Dave's Got Competition, aka Max and Erik Make a Blog :)

by EngineerScotty on Apr 22, 2009 10:39 AM PDT

The Blogfather has just announced today at TrueHoop, that the Blazers finally have a representative in the Truehoop Blog Network--that blog being Beyond Bowie, written by fantasy football authors Erik Barmack and Max Handelman.

And while Dave may dream about easy-on-the-eyes celebrities like Jessica Alba, Handelman (also a movie producer) is apparently the husband of Hollywood hottie Elizabeth Banks (from films such as Zach and Miri Make a Porno), pictured here:

(via www.tvpredictions.com)

(The Internet does have many other pictures of Ms. Banks, that are less appropriate for a family blog such as this one.)

Has anyone checked out the new blog yet? Right now, this one is far better, and numerous posters at TrueHoop are wondering why BlazersEdge isn't in the TrueHoop network (I suspect that BEdge being part of SBNation prevents that...)

But man. Elizabeth Banks. Way to twist the knife into a guy's back, Henry.. :)

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Comments

How?

by AK1984 on Apr 22, 2009 11:00 AM PDT reply actions

because

sometimes being the right cool is enough to snag the hottie. Although I actually don’t dig her look that much.

The goal is not to be better, the goal is to be the best.

by ratbastird on Apr 22, 2009 3:24 PM PDT up reply actions

Even though that's a fairly reasoned response, I'm sticking with "How?" for now.

by AK1984 on Apr 22, 2009 4:05 PM PDT up reply actions

Because he is a Blazer fan

Duh

"The brownies,'' Fernandez said after the game. "The brownies are good for me to make three-points.''

by Sabonis4Ever on Apr 22, 2009 11:45 PM PDT up reply actions

It's ok...didn't really make an impression.

1. i’m not sure I like the name…i’d like to be the Trailblazers and not “the team that drafted Bowie instead of Jordan”. I know it’s called Beyond Bowie, but still, I get tired of the Bowie thing, and that name is just inviting constant harassment from other fans.

2. I know the guys are from Portland but they seem to be writing out of LA and New York. Their writing didn’t have the homey feeling of BEdge. It just seemed a little more ESPNish, just didn’t connect.

I’ll give it a some more whirls and check in from time to time but right BEdge definately is my home.

Maybe I’m a little biased.

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
-John Wooden
If you train hard, you'll not only be hard, you'll be hard to beat.
-Herschel Walker

Go Blazerss!!! Playoff time!

by DaNoose on Apr 22, 2009 11:01 AM PDT reply actions

na

totally agree.

The goal is not to be better, the goal is to be the best.

by ratbastird on Apr 22, 2009 3:24 PM PDT up reply actions

Writing at BB seems to be pretty good...

but, all kidding in the lead aside, I don’t view this as competition for BEdge; any more than Casey’s blog is competition, or anything else. BEdge is about community as much as anything else; BB, it’s too young to say. Ben and Dave actually do journalism, rather than being guys who just write their opinions for the world to see.

Barmack and Handelman are both good writers, and published ones to boot. They both know sports, and love the Blazers, having grown up in Portland. (Henry went to Oregon Episcopal School, and writes that B&H went to their rival—presumably Riverdale. Insert joke about snotty rich kids here…)

Whether or not BB will have any staying power, I don’t know… being part of the THN will probably get them page hits they wouldn’t have otherwise.

I have not yet begun to defile myself.

by EngineerScotty on Apr 22, 2009 11:14 AM PDT reply actions

Agreed. The Community is my number one reason

for being on BEdge. I’ve actually made a friend here. Another person gave me a free ticket. People know each other and it’s 98% respectful and intelligent here.

I’ve never had anything close to that experience with anyother site.

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
-John Wooden
If you train hard, you'll not only be hard, you'll be hard to beat.
-Herschel Walker

Go Blazerss!!! Playoff time!

by DaNoose on Apr 22, 2009 11:21 AM PDT up reply actions

My number one reason

is the insanely knowledgeable people and insight.

I didn’t get that from the other site, and thus it dudded.

