We are all about loyalty here at MSF - loyalty to our teams, obviously, but also loyalty to friends and family. Nate Davis, the lead singer of KontraBand Muzik, has been a friend and loyal supporter of MSF since the site was launched. Now that he is in need of a little help spreading the word about something that is important to him, KVB and I are happy to help. Plus, it sounds to me like he got screwed over. And if true, that's bullshit.

Update 2/25: Since posting this on February 23rd, we have continued to try to contact someone from Barker's camp. Today, I received an email from James Ingram, who was a recording engineer on the album. His response to KontraBand's claims is included in the post below.

Read on.]

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I got a call from my friend Nick the other night. He said he saw Travis Barker on Jimmy Kimmel Live doing a song. Honestly I thought so what, who is Travis Barker? Ah yes, the Blink 182 drummer. Well Nick said the song “Drummer Get Some” they preformed sounded like something he’d heard before. Specifically, it sounded like one of our friend’s songs: “Drummer Get Wicked” by KontraBand Muzik. We live in Indianapolis and they have a large following here.

Now, I am pretty cautious about stuff like this. I once did an illustration for a band’s logo and it looked almost exactly like an Umphrees McGee logo. Though a band member merely pointed out the similarity, it crushed part of me, from an artistic originality and integrity standpoint, to think that they may have thought I was ripping someone off, especially a band that had a similar sound. But I hadn’t even heard of Umphrees at the time.

That said, getting back to my conversation with Nick, he tipped me off to something that I think, in all honesty, is pretty disappointing and disheartening, especially since you now know my take on the importance of artistic originality and integrity.

To further explain what I am getting at – that Travis Barker quite likely ripped off KontraBand Muzik without crediting them in any way – here is a Q & A with Nate Davis of KontraBand Muzik. Needless to say, he’s not happy about it.

KVB: I heard that your band has a personal account of a discussion with Travis Barker’s manager and gave him your music to listen to. Give us details of that and what your original track “Drummer Get Wicked” on that CD has to do with it?

Nate Davis: In January of 2010, we recorded a song called “Let the Drummer Get Wicked”. Six months later, we sent our demo, which included that song, to Travis Barker’s manager. He told us that we were “whack” and that he didn’t like our style. Six months after that, XXL Magazine had a press release introducing Travis Barker’s new mixtape “Let the Drummer Get Wicked” with his debut single “Can the Drummer Get Some?” which sounds very similar to ours.

And here is our song and a few more of the details:

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And here is “Can a Drummer Get Some” by Travis Barker:

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We’re asking all of our fans, or anybody who supports the “little guy” to flood the message boards on XXL and Travis Barker’s Facebook Page. All we’re asking is for him to admit it.

KVB: So you guys were upset, not flattered, when you heard about Travis Barker’s new release?

ND: We were shocked and definitely pissed off, especially since we heard about his new record and song by a fan who posted the link on our Facebook wall.

You have to understand that when we found out that our Road Manager had a good relationship with Travis Barker’s manager, we were really excited to send over the music.  We felt that Travis would definitely “get” what we were trying to do musically, and we were hoping for an opportunity to join his label.  We felt like it was the break we were waiting for. We had been shopped around to some hip-hop labels, and they passed on us because they didn’t understand the rock element in our sound.  We needed a look from someone who was inspired by both rock and hip-hop, and felt like this was the perfect fit.

Then came the news from his manager that he thought we were “whack” (his manager’s words), and it was devastating.  It sort of made us question if we really had an innovative sound, or if it was something that people just didn’t understand or weren’t ready for.  Now, it feels like we just gave him a good idea on a sound and a song that would showcase his abilities.  It’s the perfect song for what he’s trying to do, so I can understand how he could be inspired by it.

Update: Here is the response from James Ingram, received February 25th, 2011:

“I can tell you that the bulk of Travis’ song was recorded in 2008 prior to his plane crash.  There are timestamped and dated files from that time that really would backup the news, but I hope you take my word for it at this point.  Hell, I have email chains of rough mixes and such from that time as well.  I hate to burst their bubble, but Kontraband seems like they are a little uninformed on this one.  On another note, as far as “Let the Drummer Get Wicked”, Travis is not to credit for that, neither is Kontraband, but James Brown.  Its a rather famous sample thats been repeated over the years, Public Enemy comes to mind.  Its also heavily used by DJ’s due to its breakbeat nature.  Using “Let the Drummer Get Wicked” as a title for a FREE mixtape is more of an ode and shout out to people who have done it before.  I don’t want to sound like I’m bagging on Kontraband, but I find it almost laughable that they think they have a case here.”

In a later email, Ingram (who was very cordial and cooperative) had this to say:

“I realize I will have a slightly skewed or biased point of view, but I hope the tone of what I said didn’t/doesn’t sound like I’m attacking the band.  I’m not trying to bash anyone per se, it just doesn’t add up to me.  From a copyright perspective, naming songs similar or even exact phrases really isn’t grounds for infringement either.  I could call a new record “The White Album” and the Beatles couldn’t come after me for it.  As just an example, the Troggs classic “Wild Thing” and Tone Loc’s “Wild Thing”.  Same name, different songs.  I’m sure you get the gist of it.

Similar style?  I guess so, rapping over drum and live guitars/bass.  ”Ripoff”?  Not really, the timeframe doesn’t make sense, or the composition for that matter.  Different notes, different progression, different lyrics.”

And here is Nate’s response to what Ingram said:

“That’s fine…and accurate about James Brown and Public Enemy, but the finished product is undeniable, and we know what we sent them.  We expected somebody to come out and say something from his camp. If they’ve got it timestamped, then great.  They can feel free to prove it. Hell of a coincidence, though.

