Jamie Mottram's Sports Blog - www.misterirrelevant.com

9:43:08 AM EDT
Hearing Shout Out Louds -- 'Tonight I Have to Leave It'

After three and a half years, MisterIrrelevant.com has moved and added another writer in the manly form of my brother Chris, who's like me except young and funny. Head over there for the Mottram brand of blogging, but, before doing so, say goodbye with highlights from the 1,257 posts made here over the past 40-plus months:

Breaking News -- Let's not kid ourselves, I never broke any news, although I'm especially proud of the Duke cheer sheet and Arenas flipping off Pierce (scoops!). I also posted those Leinart party pics just six minutes after Deadspin. Story of my life.

Sports Bloggers Live -- AOL's first podcast and our labor of love for two years, it started as Pigskin Bloggers Live and ended with infinite sadness, but it did springboard FanHouse and, in some ways, Blog Show. Plus, I interviewed Mike Tyson face-to-face. Clinton Portis, C-Webb, Bill Simmons and various NFL stars, too. Reggie Jackson went crazy on us and Ron Artest rapped to us. We even made an SBL video. It was grand.

Experiential Stuff -- My favorite posts are those retelling the games and events I actually got off the couch and attended: the Nats first night in DC, the George Mason-UConn classic, the '06 NBA Draft, Gilbert's 25th birthday party, a random Wizards game, etc.

Kicking Television -- Thanks to SBL, I made monthly appearances on Cold Pizza (now First Take) for three minutes of "blogger buzz" with my good friends Dana Jacobsen and Jay Crawford. The clips are out there on the tubes somewhere if you want to laugh at me. I was also on the Today Show for like three seconds, which made the women in my life swell with pride.

Navel Gazing -- Aside from nonstop FanHouse touts, I posted bloggers' top 40 athletes, named the 20 most influential sports bloggers, listed the top 10 sports blogs, attended DC sports blogger happy hours I, II and III and partook in the NYC summit, which was one for the annals.

Blog Show -- I love working with Steinz and Littles on this thing, and I hope that three years from now it's as ubiquitous as any other late night sports program that people watch only when they can't get to sleep. Here's a link to the best of our first 10 shows as well as the Blog Show drinking game.

To anyone reading this, thank you for making it this far. I appreciate it and hope you come hang out with us over at the new site.

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11:51:49 AM EDT
Hearing The Knife -- 'Heartbeats' (great song)

This week's show started slowly/awkwardly but picked up, naturally, when we began talking mustaches a few minutes in. You be the judge, and watch out for Bog Man Dan really wanting to discuss lip fur, me mistaking Bake McBride for an ex-Royal (which he was not), shout outs to Mr. Skin, our sexual proclivity for mascots, confusing Bon Jovi with G 'n' R and, of course, me stepping all over the Steinzian one-liners. Enjoy, and remember we're having a viewing party of sorts for Blog Show XVII.

T-Shirts: Gem Mint and DNP (thanks, MoHut!)

Dan's Artisanal Cheese of the Week: Colby Jack

My YouTube of the Week: 'This Would Get Me Watching More Golf'

Topics and Sites Mentioned: MLB Mascot Brackets [Home Run Derby], Borat Appears at Tour de France [Deuce of Davenport], That Dog Could Kick Your Bike's Ass [Deadspin], Tomo Romo's Heart Will Go On [Deadspin], Mike Tyson Got Fat [With Leather], If Barry Bonds Was an Animal [Winning the Turnover Battle], Vote for the Best Sports Mustache of All-Time [American Mustache Institute], True Love: David Beckham's Hand [Kickette], Alyssa Milano Makes a New Friend [Deadspin], D-Mac's Ride Makes the Haters Come Out [EDSBS], etc., etc.

Other Quotes Considered for the Headline Here: 'Thanks For Not Calling Me the Fruit,' 'Some Guy Whose Name I Forget,' 'I Had More to Say About That,' 'Numerous Nipple Slips,' 'We Fit in That Furry Category, 'It's Been a Long Day For Me' and 'I'd Like to Talk About Mustaches More Next Week' (Ed. note: Lots of Steinz this week.)

