Hump Day Potpourri. Athletes and Their Blogs.

by Editoratlegendofcecilioguante

This originally appeared on my blog, The Legend of Cecilio Guante, here.

For those who don't blog or read blogs regularly, there's a trend going on with athletes representative of the overall rise of digital media. Players are launching their own blogs. Many are terrible. A few are amusing. Some are annoyingly self-promotional and driven by alterior motives. But the idea of getting "behind-the-scenes" insight from a player about what happens on and off the field is albeit a bit intriguing.

Today we take the easy way out again and look to the Web for fodder. This Wednesday potpourri is a look at a sampling of athletes and their recent blog entries...along with the bit of amusement we can find in each of them.

1. Mike Maroth : Maroth is a lefty starter who recently joined the Cardinals from Detroit. From his Web site, he seems like a real nice guy. I'm rooting for him. Unfortunately, he hasn't exactly been a prized acquisition for the Redbirds...ok, he's been awful. 0-4 with an ERA in the nine run-range. He's also not the best of prognosticators. On June 23, Maroth didn't shy from the facts in his blog entry, explaining how "so far my pitching in the second half has been terrible to say the least. " Mike goes on to say how he feels he's letting down the St. Louis fans but has made some adjustments and was anxious to take the mound against the Brewers as there was "no better time to get back on track." Maroth's line from Friday, July 27 against the Brew Crew: 4.0IP-11H-7ER. Mike, maybe it's time to stop blogging for awhile and think about how to get guys out.

2. John Lackey: Sort of the opposite of Maroth. Lackey's good. He's also honest and funny. Two qualities appreciated in the blogosphere. The 13-6 Lackey recently made a trip to the Trop in Tampa Bay and provided his thoughts on the stadium. The title of his post, " Great Clubhouse, Bad Stadium." Within he provides a little more about his feelings including that "Tampa has a great clubhouse....They have some of the best food in the league, but the stadium sucks." Got it John, title and "stadium sucks" comment make it clear. Lackey though continues to elaborate: "Now once you leave the clubhouse inside the stadium is not so good." Starting to get the picture. Not a great stadium, right? Apparently, Lackey was concerned the message wasn't getting across, so he reiterated once more: "Honestly, this is one of the worst stadiums in the league, definitely top two or three." Tell us how you really feel, John. By the way, Holy Dog Water couldn't agree with you more.

3. Gilbert Arenas: As usual, the folks at Deadspin are first to the punch on this one. Arenas's newest blog post tackles, among other things, shark attacks. Or space invasions. Or trespassing. Just read Agent Zero's blog...and check out some more of his stuff. Could be the best I've read yet in this genre. Synopsis? There are no such thing as shark attacks. You've got me convinced, Gilbert.

4. Mark Madsen: I can't believe I just wrote that....that Mark Madsen has a blog. And I am writing about it. And it's called Mad Dog Blog. So, here's Mad Dog reminiscing and reflecting on KG's departure from Minnesota. Interesting to get a glimpse into the lockerroom shananigans, but is there any doubt this was written by the dorky, white guy dancing like a fool on the podium following the Lakers championship? Mark Madsen has a blog...and an NBA championship ring...can't get my head around that one right now.

5. McNabb, Oden and Mike Conley: Ok, running out of steam...a few quickies from Donovan, Greg Oden and Mike Conley who all post their blogs at Yardbarker. Here's what you can take away from these three in their recent musings.

Conley is no Arenas. Spelling and the ability to write compelling prose... not so much. Dishing the rock. Sure. McNabb has some BBQ with the fellas after practice. I still think he's overrated as a player but seems a pretty chill guy. Expected a little more from the spread. And, finally, Oden is going to be the next Shaq, in terms of making me laugh constantly. Not sure what it is...but something about the delivery and the ease with which he talks to media and even writes his blog. It's the intangible, unintentional comedy factor. First, he brings in rookie Josh McRoberts to be a "guest writer" of sorts on his most recent post. A couple weeks prior his post is entitled " Tonsils " and recounts their recent removal. Maybe it's the image of this monster who looks 40-years old getting his tonsils out, but just got a kick out of the idea of it. By the way, 123 people commented on Oden's "Tonsils" post. Ahh...the wonders of the blogosphere. Back soon...