The links below lead to samples of my work. For photography samples, click on the tab above or the slideshow on the sidebar.
Online - OKBlitz.com
Northern Iowa’s Farokhmanesh Stings Like a Bee -- 3/18/2010 (NCAA Tournament notebook)
Bartlesville’s Noah Hartsock Impresses for BYU -- 3/18/2010 (NCAA Tournament notebook)
A Titan Tribute -- 12/17/2009 (High School feature)
Bronson Irwin the Biggest Bronco -- 9/8/2009 (High School feature)
Print - Boston Globe
'A chance to win in life' -- 4/23/09 (High School feature)
Old college try successful for these youngsters -- 4/20/09 (Chicago Bulls notebook)
Dream Chasers -- 3/22/09 (High School feature)
A family of fighters, winners -- 3/16/09 (High School feature/sidebar)
Manchester just perfect -- 12/7/08 (High School game story)
Broadcast - Emerson College TV
2009 WEBN Spring Training Special (A Block) -- Producer, editor, videographer
Atlanta Braves (Jeff Francoeur) PKG -- Reporter, videographer, producer
Houston Astros (Michael Bourn) PKG -- Reporter, videographer, producer
Boston's Freshest Foods -- Videographer
DeJon Berment PKG -- Reporter, editor, videographer
Photography
Flickr page
Sticking with the video theme, here is Conan O'Brien's self proclaimed favorite skit from his show. Enjoy.
Rumble the mascot debuted in Oklahoma City last night to...confused reactions.
But, it did lead to some funny reviews today. Josh Elliot championed him "Teen Wolf" on Sportscenter. Any reference to Jason Bateman is fine by me.
The Thunder mascot also spawned some pretty hilarious articles today. Deadspin and the Sporting News were among those who weighed in.
Check it out...don't blink or you might miss various bison-related basketballing.
With the job market the way it is, how could a mascot be hired if he can't even dunk? Even Teen Wolf could dunk! Ohh well...at least this didn't happen to the lightning-struck, lonely, drum-playing bison-man-mascot.
That happened at the NBA All-Star festivities last weekend...poor Bango needs surgery now. Tough being a mascot these days. No wonder mascot-human relations are at an all-time low.
Yeah, you're right, this is probably my best blog post ever.
How cute is this?
For all the squabbling, egotism, and grandstanding that has marred the afterlife of the new millennium Los Angeles Lakers, last Sunday's NBA All-Star Game gave basketball fans a cushy, feel-good moment. In a meaningless game, with zero circumstances, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant offered a glimpse of one the NBA's best ever duos.
Kobe, being Kobe, logged 29 minutes, scored 27 points, and split MVP duties with O'Neal. The Man of Steel, despite logging a team-low 10:56 playing time, bucketed 8-of-9 shots, many of which were set up by his former pivot.
After the game, Shaq and Kobe tussled over the MVP award for the benefit of the NBA viewing public. Good thing they build that thing sturdier than the G-E-I-C-O game trophy. Who knew My Little Pony had a place in basketball?
Picture perfect isn't it? I mean, sure, never mind the fact that Shaq's infamous, uh, whatever you call this, was a mere nine months ago. And forget the fact that Kobe called Shaq "fat", mentioned "childlike selfishness", and, oh yeah, he may have told police that the big man drops seven figures to keep women quiet about his involvement with them.
But none of that mattered last weekend. It was all laughs, and dancing, and fond memories.
That led to the somewhat-natural follow-up question of: Could they co-exist again? Could one of the league's all time greatest duos put aside the potty talk and hurt feelings? Could they make one last run?
No. Not maybe. No.
I mean, is it feasible? I suppose it is. At the NBA All-Star break Phoenix sat ninth in the Western Conference, disappointing enough to dump its head coach of four months - Terry Porter. And, sure, the Suns have made it very public that Amar'e Stoudemire is on the trading block, which is just three days away. The Lakers have lost their defacto big man, Andrew Bynum, to injury, again.
So, on one hand, you have an aging center in what is likely the final year of his career languishing on a disappointing team and a first place team that, under normal circumstances, would be an ideal fit.
