Bill Simmons: The Sports Guy

Many of you out there, or at least those who are actually reading this drivel, know that I am not only a huge sports fans, but that I had previously been employed by the local newspaper and covered local sporting events for actual writing purposes.

Anyway, over the past few years I have sort of grown an attachment, obsession, etc. towards Bill Simmons, more commonly known as 'The Sports Guy'.

Simmons is currently a writer for ESPN's Page 2 and ESPN: The Magazine. His knowledge of sports, blended with humor and very bright ideas has promoted him to my favorite sports writer of all-time. Now granted, I am only 27 and my knowledge of previous sports writing history is very brief. But, Simmons doesn't just cover the game and tell you about it - he digs deep; he sees things that many don't see.

This is the type of writer that I wanted to become. In his Page 2 column he blends his sports knowledge, not only with humor, but with entertainment as well.

Simmons was just a working schlub like myself, when he worked for the Boston Herald (ok, the Boston Herald is a little more superior then the Press-Republican....but just a little), but he wanted more. So, he quit the paper and began a website where he called himself 'The Boston Sports Guy' (it has since been shortened as he delves into the entire sports universe, not just New England's). This was back when websites were not as well known yet - but his site catapulted him into the mainstream.

If I had one wish (besides, you know long and lasting life, health and happiness for my family) it would be to accomplish what he was able to accomplish. Because of his writing style he has developed a huge following, been signed by the biggest sports entertainment business (ESPN), is known by many celebrities and athletes, and can attend basically any event that he wants.

Bill Simmons is my sports writing hero. And who knows - maybe I can be Sports Guy 2. But, I seriously doubt that.

Conspiracy Theory

I don't usually get online much during the weekend, so I thought I would write a second blog for the weekend.

I have come to the conclusion that someone is watching me. They might not be still watching me, but they were at least watching me while I was in college. During my time at college I took a lot of writing classes, especially creative writing classes. Of course in those classes you are forced to be, well, creative. During one of those classes I began a story about a young man with super powers. I named that story Johnny Underpants. In this story, a young man is late for school one day, and with sleep still in his eyes throws on his clothes, mistakenly putting his underpants on outside his regular pants. In doing so, it triggered a power in him that gave him super strength, x-ray vision, super speed, etc. I thought the story was pretty good, especially for something I had to think up on the fly during a college class.

Well, a few years had passed by and I went to a bookstore in Pittsburgh, and what do I find? A copy of a book called Captain Underpants. Now this isn't exactly my story about Johnny, but come on, the resemblance is pretty uncanny. This could have been a book that I wrote. I should be raking in this guys money.

But the conspiracy doesn't stop there.

Just this year it got a little deeper. In possibly that same class, I can't remember, I wrote another short story entitled Bank Jobs. In this story a father and his friend rob banks to help pay for the medical bills for the father's sick daughter. Now, I have not seen, nor do I think I will see, the new movie entitled The Bank Job. I know it may not be exactly modeled after my short story, but it's just another smack to the face. A movie with the title of my short story. I feel like I am living that movie Big Fat Liar.

I don't know what exactly is happening, but I do know that for every other story, script, note that I write I will be keeping an eye over my shoulder. Someone is definitely cashing in on my ideas.