Other Sites Featuring Blow Show No. 16:

HRD Blog Show 16 [Home Run Derby]
Look Mom! I'm on TV! [Red Sox Monster]
Last But Certainly Not Least [100% Injury Rate]
Blog Show XVI [The Dude Abides]
Blog Show 16 [The Bench Warmer]
Look for Jesse Jackson to Mobilize the Rainbow Coalition [With Leather]
Blog Show 16 [Nyjer Please]
Blog Show XVI [Deuce of Davenport]

Previous episodes of Blog Show:

1: 'Colossal Failure' | 2: Sackridin' Dirty | 3: 'Be Sad' | 4: 'No Bedding' | 5: 'Gluing of Pubes' | 6: 'That's What She Said' | 7: 'Jeffrey Sebelia' | 8: 'Your Drunken Goat' | 9: 'Phallic Symbology' | 10: 'That Gets a Ding' | Best of: '100-to-1 Odds' | 11: 'Objectifying Cheese' | 12: 'Pig Anus' | 13: 'The Balls' | 14: 'Hiatus' | 15: 'The Dude'

Note: Blog Show is on the talking picture box Fridays at 6 p.m. as part of Washington Post Live, airing Monday-Friday from 5-6:30 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet in the D.C.-Baltimore region and also on washingtonpost.com. Subscribe to Blog Show's YouTube feed and pepper the Blog Show inbox.

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10:33:01 AM EDT
Hearing Broken Social Scene

Almost exactly one year to the day after DC Sports Bloggers Happy Hour I (pre-FanHouse and Blog Show!) , DCSBHH IV is happening next Friday night. You're all invited, so RSVP in the comments or via email or not at all. And take a look back at DCSBHH III with one of the worst group photos/photoshop jobs of all time (thanks, MDG!):

Left to right: Awful Announcing, 289, me, Wizznutzz, Information Leafblower, DC Sports Bog and two-fifths of Kissing Suzy Kolber

Here's the official evite from Unsilent Majority (emphasis mine):

Hello assorted basement dwellers of the DC Metro Area. Jamie and I figured it was about damn time we congregated for another communal drinking fest. Tentative plans follow, please chime in your your comments, ideas, and/or dreams.

When: Friday July 27th at 5:30ish (this way we can all watch Blog Show while pointing and laughing at Jamie, Dan, and Adam)
Where: Buffalo Billiards off of Dupont Circle (it's below street level so you'll feel right at home)
Why: Because livers are overrated and bloggers need to get out more

Please forward this to any area sports bloggers that were left off of this list. But don't go inviting your commenters (those people are freaks!).

Revisit previous DC Sports Bloggers Happy Hours: I | II | III

Update: LA sports bloggers had a get together, and, shockingly, they're more tan and stylish than their DC counterparts.

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10:41:24 AM EDT
Hearing the 1st round of the British Open

Agent Steinz has returned from the West Coast where he almost certainly does not belong! And since Bog is my co-pilot yet again, Littles is back behind the camera after a week in the hot seat (highlight: breaking off a one-liner about Brady Quinn, Lonny Baxter and guns).

The three of us (plus Prada) are getting on the phone today for Blog Show's pre-production meeting, which should be a headache as this week's episode -- our super sweet 16! -- is entirely up in the air. Other than the fact that I'll be wearing MoHut's new 'GEM MINT' t-shirt, I have no clue what's happening on here. Oh, and with the British Open and all, this is front-running for YouTube of the Week:

Here's the rest of the stuff we're considering for inclusion. Let us know what's hot or not via the comments and, as always, the Blog Show inbox.

MLB Mascot Brackets [Home Run Derby]
Camel Wrestling [Das FanHaus]
American Gladiators Could Following Sunday Night NFL Games [FanHouse]
Miss Gossip Interviews Chris Paul [FanHouse]
Who's Erstwhile? [FanHouse]
Jefferson Starship Says Hook 'Em [FanHouse]
Jerry Rice Acting Out of Character [FanHouse]
Time to KO the Derek Boogard Fight School [FanHouse]
Borat Appears at Tour de France [Deuce of Davenport]
That Dog Could Kick Your Bike's Ass [Deadspin]
Tomo Romo's Heart Will Go On [Deadspin]
Mike Tyson Got Fat [With Leather]
If Barry Bonds Was an Animal [Winning the Turnover Battle]
The Definitive Rickey Henderson [100% Injury Rate]
Who's Now? [Check Out My HEMI]
Designing Your Own Crappy Sports Blog [My Brain Says Rage]
Vote for the Best Sports Mustache of All-Time [American Mustache Institute]
True Love: David Beckham's Hand [Kickette]
Simmons Out of Running for RSN Prez [Boston Dirt Dogs]
Stephon Marbury Is Blogging Crazy Talk [Posting and Toasting]
Alyssa Milano Makes a New Friend [Deadspin]
Inside the ESPYs [With Leather]
Human Foosball [The Offside]
Giants Mascot Beefs With Dodger Fans [Say Hey]
The Old Iron Ball Soccer Trick [We Are the Postmen]
Stadium Food You Can't Miss [The Sports Hernia]
D-Mac's Ride Makes the Haters Come Out [EDSBS]
Ohio State Fan's Mural Project [EDSBS]
Scooby Doo Responds to Michael Vick [Blog of Hilarity]