Our case is that we sent it to his management team, who said they didn’t like it and then he comes out 8 months later and releases it?  we were on the radio the other day, and well be putting this out soon, but the songs lay on top of each other identically, and have the same fills. Our song was out first, as well. So, they can say whatever they want. We’ve had people writing us that have heard the two and feel the same way.”

So there you go. Now you have both sides of the story. The rest of this post is as it appeared when originally published.

KVB: What do you think the motivation would be to tell someone they are no good but jock their style or sound anyway?

ND: I don’t have any motivation to do that, so I can’t answer that.  The only motivation that I can think of for him is that he’s putting out a different kind of album, and he needed a good single that defined what his record was going to be about.

His album is all about his drumming ability and blending hip hop and rock, and you need a song that accents that.  It’s already the type of music that we do, so why would he sign a group that’s going to directly compete with his style?  He’s got the money.  He’s got the connections.  We had a really low Internet presence at the time, and he’s got a huge fanbase.  It’s his word against ours, and he definitely has the credibility.

But, it’s one hell of a coincidence that we sent that song over, along with others, and he named the mixtape the same as our song title, and has a song eerily similar to ours.  “Let the Drummer Get Wicked” and “Can the Drummer Get Some”?  Come on.

KVB: You are signed with a label called KG Records. Who are they and how are they handling this situation you described?

ND: KG records is an independent label out of Chicago (www.kg-records.com) that signed us in January, which was about six months after our initial contact with Travis Barker’s camp.  They are consulting with an attorney.  We’re trying to figure out what our options are.

I don’t really care about suing or anything like that.  I just want him to know that we know what he did, and I hope that our fans and people who think it’s wrong let him know about it.  We’re not looking for money.  We’re looking for a little respect and recognition.  It’s hard enough to be a musician.  He knows that.  It just sucks when someone who is already rich can potentially take advantage of you.  But this is a really shady business.  It’s not the first time having this happen and it definitely will not be the last.

KVB: Leon (AKA Kwiksticks) Kittrell is a great drummer who was recently featured in Supernatural Cymbals’ 2011 Catalog. His abilities were definitely the inspiration for producing the track right? Elaborate on the original idea of “Drummer Get Wicked” from last year.

ND: Yeah.  His Dad actually played drums for The Funk Brothers, which was the primary band for most of the popular Motown artists from the late 60′s and 70′s, so he’s got good genes.   We actually saw an old video of his pops on Soul Train, which was hilarious.

But, in regards to the song, our bass player, Jeremy Taylor, and our DJ, DJ Unorthodox, had an idea to have a song that showcased our drummer, and we just went with it.  Leon does a lot of exciting fills and plays with his shirt over his head during solos, and is a monster behind the kit, so we just wanted to have a song to perform at our shows that would create some excitement for the audience.  Apparently, it was pretty good idea.

KVB: Moving on, what is Kontraband Muzik doing musically this spring 2011?

ND: Touring hard in the Southeast, and going to Europe for the New Skool Rules Festival in Rotterdam.  We’ll be at the festival from April 1-3 and are picking up a couple of dates in Poland, as well as a military base in Germany.  We’ll get back to the states on April 10th.  You can see our schedule at KontraBandMuzik.com, add us on Facebook at and see our videos at www.youtube.com/kontrabandmuzik.

KVB: You have a lot of fun content featuring your music on YouTube. Describe some of it.

ND: We post a new video and offer a free song on our website every Monday.  And the thing that makes our band unique, I think, is that we play around with a lot of genres.  Somewhere along the line, what started as an idea to remake some Classic Rock songs and hip-hop songs became an obsession with the 80s.  I guess it’s because we were really into Teen Wolf, Back to the Future, Revenge of the Nerds etc., and just stayed on an 80s kick.  We started remaking a few, and we’re just going to keep going.

In regards to the content, we’re all pretty much clowns, so all we do is go out in Athens, GA (which is where we spend most of our time) and videotape the debauchery.

KVB: By the way, I was originally going to write about the Chicago White Sox reporting to Spring Training, but Travis Barker took my article and posted it online. This is better anyway. Thanks for your time Nate.

ND: Thanks.  I appreciate it!!!

You can listen to new tracks by KontraBand Muzik, download the free covers, and purchase the album at KontraBandMuzik.com or iTunes.

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Attempts to get a comment from Travis Barker or his manager were unsuccessful. However, if anyone from Barker’s camp wants to contact MSF so we can update this post with your side of the story, feel free to email jerod@midwestsportsfans.com or leave a comment below.

Rikk Reighn is not a young, dumb student at tOSU and he recorded a song that is very good and NOT annoying to the ears. That is, unless you are from Michigan or have #1-basketball-program-and-six-straight-Big-Ten-football-championship-envy.

The video includes: a good beat (sampled from Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow”); well-rapped verses that drop 2010-2011 Ohio State basketball names without sounding forced; and a great 2010-2011 highlight reel.

Watch and listen to “Gray and Scarlet” by Rikk Reighn:

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I was fortunate enough to get a few quotes from Rikk Reighn via email earlier this week. His responses are interesting, positive, and I like Rikk’s style, so I left them in the caps he sent. Thanks Rikk for your time, this is a good read.

Rikk Reighn

What is your latest album called?

KILLUMBUS..AND ONLY BECAUSE ME BEING RAISED IN THE RURAL AREA OF COLUMBUS OHIO…THE KILLING IS RELENTLESS.. THE VIOLENCE IS BASICALLY DESTROYING OUR YOUTH AS A WHOLE..NOW GRANTED MUSIC IS A WAY OF EXPRESSION AND ME BEING THE TYPE OF PERSON I AM..I USED THE TERM “KILLUMBUS” TO REALLY BRING AWARENESS THROUGH MY INFLUENCE IN MUSIC THAT OUR INNER CITY YOUTH IN COLUMBUS OHIO ARE COMMITTING SUICIDE…

What makes the OSU fan base worthy of writing such a cool song for them?

THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY DESERVES IT…THIS IS MY HOMETOWN..THE TRADITION IS REMARKABLE…AND WITH ME NEVER BEING  A STUDENT/ATHLETE FOR O.S.U. THIS IS MY WAY OF SHOWING MY ALLEGIANCE TO OHIO ST… MAYBE HELPING ME TO  BECOME A HONARY BUCKEYE..LOL..!!

Did the Black & Yellow excitement from the Steelers fan base inspire you to reach out to Buckeye fans in a similar way?

ABSOLUTELY..WE HAVE THE MOMENTUM RIGHT NOW…WHY NOT TURN IT UP ANOTHER NOTCH..I SEEN HOW GOOD WIZ KHALIFA MADE THE STEELERS FANS FEEL ABOUT THIER COLORS “BLACK AND YELLOW”..YOU KNOW SCARLET AND GRAY..WE LIVE AND DIE BEHIND THOSE COLORS..SO IT WAS A PERFECT FIT…

You think Sullinger is one and done or are we seeing the beginning of a stretch of multiple final fours?

JARED HAS AN OUTSTANDING UPBRINGING AND SUPPORT SYSTEM..I THINK THEY WILL ASSIST JARED AND HE WILL MAKE THE DECISION FOR WHATS BEST FOR JARED AND HIS FAMILY…AS A BUCKEYE FAN..I WOULD LOVE FOR HIM TO STAY…BUT AS A GENUINE FAMILY MAN THAT MAYBE  WANTS TO HELP OUT AND MAYBE MAKE THINGS A LITTLE MORE FINANCIALLY STABLE FOR YOU AND YOURS.. I WOULD HAVE TO RESPECT HIM IF HE LEFT.

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For the record, I have not gotten sick of Wiz Khalifa’s single and find it a fun party song for Steeler fans. Kinda like the WHO DAT chant and the Saints fans at Super Bowl 44. Stuff like that getsme going as a fan in general, so I’m happy to get an Ohio State song for my Buckeyes. “Gray and Scarlet” does not disappoint, and it always gets me pumped. It’s a fun song that a fan base can rally around as we approach March madness. I also like Rikk’s perspective on Sullinger in the last answer.

As I gush about how I like Rikk Reighn’s song, unfortunately I have visions of haters barfing in the comment section about how much they hate Ohio State going through my head. What do you think of it? Or what do you think of songs for sports teams in general?

To make matters worse for the preseason NFC West darlings, there was a lot of fallout in the media (a microcosm here) that made it look like head coach Mike Singletary and offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye might not be on the same page with QB Alex Smith.

Such is life in a league where the regular season is comprised of 16 one-week seasons.

And in case you were wondering how Mike Singletary was dealing with it all, well, he would like you to know that HE’S NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT A DAD-GUM YAHOO COMMERCIAL!

Just watch. It’s worth it. Trust me.

(Note: video will take 5-10 seconds to pop up. Be patient. It’s coming. I promise.)

Update: Or…maybe not. Looks like they pulled the video down. Dad-gum-it.

Source: CBS San Francisco (hat tip: Pro Football Talk)

My favorite line (other than, of course, him referring to the Yahoo article as a “commercial”):

We will not try to stop Drew Brees. We will stop Drew Brees.

Yeah baby! That’s the fearsome middle linebacker we all know and love.

Singletary definitely has the 49ers headed in the right direction. They are not an elite team yet, but they are certainly better than they were when he got there. And you can best believe the 49ers will leave their locker room Monday night believing they WILL stop Drew Brees. Will they stop him? We’ll see. It’s certainly easier said than done.

It will be interesting to see this year and next if Singletary has what it takes to get the team over the hump. In case you didn’t realize it, Singletary is from the Mike Ditka Old School of Coaching, which purportedly is not supposed to work anyone. So far though, Singletary has made the 49ers competitive playing old school style football and, with a little tough love, has helped turn Vernon Davis from an underachieving malcontent into the highest paid tight end in NFL history.

As anyone in Chicago will tell you, never bet against Mike Singletary. The face may be a little bit aged and a little more worn, and the body no longer as physically imposing, but the winning attitude, the intensity, and the stare all remain.

Yikes.

NOW STOP ASKING HIM ABOUT THE DAD-GUM YAHOO COMMERCIAL!

Will has a new book that recently was published called Are We Winning, which chronicles a Cubs-Cardinals game that he and his father went to. Will uses the game as a vehicle to touch on many bigger issues of baseball, life, and relationships, especially those between fathers and sons.

You can buy the book via Amazon here: Are We Winning [affiliate]

I think you’ll really enjoy our conversation, which is wide ranging on a number of topics related to baseball.

Have a listen:

• You can also listen to the MSF Podcast on iTunes and subscribe to future episodes.
• Podcast Intro Song credit: “Fame” by KontraBand (Atlanta)
• My thanks to KVB for editing everything together.

If you’d like a quick preview of the topics we discuss, here are a few:

• What it’s like cheering for the great Albert Pujols.
• How Will became a Cardinals fan.
• What is the mysterious magic of Dave Duncan? (And is it more perception and than reality?)
• Why baseball is better today than ever before.
• How Cubs fans should have reacted to the Steve Bartman situation.
• What it is about baseball that inherently makes it such a perfect sports for men, especially fathers and sons, to relate to eachother through.
• Does Will have designs on challenging Bill Simmons for his Amazon-reviewer-awarded throne as “America’s best sportswriter”?
• And why Jason Whitlock is a big, fat, idiot (okay, Will doesn’t go that far, but he certainly takes exception to me referring to Whitlock as one of America’s most popular sportswriters.)
• And a lot more.

As for the somewhat freaskish picture over there to your right, that is my goofy head on Bill Simmons’ body. Here is the original picture. As you know, for every article and every subject, I always try to use the funniest, goofiest picture I can find to serve as a humorous accoutrement to whatever post I’m writing. Since Will was nice enough to give me 45 minutes of his Sunday, I figured I’d opt against trotting out some of the funnier images that typically make their way to the front pages of Deadspin. (Like this one.)

In regards to our conversation, I really enjoyed it. I make mention during the podcast that he and I were able to jump right into talking about baseball like we’d spoken many times before. That’s the beauty of sports, and of baseball in particular. It provides an immediate common ground and common interest upon which you can talk and ultimately get to know someone. This is one of the themes of Will’s new book.

Have a listen and enjoy it. I really appreciated the opportunity to conduct the interview and my thanks go out to Will.

By the way, here are a few related links you might be interested in after the interview:

• Will Leitch Interview with Richard Deitch — (SI.com, February 2008)
• Excerpt From Are We Winning: A Prayer for Steve Bartman — (Deadspin)
• My Roger Ebert Story — (by Will Leitch)

Also, there is a special guest appearance by MSF’s own KVB, who tells us about the best custom jerseys he saw at a recent White Sox game after convincing me not to jump off a bridge because of my frustration and disappointment at the White Sox start to the 2010 season.

And one more plug for the book. Get it for Father’s Day and read it yourself first. Or get two copies so you have your own. But get it. It’s good.

Yes, they trump the 2001-02 Hoosiers that made it to the title game when I was a student at IU. Yes, they even trump the 1991-92 Hoosiers that made it to the Final Four with many of the same guys as the ’93 team. And yes, despite not winning a National Championship or even making it to the Final Four, the ’93 Hoosiers even trump the 2005 White Sox, who brought the first World Series title to Chicago in over 100 years.

There was just something special about the 1993 IU team and I, like many other Hoosier fans, will go to my grave believing that we were one torn ACL away from hanging banner #6 in Assembly Hall.

And you know what? The fans are not alone.

Many of the players from that 1993 team believe the same thing, including then-senior guard Greg Graham, who played about as well during the second half of the Big Ten season that year as any guard in IU history, perhaps even – for that short stretch – Big Ten history.

And no, that is not hyperbole.

Earlier today, I actually had the tremendous good fortune of getting to talk to Greg Graham, who is the latest guest on the MSF Podcast.

MSF Podcast with Greg Graham

(listen using player below or download from iTunes)

Picture of Greg Graham scanned from the cover of the 1992-93 IU media guide

If you want a quick preview of what we talked about, here are a few of the topics:

• Greg’s memories of the 1992-93 season.
• His thoughts on his career as a whole and whether or not the vaunted 1989 recruiting class that he was a part of lived up to its expectations and potential.
• What it was like playing for Bob Knight and how that experience has influenced him as a coach today.
• His relationship with Calbert Cheaney and what it was like for them to play together.
• Greg’s thoughts on the current state of the IU program.

(Note: Big thanks to MSF columnist and former podcast guest Mary-Rachel Dick for setting up the interview with Greg. She unfortunately could not join us, but it wouldn’t have happened at all without her effort.)

And now for my thoughts on the interview.

It is hard for me to put into words what it is like to talk to one your boyhood heroes.

I grew up in Bloomington and cannot remember missing a game during Greg’s time as a Hoosier, which spanned from 1989-1993. My dad and I had seats behind the IU bench, about seven rows up, and you better believe I was on my feet cheering like a maniac for every Greg Graham drive or triple, for every baseline jumper by Calbert, and during every William Tell Overture timeout.

Those were special times for Hoosier fans.

Bob Knight was still at the top of his game, Indiana was an annual contender in the Big Ten and nationally, and legendary players like Greg, Calbert, Alan, Damon Bailey, and Brian Evans were wearing the cream and crimson at the same time.

Contrast that with the state of IU basketball today and you can probably see why today’s interview with Greg and the writing of this post have been so exciting and such a welcome respite from the frustration of the past couple seasons.

The other reason why I was so excited to talk to Greg is because it has given me the opportunity to shine some much-deserved light on a career that I believe is one of the more underrated four year runs in IU history.

Because Greg was in the same recruiting class as Calbert Cheaney, who is still the Big Ten’s all-time leading scorer, he was always overshadowed by #40. Once Indiana high school legend Damon Bailey joined them in Bloomington, Bailey’s legend and production grasped a lot of the spotlight as well. And then, of course, there was the gargantuan presence of Coach Knight, who overshadowed everyone.

And what often got lost and still gets lost today is the fact that Greg Graham was one of the most productive and clutch guards ever to play at Indiana.

Consider this:

• Greg Graham is one of the most prolific scorers in IU history with 1,590 career points.
• He played on two Big Ten title teams and a Final Four team.
• For his career, as a guard, he shot 51.4% from the field.
• Greg still holds the single game record for free throws in a game – 26 against a Purdue, a game I attended.
• And, what I think is truly underrated, as referred to above, is that Greg had one of the most impressive individual seasons – especially during Big Ten play – of any guard in the history of the conference. He shot 55% from the field, 51.4% from downtown, 82.5% from the line, and averaged 25 points per game down the stretch in Big Ten play after Alan Henderson got hurt. IU went 17-1 in the conference that year and was ranked #1 in the country heading into the tournament, prompting one columnist (whose name I cannot remember) to call Greg, and I quote, “the best guard in America” after he dropped 32 points on Michigan State at home on senior night.

When people talk about Indiana legends, you hear names like Isiah, Calbert, Alford, Woodson, Benson, May, Smart, Bailey, Henderson, Guyton, and others. Not often enough do we hear Greg Graham’s name mentioned in the same breath, yet I believe that he deserves to be there.

