Tim Graham’s seven tips to a great sports blog

Posted on April 25, 2012 by
Tim Graham is a former ESPN reporter who currently works for the Buffalo News. He is also an adjunct professor at Canisius College, where he instructs a sports journalism class. Today’s lesson was on running a sports blog, an area he became an expert in by operating ESPN’s AFC East blog until this past summer. He has given me permission to share the lesson with you here. Follow Tim on Twitter if you don’t already.

Above all else, Tim Graham says a sports blog should be unique. Don’t rehash what everyone has already said. He points to personality, voice, unusual analysis, humor and sources as traits that make a blog unique.

Your “sources” don’t have to be high-up league officials with confidential information. Anyone who provides quality (or otherwise interesting) insight can be effective for your blog. Tim, in this example, is my “source.”

Here are his seven tips for running a successful blog, in order of importance. “If you don’t do No. 1 and No. 2, nobody’s even going to care about the other five,” he says.

1. Credibility

The standards for blogs should be the same as for journalism. Your blog is only as good as your name. If you start blowing stories, no one will trust you.

A subcategory under credibility is balance. Balanced coverage lends trustworthiness. If you cover the good along with the bad, readers feel you’re being honest with them. Tim refuses to read what he calls “homer blogs” and “hater blogs” because they don’t give you anything new or insightful. Every post promotes the same agenda and is a repeat of what that blogger has already said.

2. Over-edit

With an average sports blog, there is no editorial board. You’re the writer, copy editor, headline writer and layout editor. Your work doesn’t end when you finish writing. Read your posts two and three times before publishing.

The look of the page is also on you. Most blogging sites allow you to pick a theme, but sprucing it up is your job. Nobody expects Average Joe sports blogger to have a site that looks like the homepage for [insert your favorite professional news outlet here], but making it look attractive isn’t asking much. Lastly, follow AP Style. Don’t let the grammar and punctuation of your work — or lack thereof — distract from the meaning.

3. Be conversational

Make it fun. That can be easier said than done, but if you love what you’re covering, it should come natural. This leads into the next point…

4. Be interactive

Giving your readers a chance to talk back is a given. That’s Web 2.0 — “so 27 seconds ago,” in terms of social media. Be active on Twitter and Facebook and use comments, polls and chats to your advantage.

Tim says comments are especially important because they keep people on your page. Plus, you get more hits when people come back to your site to argue with each other. And if people visit to your site without you having to do any extra work, that’s always good.

5. Keep readers guessing

Remember in “The Mighty Ducks 2″ when Miss McKay had to coach the team and wanted them to switch lines and yelled “Change it up!”? That’s what I thought of when Tim introduced his fifth point. Throw in different types of things. Post a photo and say “hey, write a caption for this.” Audio, video, podcasts and chats are all ways to give readers something different from an average post.

Tim also noted sometimes it’s interesting to change the times of your posts with the timer function on your blog. I find that I’m always finishing up at different times of day, but if you have a routine you are in for posting, change that up too. See what your audience is like at different times of day.

6. Be a clearing house

Make your site the place to go for your topic. Link to other things that are out there (with attribution!). You can’t cover it all (especially if you’re not making any money for blogging), but if readers know your site has it all, they’ll come back for more.

Tim also mentioned how newspaper philosophy has changed over the last few years. It went from “it didn’t happen unless we report it/can confirm it” to writing the story as “so-and-so is reporting…” This makes your job as a blogger easier, because you can link to anything to tell your readers here’s what going on in the news.

7. Take chances

A great thing about the Web is that you have unlimited space. If you swing and miss, so what? Write again in 45 minutes. It’s not like the newspaper where you’re limited to so much space every day. Go big or go home, right?

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Loose ends: Answering your Jim Baron questions

Posted on April 20, 2012 by

Since Jim Baron’s introductory press conference as Canisius basketball coach, The Griffin has been rounding up answers to many of the questions regarding the hiring. Questions are in bold with responses below.

What are the expectations for Jim Baron?

School president John Hurley: “We looked at his ability to build a winner in a tough situation. He did it at St. Francis and he did it at Bonaventure and he did it at Rhode Island. I think he’s ready to do it again.