Programming note: Blog Show is on the talking picture box Fridays at 6 p.m. as part of Washington Post Live, airing Monday-Friday from 5-6:30 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet in the D.C.-Baltimore region and also on washingtonpost.com. Subscribe to Blog Show's YouTube feed.

Update: As more links come in, I'll throw them down here ...

Braves Fans Do Wacky Stuff, Too [Red Sox Monster]
Baseball's Best Afros [Bugs and Cranks]

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4:08:19 PM EDT
Hearing My Morning Jacket -- 'Knot Comes Loose'

That was an actual utterance on this morning's SportsCenter during the maligned Who's Now segment. Thankfully, my ears weren't deceiving me as Fire Joe Morgan has the full transcript and subsequent takedown, which somehow devolves into questioning whether or not Jessica Biel just outed Dwyane Wade on national television.

I'd love to hear Dirk's attempt at answering the central Who's Now question.

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10:56:58 AM EDT
Hearing the Toasters

He's arguably baseball's best story playing for baseball's worst team, leading the NL in batting while chilling on the trading block. He's Dmitri Dell Young, apple of my eye not once but twice in recent months, and I hope the Nats don't deal him over the next two weeks.

Why not? For one, I need someone other than Ryan Zimmerman to root for in this wretched everyday lineup. And, more importantly, Dmitri may qualify as a Type B free agent this offseason, meaning that if Washington loses him after offering arbitration, they'll get a supplemental first round pick as compensation. That's more than they'd get from a contender leading up to the deadline and fits in perfectly with The Plan.

So let's rejoice in Da Meat Hook and support the "KEEP HIM!" movement while we can with these new t-shirts. I'm unfamiliar with their origin, but Agent Steinz passes them along and I'll be wearing one on next week's Blog Show:

For more on our favorite National, who's been hitting a Splendid Splinter-esque .406 over the past 51 games, visit your friendly neighborhood blogosphere:

Alyssa Milano Makes a New Friend [Deadspin]
A Shirtless Dmitri Young Greets Caron [DC Sports Bog]

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12:35:24 PM EDT
Hearing the White Stripes

A sports blog named Stop Mike Lupica made recent posts titled 'Who Has Been Buying Will Leitch Drinks?' and 'Is the AOL Fanhouse Ruining Reading Blogs?,' and may consider a name change to Criticize Bigger Sites. That's no knock, as I love criticism in all forms and am flattered that SML turned an eye to our creation.

The response so far has been interesting: 1) SML's comment thread is 30 strong and counting (sample: "Burn FanHouse to the ground."). 2) Deadspin picked up the post and titled it 'Jamie Mottram Is Ruining the Planet' (which is funny). 3) And Ballhype kicked it around, with one of their users saying he'd "love to hear the flip side's discussion points."

That said, here's my response to some of the statements made by SML (pictured at right):

"Jamie Mottram's AOL Fanhouse page has become the biggest  juggernaut in this field.  It has surpassed Deadspin, and is #1 according to Ballhype's rankings.  It's hype is set at 1000.  To give you some prespective, Deadspin, the #2 blog, has 823 hype rating; Awful Announcing is currently 10th with a rating of 258, or about 1/4th of the AOL Fanhouse.  The 100th ranked blog has a rating of 76, and happens to be, right now... us.  So those numbers are probably meaningless."

To quote Ballhype, their blog rankings are "based on recent inbound links from other blogs tracked by Ballhype." This is a similar formula to that which Technorati uses for their widely quoted top 100 blogs.

"Deadspin averages around 6million views a month I believe; AOL probably doesn't get that many just yet, but is pretty close we guess."

According to two different internal reporting systems, FanHouse has averaged over 18 million page views per month over the past three months.

"[FanHouse's MJD] no longer writes creative, off-the-wall stuff, like letters from Joey Porter's dog, or whatever."

Carrying on in the rich tradition of his Letters From Pets series, MJD wrote a letter from Bud Selig's doberman pincher earlier this month.