The goal is not to be better, the goal is to be the best.

by ratbastird on Apr 22, 2009 3:25 PM PDT up reply actions

no competition

Three-fourths of water makes seven seas
A third of land three-sixty degrees
I circulate and remain to rotate
Seven days a week at a quake or a slow rate
Be prepared whenever I come
Competition is none
-Rakim

dinasour type of guys choir boys

by mittsabishy on Apr 22, 2009 11:24 AM PDT reply actions

my first thoughts EXACTLY

"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West
"una canasta a Pau en la cara" Rudy

by Honka Playboy on Apr 24, 2009 11:06 AM PDT up reply actions

And as is tradition at SBN, this should be a fanshot ;-)

http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/4/21/848384/new-blazer-blog-beyond-bowie-joins

That stop and go by Roy is straight sick. I'm calling him "The Flu" from now on. - Wendell Maxey

by Norsktroll on Apr 22, 2009 11:37 AM PDT reply actions

But if it were a fanshot

I couldn’t have provided both the link, and the picture of the lovely Ms Banks above.

OTOH, I’m sure she’s a fan… but is she a Blazer fan? She grew up in Massachusetts, and is now living in Hollyweird, so she might be a fan of the Celts or the Lakers, ew.

So, come on, Max… if you’re a true Blazer fan, we wanna see you and the missus sitting courtside for Game 5. :)

I have not yet begun to defile myself.

by EngineerScotty on Apr 22, 2009 1:03 PM PDT up reply actions

You can bank a shot off the boards...

or use a shot of Banks bored like you did… I guess they both relate to bb, but I like your approach!

by QuebecBlzrFan on Apr 22, 2009 11:57 AM PDT reply actions

I like the other more DIY blogs better

Portland’s a DIY city, its blogs should be the same way.

by robrun2 on Apr 22, 2009 12:04 PM PDT reply actions

"Beyond Bowie???" Really?

That’s the best name they could come up with? How about just callin it the Jailblazer Blog, or Qyntells Puppies, or Damon’s Blunts?

Do they know enough about this team to write a blog? Sound like bandwagoners to me…the only people I hear referencing Bowie is ESPN guys who haven’t really followed the team since 1986. or 1977.

It's spelled "PRZYBILLA."
vanillathrillagorillaprzybilla

by RenoBlazerFan on Apr 22, 2009 12:19 PM PDT reply actions

Are you kidding ? That's what they called it ? Pathetic

They wish they were “competition”… What, because the guy has a pretty wife ?? How wonderful for him….

by Berkeley on Apr 22, 2009 12:26 PM PDT up reply actions

They don't mention Banks anywhere on their blog...

nor does Henry mention it either. Googling for “Max Handelman” immediately returned lots of Elizabeth Banks hits, but it took more digging to establish that the husband-of-the-actress and the above-mentioned Blazer blogger, are in fact the same person. Handelman, to his credit, seems to avoid mention of his wife in his own work.

I have not yet begun to defile myself.

by EngineerScotty on Apr 22, 2009 1:36 PM PDT up reply actions

I wonder why....

"The brownies,'' Fernandez said after the game. "The brownies are good for me to make three-points.''

by Sabonis4Ever on Apr 22, 2009 11:48 PM PDT up reply actions

Agreed

I didn’t feel any love from the site and i didn’t feel it added anything. Cassie and others are on my “need to read when i have time list” this blog site isn’t. I wonder if the editor said “hey, remember that bowie thing! you should start your blog off like that! Oh, and be negative because your team is always going to be a loser!”

The goal is not to be better, the goal is to be the best.

by ratbastird on Apr 22, 2009 3:16 PM PDT up reply actions

And they constantly mis-spell Joel Przybilla!

It's spelled "PRZYBILLA."
vanillathrillagorillaprzybilla

by RenoBlazerFan on Apr 22, 2009 3:42 PM PDT up reply actions

in fairness

i do a lot too.

The goal is not to be better, the goal is to be the best.

by ratbastird on Apr 23, 2009 9:00 AM PDT up reply actions

Can we get back to Elizabeth Banks already?

Seriously. If you’ve seen her interviewed, she’s got that fun/hot thing like Jenny McCarthy.

by levelhed on Apr 22, 2009 12:56 PM PDT reply actions

Looks like they edit the comments as well

none of mine show up.

The goal is not to be better, the goal is to be the best.

by ratbastird on Apr 22, 2009 3:12 PM PDT reply actions

Darn! I was hoping to go there and troll mercilessly.

