# Is this guy an idiot?



## SCW (Mar 19, 2005)

This guy writes for SI and has no clue. I can't believe this-

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/bill_syken/07/07/daily.blog/index.html

I guess he just has a very short attention span and no road-bike video game (yet).


----------



## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

SCW said:


> This guy writes for SI and has no clue. I can't believe this-
> 
> http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/bill_syken/07/07/daily.blog/index.html
> 
> I guess he just has a very short attention span and no road-bike video game (yet).


ignorant, but probably what the majority of non-cyclist Americans think when they hear about the TDF and lance unfortunately.


----------



## James OCLV (Jun 4, 2002)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> ignorant, but probably what the majority of non-cyclist Americans think when they hear about the TDF and lance unfortunately.


Well, I hate to say it but he's right. With the amount of air time that cycling gets here in the U.S., how could you expect the population at large to feel different?

Having said that, what have we seen Lance do that is memorable, a la Jordan? Right off the top of my head:

1999 - Catches and passes the then World-TT champ, Abraham Olano in the Mtez TT for > 2 minutes.
2000 - Drops Pantani (reputed "best climber in the world") like a bad habit during the ride to Hautacam.
2001 - The Look, where he puts the hammer down on l'Alpe d'Huez and drops Ullrich like a sack of potatoes
2005 - Catches and passes Ullrich for > 1 minute in the opening TT.


----------



## filtersweep (Feb 4, 2004)

SCW said:


> This guy writes for SI and has no clue. I can't believe this-
> 
> http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/bill_syken/07/07/daily.blog/index.html
> 
> I guess he just has a very short attention span and no road-bike video game (yet).


I don't think he is that clueless... maybe just average. I remember READING about Lemond's efforts in newspaper- I didn't even have a TV at that point- and I doubt it was on cable. There is a lot of truth to what the SI writer posits.

...and who wouldn't mind a bit of drama this year?


----------



## poshscot (Dec 14, 2004)

i have to admit the guy clearly has his head in the sand but he has a point in the fact that lance has never come back from the preverbial '3-1 down'...


----------



## SCW (Mar 19, 2005)

filtersweep said:


> I don't think he is that clueless... maybe just average.


Average is the point, this guy WRITES FOR SI!! I hold a sports writer to a much higher standard (probably why I turn the sound off for most sproting events I watch). This guy admits he doesn't pay attention, doesn't watch and clearly hasn't done much reserarch. He's just tired of hearing once a year that some guy named Armstrong won a bike race, and he sounds like he wants to drift back into oblivion about the sport. Amazing that SI pays for writing like this.

Oh well, my fault for reading SI I s'pose


----------



## 128 (Jan 1, 1970)

*and every NASCAR fan too?*

Auto racing must bore the tears out of this guy; watching the same blur 100's of times. He's just looking for something to type.

These are sports of endurance and tactics, not necessarily 'moments'. At least cycling requires it's competitiors to be athletes.. ; )


----------



## QuiQuaeQuod (Jan 24, 2003)

Idiot? It is his opinion, so no. Ignorant? Yep.

He does have a point though. Most people see the race in small clips on Sportscenter, or read about it. And when we are trained to see those "moments"... the shot, the punch, the reception... it takes time to learn how to appreciate an event that takes hours for a stage, and weeks for the event. The time frame is longer than other sports. There are very few moments, though plenty of "minutes".

Heck, look at today, stage 10. The event was a series of riders being shelled out the back over the final climb, one by one. How do you sum that up in 30 seconds of video on ESPN? Answer, you don't.


----------



## filtersweep (Feb 4, 2004)

Most people don't understand how it is possible to win the GC and never even win a stage.


----------



## wheezer (Sep 21, 2004)

*very intuitive*

clearly ignorant of lance's "decisive moments," but as i'm soaking in the live update windows on CN and catching glimpses of the race in photos and clips, i have to say that his comparison to watching babe ruth in the '20s is actually pretty insightful.

from the article:

"For much of July I'm going to feel like I'm living in the 1920s. And it's not because I'm wearing a fedora, or going to a speakeasy after work. It's because of Lance Armstrong. He sets all us regular followers of sports back several decades. 