“… [Baron] asked me how long did I think it would take [to contend in the MAAC], and I said I don’t know because I don’t do this for a living. I said I have an expectation in the next four or five years that you’re going to be able to hit that level. I hope it happens sooner. I think he thinks that we have some good returning players and the short term is actually a little bit better than other kinds of situations that he’s walked into. It’s not like he has to go out and recruit a whole team.

Baron: “Expectations are to go out there and play as hard as we can.”

Was Canisius worried about Baron’s age?

Athletic Director Bill Maher: “No, not at all … experience as a head coach was one of the key elements we wanted. And thankfully we had a lot of that in our candidate pool. But Jim has been experienced as a head coach at the Division I level for 25 years, and for that I think it’s a level of experience and a level of savvy that he’ll bring to our sideline and into our program that will help us be successful in the league.

“There [are] some great coaches in the MAAC. There’s not as many assistant coaches who are moving up to be [first-time] head coaches. If you look at many of the hires, they’ve been experienced guys who have come from different levels and I think you’re probably going to see a little bit of a trend in that direction.”

What demands did Baron make regarding his staff?

Hurley: “There were two positions that he wanted added in addition to the assistant coaches. But we really had to upgrade the salary pool for the assistant coaches to allow him to hire the people he wanted. Also, he wanted a basketball operations position, kind of a logistics coordinator and a video person, and also some administrative support. Then there were some things in the recruiting budget that he looked at, so he’s willing to work generally within the confines, but we did have to upgrade, so we talked to him about those things and we said yeah, let’s go for it. … We haven’t sorted [the cost] all out yet, but it’s north of $100,000.”

What did players think about the hire?

Junior point guard Gaby Belardo: “He looked like a really tough guy, but that’s just how coaches are. He was really straightforward with us, he told us what he was all about – he was all about winning and school – and everybody felt very comfortable with him.

“A lot of people felt very comfortable with Jayson Gee also, but everybody knew that Jim was the right one. … He had the head coaching experience and that’s what we wanted.”

Sophomore forward Chris Manhertz said he is optimistic for the future, but added you “can’t really please everybody” with a new hire. He also mentioned many players liked Jayson Gee.

What style of play will Baron bring?

Baron says he coaches a high-energy brand of basketball that will score points. He noted that Rhode Island upgraded from a 3,000-seat arena to 8,000-seater under his leadership. “I think a lot of it is because we brought a style of excitement, scored a lot of points, [played] up-tempo, pressured the ball. It’s a very, very exciting style of play.”

Are the reports accurate that Baron’s son Billy will stay at Rhode Island?

Baron wouldn’t say much on the topic but implied Billy will not being suiting for the Griffs. “He’s finishing up and doing what he needs to do there. That’s the most important thing now.”

What’s Tom Parrotta up to?

Belardo said “it breaks my heart to see Coach P go, but it’s for the best.” There have been no official announcements on Parrotta getting a new job yet. His house is still on the market and his wife still grabs lunch with the players most days in Old Main. Junior guard Alshwan Hymes said the players have talked to Parrotta and they think he’ll be fine. “He’s a big boy,” Hymes said.

What was the deal with original contract report in the Buffalo News?

Canisius stands by the claim that that report was inaccurate and originally said it had asked the News to correct the story.

“When that was in the news, I was in the middle of a ten-day trip to Florida and hadn’t even met Jim baron at the time the story ran,” Hurley said. “[Baron] was on the list from the list from the start, but it was one of those things we didn’t know was he going to be interested in coming to Canisius, could we put a deal together that would be attractive to him or not.”

Will Baron have any attachment to current players?

Baron: “What I told the players is I’m a little bit different type of coach. Other coaches come in and they look at the players and say ‘they’re not my players.’ Every program that I’ve been a part of, the program’s players become my players. I become part of the program. It’s our program. It’s our team. It’s our family. And I told these guys, you’re part of the tradition, you’re part of the program and you’re going to be a part of what we do. And you’re an important part of what we do.”

Why wasn’t Freddy Asprilla at the press conference?

Multiple sources told The Griffin Asprilla was in class at the time of the conference. The school said Baron instructed players that class took precedence.