Greg may not have stormed out of the gates as a freshman and sophomore like Calbert did, he may not have led the Hoosiers to a title like Isiah, Alford, Benson, and May did, and he may not have scored as many points or grabbed as many rebounds as Woodson, Henderson, or Guyton did, but what he did do was improve every year, become an outstanding all around player, and come up huge over and over again in clutch spots when his team needed him.

No two individual athletes gave me more indelible memories and produced more excitement for me as a sports fan than Calbert Cheaney and Greg Graham. Calbert has always gotten his due and rightfully is among the handful of players in the discussion for greatest IU basketball player ever. Greg may not be in that discussion, but he’s in the very next tier.

Calbert provided me with the single most memorable moment I’ve seen live at a sporting event when he sunk his baseline jumpshot against Northwestern to break the all-time Big Ten scoring record, so it seems only fitting that, 17 years later, Greg would provide me with the single most memorable moment of my time as a sports blogger.

Thanks for the many memories as a player Greg, and thanks for allowing me to live out a sports blogger’s dream today. It’s not every day that we sports bloggers get to interview one of the guys we idolized growing up and then actually share it with an audience. MSF could crash tomorrow and I’ll always get to say that I did.

And for any Warren Central players that read this, hopefully it reinforces just how great a player their current coach once was, and how much he meant and still means to scores of IU fans across the state of Indiana, even as far away as Dallas. Greg Graham is part of the fabric of what makes IU basketball so special.

Hopefully the current Hoosiers can turn things around over the next few years so that the positive feelings and excitement of the 1992-93 team won’t feel like such a distant, though pleasant, memory.

For all the IU fans out there, I’ll end this post for old time’s sake with an image that should be worth at least 1,000 happy words considering the last two years:

Yes, those truly were the days. My thanks to Greg Graham for helping me to relive them today.

Colt is a 2006 graduate of Texas Tech University and drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 31^st round of the 2007 June draft. It was insightful to learn about what a player experiences once being drafted and their progression through the organization.

Colt has achieved success at the various levels that he has played.  He graduated Weatherford High School 2003.  He was an All-District selection in his senior year.  Before attending Texas Tech he spent two years at North Central Texas College. He went 8-3 with a 2.96 ERA and 49 strikeouts in his freshman season. In his sophomore season, Hynes went 6-3 with a 2.70 ERA and 70 strikeouts. He was selected to the All-Conference team in both of his years at North Central Texas.  After transferring from junior college to Texas Tech University he went 5-3 with a team-low 2.93 ERA. His two saves were good enough for second on the team. He saw time as both a reliever and a starter.

In 2007 Colt began his professional career with the Short-Season Eugene Emeralds of the Northwest League. He went 3-2 with a 1.54 ERA, four saves and 50 strikeouts. He was then promoted to the Class-A Fort Wayne Wizards of the Midwest League in 2008. He went 0-2 with a 4.60 ERA, 38 strikeouts in 32 games.

In 2009 Hynes split the season between the Class-A Fort Wayne Wizards and the Class-A Advanced Lake Elsinore Storm of the California League. He went 2-0 with a 1.62 ERA in 13 game with Fort Wayne before his promotion to Lake Elsinore. With the Storm he went 3-3 with a team leading 2.90 ERA giving him a record of 5-3 with a 2.62 ERA, two saves and 61 strikeouts in 75²⁄₃ innings pitched.

You can see from our discussion that Colt has a career plan in place.  Showing this kind of maturity and knowing what has to be done to succeed are just a couple of Colt’s assets that will help him on his way into the big league.  His insight to what a player goes through that we don’t see on ESPN was enlightening.

While he is currently playing in the California league he will soon be playing in the Texas league as he continues to improve.  This is for two reasons.  One, this is an indication of his progress within the organization.  Two, is his drive to obtain his goals.

Bill K: Colt thank you for taking the time to sit down and speak with me.

Colt:  You’re welcome.

Bill K:  When did you graduate from Texas Tech and get drafted?

Colt:  I graduated in December 2008, and was drafted in June 2007

Bill K:  Do you have an agent?

Colt: No, not at this time.

Bill K: So, at this point you do not have an agent but as you move up within the organization you will to have one.

Colt: I have to get an agent as I move up in the organization.  It is really based upon the size of the contract that the organization offers.

Bill K: How do things work at spring training when the whole organization is in one place?

Colt: We are set schedule during spring training.  For us we had a couple of rules.  We were not allowed to be in the weight room at the same time.  The cafeteria was an open friendly environment.  As with many places the various groups of players stay among themselves.  Sometimes it is based on position but most of the time it is based upon the country they came from.

Bill K: Do the veterans provide any insight or guidance to the younger players?

Colt: Yes the veterans provide insight; it is mostly advice on how to deal with movement in the organization and how to prepare yourself for the levels ahead.  Most often nothing too technical is ever talked about.  We did, however have a Q&A session with Chris Young.  He talked to the whole minor league pitching staff and basically told us what he does to prepare for each start.

Bill K: You mentioned that you had the chance to speak with Cliff Floyd

Colt: Yes I did. He was on rehab assignment with us in Lake Elsinore.  Our conversations were mainly non baseball related, given that he is a DH type and I am a pitcher.  He was a great guy, just like any of us.  He is still a kid living his dream.

Bill K: What is the pitcher / catcher dynamic like?

Colt: Personally, I have a good relationship with the various catchers that I have played with.  Of course, there are the pitchers out there who have not established a good working relationship with the catchers.

Bill K: What are you doing when not playing, while a game is going?

Colt: Taking notes on the hitters.  Their tendencies and potential weaknesses.

Bill K: Do you do video study of the hitters you will face?

Colt: No, we are very low-tech.

Bill K: How difficult was it to handle a mid-season change in teams?

Colt:  Not very hard at all.  The time I saw most the guys on the new team was back at spring training.

Bill K: What type of exercise or nutritional guidance does the team provide?

Colt: They give us a nutrition guide as well as a weight lifting program for the in and off season.