"Those AOL commenters... oh, man.  As cliche as it is to say, low brow is still two floors higher than they can strive for, yo."

Our commenting system is in dire need of improvement. I'll grant you that, yo.

"If you paid me, I would write for AOL, too.  Hell, I've entertained discussions of leaving this site to write for the SB Nation because they pay, so let's not be hypocritical."

I'm not sure that SB Nation has ever recruited Stop Mike Lupica, but I'm certain they don't pay most of their bloggers. Rather, their system is based primarily on ad revenue sharing.

"The issue isn't Shoals and MJD getting bread.  The issue is this:  because they can get more bread writing for AOL, we as readers are getting screwed.  I can't see Shoals' posts at AOL being as great, or having as much creativity, as what he did on FD."

Bethlehem Shoals continues to post frequently on Free Darko (averaging about 20 posts/month), and MJD is more prolific now -- writing The Debriefing five days/week -- than ever before. So I don't understand the issue.

Head over to SML for the entire piece, and check out two more critiques -- one picking and one panning -- that have focused on FanHouse in recent months:

Why You Can and Should Read and Root for AOL's FanHouse [Burnt Orange Nation]
The Flaw in the FanHouse: A Look at the Blogosphere [Dawg Sports]

Update: Bflo Blog has a sensible take on this.

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10:45:24 PM EDT
Hearing A Tribe Called Quest

Just over a year ago, And 1 Mix Tape baller Air Up There completed the first known 720-degree dunk only to disappear -- at least from my radar -- for the 12 months that followed. Seems that he, like Billy Hoyle before him, was unable to replicate the near-impossible feat that put him on the map in the first place.

Unlike Billy Ho', his repeat attempts were not futile. Air Up There done did it again, ripping off a 720 last week in the Ball 4 Real tour in Detroit. Considering the time that passed between these two rim rockers, color me and Sidney Deane impressed.

And bravo to Mik Rock and NinjaDude for shooting and editing that clip. The best YouTube videos have a) an eye-opening occurrence b) great crowd reaction and c) respect for brevity. Check, check and check, my friends. Well done.

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4:05:41 PM EDT
Hearing the Rapture

After two months on the shelf with what was thought to be a torn meniscus, the doctor informs that I have a bruised bone in my knee. Here's a money shot from the MRI:

See all that whiteness on the right side there? Yeah, that's the bruise. And, no, my knee is not connected to my vagina (good one though, Chris!). Doc says it may take three or four months before it's healed and I can play basketball, tennis, etc., which seems like a long time ... for me to get fat. Anyone else out there have a more positive prognosis?

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11:58:00 AM EDT
Hearing Spoon -- 'The Underdog'

You know, this Littles kid may have a future in pictures. So watch your back, Steinz!

T-Shirts: Clinton for President and Bench More Than Durant

Dan's Artisanal Cheese of the Week: Ballpark Nacho Cheese

My YouTube of the Week: 'Human Tetris Is an Uphill Battle'

Sites Mentioned: Mondesi's House, Kissing Suzy Kolber, Deadspin, The Big Lead, Sports by Brooks, Every Day Should Be Saturday, FanHouse, Seattle Times M's Blog, USS Mariner, Simon on Sports, Doberman on the Diamond and 100% Injury Rate

Other Quotes Considered for the Headline Here: Something about Brady Quinn, Lonnie Baxter and guns.

Other Sites Featuring Blow Show No. 15:

Your Pain Is Our Gain [100% Injury Rate]
Blog Show XV [The Dude Abides]
Mottram Has Fought in 18 Blog Wars [With Leather]
Blog Show Debut [Doberman on the Diamond]
Blog Show 15 [Nyjer Please]

Previous episodes of Blog Show:

1: 'Colossal Failure' | 2: Sackridin' Dirty | 3: 'Be Sad' | 4: 'No Bedding' | 5: 'Gluing of Pubes' | 6: 'That's What She Said' | 7: 'Jeffrey Sebelia' | 8: 'Your Drunken Goat' | 9: 'Phallic Symbology' | 10: 'That Gets a Ding' | Best of: '100-to-1 Odds' | 11: 'Objectifying Cheese' | 12: 'Pig Anus' | 13: 'The Balls' | 14: 'Hiatus'

Note: Blog Show is on the talking picture box Fridays at 6 p.m. as part of Washington Post Live, airing Monday-Friday from 5-6:30 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet in the D.C.-Baltimore region and also on washingtonpost.com. Subscribe to Blog Show's YouTube feed and pepper the Blog Show inbox.

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