Today's Beers with Bloggers feature is with Graig from The Money Shot...he is from Hilliard, Ohio and is a graduate from THE REAL U - Miami (Ohio) with a degree in Sport Organization...Book Mark His Blog...before we begin, I want to thank him for taking the time to respond...
Q1. Why do you blog? How long have you been doing The Money Shot?
A. It's pretty simple really. I blog because I hate my job and it gives me something to look forward to everyday. While that is pretty much true, I just love blogging. Everything about it is great. You can get news anywhere but it takes something special to spin satire into a story.
I've been doing The Money Shot for about 20 months now and we are continually growing when it comes to site traffic. It's really helped that in the past month I've been fortunate enough to receive links from SI's Extra Mustard and Deadspin though. But I don't do it for the links. I blog to express my opinion and I am fortunate enough to have a loyal base of friends/commenters who stop by daily to tell me that I am an idiot.
Q2. What are your strengths at blogging? Why is The Money Shot a good blog?
A. Well, you aren't going to find any breaking stories on my site and you're only getting one post a day. Those are the rules. Since frequency of posts is a weakness, I think that my strengths are loud opinions, tasteless jokes, and the fact that locally (Ohio), there are always a ton of related stories that drive conversation from my readers.
I really do think that I run a good blog. Others likely disagree, but when the traffic continues to grow, the comments pour in, and people come up to me at bars and say that they loved so-and-so topic, it makes me feel like I'm doing something right. I sometimes fall into the trap of talking about things that only I would care about, so I try to stay away from that as much as possible. I mean, how many people want to read about a Miami/Kent State football game? Hell, when my dad tells me that he likes the blog, I have to think that it's good!
Q3. What are your thoughts about two coaching legends. Bobby Knight is supposedly retired. Do you think he will come back and coach again. Then in football, what are your thoughts about Joe Paterno at Penn State?
A. I'm actually quite indifferent about both. They are both legends and they both have tarnished their legacies by staying around way too long. The Texas Tech experience was abysmal for Knight and his eyebrows in HD are scarier than the Hamburgler. If there is one thing that I will always remember about JoePa, it would be the game two years ago in Columbus when he ran off the field to take a dump. That was priceless. Oh, and he used to be a great coach, too. I guess to summarize, both Knight and Paterno were/are doing more damage than they realize and probably need to go enjoy the rest of their lives. Coaching is a young man's game these days anyway.
Q4. The NCAA Tournament is fast approaching. Who are your picks to make the Final Four and why? A. Let me just say that college basketball is a true passion of mine and I could watch any game on TV. I can't do that for any other sport besides the NFL. But college hoops is true pageantry for me. Anyway, before the season began, I predicted at Storming The Floor a Final Four of Memphis, Tennessee, UCLA, and Louisville. I'm sticking with that. I realize that the Tigers and Vols absolutely suck from the free throw line, but whatever. The fact that all 4 of those teams are top 15 teams still amazes me. I'm picking UCLA over Tennessee in the Finals. I love what Ben Howland has done out there and the Bruins have no weaknesses. But since the Bruins are likely to be the chic pick, I'm sure they will lose in round two.
Q5. What are your thoughts about this upcoming baseball season? Every year there is surprise team that makes the playoffs. Who is this year's surprise team?
A. To be honest, I'm really not the biggest baseball fan anymore. Don't get me wrong, I pay attention, but as a Yankees fan, it just isn't as fun as it used to be. It's almost become too business-like in the Bronx and my expectations are so high for them that if they don't win the World Series, it's a disappointment. I mean, it's great to have high goals for yourself, but it sucks to know that every season comes down to winning a ring or complete failure. Whew, enough of that. As far as surprise teams go this year...I really like the Mariners. If King Felix can finally put it all together, he and Bedard make up one hell of a 1-2. The bullpen in Seattle remains strong and they will always score runs with Ichiro at the top. The fact that the Angels are in a decline (and apparently I'm the only who sees this), only makes me feel stronger that the M's win the West.
Q6. Real quick - your thoughts about Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel?
A. I know that you know this, but I HATE anything Ohio State. It isn't easy living in Columbus and putting up with their fan's constant egotistic bullshit. I've had to listen to freaking Terrelle Pryor updates every damn day for the past 2 months. I hate it. But, I do respect Gentleman Jim. He's a great football mind that almost always has his boys up to the task even though they have a bullseye on their chests each and every week. Whether he's a cheater or a liar or not is beside the point. The guy can coach. I just hope that he doesn't waste everyone's time by getting to a BCS Title game again.
Q7. Personally I love following the NFL Draft. People like me have been ripped for "not having a life" by such great American thinkers like Rick Reilly. What are your thoughts about the NFL Draft? Do you follow it, why or why not?
A. First of all, Rick Reilly is the biggest pompous ass in all of sports journalism (narrowly defeating Stephen A.). I, for one, LOVE the NFL Draft. I watch it all. Even Day 2...I love it. This is how NFL teams are built. You don't do it through free agency (I'm looking at you, Phil Savage), you do it through the draft. It's the only time of the year when I can stand Chris Berman. And while many people hate him, I enjoy Mel Kiper, Jr. I think that deep down, we all would love to have his job. And I love that hair...
Q8. I have to ask a non-sports question - Obama, Clinton, or McCain? Why?
A. Personally, I'm in the Obama camp. I do NOT pay close attention to politics though. I'm a democrat at heart as I embrace the ideals and priorities of the party. To me, as a guy who never watches the news, I choose my candidate based on likeability and their message. If someone is running smear ads on TV, I'm done with them. I hate that. Tell me what YOU plan on doing, not what your opponent did 25 years ago when they were in college.
Hillary seems robotic and cold-hearted. John McCain looks more and more like Monty Burns everyday. I like Barack's message of change. No, he isn't the most experienced candidate out there but look where "experience" has gotten us over the past 7 years. Change is good and should not be feared. But I'm leary that Hillary will end up getting the nod due to Obama's bad day yesterday and the "Super delegates"...whatever the hell that means.
Q9. Who are the five hottest women in sports and/or broadcasting?
1. EA - God, I love her
2. Stacey Dales - became a much bigger fan when she dropped the Schumann from her name
3. Pam Oliver - a chick with a nice ass and knowledge of football is always welcomed
4. Jillian Barberie or whatever her name is now - she might just look better standing next to those idiots on FOX though
5. Linda Cohn - what can I say, I have a horse fetish
Q10. Last question, this segment is called "Beers with Bloggers." So what are some of your favorite brews? What are some beers that you like that may not be well known nationally?
A. Ah yes, the grand finale question. Personally, I'm pretty easy to please. As long as it doesn't say Natural Light or Coors Light on the bottle, I'll probably drink it. I'm a Bud guy at heart. I've also dabbled into Heineken recently. A brew that I love that is primarily local to Central Ohio is Gordon Biersch. It is fantastic. I'm assuming that you're picking up the tab?
Once again, thank you Graig for your time....keep up the good work...and by the way, I will pick up the tab...
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