Bill K: What sort of restrictions does the team put on you during the season on and off season?

Colt: None really, I just have to be careful as the team does not pay for non-baseball related injuries.

Bill K: During the “off” season there are other leagues going on.  Why did you decide not to participate in those?

Colt:  Money.  Playing in the minors doesn’t really pay that well.

Bill K: So, you are back home working.  Making some money and keeping busy.  Besides work what else are you doing?

Colt: Working out and helping out with local pitching clinics.

Bill K: You mentioned that you had an off year, 2007.  What did you do to correct that?

Colt: I went back to my high school pitching coach and reworked my pitching motion.  It helped me get back to where I need to be.

Bill K: So, you maintain contact with your previous coaches at the previous levels that you have played?

Colt: Yes, it has been good for me and it allows me to give back when the opportunity comes around.

Bill K: What are your short-term career goals?

Colt: I have been working on my pitch selection when dealing with right handed batters.  In the past I have been used primarily as a situational type pitcher and I recognize the need to be more than a so called “lefty specialist”

Bill K: With what is currently going on in the Padres front office what are your thoughts and feelings?

Colt: I am just sitting back and waiting to see how things are going to play out.

Bill K: Some of your friends have gone through “the system” rather quickly.  What have they experienced and what are your thoughts?

Colt: I have seen a couple of guys with some great talent fly through the system.  They made some choices along the way that didn’t help their career.  Due to this they are no longer playing ball.  Of course, I do have some friends that have moved up from the minors due to hard work and skill.

Bill K: Is this a common occurrence in professional baseball.

Colt: Only for certain people.

Bill K: Colt, thank you again for your time.  I wish you continued success with your baseball career and I look forward to seeing you playing in the Texas league soon.

Colt: You are welcome.

CBS promises that Keteyian’s findings will expose “critical flaws in the police investigation and raises troubling questions about the events leading up to the two deaths.”

My reaction after reading?

“I wonder what Robert Littal has to say about this.”

And if you want to know why Robert’s name was the first I thought of, take a quick minute to review Littal’s coverage of the Steve McNair murder investigation at Black Sports Online (this post in particular).

So I asked Robert what he thought these “new developments” might be (obvious teaser: the former boyfriend?!?), and he graciously agreed to answer via the burgeoning MSF Podcast, with the resulting insight just a click away.

MSF Podcast with Robert Littal of Black Sports Online

[Note: You can also download/subscribe to the MSF podcast via iTunes. Music credit for the intro and outro song snippet go to our good friend Davey Heritier and his old band -- still one of my all-time faves -- Austin Bridges. The song is called Awake the Day.]

In addition to discussing the Steve McNair case — which Robert and BSO were on top of with timely and insightful reporting/commentary from the very beginning — we discuss a subject near and dear to Robert’s heart: Ohio State football.

Unfortunately for Robert, our very own KVB, and Buckeye fans worldwide, this discussion came on the same day that the Buckeyes laid an egg in West Lafayette and were upended by a terrible team that was actually picked below Indiana in many preseason Big Ten prognostications.

Ouch.

We also touch on a topic that, seemingly by the day, becomes more woven into the fabric of sports and journalism: Twitter.

Both Robert and I are obviously rabid Twitter users (@blksportsonline and @jerodmsf) and we discuss how the Twitter phenomenon has changed the way sports fans receive and digest information, plus where the Twitter trend is headed.

Hopefully you enjoy the interview. Once you’re done with it, be sure to bookmark Black Sports Online. Not that Robert needs the extra traffic, but you do need the extra knowledge.

*********

* – Steve McNair / Sahel Kazemi photo credit: BlackPower.com

Today, Behind the Keyboard is highlighting an individual who is actually not a blogger at all (at least not that I know of, but you never know who is lurking in the dark shadows of their parents’ basement…) but who still has the ability to influence the sports blogosphere on a daily basis. That individual is Hannah Patrick, a Media Analyst with Sports Media Challenge.

If you are an avid viewer of the 10:00 am SportsCenter, you may have noticed a new feature that popped up a few months back called Blog Buzz. The goal of this feature is to highlight the five most important and talked about sports stories, as seen by the sports blogging community. As you will find out from the interview below, Hannah is the point person for submitting the editorial content for the daily Blog Buzz feature. This is actually how she and I were first “introduced” — when she emailed to alert me to MSF’s first appearance on Blog Buzz, back when we wrote about Mike Brown being named NBA Coach of the Year.

Because I am at the office when Blog Buzz runs on ESPN, I have never actually viewed the segment myself. (I did, however, receive many calls from friends who were watching when MSF was on there.) And while I think all sports bloggers like the general idea of Blog Buzz, it was met with some criticism upon its initial launch (for examples, here and here).

One of the main reasons I contacted Hannah about participating in this interview was to give her and Sports Media Challenge an opportunity to discuss their objectives with Blog Buzz as well as to get her unique perspective, as someone in the middle, on where the blogger-mainstream media relationship is headed.

I am sure that many other sports bloggers know Hannah from being contacted about Blog Buzz and her effective use of Twitter to network, as well as the recent Blogs With Balls conference that she attended (and that I wish I had too!). Hopefully this interview will allow you to get to know her even better, as well as understand the objectives behind Blog Buzz and some of the ways that Sports Media Challenge continues to be a pioneer in the merging of sports and online media.

My sincere appreciation goes out to Hannah for her diligence in completing this interview, which we conducted over email. As usual, a few quick background notes first and then we jump right into the interview.

