Missed something online this week? No worries! Every weekend, BallinEurope.com brings you the best, weirdest, coolest, and/or worthiest stories from the great big blogosphere. Be sure to check this space when you’re messing around on your days off, and do yourself a favor by reading these recommendations: You’ll be happy you did.
The best basketball-related story of the week perhaps anywhere was turned in at FiveMagazine.com: Namely, an interview with NBA classic World B. Free so extensive it had to be spread over four entries. Enjoy a nice long read about one of the game’s great names by starting at part one here.
The always excellent EuropeanProspects.com provides a translation of handy, notebook-style comments by France’s national team coach Richard Billant originally made in the French-language newspaper Basket News.
Who’s the hardest working guy in the sportswriting business? Well, okay, it’s probably Bill “The Sports Guy” Simmons of ESPN.com, who by some estimates works approximately 36.3 hours per day in crafting magazine columns, tossing off 5,000-word rants for the website, executing a podcast with a buddy or two, tweeting on Twitter incessantly, and all the while somehow also catching enough key games in the major sports and about 27 reality shows per week.
A close second, however, has got to be David Hein. Just check out his website alone – and this doesn’t even represent his outsourced work! “I just love writing about sports,” he frequently says. Gee, no kidding. This week, Mr. Hein is envy-inducingly in Rhodes for the U20 European Championship Men. Please read his coverage this week here at BallinEurope.com or at heinnews.com.
Highly regional in feel is HoopsAddict’s interview of New Jersey-based sportswriter Dave D’Alessandro, but it’s still a great read.
Over at the always smokin’ TheStartingFive.net, the rants were totally unleashed this week – i mean, even for them. Check out “If you have a weight problem, face it” and “Why don’t journalists call out their own?” to warm up, before soberly contemplating Starting Five’s take on the nasty little incident involving a swimming club in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “I would reject the offer, too,” declares the writer in the title before reminding that “Just because we have a Black president doesn’t mean racism will cease. Get over the sentiment and change the dynamic from within.”
Back to basketball but staying in America, one site BallinEurope happily discovered is Slam and Freaknick’s Euroleague Adventures or, more succinctly, EuroleagueAdventures.com. These dudes have more energy and enthusiasm for all things Euroleague than anyone on that side of the puddle — and they do podcasts, too. Like most basketball sites this week, European Adventures considers Walter Hermann’s jump back the Continent – with YouTube videos!
Finally, here’s all-American Sports Illustrated’s take on Rubio-to-Minnesota. (For those who just can’t get enough, understand…) Happy reading, all!