My screen name would be “BeyondBowieSucksForABlazerBlogName”

It's spelled "PRZYBILLA."
vanillathrillagorillaprzybilla

by RenoBlazerFan on Apr 22, 2009 3:44 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm not a truehoop format fan.

my post never showed up either. It wasn’t even a bad one.

+1 for the hot wife
-1 for the crappy format and response editing.

I should already lose my job for the amount of Blazer’s sites i spend as it is. Adding one more to my list would probably make my bosses head explode.

I <3 Blazersedge

the artist formerly known as kikifromdowntown

by pippenainteazy on Apr 23, 2009 10:40 AM PDT up reply actions

god gawd - my head spun when I saw your screen name

you are bringing back the name but not the spirit. I hope.

"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West
"una canasta a Pau en la cara" Rudy

by Honka Playboy on Apr 24, 2009 11:09 AM PDT up reply actions

Dunno about the blog

I’m sure it’s good, but I hate hate hate hate the name.

We got a lot more than Bowie in our history, and while saying ‘Beyond Bowie" suggests it, it isn’t strong enough to take ownership of the Bowie ‘curse’ back and make it our own. It just reminds everyone of failure.

It’s like a name a non-Blazer fan, being assigned the task of being a Blazer blogger for ESPN, would pick.

Mortimer

by Mortimer on Apr 22, 2009 3:17 PM PDT reply actions

how about

remember77 or 77comesagain

Frankly, i’d dig something like that much more.

I feel like it makes us into one of those baseball team fans that never win. Buddy, we win and we will win.

The goal is not to be better, the goal is to be the best.

by ratbastird on Apr 22, 2009 3:27 PM PDT up reply actions

Petro goes Batum

Since Drazen and Nicolas are Erik and Max’ favorite past and current Blazers?

by two4larue on Apr 23, 2009 4:06 PM PDT up reply actions

If nothing else

Max now has his very own wikipedia article.

My main concern with the site, I guess (despite the name—what’s next, “Over Oden”?), is that it kinda looks like Blogfather rewarding a buddy. Max and Erik do have lots of cred in the sportsworld for their fantasy work, and they appear to be diehard Blazer fans—but most if not all of the other TrueHoop network blogs are established ones; not newly-minted affairs. I’m not upset at all that BEdge didn’t get the gig—the TrueHoop network seems more focused on the bloggers than on the community—but it still smacks a bit of nepotims. Of course, where an outsider sees “nepotism”, an insider might see trust—as in “I know I can trust this guy to do a good job, even though he may not have the established credentials”.

It will be interesting to see how the new outfit does.

I have not yet begun to defile myself.

by EngineerScotty on Apr 22, 2009 3:39 PM PDT reply actions

Comments to the Comments

Hey:

This is Erik from Beyond Bowie.

A few points here:

1) Max and I were both born in Portland in 1973 and spent our entire childhood there. We’ve both gone to over 200 games. We’ve watched almost all of our games this season. So, make fun of us for writing poorly, but our fandom is legit.

2) I’d hope that our personal lives could be left out of this. Though my personal life pretty much involves drinking in sports/dive bars and kind of shaking my way through a series of bad dates. So there you go.

3) I can’t speak on business terms about BE, but as both a blogger and a business guy, I have tremendous respect for BE. And so does Henry.

4) What’s in a name? Seriously, it’s just a name. We thought it was funny. The 1984 draft comes up over and over again in our chats. But really, we need to prove out that we can write well. Period.

5) On that note, we’ve spoken to the BE guys, we’ve taken advice from Henry, and we’re not trying to compete directly with BE, which would be nuts. Why? We’re here everyday. And we love this site. We’re just trying to provide a different spin on the same topic.

6) We ARE putting all posts that are made onto our site. If it’s not there, it’s because it’s being caught by a spam/profanity filter of some sort.

All of which is to say — we love the Blazers, we think we can string sentences together, we’ve done lots of sportswriting before, we’d like to be known for what we put on our blog, and we hope that you like Beyond Bowie over time. And feel free to email me if you have further concerns, comments, feedback, etc.

by Erik Barmack on Apr 22, 2009 3:50 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs

Appreciate the reasoned response--but, man, I really hate the title.