Hannah Patrick Background Info:

• Education/College: East Carolina (Arrrghh!) with degree in Communications
• Current Company and Position: Media Analyst with Sports Media Challenge
• Favorite sport: I grew up loving baseball. But in recent years football has become my favorite.
• Favorite teams: Panthers, Bobcats, Hurricanes, and all ECU Sports
• Favorite athletes: Jake “Day light come and I wanna” Delhomme, keeping it local. We are both originally from Cajun country and ended up in the Carolinas. Plus, he has persevered and accomplished a lot regardless of all the scrutiny around him.
• Twitter: @mhannahp

Hannah Patrick Behind the Keyboard Interview:

Jerod: If you would, provide our readers with a quick background on Sports Media Challenge, how you got involved with them, and what you do as PR coordinator.

Hannah Patrick: Sports Media Challenge is a brand monitoring, marketing, and PR consulting company specializing in sports and entertainment clients. I got involved with SMC through networking while dominating in a kickball league. We were named “Balls of Fury” (pictured left, click for larger view) and were champions in Spring ’08.

As media analyst my responsibilities include monitoring our client’s reputations online. Currently, my responsibilities have shifted to leading SMC’s efforts with SportsCenter’s Blog Buzz, which means I am in charge of the editorial content that is submitted on a daily basis.

Jerod: How did the idea for Blog Buzz come about? Was it initiated by SMC or ESPN? How has the response been from fans, bloggers, and the Worldwide Leader?

Hannah Patrick: SMC used to do a section for the “Sports Business Daily” called Blog Hound. It was based on the same premise, where we submitted to them the top five most popular blog topics on a daily basis. ESPN came to SMC looking for a similar concept, thus Blog Buzz was born.

The response, other than the initial launch, has been mostly positive. We have seen both sides though: bloggers that are totally stoked to see their hard work on SportsCenter and others that just don’t see the value. In the end, our goal is to connect one of the world’s largest sports entities to some of the most intelligent, informed and passionate sports fans and writers.

Jerod: What other Blog Buzz-like initiatives is SMC planning for the future?

Hannah Patrick: In the immediate future we would like to see the segment in other SportsCenter show times, like the 6:00 pm hour for instance. We would also like to start doing an in-depth analysis one day of the week, where we give several different blogger perspectives.

Jerod: Time for a random question. If you had to bet your last $10 on a fight-to-the-death cagematch between me, John Gonzalez, and Ken Rosenthal, who are you picking?

Hannah Patrick: Definitely you. But you are going to need some sort of super power first. Like… the ability to walk through cages.

I polled the office on this question as well. Results were pretty entertaining and are as follows:

• “Ken Rosenthal would win because he is backed by the traditional media and he would squash Jerod with his huge budget.” @ryanstephens
• “Ken Rosenthal because he came on screen like the Hebrew Hammer or the Jewish Juggernaut. But no matter what… Buzz Bissinger would beat all of them.” @jakerosen
• “Kimbo Slice.” @jackieadkins
• “Jerod being a blogger wears underwear like cage fighters. So I am going to go with Jerod.” @matthewgarner
• “I would go with the guy asking you the question.” @brittanylane

[Editor's Note: While I appreciate Matthew Garner's trust in my willingness to wear underwear, Brittany Lane clearly had the right train of thought here considering I'm the one posting the interview...]

Jerod: Shifting gears to Blogs With Balls, what were you overall impressions of the event?

Hannah Patrick: Everyone has said this, but it was awesome to put a face with all of the talented names that I have been working with. For me, it was a great opportunity to talk to people about what they do and don’t like about the segment.

For example, Blog Buzz’s biggest fan, Chris Motram, and I finally got the chance to meet. That might have been my favorite part. Getting to pick his brain about the segment was great. I took some much appreciated notes that we plan on going over with the big guys in Bristol.

To me, that was the spirit of Blogs with Balls. Everyone was just out to learn something new, share information, and shake someone’s hand. I think it was a great success, and I look forward to seeing it evolve into something even greater in the future. The guys at HHR really did an outstanding job.

Jerod: Excuse me for a moment while I kick myself again for not going. What were the three most important things you took away from the event?

Hannah Patrick:

1. Bloggers can be professional without losing the spirit of what they do
2. Sports bloggers are just as eccentric, talented, and entertaining in person.
3. When they say wear comfortable shoes, they mean wear comfortable shoes.

Jerod: I would define your role as somewhere in between bloggers and the mainstream media. Would you agree? If not, to which side do you see yourself falling; and if so, how do you navigate through the sometimes choppy waters of bridging the gap between blogs and the MSM?

Hannah Patrick: I would agree with the statement that my role lies somewhere in between bloggers and the mainstream media. The line between traditional media and social media is being blurred more and more every day and SMC’s and ESPN’s efforts with Blog Buzz are another step in that direction. We have worked to establish a place as the communication arm between the two platforms. Blog Buzz has simply created another intersection between the MSM and bloggers.

Jerod: What is your most memorable personal sports moment?

Hannah Patrick: In 2006, when the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup. I had just moved to a new city and didn’t know anyone but my roommate. When the Canes won, everyone stood up on the tables and on the bar and sang “God Bless America!” At that moment I felt like I knew everyone in the place. It’s funny how sports can unite a group of people.

Jerod: Coming from a PR perspective, I would love to get your honest thoughts (good or bad) on how the Raul Ibanez controversy was handled and played out publicly. Specifically, if you had been prepping me for the OTL interview, what would your advice have been?

Hannah Patrick: The Ibanez controversy really was an interesting case study about the dichotomy of bloggers vs. traditional media. This brought about a conversation that was inevitably going to surface. Blogs With Balls was a perfect place for the two sides to share their thoughts… and there were many different thoughts.

From a PR standpoint, there are times to take a lower profile until the heat dies down; this was not one of them. We would give you four stars on the way you handled the Ibanez controversy, specifically for three reasons:

1. You were gutsy for jumping on the issue.
2. You should always go into a media appearance with an agenda that is as strong, if not stronger, than the person asking the questions. You should be able to articulate your message easily and repeatedly. You successfully did all of these.
3. You should also craft your message so that people will first listen, then understand, then believe, and finally remember. Which you did!