Except for the dedicated cycling fans, the folks who have the Outdoor Life Network programmed into the favorite channels on their remote, we're going to be experiencing the phenomenon of Lance Armstrong the way sports fans back in the '20s experienced Babe Ruth. We can read newspaper and magazine stories about Lance. We can read books about Lance. We can talk about Lance to our friends and neighbors. We will even see images of Lance moving in short clips that are the modern equivalent of the short newsreel clips that used to run before the Sunday matinee. All we need is a shot of Lance taking pepper with the Gas House Gang."


----------



## swimbikerun75 (Mar 25, 2002)

*Who the hell is Craig Ehlo?*

Was he the second best player in basketball of the Jordan era, or even top 10? Doesn't sound like an Ulrich equivalent to me. And haven't hundreds of other b-ball players dunked from the free throw line? Dr. J did it a decade before Jordan did it. This guy is a tool. Makes me sad he might actually make a living writing crap like this.


----------



## Minimalist (Apr 20, 2005)

If I'd write an article about football it would be very similar. What's so impressive and exciting about throwing an egg? The question is, why does SI publish an article from a guy who has no clue about the sport?


----------



## Alpedhuez55 (Jun 29, 2005)

THis guy is obviously pretty clueless. Not every sport works that way. Sure there are pelanty of moments you can look at at his career. But it is a race run over 3 weeks. Maybe if they fixed the final stage each year to allow Lance to be the first to the finishing line in Paris he would have his Sports Center Short Attention Span Theater Highlight.

I cannot wait to see all the people get worked up over the "So what, Lance can ride a bike" columns that will be following this on in the next couple of weeks. You know every big city sports page has the Baseball Beat guy who writes one of these when when Lance gets extra colunm inch over his favorite Steroid enhanced slugger!!!


----------



## dagger (Jul 22, 2004)

*He is an idiot*



SCW said:


> This guy writes for SI and has no clue. I can't believe this-
> 
> http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/bill_syken/07/07/daily.blog/index.html
> 
> I guess he just has a very short attention span and no road-bike video game (yet).



He only watched the last stage thinking he was going to see a race...LMAO. 
Can anyone find a way to contact the author?


----------



## wheezer (Sep 21, 2004)

*cheers!*



Alpedhuez55 said:


> You know every big city sports page has the Baseball Beat guy who writes one of these when when Lance gets extra colunm inch over his favorite Steroid enhanced slugger!!!


here, here!

<img src="https://espn-att.starwave.com/media/photo/1999/july/25/a_lance2.jpg"/>


----------



## erol/frost (May 30, 2004)

This guy... doesn`t have a single clue. He wants to see brief "moments" versus following and understanding tactics and the nature of our sport. How... lazy. 

"Tell me if guy wins -- everything else I don't really get." 

Schmuck deeluxe.


----------



## CFBlue (Jun 28, 1999)

This guy writing about The Tour is like my wife writing a story about a football game. She has seen a few minutes of a few games. She doesn't know the rules, never played football, and doesn't know what she is looking for. This SI writer knows nothing about cycling.


----------



## elviento (Mar 24, 2002)

*In the guy's defense*

His ranting is pretty understandable since the general American public that are not interested in cycling are now exposed to a lot of TDF coverage (or rather, "Lance" coverage). And some of them feel annoyed that less media coverage is dedicated to the sports they like. It's like motorists will complain if more cyclists are using the road. Of course, once you take a side, it's a lot easier to find justification for it. So the point is not whether cycling produces as many momorable moments. What's a breathtaking moment to someone could be sheer boredom to another. 

It's not really any different from us complaining about fishing/hunting coverage on OLN.


----------



## dagger (Jul 22, 2004)

*Email address for the SI author*

[email protected]


I sent the guy an email to this address and it didn't come back so I guess it works.


----------



## bikejr (Jul 30, 2004)

*...*



swimbikerun75 said:


> Was he the second best player in basketball of the Jordan era, or even top 10? Doesn't sound like an Ulrich equivalent to me. And haven't hundreds of other b-ball players dunked from the free throw line? Dr. J did it a decade before Jordan did it. This guy is a tool. Makes me sad he might actually make a living writing crap like this.


 Ehlo is now a co-broadcaster on for the Seattle Sonics basketball games. I.E. an also ran in broadcasting as well as basketball.. Definitely never was even close to an Ulrich equilivent when he played..


----------



## e001d (Jul 12, 2005)

*dude sucks*

I think the Tour de France is the perfect 21st century sport...you can watch it online, listen to it online, look at photos and read it online...


----------



## Cerddwyr (Jul 26, 2004)

SCW said:


> This guy writes for SI and has no clue. I can't believe this-
> 
> http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/bill_syken/07/07/daily.blog/index.html
> 
> I guess he just has a very short attention span and no road-bike video game (yet).


He scribbles for SI (hardly worthy of the term writing) so of course he is a retard. These are the same dimwits with a "sports" story about "Lance & Sheryl, the love birds" (their title, not mine). SI writes for an adult with an eighth grade reading level and mentality. You have to read Hustler to get writing meant for anyone more pathetic. I am surprised they haven't done a cover story on the podium girls, it is about the only part of cycle racing that stoops to a level that an SI reader can get engaged. Now if only the ink in the SI printing process caused sterility. THAT would be a worthy function for that rag.

Gordon


----------



## wks9326 (Apr 24, 2004)

*Relax Guys*

It's just a writters Blog, its not actually getting published.


----------



## ScottS (Jul 27, 2004)

That's really too bad. I've been watching the tour for three years, and every year is more fascinating than the next. I know little about pro cycling, but I know more than 99.9% of other people, and because that's the state of things, you get articles like that. The team work, strategizing, attacks, bluffs, and everything else that comes with the tour are really intriguing, and it's really too bad more people aren't introduced to the tour. 

Do I fault the guy for the article, not fully. It stems from popular culture, which obviously hasn't embraced cycling. However, as a sports writer, I think an article pointing out what is missed, rather than what's perceived to be missing, would be more effective and entertaining.


----------



## DuxRoad (Mar 3, 2005)

Predictable blog entry for "the" mainstream US sports publication. That he isn't aware of equivalent Armstrong highlights certaintly doesn't mean they don't exist...


----------



## Alpedhuez55 (Jun 29, 2005)

e001d said:


> I think the Tour de France is the perfect 21st century sport...you can watch it online, listen to it online, look at photos and read it online...


I disagree. It is not a very good TV spectator sport for the masses. You are watching crappy video taken from cameras on a motorcycle or a helecopter. It is not an easy event to watch on TV. It is too long and too hard to package it into 1/2 hour a day let alone a 60 or 90 minute weekly package.

I think most of us here are diehards. I remember watching coverage, pre Lemond, in the early 80s. I have watched at least part of it every year since. We can appreceiate Jaja, Veranqe or Rasmussen making a 150 KM solo to try to secure the Polkadot Jersey. We can watch what is largely a parade on the final stage and appreciate the intermediate sprints on the last day since the green jersey is still up for grabs.

Joe Sizpack will never get it though.


----------



## Buckman (Jul 6, 2005)

Cerddwyr said:


> He scribbles for SI (hardly worthy of the term writing) so of course he is a retard. These are the same dimwits with a "sports" story about "Lance & Sheryl, the love birds" (their title, not mine). SI writes for an adult with an eighth grade reading level and mentality. You have to read Hustler to get writing meant for anyone more pathetic. I am surprised they haven't done a cover story on the podium girls, it is about the only part of cycle racing that stoops to a level that an SI reader can get engaged. Now if only the ink in the SI printing process caused sterility. THAT would be a worthy function for that rag.
> 
> Gordon


 Awesome generalizations about SI's readers dude. Maybe when I get into ninth grade I'll be able to call people retards on the internet like you. Impressive. Vent away man.


----------



## magnolialover (Jun 2, 2004)

*Happens every year...*



SCW said:


> This guy writes for SI and has no clue. I can't believe this-
> 
> http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/bill_syken/07/07/daily.blog/index.html
> 
> I guess he just has a very short attention span and no road-bike video game (yet).


Guys. Seriously, get a grip. This happens every single year around about this time, I'm actually surprised it took this long. WE all know about his accomplishments. Some stupid sportswriter that only covers ball sports is never going to know anything, or try to know anything about bike racing. It's really as simple as that. Ignore it...


----------



## Cerddwyr (Jul 26, 2004)

Buckman said:


> Awesome generalizations about SI's readers dude. Maybe when I get into ninth grade I'll be able to call people retards on the internet like you. Impressive. Vent away man.


You might want to check, it really is written to an 8th grade reading level. And writers, as in this example, are encouraged to write on that which they know absolutely nothing. By their qualifications, I should be able to get a job writing about college basketball, if only in a sanctioned blog.
As for venting, tes, I am venting. Is the US we can't get any decent coverage of the TdF, but the pathetic coverage is legion. Very frustrating. 

Gordon


----------



## spu2261 (Aug 26, 2004)

James OCLV said:


> Well, I hate to say it but he's right. With the amount of air time that cycling gets here in the U.S., how could you expect the population at large to feel different?
> 
> Having said that, what have we seen Lance do that is memorable, a la Jordan? Right off the top of my head:
> 
> ...


Let us not forget these gems...

2003, #1 - While on the descent into Gap, he narrowly avoids a tour ending crash with Joseba Beloki, goes off-course through a field, cyclocross style, dismounts, jumps a ditch and rejoins the race.

2003, #2 - While on the climb to Luz-Ardiden, his handlebars hook a spectator's bag, and he goes down, cracking his bike frame. He gets up, slips out of his pedal and racks himself, recovers, rejoins the peloton and blows everyone away for the stage win...


----------



## Buckman (Jul 6, 2005)

Quoted from another TDF post:

"Personally, I think if everyone posted as though the person they were posting about were right in front of them, we'd avoid a lot of the needless chest-thumping and loud-mouth posts."


Feel free to post something that you've had published

Have a nice day.


----------



## obfg (Jul 18, 2004)

*A comment about sports writers*

Remember high school? Remember the "smart kids?" Remember how many of them wanted to be sports-witers? That's right, NONE.

IMHO: With a very few exceptions (the late Jim Murray of the LA Times was a magnificent author, his columns taught me to love words) sports writers are the dregs. The people who choose journalism as a career, by and large, are not the most intelligent/insightful/ creative people in our society. Those who, once in journalism, fail at most other tasks, end up being assigned to the sports desk. 

I have had occasions to have extended e-mail correspondence with several sportswriters from major publications. They were, without fail, both ignorant and stupid. 

Most sportswriters (as do their editors) come to realize that they lack any true talent and, so, are relegated to writing about the trivial. In the end, all they can do is try to become noticed by saying something outrageous; thereby generating lots of e-mails (most of which, sadly, are not better reasoned than the original article), and thus demonstrating to their editors that they do indeed have a "readership" and should keep their jobs for another year. This "person" deserves to be ignored.


----------



## Number9 (Nov 28, 2004)

I happen to have a copy of the 7/31/89 SI article by Franz Lidz on LeMond's narrow victory over Fignon. Tight, crisp prose showing a keen grasp of the subject that still holds up after all these years. Yes, SI can definitely do better...


----------



## SCW (Mar 19, 2005)

obfg said:


> Remember high school? Remember the "smart kids?" Remember how many of them wanted to be sports-witers? That's right, NONE.
> 
> The people who choose journalism as a career, by and large, are not the most intelligent/insightful/ creative people in our society..


ROFLMAO!

I'm thinking of the NY Times, LA Times and this article- nodding my head with a knowing chuckle. At least they have jobs right? LOL


----------



## jakerson (Jun 15, 2004)

Number9 said:


> snip... 7/31/89 SI article by Franz Lidz on LeMond's narrow victory ...snip... SI can definitely do better...


*I can find the cover... how about posting a quote or two from the article?* Oh yeah, here's what the cover looked like:


----------



## pianopiano (Jun 4, 2005)

*What do you expect?*

Besides painting Bill Syken as a frustrated and angry man, this type of article says a lot about the quality of the publication in question, Sports Illustrated.

Sure, it's great to live in a place where we have this great 'freedom of expression', but
I've yet to read any editorial in a cycling magazine ranting about Michael Jordan being overrated.


----------



## giveme2wheels (Jul 1, 2005)

First off, SCW I dig the signature, very funny!

Secondly, a blog is in no way a "published" article. Hell, it may be associated with SI's www address, but so what? Blogs are for people to vent their spleens. If you don't believe me, just go anywhere online and you'll hear pissing and moaning galore. 

Point of my rant? Take it with a grain of salt. We need more mainstream coverage!!


----------



## Number9 (Nov 28, 2004)

jakerson said:


> *I can find the cover... how about posting a quote or two from the article?*


Sorry, no scanner at home, but here's a quote:
"No one doubted that LeMond could win the so-called 'race of truth' from Versailles to the Tuileries: he has become a master of time trials. But few thought he could make up enough time to win. Paul Koechli, LeMond's coach during his '86 victory, pronounced his eulogy the night before the final stage: 'It's possible for Greg to grab a second a kilometer, but two? Unthinkable.'"


----------



## Jesse D Smith (Jun 11, 2005)

SCW said:


> Average is the point, this guy WRITES FOR SI!! I hold a sports writer to a much higher standard (probably why I turn the sound off for most sproting events I watch). This guy admits he doesn't pay attention, doesn't watch and clearly hasn't done much reserarch. He's just tired of hearing once a year that some guy named Armstrong won a bike race, and he sounds like he wants to drift back into oblivion about the sport. Amazing that SI pays for writing like this.
> 
> Oh well, my fault for reading SI I s'pose


Exactly. If you are a writer, you should know your subject, otherwise, unless it's comic fiction like a Dave Barry story, you're doing the readers a disservice. If SI wants to write about cycling, either have a decidated writer, or force a writer to actually cover the event. But the event takes place off of American soil. SI writers are scared to death to leave US airspace to cover anything. 
As far as him only seeing the last stage of last year's tour on TV, I heard a good analogy. 
It's like someone reading the last couple pages of The Illiad, and trying to write an informative review. 
He somewhat understands the glory of Armstrong and wants to join in. He feels he's missing out and chooses to blame the sport instead of admitting he doesn't have sufficient motivation to do the homework or appreciate the sport.


----------



## lancezneighbor (May 4, 2002)

*to counter...*



SCW said:


> This guy writes for SI and has no clue. I can't believe this-
> 
> http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/bill_syken/07/07/daily.blog/index.html
> 
> I guess he just has a very short attention span and no road-bike video game (yet).



Here is a GOOD article from SI:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/austin_murphy/07/12/tenth.stage/index.html


----------



## Buckman (Jul 6, 2005)

obfg said:


> Remember high school? Remember the "smart kids?" Remember how many of them wanted to be sports-witers? That's right, NONE.
> 
> IMHO: With a very few exceptions (the late Jim Murray of the LA Times was a magnificent author, his columns taught me to love words) sports writers are the dregs. The people who choose journalism as a career, by and large, are not the most intelligent/insightful/ creative people in our society. Those who, once in journalism, fail at most other tasks, end up being assigned to the sports desk.
> 
> ...


 What?? You're just joking, right? Journalists and sports writers in general are the frustrated dregs of society?? And it all started in high school?? And the ones who are doing it only have their jobs because they get a lot of email? Can we see something that you've had published recently? Are you on crack or something?


----------



## SJBiker (Jan 22, 2004)

*But he's a sports writer!*



elviento said:


> His ranting is pretty understandable since the general American public that are not interested in cycling are now exposed to a lot of TDF coverage (or rather, "Lance" coverage). And some of them feel annoyed that less media coverage is dedicated to the sports they like. It's like motorists will complain if more cyclists are using the road. Of course, once you take a side, it's a lot easier to find justification for it. So the point is not whether cycling produces as many momorable moments. What's a breathtaking moment to someone could be sheer boredom to another.
> 
> It's not really any different from us complaining about fishing/hunting coverage on OLN.


His words are supposed to reflect what you and I think (or pretty close to it) about the sport. The fact that he missed the mark so horribly would've been ok for Average Joe at the bar, but this guy is a sports writer, and his opinion or what he doesn't know is NOT what he should be writing about. He wants to rant? He should do it on some blog or say at the beginning of the article that it is a rant, not a real article.


----------



## SJBiker (Jan 22, 2004)

*Damn, you're right*



lancezneighbor said:


> Here is a GOOD article from SI:
> 
> http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/austin_murphy/07/12/tenth.stage/index.html


Aimed at the _cycling_ audience. That is indeed an insightful article. But then I already knew all that he wrote about


----------



## slowrider (Mar 12, 2004)

Is this guy and idiot? No. I feel the same way about watching soccer. Except for that girl pulling off her shirt, when the USA won the World Cup. I can't watch 30 seconds of soccer before I hit the remote. As far as the Tour, If that guy wanted to see Lance have one of those Michael Jordan moments, then he should have watched the stage when Lance had to cover those attacks without his team, or watch how he hammered his rivals on Stage 10. That was exciting to watch the best guys in the world get dropped like that. Wow.



SJBiker said:


> Aimed at the _cycling_ audience. That is indeed an insightful article. But then I already knew all that he wrote about


----------



## Alpedhuez55 (Jun 29, 2005)

SJBiker said:


> Aimed at the _cycling_ audience. That is indeed an insightful article. But then I already knew all that he wrote about


The reporters covering the event will do a great job. Most have enough knowledge of the sport to write a well informed article. SI is still the ultimate goal for most sportswriters.

When we see a negative article it is by the columnists, who are expressing their uninformed opinion on the sport of cycking. Sure they may know more about who should be the back up QB for their NFL team, or can write 1000 words about some long reliever who is inefective because he thinks he is trying to pitch through an injury. But 99% of them do not know jackspit about cycling. They have two food groups, coffee and cigarettes. THey think they are brilliant because a few yahoos on talk radio will call and thell them how "smaht" the are. The picture or illistration of them that appears on their column was done 10 years & 50 pounds ago. They think that the only thing that should be mentioned in July is Baseball.

I actually think some of way, the columnist of the original article is right. It is hard to pick a moments in cycling like you would a buzzer beater 3 point shot, a walk off home run or a touch down pass. There were about 5 or 6 moments that will be memorable on yesterdays stage to most of us. Dropping Vino, dopping Ullrich, sitting back watching Basso waiting for the right moment to pounce, The attack on Basso, the sprint and the handshake after the stage. None of these are overly dramatic as a 5 second Sports Center clip to the average viewer. In that sense, at least to the average viewer, the author was right. Now if Lance rode through Paris winning the final stage riding a wheelie, that would be considered dramatic  

When we watch a stage we see drama, strategy, pain, suffering, excitement and technology. When most average sports veiwer or columnist watches the race they see a bunch of geeks in spandex riding bikes. They think they probably could have won the race on their old huffy 10 speed before they reached that age where they discovered beer and hotwings. 

Most of these people just do not get it, and never will.


----------