Salary wrangling would be a problem, but, when it comes to championship hopes, the only incorrect amount spent is "not enough".
But, no, it can't happen. While a bloated salary could be greased up enough to fit a tight space, the Lakers are fresh out of space for a 325-pound addition of egotism.
Lest ye forget, Jerry Buss signs the checks and Kobe pays the bills.
Regardless of what Lakers fans or NBA fans would like - or dread - seeing, sometimes the past is best left to the past.
It's just like that ex-girlfriend whose number sits on the desk or in your cell phone. You tell yourself, 'Maybe, this time, it will work. Maybe we can recapture those good times. There were so many positives! Why not give it a shot?'
Funny how time glamourizes the good and makes you forget that same girl once tried to throw a lamp at you.
The Lakers reached the NBA Finals last season on the back of heroic performances by Bryant and solid contributions from a young bench. Acquiring O'Neal is a reversal of course and, likely, of fortunes.
The Suns sacrificed their fast-footed ways to bring in the foul-line-aphobe and have experienced a steady decline since.
The Big Aristotle proved to be entertaining host in the desert last weekend, emphasizing more than ever, that it takes a dry climate for the Shaqtus to grow.
In today's world of media proliferation, you can find a dozen voices to comment on a single game within a few clicks of a mouse.
Take Saturday's Flyers game against the Bruins. Yes, we're talking about a team that has ascended to the top of the Eastern Conference and the team that competed violently against them last year. But still the different mediums available to find even the most basic information can be staggering.
The Boston Globe's Fluto Shinzawa is considered by many the beat writer de jour for the black and gold. The Associated Press can be found wherever there's a story to tell. And the New England Hockey Journal covers the Boston hockey scene, chiming in on national and intercollegiate stick and puck.
Both the AP and Globe led with the game's final goal, a Randy Jones strike. Jones still has blood on his hands and a target on his back after giving Patrice Bergeron a concussion last season. "Philadelphia's Randy Jones gave Bruins' fans a different reason to boo him," noted the AP, after scoring an overtime goal "that wouldn't have cracked an eggshell," according to Shinzawa.
The AP story dove further into the Jones storyline, committing the first four lines to the defenseman. The two Boston sources looked for Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference, whom the puck had deflected off of. "It's fun to score, but when they happen on your side, it's not so cool," said Ference, quoted as saying such in all three stories, though later in the AP account.
From there, Fluto gives some personal analysis, having earned his credibility in the market. "Tough to come up with a declarative thumb up or down," Fluto writes, but the fact is the direction of his thumb is, in fact, a reliable barometer. The writer has covered nearly every Bruins game since the start of the 2006-07 season.
The NEHJ goes into the concept of fatigue, which was addressed in the lede, and uses quotes from Bruins coach Claude Julien to back up that point, as opposed to writer analysis. Shinzawa discusses the same concept from his eyes, writing "fatigue (physical and mental) brought the Bruins down."
The more prominent sources - the Globe and AP - note that Fernandez declined to talk to the media, but all three mention Byron Bitz's first NHL goal. Shinzawa missed a key point to the game that the AP and NEHJ caught. Bitz and Chuck Kobasew scored 8 seconds apart - the fastest back-to-back Bruins goals in 28 years - a rare miss by Shinzawa.
Maybe fatigue was also a factor for the Bruins beat writer. He only quotes Ference and Julien in the article. The NEHJ was Bruins-centric as well, but also quoted Bitz. The AP story is the only one that encompasses both teams, quoting Jones, Ference, Julien, and Flyers' forward Scott Hartnell.
Interestingly, none of the articles quote Antero Niittymaki, who replaced struggling Marty Biron after the first period. After the goalie change, the Bruins failed to score, which could mean a permanent shift to Niittymaki as the number one goaltender. Niittymaki is a Finnish-born goaltender, but does speak English. The articles don't mention any reluctance to speak on the part of the goalie, yet none quote him.