Jerod: SMC appears to be one of the leaders in assisting athletes in managing and promoting their reputations. How much of your focus is shifting to the online world and what are the specific challenges/opportunities that athletes face when it comes online PR?

Hannah Patrick: The vast majority of our focus is online. We have been working to push our clients towards the social media landscape and we stress to them that social media has to be a single component of an overall media strategy. Many athletes are hesitant about getting involved in various forms of social media because they are afraid that they won’t be able to control their message. But the reality is that whether they are in the space or not, they are being talked about. Buzz Manager enables us to provide our clients to with critical information about “the buzz” on the web.

Jerod: We know that there is lots of hype around Twitter and that it is the new time-waster-du-jour for many people in many different industries. How do you use Twitter from a professional standpoint and what kind of sustained impact do you see it having 6 months, a year, 5 years down the road?

Hannah Patrick: We always tell our clients that whatever you put into Twitter is what you will get out of the experience. It has been compared to a river of conversation. You can step back and watch if flow on by, but at any time you can jump in and take part.

Professionally, Twitter has enabled me to keep my finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the sports blogosphere second by second. I think that will be the heart of Twitter when this initial explosion dies down. The ability to track current topics of conversation will have more of a sustained impact than the other uses of Twitter. I love that Twitter is championing citizen journalism and I don’t foresee that dying down. I think it will play a large role in future elections for sure.

As far as using Twitter as a tool to interact with and follow celebrities, I am more wary about the long term impact due to the high level of involvement that it requires. Other forms of social media, like Facebook, seem more likely to stand the pass of time because it doesn’t require such intense devotion.

Jerod: Time for another random question. You can play a round of golf with any three people relevant in the sports world (including the media, bloggers, etc.) today. Who are they? Why?

Hannah Patrick:

1. Skip Holtz, because I am a Pirate fan.
2. Shaq, because he would crack me up.
3. Jerod Morris, assuming his mom would let him out of the basement.

Jerod: Unfortunately, my mom only lets me out of the basement for dinner, yardwork, and White Sox games; so I’ll have to pass. Finally though, getting back to Blog Buzz and the slow but steady blurring of the lines between blogging and the mainstream media, where do you see it going? Where should it go? And what do you think are things that bloggers and the MSM should keep in mind to make this inevitable transition as successful as possible?

Hannah Patrick: Yes the process has been slow and steady, but I think that Deadspin implementing their new commenting policy will be a huge catalyst in this process. Also, the FTC has become more aware of the blogosphere and is making writers become more accountable.

As long as bloggers recognize that professional organizations are taking notice and giving bloggers a voice, there has to be some sort of give and take. The blogosphere is changing, and that means that those who are looking to make money from it will need to get used to the changes.

**********

Our thanks again to Hannah Patrick for taking part in the Behind the Keyboard series and for supplying me with pictures to use throughout. You can follow her on Twitter at @mhannahp and you can jump over to the Sports Media Challenge website to learn more about Blog Buzz and to keep your finger on the pulse of how sports and online media interact.

If you are interested in being the subject of Behind the Keyboard, follow me on Twitter (@JerodMSF) and shoot me a message. Let’s make it happen.

Earlier this morning, I appeared with Sid Rosenberg at his OpenSports.com video blog entitled “Insurance Runs.” Rosenberg is a sports media veteran and has never been one to shy away from controversial topics nor to speak his mind.

He was kind enough to provide me a forum to further explain the reasons why I wrote the Ibanez post in the first place, as well as some thoughts on the fallout.

And I appreciate Sid and his producer Jason being flexible with my schedule today with my dog’s surgery coming up at the last minute. But going on the show with Sid was a welcomed diversion and a great experience.

In addition, late last week I did an interview with blogger Shay Roddy of Phillies Phanatics. And while Shay respectfully disagreed with me on certain points, he was both fair and open-minded throughout this entire week and on the podcast and is one of the primary reasons why I implore you not to buy into all of the stereotypes out there about Philly fans. Here is the link to the podcast at Shay’s site:

http://shayroddy.wordpress.com/2009/06/13/jerod-morris/

I linked to this before but I’ll link to it again in case you missed it. I joined Dan Levy on his On the DL Podcast last week.

http://www.onthedlpodcast.com/Blog_Podcast/Blog/Entries/2009/6/11_Jerod_Morris_Rosenthal_Gonzo.html

Dan has one of the best podcasts out there, and was in attendance at the first Blogs With Balls conference in NYC this past weekend. Here is another recent podcast Dan did before BWB with Bethlehem Shoals of Free Darko and then a recap of the conference:

http://www.onthedlpodcast.com/Blog_Podcast/Blog/Entries/2009/6/12_Bethlehem_Shoals.html

http://www.onthedlpodcast.com/Blog_Podcast/Blog/Entries/2009/6/15_The_Official_Blogs_With_Balls_Review__What_Was_Answered_and_What_Questions_Came_Out_Of_A_Fantastic_Event.html

And yes, I’m being extremely lazy with links today because I’m going to have to head out of here soon and trying to get this posted as quickly as possible.

Finally, I had a great time talking with the guys at Drunk Jays Fans this weekend. The podcast does not appear to be up yet, but I link to it as soon as it is.

Update: The Drunk Jays Fans podcast is up.  I knew that this was going to turn out well, as the guys from DJF are both cool and knowledgeable about sports (even sports south of the border!), but I had no idea how much I would be grateful for the opportunity to go on their podcast until I heard the intro music.

Seriously, any podcast that starts out with “The Final Countdown” makes me infinitely proud to have been a part of.  (And the South Park excerpt of the “Jared the Subway Guy” song was spot on as well.)

http://www.drunkjaysfans.com/2009/06/boners-up-djf-2009-11-guest-jerod.html