(Tommy Silverstein)
I’d first like to thank Mike Tillery for letting me rock the mic once in a while.
You might’ve seen me in SLAM Magazine, I did the Detroit Pistons piece in the latest issue, and hopefully, that’s just the beginning. I go by the name YoungVito.
People my stomach’s been grumbling, but my main man Mookie is here to save the day… -Mr. Senior Love Daddy I’m not Mookie, nor was I in the movie Do The Right Thing, but as the title states…the right thing is exactly what I am trying to do, everyday on the wake up.
My name is Anthony Gilbert, (also referred to as AG or AXG) and I’m a freelance writer. My mentor Scoop Jackson put me on to this site and after sitting back for the past week and a half, I felt it was time to get off the bench and into the game. Michael Tillery gave me the rock and here I am.
Next years Rookie of the Year (yeah I’m calling it) highlight mix (turn the sound down if at work).
So here I am, ready to roll. I am Anthony CinQue (pronounced sin-kyoo) Carter. This is my first post to The Starting Five. How’d I get here? My man, J.A. Adande set me up with the founder, Mizzo, and the rest was history. I’ve done a little bit in my time; written for a few papers and magazines and sites. But this is EXCITING! I’m really looking forward to a long-lasting relationship with America through The Starting Five. Mizzo told me to just be myself on this site. He told me not to pull punches and not to sugar-coat anything. That’s just my style.
Before I go any further, I need to give shouts to those that directly paved the way for me in journalism: the legendary Brad Pye, Jr., Leland Stein (The Michigan Chronicle), Haywood Galbreath (HGSTAR1NEWS), J.A. Adande (ESPN / ESPN.com), Scoop Jackson (ESPN.com), Howie Evans (The New York Amsterdam News), and others. Thanks fellas. It’s been a long time coming. Big ups to my man Ben Osborne (formerly of KING Magazine), new EIC at SLAM! I used to write for him at KING. Big ups to my man Mizzo for bringing me onboard. Big ups to Michael Smith (ESPN / ESPN.com) for being down to earth and cool when I hung with he and J.A. on Miami Beach during the festivities at Super Bowl XLI. By the way, J.A. had me walking the red carpet at a particular very private affair that weekend. He’s always looked out for me though.
So, here we go.
Continue reading
(Photo: Mark Nemecek Illustrations)
According to the AP, George Mitchell has denied his office leaked information on Cleveland pitcher Paul Byrd using HGH. Mitchell, who is a director in the Boston Red Sox front office, said there have been many inquiries sent to his office about the timing of this story. Paul Bryd admitted to injecting human growth hormone to correct a pituitary tumor in a press conference two hours prior to the ALCS Game 7 loss. Mitchell released the statement from his New York office to “correct that mistaken impression.”
Simply put, the reason why there is a TSF is because of ESPN.com. There’s no denying such a significant fact. In saying that, we also want an alternative to what has become almost a singular voice in sports. ESPN has a stranglehold on the way sports is packaged and the only way that grip changes is for sites like TSF and others to consistently speak out and offer a substantive check and balance. ESPN has hired numerous minorities as of late and Rob King is most likely ESPN’s most significant addition in quite some time. Just as some of you have questioned ESPN.com’s writers I’m sure some of you will question the hire mainly because of King’s graphic artist background. I had the same question and when contacting ESPN, John Kosner Sr., Vice President and General Manager, ESPN Digital Media responded with this statement via email: “Rob is a true leader. He is uniquely qualified to take ESPN.com to the next level bringing together a talented team to serve sports fans with the best in sports writing and reporting, audio, video and photography. It’s a dream assignment and he was born to do it.” Judge for yourselves what type of impact Rob King will have on MSM. He holds the keys to an organization that shapes the way we visualize and read sports. I must say that Rob King is one of the most intelligent people I have ever come across. The way we view sports is morphing just as fast as the technology that’s readily available. What’s your opinion and where do you see sports heading?
Read very carefully.
Michael Smith is mos def a rising star in today’s media. He brings a very informed and easy style that is refreshing in this age of talking heads screaming and hollering NFL points so irrelevant and utterly ridiculous. Mike’s cool. The following conversation is reminiscent of the one Scoop, Dwil and I had in Vantage Point. It’s not as political, but it definitely lends itself to the constant and ever evolving discussion about the current tenor of sports reporting. Coming out of Loyola University (LA), Mike migrated north to the Boston Globe after interning there two previous summers. This was during the time the New England Patriots franchise initialized stamping the bully presence it now has on the NFL and Michael Smith was there to document it all. His attention then shifted to ESPN to realize a dream. The interview itself is a monster in size because Mike and I touch on a variety of subjects. As Mike calls, I am just finishing Bill Rhoden’s 40 Million Dollar Slaves for the third time (Go get it!). I thought it was apropos to ask Mike what Mr. Rhoden means to him personally. Enjoy.
Michael Tillery: Do you consider Bill Rhoden an inspiration?
The Starting Five 