What teams are on tap for next year?

The dates haven’t been set yet, but both UB and St. Bonaventure will visit the Koessler Athletic Center this year. The rest of the nonleague opponents are not finalized, but the Griffs plan to go back out to Las Vegas for another game with UNLV and owe a return game to Maryland-Baltimore County. Other home nonconference opponents include Boston University, UMKC and Longwood. Canisius will be on the road for the ESPN BracketBuster game.

Follow along on Twitter for updates on the Canisius basketball team @NickVeronica.

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Not yet sold on Jim Baron

Posted on April 7, 2012 by

Athletic director Bill Maher, left, and school president John Hurley flank new basketball coach Jim Baron.

Jim Baron’s introductory press conference as Canisius basketball coach was Tuesday afternoon, which seems like an eternity ago in the age of the Twitter-based news cycle.

My first inclination was that Canisius made the wrong decision. I didn’t think Baron was the right guy for the job. After sleeping on it and doing more research, I’m still not sure he was the right hire, but he’s growing on me.

When the media gathered in the Koessler Athletic Center to talk with athletic director Bill Maher after he let go of Tom Parrotta, Baron’s name was the first we mentioned as a potential successor. He was fired the same day as Parrotta and had ties to the area, whatever those are worth.

The feeling I got Tuesday talking to those in charge of decision-making was that Canisius wanted Baron all along, and everything else – perhaps even bringing in the other candidates, Jayson Gee and Dave Duda – was just part of going through the motions and meeting NCAA rules. Could Baron’s availability have played into Parrotta’s dismissal? I think that’s pushing it, but the thought certainly crossed my mind.

Baron turned 58 during the hiring process and there’s a good chance this could be his last coaching job. I thought Canisius should have brought in an up-and-coming assistant coach; someone with his best years ahead of him.

Baron was a safe pick, though the decision-makers won’t agree. When you hire a guy with 25 years of head-coaching experience, you know what you’re getting. It’s going to be better than it was, but just how much better remains to be seen. I would have liked to see the school try to hit it big with an emerging coach – basically trying to find another John Beilein, the former Canisius coach who now walks the sidelines at Michigan.

But Maher and school president John Hurley decided to go in a different direction. Maher was on the Canisius football team in 1987 when basketball coach Nick Macarchuk picked up and left for Fordham and Hurley was on the search committee that brought him here. Maher was also less than 12 months into his first formal athletic director job when he hired an assistant from the Hofstra staff named Tom Parrotta in April 2006. One hundred twenty-one losses later, Maher opted for an experienced candidate who isn’t going anywhere, not willing to delve into the unknown once again.

Baron’s press conference didn’t get off to a good start either. Everybody’s been playing up the local guy angle, but forgive me if I’m not on board with that one. He left St. Bonaventure in the spring of 2001, when the World Trade Center stood tall and the Buffalo Bills were cutting Doug Flutie in favor of Rob Johnson. In layman’s terms, that was a long time ago.

Then Baron got up to the microphone and made an Anchor Bar joke. Nobody who’s really local would make mention of the Anchor Bar. That’s a real touristy thing to do. And if anyone didn’t make that connection, Baron’s Brooklyn accent should have tipped them off – I’ve haven’t heard of the “Anca Bahr.” It must be new.

Baron also confused me talking about the impressive legacy of players from Western New York and the AAU programs here, because this area certainly isn’t known for basketball, but if he meant trying to take whatever local talent there is away from the University at Buffalo, I think that’s something people would get on board with.

The scouting report on Baron is that he isn’t going to win you over at the press conference, and I’d agree with that, because the farther removed I get from it, the more I think I understand his message.

There’s a big difference between talking to Baron and listening to what he said on a recording. At an arm’s length away, Baron seemed callous and reminded me of a cross between my old neighbor who would yell at me for going on his lawn and a character from a movie I saw once about the BTK killer. On the recording, he sounded sincere and ready to bring about change to the men’s basketball program.

Hurley and Maher were genuinely excited to bring Baron in. Hurley said he wasn’t even sure if they were going to be able to interest him or put together a package that would be acceptable to him, so they see Baron as a big step forward for the program.

While I won’t credit Baron fully if the team is successful next season – especially if Jordan Heath and Freddy Asprilla are key factors, because let’s be honest, that’s Parrotta’s team – I do give him credit for improving Canisius’ commitment to basketball.

Hurley told me the school is going to spend over $100,000 on new positions and other improvements to the program – largely paid by boosters and other financing. While you could say any coach would have done better with that much more help, Baron forced Canisius’ hand and I’m giving him full marks for that. It had to be weird for a man without a job to think of himself as having leverage on an employer, but make no mistake, the school made sure it found a way to meet the demands Baron wanted (he should have asked for an ice rink, too).

Amid all the overly optimistic lines being thrown around at the rally – er, press conference – there was one thing Baron said that I really liked:

“What I told the players is I’m a little bit different type of coach. Other coaches come in and they look at the players and say, ‘they’re not my players.’ Every program that I’ve been a part of, the program’s players become my players. I become part of the program. It’s our program. It’s our team. It’s our family. And I told these guys, you’re part of the tradition, you’re part of the program and you’re going to be a part of what we do. And you’re an important part of what we do.”

That quote changed how I thought of Baron. He wasn’t a serial killer anymore, but a man wise with experience, like George Feeny from “Boy Meets World.” That was exactly what Canisius needs to hear right now. The players didn’t want Parrotta to leave and weren’t exactly sold on Baron, but having the new coach say that is really as much as anyone can ask for.

Parrotta was as involved in the school community as a coach could be, and while I don’t think we’ll be seeing the new coach’s wife wearing her lucky shirt in the stands or grabbing Subway with the players, Baron wanting to become part of the tradition and recognizing how important student involvement is will go a long way towards filling hole Parrotta left.

Hurley started off the press conference by listing the great coaches in Canisius history: Joseph Niland and Bob MacKinnon, Macarchuk and Beilein. The next time Canisius hosts one of these introductory conferences, the list will probably still be only four names long, but Baron walks into a position where it can’t get much worse than it was. Achieving the same results he has attained at other schools would be viewed as a great success, and having a basketball program it can consider even remotely successful is something the Canisius community anxiously awaits.

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Canisius signs Baron to five-year deal

Posted on April 2, 2012 by

Jim Baron has signed a five-year contract to coach the Canisius men’s basketball team, the school officially announced in a release.

Baron, 58, was fired after 11 seasons at the University of Rhode Island following a 7-24 record this year. He has Western New York ties, serving as the head coach at St. Bonaventure from 1992-01.

“In naming Jim to this position, we have hired a man who has a proven track record of building successful basketball programs and developing young men,” athletic director Bill Maher said in the statement. “He is excited to return to Western New York to lead the Canisius College basketball program.

“Jim comes to us as a highly respected coach, having led three different institutions to postseason success. Our goal is to win the MAAC Championship, and I look forward to working with Jim to accomplish this goal at Canisius College.”

Baron replaces Tom Parrotta, who was fired after his sixth season as coach. Canisius was 64-121 under his Parrotta and never finished higher than sixth in the conference. A press conference is scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday.

Baron has been to the NCAA Tournament twice, with St. Francis in 1991 and St. Bonaventure in 2000. He never made it to the Big Dance with URI, but took the Rams to the NIT five times.

Only two other coaches had formal interviews for the job: Cleveland State’s Jayson Gee and St. Joe’s Dave Duda. Baron was the first to interview, visiting campus last Sunday and Monday. Gee was second, on Tuesday, and Duda visited last, coming this past Thursday.

All three candidates toured athletic facilities, had a meeting with the players, met with school president John Hurley and went out to dinner.

The Buffalo News reported a week and a half ago that Baron had been offered a contract, which the school denied. CBS reported Sunday night that Baron had decided to accept the job, which the school neither confirmed nor denied.

Baron has a career record of 390-367 (.515) and was 184-165 at URI (83-93 in conference).

Baron’s sons, Jimmy and Billy, both played for him at URI. Jimmy graduated in 2009 and Billy, a 6-2 guard, will be a junior next season. He averaged 32.3 minutes per game last year and scored 13 points per game in the Atlantic 10.

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