I’ll have much more on Bloggergate in this week’s paper version of Unfair Park. (Wait till you get a load of how the thing really started.) But this morn’ I get an email from Greg Holland, better known as the passionate, pro-active dude who kick-started this site seconds after the Mavs’ gut-wrenching, head-scratching loss to the Spurs back on February 28. You remember Avery Johnson’s cunning strategy in that one, right?
Week or so later Mavs owner Mark Cuban banned bloggers with his infamous quote, “A blogger is a blogger is a blogger.” Well, sorta. Because, see, after the NBA essentially banned Cuban’s ban last week, he announced he’d open the Mavs’ locker room to any and all bloggers: “Which means we will encourage all bloggers to apply, whether they be someone on blogspot who has been posting for a couple weeks, kids blogging for their middle school Web site or those that work for big companies. We won’t discriminate at all.”
Holland, naturally, applied for a credential to tomorrow night’s game against Golden State. He says he received this email response from Cuban: “Your blog hasn’t been in existence long enough to qualify and for common sense reasons, we wouldn’t credential you even if it were.”
Ouch.
After some more e-mail give-and-take, Holland says Cuban eventually provided him a slightly easier pill to swallow: “I don’t have a problem with the site. Passion is a good thing. Even if it’s for something that we don’t like. In this case, with the number of requests we are getting, we have to draw the line somewhere. It has to be Mavs specific and been around for at least 6 months.”
In making his point, Cuban seemingly opened Pandora’s blog box. Or did he? Though there are 72 comments responding on Cuban’s invitation to essentially audition for a bloggers credential, a Mavs official tells me this morning you can count the official requests on one hand. --Richie Whitt
Much like worrying about the calls of the referees or what the Mavs record is when certain referees do certain games, who gives two squirts of monkey piss what blogger is where. This is Cuban trying to throw out his 12 pounder out on the table.
Memo to you Mark, how about you focus on making trades that make your squad better not only for the short term but for the long. Spend less time worrying about the freaking bloggers in your room and more time worrying about trading away youth, speed and future number 1's.
You will have plenty of time to think this over in the offseason considering this one will be longer than most. With all the irons you have in the fire, isn't it about time you trade this toy in for a new one? People are going to be calling for Avery's head and probably Donnie's too. Fact of the matter is you are the one that was sporting wood over JKidd and is no shooting 35 year old ass. Really unfortunate that Avery and Donnie will likely be the fall guys for your brilliance.
You and Hicks need to stop hanging out. His fantastic traits are rubbing off on you.
Posted at: April 1, 2008 9:03 PM