Jenn Sterger is a Better Writer Than Me And What It Has To Do With Buddy Bell
As Adam Sandler once sang, "someone kill me please". Your humble blogger does his best to write about the Royals twice a day for the entire 162 game season; which isn't easy considering the Royals are the worst team in baseball and on many nights aren't even half-way interesting. Most of the time Royals Review isn't very good and is often repetitive (or is it the Royals that are?). Still, we've had some moments around here, but I doubt I'll ever get "the call" from any major news source/site, or even from someone out in Scott City, KS for that matter.
Meanwhile, Jenn Sterger now writes for Sports Illustrated's dot.com site. You may remember the stir Sterger caused last fall, rising to internet celebrity status after a) appearing on the camera during an FSU football game, followed by Brent Musberger quipping something to the effect of "many red-blooded American men just applied to Florida State", this subsequently led to b) the Deadspin linkage to her facebook page, which included numerous pictures of her and her friends. Pictures like this:

Obviously, this is someone who needs a job in journalism. This is someone who needs a regular column. I'm frankly surprised SI snatched her up before Atlantic Monthly or The New Yorker or The New Republic did. To say nothing of ESPN.com or FOXSPORTS.com.
The saddest thing of all is (well, beyond the fact that I care) that she's probably not even "writing" these responses in any sustained sense, as they're likely ghost written from telephone or email correspondences by some intern at SI.com. Hey, if thats the way it rolls for Supreme Court justices, do you really doubt it for Sterger? Then again, do exchanges such as these really need to be faked?:
My girlfriend is pretty hot, but the other day a friend of mine who makes less money than me and is not much to look at showed up with a babe totally hotter than mine. Is it time for an upgrade, or am I just being immature? -- Mike, SeattleIt never ceases to amaze me how guys use women and money as a means of validating their existence and their place in society to one another. Sheesh. Sometimes men remind me of dogs -- they feel the need to constantly mark their territory to show dominance over one another. (I guess women are fortunate that men don't do it the same way.) Honestly, did you ever think that maybe there is more to women than their looks? Sure, your friend's date could have been hotter than yours, but was said girl the least bit intelligent, or was she strictly a piece of arm candy to elevate his status among the fellas in the group? Your girl may not be as hot, but there had to be something that attracted you to her in the first place, like intelligence, sense of humor, personality? So consider yourself the lucky one, because at least your date can form complete sentences and not spend the entire night contemplating the difference between chicken and fish.
Then again, God could simply think he did you a good enough favor giving you the better job, so the less hot girl is simply a trade-off. You can't have it all, my friend.
Right. Thank God SI is giving this discussion column space.
In other news, the Joey Gathright Era began with a bang last night, as All-Star Candidate Mark Teahen blasted a game-winning two run homer in the bottom of the 8th to propel the Royals to victory. Teahen redeemed himself after an earlier night of miscues in the field and on the basepaths.
To honor Teahen, I shall post this picture of him homering last season:

The beloved Gathright (sounds like the villian in a Jane Austen or P.G. Woodhouse novel) managed two singles, including one of the bunt-variety. This prompted numerous mentions of the horrifying effect his speed has on all pitchers, infielders and small children. Probably in our lifetime 100 pitchers will commit suicide or go insane due to the emotional stress caused by the mere existence of Gathright. Most importantly, after beginning the day at .201, his two singles raised his average to .210, meaning the Royals are spared of having a sub .200 hitter in the lineup for at least three more days.
Most importantly, the Royals insured themselves of a series victory, and go for the rare Sweep! tonight at the K. With the win, Buddy Bell raised his career managerial record to 409-579, and raised the Royal winning percentage this season to a salty .300.
Well done Buddisimo, we shall honor you with a career retrospective in two weeks when you manage your 1,000th game. In your long and distinguished career, you have earned every one of those games in the manager's seat, and every single penny you've been paid. Those lifers managing away in the Minor Leagues, all those guys who never got a break, were never given a shot, never even given a chance. You prove every day that you've earned it and they haven't. You are an example of the supreme justice and fairness bestowed upon life by our benevolent Creator.
And sincerest congrats to Buddy on another 100% correct job on the lineup card last night! He's got a streak going!!
Buddy Bell: Managing::Jenn Sterger:Writing

