Scott Raab is a one-man gang after LeBron James. I think his stuff on the James Misghegoss has been funny.
I admire Wright Thompson for many reasons, chiefly his talents as a reporter and his ambition as a bonus piece writer, but his most recent article is a bloated and self-important piece on James’ return to Cleveland. It brings out Thompson’s worst quality, all too often, he WRITES FOR THE AGES, and in the process he gets in the way of the story.
I like Charles Pierce’s take best:
This Blog would like to state for the record how tired it has become of the city of Cleveland, and its basketball team, and its basketball fans, and anything to do with how all of the above had their poor widdle hearts broken last summer when a player decided that seven years was long enough for anyone to play basketball in Cleveland. (And no more bellyaching about The Decision, either. Had The Decision gone the other way, and had he announced that he was staying, nobody in Cleveland would have been clutching their pearly about the good taste of it all.) This also goes for everyone else in every other city — including this one — who has been wailing the Ich bin ein Clevelander blues all season. Not one of you really cares about Cleveland or its basketball fans. Do not assume everyone in your audience is as dumb as a rock.
Seriously, get over yourselves, all of you.
I say James and the Heat romp tonight.
Despite winning consistently in hoops forever, and then becoming a football power, we were still subject to more bitching and moaning about the red sox and their widdle world series drought than all of the other sports stories about losing teams combined. I think Cleveland can lament losing Lebron James without even winning one lousy title with the guy.
Yeah, I agree (James goes nuts on Cleveland).
But not because of any emotional thing, narrative arc, or any jazz like that. It's just that the Cavs suck.
Charlie Pierce is currently my favorite sports writer.
[2] Yup, he went nuts.
Wow I couldn't even get started on that Wright Thompson piece.
4) I think he's stuck on being a big "southern writer." He's trying to be Deford and Gary Smith all rolled into one. Very talented guy. Maybe he'll get better when he's not trying so hard to be so important.
I don't really keep up on things like this, so I'm not familiar and maybe your intro biased me (I'm easily swayed haha) but the self-importance seemed to ooze through from the first words.