Frequent visitors to the site have probably noticed that the “Alley-Oop” sidebar posts have disappeared. Well, they’re actually still here, just bumped into the main column for now.
Given how slow things have been — and the fact I’m much more likely to post a quick link or two than a full-fledged post — I figured this would keep the page more fresh and help make the discussions that take place in the comments of those sidebar posts easier to find. I may tweak the style to further differentiate Alley-Oop posts from regular posts (right now, the only difference is that the headline font is slightly smaller), but let me know if you have any suggestions.
I’ve been meaning to do a “state of the blog” post for long while but have pushed it back for reasons that are both overly ambitious and lazy. Basically, the form of the post I imagined in my head was some sort of super meta “this is what I’m thinking, these are my plans, what are your suggestions?” type thing, but the challenge to actually translate the post from brainwaves to pixels grew more and more daunting the longer I waited.
So, naturally, I kept waiting.
But now that the season is about to end (whether it’s Sunday afternoon or, hopefully, sometime after that), I find myself in a bit of a rush to finally throw whatever jumbled thoughts I had into a post. It’s not going to be nearly as organized or coherent as I hoped, but considering this site’s daily traffic will inevitably nosedive the day after the Pistons are officially eliminated, I figured I better try seek feedback now while there’s still a semi-engaged audience.
[In case it’s not clear by now, this is where I should probably warn you that this post has nothing to do with the Pistons or the NBA. This is about the blog: my commitment to it, my plans for it, and how I hope to empower more readers (including the active community of commenters and the passive 95% who never comment) to have their voice heard. It’s overindulgent and very likely dull, so feel free to skim or ignore completely.]Continue reading ‘State of the Blog’
Let’s eliminate cancer. No, I’m not kicking Allen Iverson while he’s down (zing!) — I’m trying to raise awareness for an actual cancer fundraiser a good friend of mine is participating in. Times are tough and money is tight, but even a small donation can help do some good. So if you can, please do.
As I’m sure many of you noticed, things have been a little slow around these parts the last few days — I’m in Las Vegas doing my best to support the struggling economy, one botched March Madness parlay after another. As always, many thanks to Kevin S. and Mike P. for keeping things fresh.
Apologies for the lack of a game thread for Saturday’s Pistons-Hawks game — between my weekend laziness and Kevin’s foodie blogging, it slipped through the cracks. But, like always, you guys made due.
Apologies for the downtime today. My host, MediaTemple, was experiencing some hiccups — if you’re reading this now, things should be back to normal. Thanks to everyone who reached out to alert me of the problems.
In my haste to get the arena for last Wednesday’s Detroit Bad Boys Suite Night, I forgot my camera. In hindsight it was the best decision I made all night because it gave me the perfect excuse to ask Garrett, who’s not only a long-time DBB commenter but also the best wedding photographer in all of Ontario, if I could post his pictures from the night. Here they are:
After I finally got to the arena (I was late, as usual), Pistons communications guy Dave Wieme kicked off the night by giving us a behind-the-scenes tour of the Palace, visiting some of the bunker suites and VIP lounges that most of us only hear about.
From there we had a chance to watch the team warm up from courtside, which I’m pretty sure was the highlight of everyone’s night. That’s also when we met up with my good friend Natalie, who has a blog of her own I’m sure you’ve seen. Eventually we grabbed some dinner and headed upstairs to the suite to watch the Pistons celebrate the (alleged) death of smallball with their biggest win of the season.
This was the third time the Pistons have hosted a DBB suite night, and on behalf of everyone who made it out (Garrett, Brad, Brandon, Jan, Zach and everyone’s friends and family), I’d like to thank the organization — and Mr. Wieme in particular — for making it happen.
Long-time readers may remember that the Pistons have been gracious enough to offer Detroit Bad Boys the use of the Pistons.com suite on a couple occasions — first last March and again this past November — complete with a behind-the-scenes tour and a chance to watch the team warm up from courtside.
I’ve had a blast at both events, especially since it’s given me a chance to put a face to some of the names I see pop up every day in the comments. Next week, I hope to see some more faces: the Pistons have given DBB the suite for Wednesday’s game against the Raptors, which means I have three pairs of tickets to give away this weekend.
Yes, it’s short notice, especially when you consider you’ll need to be at the Palace by 5:00 to take part in all the pre-game fun, which may or may not require you to duck out of work early to avoid traffic. But for those who can make it …
How can you win?
Sign up for a Twitter account (if you don’t have one already);
Post a Tweet saying something like “I’m trying to win Pistons tickets from @detroitbadboys.” (Important: whatever you end up writing, be sure to include “@detroitbadboys” since that’s how I’ll be tracking entries.)
Monday morning, I’ll announce four winners selected at random. That’s it. Good luck!
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