Reilly or Simmons?

     Since the ESPN hiring of Rick Reilly, there has been has an very on-going, very pointless. and very old feud between Reilly and ESPN writer Bill Simmons. In an interview Simmons did with WEEI Radio, Bill took a couple of shots at Reilly while tooting his own horn several times, “I don’t care about the money (he’s making). I care about the fact he only has to write 800 words all week. What does he do all week? I’m just getting warmed up at 800 words.” He added, “I don’t think his hiring has really changed my life in any way other than he touches my soul with his writing. That’s really it. He’s raising the bar morally, financially, he’s raising it all over the place. I’m just happy to be along for the ride.” That last statement dripping with sarcasm. When asked to comment about Simmons, Reilly compared their respective writing styles, “Old School-New School. I’m not doing more than 800 words, I’m not from Boston, I don’t write a lot about the NBA. I’m more likely to tell a story that has a beginning, a middle, and an end. He’s a blogger. I still love reading him.” Given Reilly’s stance on the blogosphere, that was clearly an insult. In the end, this could not be more of a stupid, irrelevant, and utterly inconsequential dispute between two talented but conceited “writers”. 
     On the defense of Simmons, he is clearly bitter about the way he has been treated by ESPN. It has been well documented that he is not happy about the restrictions the worldwide leader puts on his writing and overall creativity. So it would be understandable that he would be upset that ESPN bends over backward to steal Reilly from Sports Illustrated, and pay him upwards of $3 million to write 800 words a week. The annoying part about this whole thing is that Reilly knows he’s good. That’s what 11 Sportswriter of the Year awards will do to your ego.
     Personally, I enjoy both writers about the same. Which is odd because of the stark contrast between their styles, topics, and obviously length. Simmons is a hardcore New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics, and Boston Bruins fans. He could go four months writing just about those teams and still he gets readers from all over the country. He does this by just acting and writing like a fan would. He doesn’t suffocate the reader with Boston sports lore and history. He explains how he felt during certain moments of a game, offering references to obscure pop culture trivia (his unofficial claim to fame). He once wrote about 5 paragraphs on how many days he thought Bill Murray’s character in Groundhog Day spent in Punksatony, Pennsylvania. Readers write in to ask him questions about certain things which he is kind enough to respond to. Simmons can spend entire articles about what he did during a Celtic game, whether it be hanging out with his buddies JackO or House. He offers some of his theories too. Theories such as ‘The Ewing Theory”. This theory was born out of the fact that the New York Knicks would play much better when Patrick Ewing was either hurt or in foul trouble. In the 1998-1999 season, the Knicks made the NBA Finals after Ewing sustained an achilles’ tendon injury. The theory claims that a when a longtime superstar who has never won a championship leaves the team via an injury, trade or free agency, the team will play better. There has been several players to back up this theory: Drew Bledsoe (2001 Patriots), Nomar Garciaparra (2004 Boston Red Sox), and Tiki Barber (2008 New York Giants). Bill Simmons knows how to relate to his readers, because he is his readers. He essentially types up and publishes what the average fan is thinking when they are watching the game. He does have many naysayers though (see: Rick Reilly). People who expect more out of there sports writers. People who believe that sports writers should be able to paint a beautiful picture with the english language that leaves you satisfied emotionally, spiritually, and sexually.
     For though people, there is Rick Reilly. Don’t get me wrong, there is no question Reilly is one of the best sports writers of the past 25 years. From 1987 until 2007, his column, The Life of Reilly graced the back page of Sports Illustrated. To put it simply, no one has the fundamentals of writing down better than Rick Reilly. In less than 800 words, he can take you on a ride you thought you were a part of your entire life. Somehow, it all comes back to sports. Sports being a microcosm of life, Reilly is adept at finding the human element in every tip-off, first pitch, kickoff, or tee off. The local news calls them “human interest stories”. Described in The Simpsons as stories that “tug at the heart, and fog the mind”. One of Reilly flaws in my opinion, is his attempt at comedy. Some publications touted him as “one of the funniest men in the media.” “He has the timing of Jay Leno, and the wit of Johnny Carson.” No. Way. In some columns he tries to find a witty simile or analogy for every sentence. If I didn’t know any better I could swear he was getting paid on a per analogy basis. I get it Reilly, Phil Mickelson would rather eat a club than swing one. 
     What’s funny about this whole thing is that each writer is intimidated by the other. Simmons is afraid that he won’t be the “Sports Guy” any more with Reilly at the same publication. Reilly, in the same vain, is worried that Simmons has revolutionized sports writing and Reilly will lose his readers to him. The bottomline in all of this is that, fans love to read about sports; in any style. How do you think Skip Bayless still has a job?