Fluto's piece doesn't contain a notes section, but he normally contributes those on off days. The AP and NEHJ notes sections touch upon largely the same stories - Aaron Ward's illness and Michael Ryder's injury.
In all, all three tell the story, but each one gives you a different perspective. Shinzawa, arguably the most knowledgeable team source, gives his opinion to you straight, while also recapping the game. The NEHJ story gives you the details and quote-driven analysis from a Boston perspective. The AP story is meant to appeal to fans of both - or neither - team. It's the only one that includes the Philadelphia perspective.
Perhaps this is why so many media entities are able to survive amongst each other. Proliferation is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as each source has a target readership and definable perspective.
Yeah, you've seen his face a lot lately. His son's too. The proud papa is, as he put it, this year's Archie Manning.
In the last two Super Bowls, it’s been the Mannings: Peyton, Eli, and father Archie...
Because of the Arizona Cardinals’ incredible season of success and Larry Jr. breaking the legendary Jerry Rice’s playoff records, the Fitzgeralds are suddenly a unique hot American story. Father/sportswriter Larry becomes the first to ever cover his son in the Super Bowl.
The "no cheering in the press box" rule - one of sports journalism's precious commandments - will be put to the test like never before. Larry Fitzgerald Sr., a sports writer for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, has covered the Super Bowl every season since the 15th (XV for the Romans reading) installment in 1981.
Each year, his job took him to the world's biggest sporting event. Sometimes he'd bring son Larry Jr. in tow. But, this year, Arizona wide receiver Larry Jr. punched a ticket with a job of his own to do.
After tying the record for most touchdown receptions in a postseason game with three - in the NFC Championship game, vanquishing the Philadelphia Eagles - and breaking Jerry Rice's postseason receiving yardage record - the new benchmark sits at 419, heading into Super Bowl XLIII - how is Larry Sr. to remain humble.
In his Super Bowl preview article, the elder Fitzgerald called his son "one of the best at age 25 to ever play this game" and "the best player on the field". While the words seem biased, they just may be true.
Despite the obvious attachment Larry Sr. has to the Game of All Games, he doesn't dwell on his son too long, moving on to the efforts of "the 106 players and coaches - [who] have paid sweating through the summer in the grueling, pressurized week-to-week season."He explains in "keep it simple, stupid" detail, the 'who's and 'what's of the game to come, but quotes one of sources, forged by decades of work in professional football. "Tomlin comes from the Tony Dungy tree of NFL coaches, and one veteran NFL scout talking about Tomlin said, 'He’s got it.'"
Larry Sr. describes, in simple detail, the history involved - how Ken Whisenhunt and Ken Grimm, former Pittsburgh Steelers coordinators, were passed over before reinventing a perennial NFL punch line of a franchise. He gives the scores of the Super Bowl contenders' previous conquests, exuding none of the flash his son displays on the field he writes about.
He concludes the article with "a hunch" predicting a Cardinals victory, 28-27. Prophecy and sports journalism often go hand-in-hand. After all, there's a game every night, most hoisted high in Las Vegas with thousands upon thousands of dollars at stake. Any potential insight won't go unread. And who knows Larry Jr. better than Dad?
In the business of sports journalism, often you're asked to check your bias at the door or pack it deep inside your ribs. Anymore than a single clap in a press setting and you risk your reputation or, even worse, a death stare from colleagues.
But with newspapers floundering and the journalism industry lofted up the air like a Kurt Warner lob, maybe Larry Sr. can come down with the loose ball.
Who's to say that Larry, who covered Super Bowls every season without fail, should silence that inner voice? Through the birth of two sons, Larry in 1983 and Marcus in 1985, and the death of his wife of a brain aneurysm in 2003, Larry Sr. stuck with the trade, submitting to the often-formulaic will of his fellow media.
Why not let him say and show exactly what he feels? You'll find thousands of game stories Monday morning in hundreds of countries, but only one journalist has his son on the field.
Larry Sr. admits "it does not get much better than this", and why quiet that enthusiasm? Maybe it is a father's perspective - biased, affected, honest - that should have an unabashed place in sports journalism.
Call it "a hunch".