Jenn thinks:"My next column will reexamine Voros McCracken's controversial DIPS Study -- Defense Independent Pitching Statistics -- using a different regression formula and additional data concerning park factors. The second-half of the column will ponder: who is the hottest Royal?"
... As thoughts of Buddy asking DeJesus and Grudz to bunt threatens to send me over the edge.
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if thats true
by LeoBloom on Jun 22, 2006 12:48 PM EDT 0 recs
Focus on what matters
by FlintHillsRoyal on Jun 22, 2006 1:19 PM EDT 0 recs
Game Thread for Today's game
http://www.royalsreview.com/story/2006/6/22/14940/3337
go Royals
by royalsreview on Jun 22, 2006 2:10 PM EDT 0 recs
wow..An. Hero...
Sports Ill. has sank into the depths of People Magazine and any real sportsfan would not go there to get any kind of in depth information.
Fluff it is and it looks like the have found the perfect columnist to handle the fluff stuff.
I agree with Flint...lets get back to the important stuff and Mark Teahen for President. Hey, at least he can find his balls.
by grudz69 on Jun 22, 2006 3:02 PM EDT 0 recs
Enjoy the ride
Think about it, the Royals have a lunatic owner creating a whinny blog to combat the media conspiracy against his historical awful team. My God, it is like Nixon is running this team.
We have a youth movement in full swing, but a line up which often features only a single player younger than 28.
We have an interchangeably ridiculous pitching staff. Roles are not won on this staff, they are simply handed over with a sigh of resignation. We have a baby faced closer constantly straddling between cocky and terrified. We raid bad teams AAA castoffs with a sincere sense of gratitude.
We have a pair of corner infielders likely to end up with fewer than 20 homeruns and 120 RBIs between them. An outfield patrolled by "old," "insecure," and "scrappy;" to which we have now added, "look how fast I am." Our best bench player has a body that even a graduate student can identify with (I, like you, am one).
What's not to love? And heck, let me go out on a limb. This team will actually be better the second half! Yes, I said it. With Grenke and McDougal coming back, and say 150 - 200 Sweeny plate appearances, the Royals might actually avoid the infamy that seems to be knocking at their door. Let's have a little fun and, God Willing, raise a toast in August when the Royals win #63. Dare to dream!
Love you blog, love your wit, love your reductionist analysis. Find the joy again. - James
by James Quinn on Jun 22, 2006 3:09 PM EDT 0 recs
great line...
Great line... I hope you will post more often. That line will have me smiling all day. Sounds like the beginning of the Seven Dwarfs to me.
by grudz69 on
Jun 22, 2006 3:18 PM EDT
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another great line by James
JQ we need to see more comments and posts from you bro!!
by LeoBloom on
Jun 22, 2006 3:34 PM EDT
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Hey, R&R...
If you really want a job in the sports industry...then turn this blog into something that they would look twice at.
Oakland's Blog is not perfect ...but, we could take some lessons. Moore on the blog could be a start...some better advertisement...and maybe some actual baseball stories.
I wonder if Teahen would do an interview with you? or maybe get the new guy Joey "Gator"
The last game thread on the Oakland site had 288 posts. We had 54. If you want to be taken seriously then this site needs to improve. Or, do you want to be like Steger and write fluff stuff?
by grudz69 on Jun 22, 2006 3:12 PM EDT 0 recs
agreed 100%
I know Blez fairly well -- in an internet sense at least -- he signed me to write for the site.
I don't want to be like Sterger.
by royalsreview on
Jun 22, 2006 3:52 PM EDT
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I don't think you would...
by grudz69 on
Jun 22, 2006 4:28 PM EDT
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well...
The problem with asking the Royals front office to participate here is that, given their sensitivity to questions regarding the owner's finances and other such turned-over rocks RR would have to become a homer - and hell, you can find that kind of crap in the Royals groovy new "official" no-response allowed blog. This is a problem that Blez doesn't have with Beane - that's a well-run club, this one isn't.
I do like the idea of a Teahen interview - it's possible he might have a sense of humor about the All Star campaign.
I think this is an exceptionally well-done blog, especially since he covers such a dreadful, drecky, truly awful team. I mean, how much can you really say about Emil Brown?
by Neecy on
Jun 22, 2006 5:58 PM EDT
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yes, your right...
It won't happen overnight, as the improvement of the Royals won't either. But, setting around writing daily diatribes about the Walmart boys won't do any good. They don't listen and they don't care.
So, how about talking baseball and writing about the players that are in the organization. James' comments to R&R were good ones and I think that R... will improve the blog in time. I like his writing and I check out the blog on a daily basis.
Just as a side comment... I don't see you posting during any of the games. Why not?
by grudz69 on
Jun 22, 2006 11:51 PM EDT
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I have to admit...
You know who I'd like to see interviewed? One of the two journos who were recently deprived of their press passes. Now THAT would be fun reading!
As for the Wal-Mart boys, I agree that they don't listen and don't care. Still, I think it's a valid topic because they are the direct cause of the Royals many problems. I think they're a gross insult to this city and our fans. And, as a Jackson county resident it infuriates me that they're pocketing revenue sharing dollars while I'm paying the freight. I actually think RR is harder on the players and the front office - GM, scouts, etc - than he is on la familia Glass.
by Neecy on
Jun 23, 2006 10:54 AM EDT
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Then quit blogging
by grudz69 on
Jun 23, 2006 9:25 PM EDT
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Take pity on her, Sterger's life is harder than
per her website
"[and] more of the things she goes through because of her ever growing popularity can be seen as more tedious than tantalizing. She receives about 40-50 pokes and receives about 50-75 messages a day on facebook."
My lords, the agony!!
by visiting on Jun 25, 2006 12:45 AM EDT 0 recs










