Dan is back to the same old hyperbole that oftentimes marks his column with a wasted effort Thursday.
He reverts to his nabob of negativity persona and rails about how many minutes key members of the banged-up Boston Celtics are logging. And he goes on ... and on ... and on ... employing virtually every mottled cliche in the book to make his point.
Maybe the editors had the night off ...
Just FYI, this was Shank's 16th column for the month of April. Pretty impressive numbers, even though half of them were half-assed efforts.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
No bitches about these...
Again, Dan continues to surprise, with two more credible columns this past weekend.
First, Shank penned an ode to the Sox in the wake of their come-from-behind victory Saturday over the A-Fraudless Yankees.
Then he follows that with a paen to the Boston sports scene Monday last.
I just wonder why the editors seem to be doing their jobs ... finally.
Or, could it be that Dan's actually putting some effort in to help line up another job if, or when, the Globe goes the way of the dinosaurs, with all due apologies to Carl Everett.
Hah!
First, Shank penned an ode to the Sox in the wake of their come-from-behind victory Saturday over the A-Fraudless Yankees.
Then he follows that with a paen to the Boston sports scene Monday last.
I just wonder why the editors seem to be doing their jobs ... finally.
Or, could it be that Dan's actually putting some effort in to help line up another job if, or when, the Globe goes the way of the dinosaurs, with all due apologies to Carl Everett.
Hah!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
A Veritable Dynamo
Something's definitely up with ol' Dan-O.
He's suddenly become a virtual cornucopia of columns, adding four more columns to his April grab bag since my last posting on April 14th ... and they're all decent, workmanlike bits, with just a tad of snideness...
With his additional four efforts, he brings his monthly total to thirteen. (Time for a few weeks off to flex his typing fingers, eh?)
His April 16th offering, entitled "With or Without Garnett, Repeat Unlikely" kicked off his Celtics' playoff coverage, lamenting the fact that it looks as though big Kevin is through for the year, and ceding Boston's playoff hopes to one opponent or another. Decent piece but nothing earth shattering.
Shank follows that up with an April 17th piece on the Bruins, who are flying high and currently on the verge of sweeping the Montreal Canadiens. Again, a reasonable column ... but no blockbusters.
Then, on April 19th, Shaughnessy appears to write off the Celtics.
But in a compilation article in the wake of the Patriots' Day contests, Danny reverses course and hold out hope for the boys in green.
His production over the past several weeks makes one wonder if his editors are finally holding his feet to the fire ... or if he's auditioning for another job just in case the Globe goes the way of the Rocky Mountain News.
He's suddenly become a virtual cornucopia of columns, adding four more columns to his April grab bag since my last posting on April 14th ... and they're all decent, workmanlike bits, with just a tad of snideness...
With his additional four efforts, he brings his monthly total to thirteen. (Time for a few weeks off to flex his typing fingers, eh?)
His April 16th offering, entitled "With or Without Garnett, Repeat Unlikely" kicked off his Celtics' playoff coverage, lamenting the fact that it looks as though big Kevin is through for the year, and ceding Boston's playoff hopes to one opponent or another. Decent piece but nothing earth shattering.
Shank follows that up with an April 17th piece on the Bruins, who are flying high and currently on the verge of sweeping the Montreal Canadiens. Again, a reasonable column ... but no blockbusters.
Then, on April 19th, Shaughnessy appears to write off the Celtics.
But in a compilation article in the wake of the Patriots' Day contests, Danny reverses course and hold out hope for the boys in green.
His production over the past several weeks makes one wonder if his editors are finally holding his feet to the fire ... or if he's auditioning for another job just in case the Globe goes the way of the Rocky Mountain News.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Four in a Row?
Yup.
You got it.
Dan filed columns four days in a row -- all on college hockey, three of them on BU's run to the NCAA Division I title. All were solid pieces.
Factor in columns on pro baseball on April 4th, 6th and 8th, and it appears that Shank's due for some time off. Seven whole columns in a 10-day span?
As the late Phil Rizzuto would say, "Holy cow!"
You got it.
Dan filed columns four days in a row -- all on college hockey, three of them on BU's run to the NCAA Division I title. All were solid pieces.
Factor in columns on pro baseball on April 4th, 6th and 8th, and it appears that Shank's due for some time off. Seven whole columns in a 10-day span?
As the late Phil Rizzuto would say, "Holy cow!"
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Dan the Hockey Man
Dan capped his hockey coverage off April 12 with a solid column on BU's comeback, overtime victory to take the NCAA Division I crown Saturday.
The bit was Shank's third consecutive hockey piece, two on the Terriers, and one on hockey parents.
All three were good columns.
The Shankster ought to stick with school sports, as his venomous bent doesn't constantly come through as it does when he writes about professional sports.
Beware...Dan has filed articles three days in a row. He'll probably need some significant time off...
The bit was Shank's third consecutive hockey piece, two on the Terriers, and one on hockey parents.
All three were good columns.
The Shankster ought to stick with school sports, as his venomous bent doesn't constantly come through as it does when he writes about professional sports.
Beware...Dan has filed articles three days in a row. He'll probably need some significant time off...
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Red Sox Grab Bag
Dan penned two Red Sox-based columns this week, one semi-positive, the second snarly and bitchy.
His April 6th piece accused the franchise of becoming too bland. The drama and angst of spring trainings past weren't in evidence this season and our boy apparently thinks that's a bad thing.
With Curt Schilling a thing of the past, and ManRam gone, not to mention the infamous Carl Everett, it appears as though Shank is desperately seeking new targets to skewer.
Oh, my. How horrid! The team is about PLAYING baseball. Imagine that!
