SB Nation User Blog: tominhawaii

Junk Drawer 7/3 - Why signing Hedo means we'll have to trade Batum?

tominhawaii — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:16:39 -0000

Corvid had a neat comment in another thread.

I don’t think homo sapiens are wired to deal with uncertainty very well. One of the the things I love about this time of year is seeing how different people respond to the suspense. Some people step back and and get superanalytical; some put their faith in their fearless leader; some strive to uncover every piece of information and solve the puzzle; and yes, some go nuts. It makes for very interesting reading.

What kind of person on you?

Poll

Do you like crust?

OT: My advice on how to write a good FanPosts if you are not me

tominhawaii — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:02:55 -0000

Editors Note: I know my title is a bit arrogant and in my defense, I normally do not write basketball related FanPosts. I added the "if you are not me," because it would be really easy to call me out on this advice.

With the exception of an introduction, the FanPost should be about your subject and not you or the audience. The fewer personal pronouns the better, even if it is an opinion piece or a rant, the fewer times you use, "I" or "you," the better. Using those two words takes the focus off the subject of your FanPost, and places it on the author or the audience.

Whenever it is possible, use a spell checker and proofread the FanPost before you publish it. If you publish your FanPost and notice a mistake, you can edit your post. Simply go to "Manage FanPosts," then got to "Actions," then click the icon that looks like a sheet of paper with a pencil over it. No matter how many times I proofread, I always find a mistake after publishing. You can easily fix broken links and misspelled words using those two steps.

Always research your subject. The quickest way to lose credibility in a FanPost is to make a mistake, misquote, or use an incorrect stat that could have easily been researched by Google. You can say you like one player more than the other, but do not say he is a better rebounder without first checking the stats. Perception can be deceiving.

Feel free to take a stand. If you are an advocate of a certain player, state your case, and be mindful that some of the folks that will read your post might agree with you, so do not accuse everyone of disagreeing with you. I personally hate being accused of something when it is not true.

When you write a trade proposal, do two quick things, see if it will work on something like the ESPN Trade Machine or the RealGM Trade Checker, and try to look at the trade from the perspective of the other team’s fans. Do not bother pretending to be the other team’s GM, pretend you are a fan of that team. If you envision yourself trying to rationalize the trade instead of being excited about it, then it is probably unrealistic.

Try to not to use clichés and strive to be original. The first step in originality is looking at the recent FanPosts to make sure you are not duplicating a post.

More than a few of my grammar instructors told me not to use the passive voice. Admittedly, I have been known to use the passive voice. I do think it is important to be aware of it.

Don’t use contractions and don’t end your sentences with a preposition no matter where you come from. I’m kidding on this one, sort of.

After you post your FanPost, let it simmer. A compelling fanspost will have folks who agree with you and who disagree with you, give them time to hash it out before you reply. Then you sound like the wise person who wraps up the thread instead of that guy who replies to every comment. FanPosts need time to mature.

I am sure I missed some things and I am not an authority on any of this. Please take it for what it is worth. I do think that following my advice will lead to more recommendations for your FanPost.

Luv,

Tom

5/24 Junk Drawer - Zombies

tominhawaii — Sun, 24 May 2009 15:02:08 -0000

I did a search for zombie on Blazers Edge and found 303 comments, 3 FanPosts, and 1 FanShot. The posts really had nothing to do with zombies so I thought it was about time for a Zombie Junk Drawer.

Some of you may know that I'm an amateur film maker. A new concept I'm working on involves a zombie outbreak starting at a Minnesota Timberwolves game. I'd like to share a little with you folks as a sounding board and see if you folks have any fresh ideas.

I want to start the movie with Kevin McHale forcing all his players to take a PED made with a virus, and during the next game the players all have a spectacular first half. Then at half time, they turn into zombies and when they return to the court, they play like the Timberwolves we are used to.

I got some kinks I need to work out and wonder if I want the Blazers to be the opponent or some other team. Right now I'm leaning towards the Blazers. I think a fun way to kill zombies would be to have Oden throw basketballs at the zombie's head and make it explode.

Please discuss.

Poll

Do you like polls?

Yes

43 votes

No

10 votes

Undecided

45 votes

98 votes | Poll has closed

Junk Drawer 5/20 - "Fake" Trade Rumors

tominhawaii — Wed, 20 May 2009 07:26:40 -0000

I'm going to start two. I don't need a source because it is a rumor. Feel free to make up your own rumors since it is the Junk Drawer.

I've talked to a few GM's and they told me Portland to trying to trade up, to grab a lottery pick they've targeted.

More than one source has told me that Portland, with the youngest team in the playoffs last year, is looking to move out of the draft and consolidate some young talent for veteran leadership, possibly at the point.

EDIT: Here is my old poll, it was lame.

Do you feel sorry for Blake Griffin? (Excluding the huge paycheck he's about to get.) -- This poll sucked. The results were 37% yes, 56% no, and 6% maybe.

Here is a better poll.

Poll

Who is the next American Idol?

Adam Lambert

24 votes

Kris Allen

16 votes

40 votes | Poll has closed

5/12 - Flag this Junk Drawer

tominhawaii — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:57:59 -0000

My wife and all her coworkers are Blackberry instant message addicts. This one guy we know from her work, was sent an IM from another coworker. It was of a photo of her naked in bed, with just the sheet covering up her honey pot. She says it was an accident, and I half believe her because she is a lesbian and our friend is her boss. It didn't keep me from reenacting the pose and putting it on Facebook.

{One Update Yo!}

I changed the photo to a tomato because my man boobs are un-epic.

via i80.photobucket.com

P.S. I updated the post just to be a jerk.

P.S.S. So's your face.

Poll

9 votes

Rebecca Haarlow (added late)

3 votes

142 votes | Poll has closed

Junk Drawer 5-7 Thoughts on the Draft

tominhawaii — Thu, 07 May 2009 11:54:23 -0000

First and foremost, I should state that I prefer to spell "draft" like this: "draught." Now, I am no expert on the draught but I think I am a connoisseur. I dad blame love draught beer. It is the bee’s knees, the condom’s ribs, or the monkey’s chin. If I could, I would drink draught beer every day. Well I guess I can, I just don’t because it would make me fatter. Draught beer is good. It’s better than the thought of tominrehab getting banned from Blazers Edge.

I was going to list all my favorite beers but it would be easier to lists the beers I do not like. If it’s not listed, then it is safe to assume that I like it.

Heineken
Stella Artois
Anything by Gordon Biersch

For a little Bill Simmons pop culture tangent, I’m watching Iron Eagle right now. Stiles is in it, so is Lamar Latrell, Jan Levinson, Buck, and Oliver.

Junk Drawer - 5/2 - Kentucky Derby/The Get Rid Of West Side Bernie FanPost

tominhawaii — Sat, 02 May 2009 10:48:07 -0000

Listen, I know there are a ton of you out there that feel the way I do, so I wish to try to help Blazers Edge by just making a designated post for all the West Side Bernie hate that will be coming out during the next few days. Let's try to restrict it to one post, so we don't annoy those blind West Side Bernie backers (That is in no way a backhanded insult to fans of Bernie). We know that Bernie is the biggest weakpoint in the Derby, and both the Kentucky Derby and Bernie himself would be better apart.

All I'm saying with this is, let's reduce the Fan Post population, and just vent our West Side Bernie feelings here.

The race starts at 3:04 PM PST and 12:04 PM HST. It should be fun to watch together like we did last year.

Junk Drawer 4/30 - Post Playoff Melancholy

tominhawaii — Fri, 01 May 2009 04:12:43 -0000

I made a video reenacting my recent vacation. After watching tonights game, I might retitle it, "Reaction to Portland - Houston Game 6."

I'm going to go to a bar and have choke drinks now. I'm not really sad about the loss, just a little dissapointed. I think I'm feeling about 5% as bad as I felt when Oden's knee broke last year.

With that, I say bring on the draft, I'm always right, and you're always wrong.

Draft Tyler Hansbrough!

Poll

Will you continue to watch the playoffs now that the Blazers are out?

Yes

45 votes

No

19 votes

64 votes | Poll has closed

Joel Przybilla playing some smothering D on Yao Ming

tominhawaii — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 02:21:02 -0000

Joel Przybilla playing some smothering D on Yao Ming

Video of Greg Oden owning Yao Ming

tominhawaii — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 22:48:58 -0000

Video of Greg Oden owning Yao Ming