilariously denied the existence of advancing American forces back in 2003. It really is pure unintentional comedy of the highest order. It also goes hand in hand with fossils like Murray Chass at the NY Times railing against "New Age" stats in baseball analysis. Those old walls are crumbling. One day, if we're not careful we'll all foolishly stand firm against the next vanguard, but not today...today it's fun to be on this side.

[Jamesfrmmaine]

Unbelievable that CHB would just dig his own grave like that. Is he really just a bitter old bastard?

[chuckschilling]

As reprehensible as Edes' chbf is, he's right in that the comments section of Schilling's blog is pretty much unreadable due to all the fanboy stuff.

[Harwich Rich]

Just an asshat-IMHO

[buckner was framed]

or, hb- how about a 'Tomorrow is Yesterday' riff where the characters would have to save a relic like CHB in order to preserve their own existence, at the same time giving him a peek into the future?

[mikeya2k1]

whats wrong with living in moms basement?

[Bob]

Is it possible that CHB is actually Big Bri???

Reading that column, it sounded like he was playing off a lot of the terms we flung (fling) at BB.

[Steve in MD]

Speaking of baseball...
$180 million payroll and thier opening day starter is Carl Pavano?!?

[HB4eva]

Schilling is an excellent pitcher who happens to have a blog. It may be self-serving, but at least it includes some baseball news. CHB's job is to report on sports news in the biggest paper in the biggest sports town in the country and he fails miserably. He insults readers and tragically wastes reams of newsprint that writers who care about sports and fans would kill for.

-Vineyahd Bushey

[michaelmc]

Yeah, h.b., the CHB38 made me do a double-take when I saw it. Probably the most unintentionally (or, intentionally funny but not actually funny in the intended way) funny thing I've seen in a while.

Re: chuckschilling's comment, he's definitely right about the near unreadability of the comments. I expected that to go down as time went on (and I guess it is still early), but it hasn't. Still, I think the commendation needs to go to Schilling for actually leaving the comments open.

[dustysglove07]

hb,
brilliant strip today. Whats next with CHB? I really hope he alienated his boss today. I would love to see this guy get fired.

[Natalie]

I'm not sure I see what is wrong with fanboy comments. 38pitches is unprecedented access to an athlete whose team means more to most people than most of their blood relatives. If they want to come in droves to say "thank you" to Schilling for reaching out to us fans with information and insight utterly neglected by the MSM, then I say have at it (full disclaimer: I plan to at some point)! I think its nice to hear adults gush to Schilling like the young children they used to be, adolescent baseball fans who passionately and uncynically loved the game. These commenters have no obligation to say something erudite or be journalistic or engage Schilling in analysis. It's the COMMENTS section of Schilling's blog, after all. If these folks were supposed to say something of import, they'd start a blog themselves... :)

Speaking of never saying something of import... wow, CHB is truly the emperor with no clothes. I am speechless at his vitriolic, demented and utterly stoopid column....

[Mike]

The other guys who have said they don't care what people think about them: Ted Williams and Manny Ramirez, brothers from other mothers, uh, brothers.

Won't you be sorry when Coco hits for .400, drives in 180 RBIs, hits 40 homers and stops selling his breakfast cereal...

Man, what doesn't he promote?

M

[BamaSoxFan]

I love this website!

I am a lifelong Sox fan born and raised in Alabama. I found this site maybe three months ago.

It has become indispensable. Everyday I hit Buster Olney's blog on ESPN, Dirt Dogs, Ian Brown's blog on MLB.com, Bradford's blog, and Soxaholix.

HB, I love it. And I love hearing from all of y'all on the comments. Y'all make being 1,000 miles away from Fenway more bearable. Go Sox.

[h.b.]

Why would anyone be sorry, least of all me or the characters in the strip, if Coco puts up those kind of numbers?

[Max]

The thing I really don't get about CHB's column is that almost any Red Sox fan who cares enough to read Schilling's blog (which, I think, is great), also reads the Globe everyday. So CHB is deliberately insulting his own readers. Moron.

I must have missed it in an earlier strip, but what does "PHB" stand for?

[da kine]

The boys over at BDD would be upset if not sorry if Covelli put up good numbers. Apparently, he's going to be the new Renteria this year. We'll see how things go.

As for 38Pitches, there really are a bunch o' sheeple in the comments section. How many "OMFG! You are sooo awesome to write this!" can one read? I love Curt, but he should either disable comments or tell folks to only respond with something not adulatory and/or worshipful.

[ygbluig]

That was the most obnoxious CHB column ever. And given his track record, that's saying a lot.

[COD]

Curt should at least warn his fans about worshiping false idols. I believe his God looks down on that sort of thing :)

[Kaz]

Wow. I haven't read Shaugh-nasty in ages and this is what I choose to come back to read? I can't wait until Shaughnessy Watch gets a hold of it.

I wonder who aimed his computer at 38pitches.com in order for him to even get an idea about what it looks like there. Welcome to 2007, Danny boy. The well-adjusted person these days is computer literate and *might* just keep up on pop culture enough to hear that Schilling has a blog.

I really wish that when he mails in a column like this there'd be more repercussions at the office:

"Way to go, Dan-o! You really socked it to those computer nerds....putz."

"Hey, Dan, could you come over to my mom's basement later? I need help photoshopping your ego so that it fits in your byline picture frame."

"CHB...you *do* know what other people are talking about when they say 'curly hair', right? Buddy? I'm worried about you."

[Aaron]

Imagine, if you will, the earth 65 million* years ago. CHB and his cohorts are a herd of say, Triceratops, munching away placidly on some ferns. The blogosphere is the asteroid, hurtling down from space at 50,000 mph. Why would anyone expect the Triceratops to look up and recognize their own impending extinction? Their brains are the size of walnuts, after all.

(*apologies to any fundamentalist yahoos in the hizzy. Feel free to substitute "6,000 years" for "65 million years" as appropriate.)

[Rob in CT]

Maybe I'm just a Coco Crisp apologist or something, but the whole Eades article referenced in the first box just smells of a sports journalist hack job. I mean, really...

Does it bother you if people don't like you? "No."

You mean if they say you suck, it doesn't bother you? "Um, like I said, no."

So, do you care if the fans think you suck? "Really, it doesn't bother me."

Slow day today, Gordo? Christ man, give it up, would you? And The Globe wonders why they are losing readership and ad revenues. Too bad that a few of the entrenched sports staff didn't get the ax.

[Kaz]

"PHB" = Pubic Haired Boyfriend. It's CHB but a bit more explicit in where the short and curlies come from.

For those that don't like the ball-licking responses in Curt's blog: Seriously? Were you awake in October 2004? The man galvanized the entire fandom of the Red Sox (self-haters notwithstanding). If each person hears about Schilling's blog at a different time...and about 200 a day write a comment thanking him or loving him in the opening sentence...the first all non-lovefest response will happen sometime around 2010. But by then, all of the 38 Studios fans will start pouring in thanking him for his first MMORPG release. The man generated a ton of thankfulness in Red Sox fan hearts and until now it's had no real way of reaching its source where there's a clear indication that it was received in earnest. Put a cup on and read the blog but not the responses if it's seriously too much for you.

[h.b.]

Aaron,

Carl Everett is headed your way to head butt you.

Elsewhere...

True about their being a lot of adoration in the comments, but that's natural. You see the same thing if a famous politician guest blogs somewhere or you even see it during CHB's online boston.com chats. (Yes, he does have his own fans!)

But it's odd to me that Shaughnessy would only see the "sheeple" comments on Schilling's or anyone else's blog.

For every sheeple there is at least one naysayer type (e.g, Paddy) who takes the "you're all effin nuts and drinking the kool-aid" angle.

Balances out.

[Dave S.]

And hey, if there's anything Schilling could really use, it's a boost of self-esteem. Sometimes I worry that he's just too dang hard on himself.

[Rob in CT]

Well said, Kaz. So where did you score on the Bartle Test?

[Sonoma Sox]

Not like HB is an international star or campaigns with the prez candidates (yet) but there's plenty of adoration in these here comments...of course, you do pretty much rule the blogdom HB. So, I'm for it as long as there's some real discussion involved.

Which is why BDD sucks (I'm w/ you Rob) - they rip a player apart: yellow blogism at its best.

I'd rather see some stats on Jacoby's potential vs. Coco's...VORP anyone?

[addictedlurker]

Great site, HB (oops, wait, too sycophantic?).

The boys at Fire Joe Morgan have gotten hold of this. It's a fun read:

http://www.firejoemorgan.com/2007/03/blogs-bad-old-media-good-nerds-nerdy.html

[Kaz]

Wow, Rob, never saw that before.

It gave me this:

Based on your answers, you are EASK.
Breakdown: Achiever 53.33%, Explorer 86.67%, Killer 20.00%, Socializer 40.00%

EASK players often live by the phrase 'The journey is often more enjoyable than the destination.' They are motivated by meeting the challenges of the world, but they are usually in no rush--because seeing the creatures and places of the world is even more fun.

[miketc]

Natalie,

Gotta disagree just a bit. Like you, I appreciate that it's a good thing when you find your "inner adolescent," and are able to gush about your love of the game. But 25 pages of "Curt, you're AWESOME, and CHB and A-Rod both suck!!!" is not worth spendig any time on.

What I love about the comments on this site is even when we all momentarily turn into h.b. fanboys (& girls), the posters then tend to follow it up with something actually worth reading.

Y'know, literate sycophants.

[birthofasoxfan97]

So here's what I don't get about our dear friend Dan: who among us, really, would not enjoy a career writing about baseball and particularly the Sox? Dream job, right? So why is this guy such an ass? You don't like the Sox or you don't like baseball, then go get a different damn job, already. I'm not saying you should be a fan in order to cover the team or write each column from the perspective of a fan, but where's the respect for the entities that ultimately spawn your paycheck - the team and the paper's readers. Weird.

[Rob in CT]

Kaz - That account for your job status? ("Hey, that's Kaz, in Spades! Heh, get it?)

(Ooh, that was mean, man. I'm sorry. Actually, when I took it it turned out I was mostly a Socializer, 80-something %ile.) My son and his geek-squad friends are really into that stuff, and I heard them joking about the test one day. They made me take the test, and laughed at me over the results. I'll never make Wizard... :)

[Montego76]

Like all blogs, there is a "post your comment". If 500 individuals decide to post individual thank you's, so be it.

I think the Globe sportswriters are a bit miffed on not being the first to scoop gossip & get away with misquoting.

[yf38]

lighten up guys - it was funny

[Bob]

Mothra's final line for the day:

IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
5.0 0 0 0 5 6 0 2.04

[Natalie]

Is yf38 seriously referring to CHB's piece when he says "it was funny"?

How hilarious would it be if yf38 is not actually a CHB apologist, but rather CHB himself, incognito, trolling the blogs to muster up some yuks for his articles?

I wish that were true, I would never stop laughing.

[louclinton]

Just in case we lose perspective, #38's blog is paradigmatic of most blogging (h.b. of course excluded)- namely selfindulgent navel gazing of the highest order. Taking nothing away from the Bloody Sawk, but you just have to read it for what it is: a steam of consciousness exercise in self-obsessed, self-important, self-revelation that we get to read.

Hence, my comment earlier in the day that we aggregate our own information now. To be perfectly honest, I think the total number of times I have posted to any blog other than this one is approximately two. h.b. tone appears to invite thoughtful discussion, and then I can sling a few bags of shit against the metaphorical truck window. I don't expect h.b. or anyone else to give a crap, but, since I get a lot out of this blog, taken in the aggregate, I feel empowered to share my reactions. Or you can suck my dick if you don't like it. Either way, I win.

lc

[h.b.]

At the risk of getting trapped in some sycophantic loop ("No, I'm the sycophant!" "No, no, I'm the sycophant!") I just wanted to say how cool it is that louclinton isn't a promiscuous blog commenter and that it's this site alone that gets his comments.

Seriously. That's awesome.

Meanwhile, this fucking basement is really musty and damp. "Hey, Ma... MA!!!... Bring that dehumidifiah down heah, will ya fercrissakes? I'm blogging and shit and my nads are gonna get all tinea scratchy."

[louclinton]

More importantly, you can't spell sycophant without p-s-y-c-h-o.

My basement actually does have water, so now I am just a wee bit confused.

lc

[mikeya2k1]

HEY!! hb, chb hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm??? nah cant be

[Dave S.]

Is one who comments everywhere and all the time "ubloguitous"?

[Rob in CT]

Surly, but lovable. Has there ever been a more apt description?

Oh, and by the way, the source of the Curse of the Bambino has been discovered. Henry Ford? Who knew?

[mikeya2k1]

now i know why im a chevy man

[soxdownunder]

'Pithy & degenerate' is pretty apt also Rob. But what's the Bartle test?

Sorry but I thought CHB's column was hilarious and while it is nice to see adults gush like kids it is also, well, pretty embarrassinig.

[mikeya2k1]

hey down under... how many other people from australia know who chb is?? you could be like the only one on the continent....way cool!!

[buckner was framed]

"... my nads are gonna get all tinea scratchy". Now THAT's funny. And fwiw I think lc's spot on re: most blogs being self-indulgent navel gazing. I was somewhat amused by the number of posters at 38pitches- when I was still reading the comments, that is- whose sole MO in commenting seemed to be to mention their own blog, as if we, or Schill, cared

[soxdownunder]

Mikey, I am afraid there's few of us who read 'The Curse ...' but I could be the only one who knows the origin and meaning of the CHB tag. Yankee hats are ubiquitous ('ublogitous' is excellent) but when one yells abuse from the car (witty stuff like 'yankees suck', 'swine','drug cheat' and so forth) the poor souls just look blankly and go 'whaaa?'. I was pulled over recently by a young policeman who was a Vietnamese Australian. He had noticed my number plate (RDSOX4) and wanted to talk about the big show. I was not fined for my expired registration label. He was a Red Sox fan and thought Mothra (he called him 'that Japanese guy') was a great addition to the rotation.

So I am not quite, but almost, alone.

[MONTY in CA]

My Sox cap has got me in free at a coupla places, including Yosemite, "you really a sox fan?!", "ok, go on in..."

[Aaron]

My Sox hat gets me no special priveleges out here, because it's not in any way uncommon or unusual. I see almost as many Sox hats here in Seattle as I do Mariner hats.

When the Olde Towne Team visits Safeco, we usually outnumber the M's fans in their own stadium. I would feel bad for them, but they're the type of "fans" who show up in the 3rd inning, spend most of the game yapping on cell phones and eating sushi, and are gone by the 7th inning stretch, regardless of who's winning and by how much.

Which works out well, because then RSN moves into their vacated seats and turns the place into Fenway West...

[Sean O]

Everything that Coco does, and says, just makes that we have a real player in Ellsbury on his way up.

He was a horrible move from the start, and nothing's changed. Here's hoping he just collapses from the start so we can get a real hitter in CF, rather than 600 ABs of mediocrity.

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[bagstay]

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