His second column was a tad more gracious. Just a tad, as the Shankster slammed sundry individuals and groused about Youk grousing about "several Hub scribes did not pick the Sox to win the World Series."
Ho hum...
I apologize for running late on these this week, as I was a tad under the weather and busy promoting my book, which has gone for a third printing since its release last month. Rest assured the three errors that have been pointed out to me will be corrected in the fourth printing ... unlike another scribe who wrote about the so-called "Curse."
His April 6th piece accused the franchise of becoming too bland. The drama and angst of spring trainings past weren't in evidence this season and our boy apparently thinks that's a bad thing.
With Curt Schilling a thing of the past, and ManRam gone, not to mention the infamous Carl Everett, it appears as though Shank is desperately seeking new targets to skewer.
"No holdouts, no latecomers, no intramural dustups around the batting cage. No long-hair leaping gnomes. It was all about baseball.
"Once a roster peppered with divas, blogboys, and Jesus action figures, the Red Sox of 2009 are downright button-down. No more gypsies, tramps, and thieves."
Oh, my. How horrid! The team is about PLAYING baseball. Imagine that!
His second column was a tad more gracious. Just a tad, as the Shankster slammed sundry individuals and groused about Youk grousing about "several Hub scribes did not pick the Sox to win the World Series."
Ho hum...
I apologize for running late on these this week, as I was a tad under the weather and busy promoting my book, which has gone for a third printing since its release last month. Rest assured the three errors that have been pointed out to me will be corrected in the fourth printing ... unlike another scribe who wrote about the so-called "Curse."
Friday, April 10, 2009
Hep me!!!
This terrific piece from the Herald's Howie Carr...
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1164722
Kind of puts it into perspective, eh?
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1164722
Kind of puts it into perspective, eh?
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Ode to Francis Scott Key
Dan provides a reasonably insightful look back at the Baltimore Orioles in his April 5th column, although he does revert to his time-worn rhapsodic manner of invoking ancient catch phrases (e.g., Ain't Too Proud to Beg, etc.) into his columns.
He also equates Baltimore's acquisition of Frank Robinson to the Celtics' acquisition of Bill Russell. The only problem with that is that the Celts drafted Russell out of college, while the Orioles traded for Robinson. The other mystery Shankism relates to how Fenway was empty in 1998. Huh?
Overall, however, the piece is a solid one and provides some perspective on where the Orioles are now, and where they spent nearly 20 years not so long ago, atop the American League and AL East.
Now, on a personal note, the Globe endorsed my book today. Betcha that pissed off a couple of people who shall remain nameless. To assuage one of my chief critics, and in an effort of making full disclosure, the author of the review did identify a glaring error of mine, which, unlike another author who wrote about the Curse, will be corrected in the next edition of my book.
He also equates Baltimore's acquisition of Frank Robinson to the Celtics' acquisition of Bill Russell. The only problem with that is that the Celts drafted Russell out of college, while the Orioles traded for Robinson. The other mystery Shankism relates to how Fenway was empty in 1998. Huh?
Overall, however, the piece is a solid one and provides some perspective on where the Orioles are now, and where they spent nearly 20 years not so long ago, atop the American League and AL East.
Now, on a personal note, the Globe endorsed my book today. Betcha that pissed off a couple of people who shall remain nameless. To assuage one of my chief critics, and in an effort of making full disclosure, the author of the review did identify a glaring error of mine, which, unlike another author who wrote about the Curse, will be corrected in the next edition of my book.
Friday, April 03, 2009
The Armpit of Pitt
Shank again mailed it in with this one on March 29, essentially providing readers with a game account in place of a column.
His inconsistency continues to boggle the mind. Aside from a couple of asides, Dan pens a column that recounts how Pitt lost in the final minute of its Elite Eight contest against Villanova. He regales us with memories of Danny Ainge against Notre Dame and Christian Laettner's efforts versus Kentucky.
He also laments Pitt's lack of getting the ball to DeJuan Blair, the guy with "the enormous derriere." There it is again ...
It all makes one wonder why the Globe editors let him get away with half-assing his way through life...
His inconsistency continues to boggle the mind. Aside from a couple of asides, Dan pens a column that recounts how Pitt lost in the final minute of its Elite Eight contest against Villanova. He regales us with memories of Danny Ainge against Notre Dame and Christian Laettner's efforts versus Kentucky.
He also laments Pitt's lack of getting the ball to DeJuan Blair, the guy with "the enormous derriere." There it is again ...
It all makes one wonder why the Globe editors let him get away with half-assing his way through life...
He Ain't Tony Blair...
Ok, blog boys 'n' girls ... I'm b-a-a-a-a-ck. Some personal matters have kept me out of the loop since I departed for Fort Myers last week, but now let's get back to the issue at hand.
Dan continues his schizophrenic ways by penning a good column about Pitt's DeJuan Blair, published Friday last, discussing Blair's oversized rear end. Hmmm...
The Shank's ruminations about Blair's backside could have implications other than the topic for a column, eh?
Nevertheless, Shaughnessy again writes a well-focused column -- even though he lets slip that he garnered his quotes in a press conference setting. Perhaps his reputation has preceeded him in Pittsburgh.
Dan continues his schizophrenic ways by penning a good column about Pitt's DeJuan Blair, published Friday last, discussing Blair's oversized rear end. Hmmm...
The Shank's ruminations about Blair's backside could have implications other than the topic for a column, eh?
Nevertheless, Shaughnessy again writes a well-focused column -- even though he lets slip that he garnered his quotes in a press conference setting. Perhaps his reputation has preceeded him in Pittsburgh.
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