And it’s spelled Przybilla

It's spelled "PRZYBILLA."
vanillathrillagorillaprzybilla

by RenoBlazerFan on Apr 22, 2009 4:00 PM PDT up reply actions

No it's not

Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game

by iDea on Apr 23, 2009 8:09 AM PDT up reply actions

nvrmind

I read that your sentence totally weird and wrong. It’s still early……

Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game

by iDea on Apr 23, 2009 8:11 AM PDT up reply actions

Comments on the comments on the comments

1) Your fandom is not doubted.

2) Understood, and hopefully Max’s relationship won’t be a big deal either way. It certainly isn’t relevant for a sports blog, though he DOES mention the work on the new Bruce Willis flick. The reason it was brought up is that Dave likes to occasionally obsess over celebrities, and here there’s a new Blazer blog on the block whose host happens to be married to one. I’m tryin’ to tease Dave here, not you guys. It should be noted, front and center, that the relationship between Max and Elizabeth precedes the notability or fame of either one, which is way cool. (Though I still am curious—is she a Blazer fan?)

3 and 5) I don’t doubt that one bit. And I do wish you guys luck.

4) It’s just a sore spot—and given some of the things that have been written and said about a certain current Blazer center, often compared to Sam Bowie, Bowie references do rub raw.

6) Good to hear.

Anyways, we do wish you luck, even if we hate the name. :)

I have not yet begun to defile myself.

by EngineerScotty on Apr 22, 2009 4:06 PM PDT up reply actions

Business is business, although it's crazy to know that the Walt Disney Co. and Kos Media, LLC are ...

the respective parent companies of Beyond Bowie and Blazer’s Edge. While these blogs are just smaller fish, they do live in a much, much bigger pond.

by AK1984 on Apr 22, 2009 4:08 PM PDT up reply actions

Thanks for responding

You guys sound like legit fans and yes, the personal stuff (as interesting as it is) shouldn’t be an issue. But the name, the name, the name, I dunno. If you guys are as smart as you sound, you could’ve done better. C’mon, you know it’s not “just a name.” The Bowie reference is all we’ve been hearing from internet idiots for the last 18 months — people who are incapable of intelligent insight and analysis.

Be honest, did you choose the name for the controversy, thinking it would generate attention? Because that’s what it looks like from this angle.

by Corvid on Apr 22, 2009 10:00 PM PDT up reply actions

No profanity

not really my thing. Posts still didn’t post and I haven’t been back to see if they’ve posted yet.

Possibly a long delay from having posted and actually posting.

I’ll check it from time to time, but the name… you’re killing me. I still say it fits a stereotype like all Oregonians are lumberjacks.

The goal is not to be better, the goal is to be the best.

by ratbastird on Apr 23, 2009 8:59 AM PDT up reply actions

They're not?!

by MiledAnimal on Apr 23, 2009 10:25 AM PDT up reply actions

As I am sure you already know ...

… ignore at least half of the responses. If people don’t like the name, they should say they don’t and leave it at that. What’s in a name that is so important you have to detail why you think it sucks? If they really don’t like it, they can go start their own blog and do such an outstanding job that no one bothers to read yours or anyone elses.

Rec btw.

hakkaa päälle !

by timg56 on Apr 23, 2009 9:21 AM PDT up reply actions

yeah

but that’s like work and stuff.

If you’re going to name your kid DOG CHOW, then you should be prepared for a mocking. The mocking will cease when it grows old (when does it ever grow old) or the name changes.

The goal is not to be better, the goal is to be the best.

by ratbastird on Apr 24, 2009 9:28 AM PDT up reply actions

I Don't Like the Name...

and I may start a blog but will certainly not be handpicked to participate in the True Hoop Network.

"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West
"una canasta a Pau en la cara" Rudy

by Honka Playboy on Apr 24, 2009 11:15 AM PDT up reply actions

this aggression will not stand

2) I’d hope that our personal lives could be left out of this.

You lost your chance at that when you did that one thing. If I have to remind you what you did, then that just really proves my point.

dinasour type of guys choir boys

by mittsabishy on Apr 24, 2009 10:32 AM PDT up reply actions

Sorry, but the name is a deal killer

It’s NOT funny—not even a little. For one thing, Sam Bowie is a real, live person, and reportedly an extremely nice one. I doubt he’ll appreciate your little joke at his expense. He’s taken enough abuse for committing the unforgivable crime of getting hurt.

"We don't back down to nobody." --Joel Przybilla

by hurryup09 on Apr 23, 2009 12:06 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs