Dear Stupid Fish. DallasBasketball.com Sux

In Which I Defend, Explain, DO NOT BLOG, And Ask For My Katie Award

Mike Fisher -- DB.com

Dear Stupid Fish,

Why don't you have a "commenter section'' at the bottom of each of your "posts'' on your DallasBasketball.com "blog''? Especially so "commenters'' could dispel your David Lord Amare-for-Aldridge trade story?

Love,

Portland TrailBlazers blog people.

I suppose I should take a 5 a.m. moment to explain a few things about how we run this lemonade stand.

   D-Lord's Amare-for-Aldridge trade story is a good jumping-off point here.

   It was labeled as “buzz’’ (billed just that way, which is less than a “scoop’’ but more than a “rumor’’ – this ain’t our first rodeo) and, for the linky update, it is being alternately supported in Phoenix (with a Rudy Fernandez cherry on top) and shot down in Portland ... But only kinda-shot-down, as the concept-hatin’ Blazer’s Edge bosses don't do seem to have a consensus among their readers. Some likey, some don' likey.

   (My apologies to Blazer's Edge; those fellas and a load of commenters DO NOT like the deal.)

   We’re following up. … when we’re not occupied dealing with the Mavs’ continuing negotiations to trade Jekyll for Hyde. And back again. Or occupied with Chubby-Chaser Tony Romo and Jessica at the Gym. Or with Washing Donnie's Truck. (WDT.) Or with trying to find out where we pick up our Katie Award for our coverage of the Bob Hayes Family Circus. (The latest: I'm told Lucille is headed to Cleveland and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to pick up some trophy meant for her other deceased brother, Issick Hayes.)

  So anyhoo, some of the Portland boys want to know why we don’t “allow’’ comments on our “blog’’ and don’t invite “email responses.’’ They found it “curious’’ – the implication being, I think, that we would write something and then be seemingly unavailable for bloggy discussion. Like, we're hiding. I emailed them my polite response:

   a) I am hiding. I am not fond of human contact.

   b) We do allow “comments.’’ I just don't like to gunk up the newspaperish front-page coverage with 500 "So's ya' mutha'' retorts. Therefore "So's ya muthas'' are on DB.com Boards. In fact, this Amare-for-Aldridge trade “buzz’’ was linked there Thursday at 4:20 p.m. In just five hours, d-Lord's well-considered piece generated almost 1,300 page views. I don't know; is that good?

   c) Just for a fun contrast, Blazer’s Edge -- which does a terrific job, with a readership not dissimilar to the DB.com/DB.com Boards traffic -- cited Lord’s story asking its readers to put up posts to “dispel’’ the Amare-for-Aldridge thing. Which is fine and fun and all part of the barroom argument that is sports.

   Some of the posts “dispelled’’ our angle, some agreed with it. Blazer’s Edge did it its way, we did it ours. Is that SportsNation format a good one? I sure like what MavsMoneyball does with it. But I like what Rob does at TheTwoManGame. And Tim MacMahon has become indispensible. (See Recommended Links. To the right. Down. And to the right. Down. And to the right.)

   Basically, I like everybody!

   But I like me best.

   Happily, we every once in awhile get other publications that like us, too. If you will indulge me:

   From Texas Bar Journal, listing its five fave websites (including that Grudge and that Hulu):

DallasBasketball.com

Mike Fisher is the founder of this site and

a former Dallas Cowboys beat writer. He

regularly breaks DFW sports stories before

anyone else, and you’ll often see a story

here days before it appears on ESPN.

   From Avid Golfer Magazine, listing its faves (and including us with that Deadspin and that Cuban BlogMaverick):

DallasBasketball.com is a bit of a deceptive title for this blog as it covers a wide spectrum of topics not limited solely to Dallas basketball or basketball at all. Everything from politics to the Cowboys to general pop culture is touched upon here, but rest assured that the Dallas Mavericks get their fair share of coverage as well.

If you’ve ever found yourself struggling to keep up with all the Mavs rumors and articles floating around the local media, DallasBasketball.com should be considered your one-stop shop. It’s also refreshing that this blog, while not afraid to take the Mavs to task, is actually pretty positive and optimistic about the Mavs chances this season.

   OK. Enough navel-gazing. But where's my Katie?

   d) My email is right there. To the right. Up. And to the right. Up. And to the right. info@dallasbasketball.com. I read almost none of them and respond to even fewer! So come by and say hello!

   e) To quote Mark Cuban: “DallasBasketball.com is not a blog. It’s an ‘information destination.’’’

   Not a blog. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

   So my silly little system of having a newspaper-quality home page with full-length feature stories, opinion column, analysis pieces, breaking news and original editorial cartoons, plus a radio deal with ESPN, an experimental dip into podcasting (with 600 so-far listeners to the last Mavs Blog Radio cast, which I suppose is good to start) and hopes to get a sponsor who does plastic surgery now that I’ve appeared on TV twice in two weeks? (Hi, Dale!)

   And then overseeing a separate-but-almost-equal DB.com Boards where thousands of others offer their stories, opinions, analyses, news, occasional meltdowns, race-baiting, Hitler-comparing and general foolishness?   

    And while that community grows and becomes more diverse by the day, the foundation of that community is made of of thousands of sports fans who have read/listened/watched us in newspapers/books/radio/TV in DFW since 1990? And have been a part of DB.com since we launched this beast in 2000, sometimes only to witness my habit of navel-gazing? 

   My system sux worse than Jon Barry, I know. But I think I’ll keep her.

500am feb 6 2009