The Bill Simmons Thread

John Marzano Olympic Hero

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I'm the biggest BS fanboy there is too, but Klosterman is a buffoon. (Is he really that good of a music writer/critic? How is this guy a respected writer?)
Chuck Klosterman is an excellent writer of pop culture think pieces and isn't too shabby when it comes to fiction. YMMV, but I'm a big fan of all his work.
 

johnmd20

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It's been a SoSH meme to bash Klosterman in recent months. But his podcasts with Simmons are a lot of fun and Klosterman says a ton of interesting things. He's pretty talented and smart.
 

Noah

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Also FWIW, BS still brings up the "never scared of him" bit on Renteria. I bet he's mentioned that on the podcast 3-4 times in the last couple years, basically whenever the topic shifts back to baseball free agency, the 2004 Sox, whatever
You know, it's funny because the "scared while watching him hit in the postseason" reasoning is exactly the reason he loved the Sandoval signing.
 

Auger34

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Listening to these Monday podcasts with Sal it's pretty amazing just how much funnier Sal is than Bill. Specifically with these fake shows and fake movies. Sal's are all gold and half the time you can't tell if Bill is joking or the joke is so bad/half baked that it's cringe worthy. I always thought BS was funny in his columns but after listening to him live and on his podcasts, he either gets a lot funnier marinating on ideas or he has people doing punch up on his writing
 

Kliq

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Are you telling me you didn't think 25 starring Andy Reid was funny?
 

m0ckduck

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Are you telling me you didn't think 25 starring Andy Reid was funny?
It's all in the delivery. Simmons' gag show had this 'wait for it, I'm about to say something funny' semi-awkwardness that Cousin Sal's didn't. Which is totally understandable when you're trying to tell a ridiculous joke on-air to a live audience. It's more about admiration for Sal's comedic genius than anything else. I'm still amused by 'Wreath' and 'Burfict Strangers'.
 
Not that I watch Kimmel's show (being in the UK and all), but presumably Sal has a lot more on-air time in a format which helps him perfect his delivery for bits like this than Simmons ever has? Simmons is great and funny when he's being himself; yes, "25" was stilted, but I'm more than happy to live with that if it leads to more laugh-out-loud, embarrass-yourself-on-a-crowded-airplane moments like...well, I won't spoil it, but I agree completely with Kliq.
 

Auger34

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Are you telling me you didn't think 25 starring Andy Reid was funny?
no it was definitely funny. maybe the only one of those that Simmons has come up with that actually made me laugh. Heil Mary was also hilarious. Sal's delivery and details he puts into these fake shows just slay me. Burfict Strangers was probably my favorite out of all of them.
 

johnmd20

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I thought 25 was hilarious. And Heil Mary was definitely pretty well done, too. The second he called Mary J Blige a Nazi sympathizer you knew what the title was and it didn't matter. The punchline slayed.

But 25 was pretty awesome. "And Reid keeps showing up late, it wasn't his fault, there was traffic."
 

Gunfighter 09

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Put me in the "25" was funny and the delivery fit well within the context of the podcast camp. The podcast is two friends bullshitting, so it is more important that the delivery sound natural than the timing be perfect. Further, I think the fake shows bit is a vast improvement over Sal's drunk Bill phone message bit. Finally, I really enjoyed Ben Simmons' 8 year old professional wrestling analysis. I don't know or care about WWE, but the passion that little kids have for their favorite form of entertainment is always entertaining.
 

MyDaughterLovesTomGordon

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And, ya know, the "that was my favorite super bowl to go to" and breakdown of hanging out with Tony Romo don't really get to me anymore. I don't think he pretends to be the average Sportsguy anymore. He's just a famous guy in LA who likes sports and gives career advice to Michael B Jordan, and I find that entertaining.

The past is dead.
 

Kliq

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Put me in the "25" was funny and the delivery fit well within the context of the podcast camp. The podcast is two friends bullshitting, so it is more important that the delivery sound natural than the timing be perfect. Further, I think the fake shows bit is a vast improvement over Sal's drunk Bill phone message bit. Finally, I really enjoyed Ben Simmons' 8 year old professional wrestling analysis. I don't know or care about WWE, but the passion that little kids have for their favorite form of entertainment is always entertaining.

Hey it isn't just little kids.
 

Three10toLeft

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Heil Mary was hilarious. I thought the idea of 25 was funny but Simmons butchered the delivery, much like he's done with all of his fake shows. I still think the bit is funny though. It just shows how much more polished Sal is in this kind of format. I still chuckle when I think of Sal saying "You can only stream it on the Waze. Ya know? The navigation app." The first time they did this bit.

I've been a Simmons fan for a while, even though s lot of people got sick of his shtick towards the end of his ESPN run. But since he's broken away from the mothership, the quality of the podcast has only gotten better and better.
 

SidelineCameras

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Just listened to it on my drive home. I would listen to a Bill and Mike Schur podcast every day. It wouldn't play in other markets, but screw other markets.
 

MyDaughterLovesTomGordon

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Cousin Sal mocking Bill all while proposing Delhomme Depot as a fake show was pretty damn funny, as was Bill's seeming to genuinely fool Sal when describing an actual new Hulu show. I was entertained.

And the podcast with Barkley this week is must-listen. He is so good. If you don't learn something listening to them talk basketball, you know a shitload more than I do.
 

ifmanis5

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Come on Bill, talk about the one year anniversary of #DFG and the burying of the 2015 ball data. Rip Roger, the gloves can come off now, just do it.
 

Three10toLeft

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I don't understand why Bill hasn't orchestrated a three-way pod between Sally Jenkins and Dan Wetzel. There would be a huge part of his listenership that would treasure the episode.

And shit... Invite Chuck to come back a week or so after that pod and let him respond to it. Two podcasts worth of material for the price of one.

Sidetrack: In the prop bets pod, were Bill and Sal referring to the pic that was posted on Twitter with Bill celebrating the Super Bowl last year with Affleck and Damon?
 
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luckiestman

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I don't understand why Bill hasn't orchestrated a three-way pod between Sally Jenkins and Dan Wetzel. Their would be a huge part of his listenership that would treasure the episode.

And shit... Invite Chuck to come back a week or so after that pod and let him respond to it. Two podcasts worth of material for the price of one.

Sidetrack: In the prop bets pod, were Bill and Sal referring to the pic that was posted on Twitter with Bill celebrating the Super Bowl last year with Affleck and Damon?

I thought it was the Affleck nanny pic, but now that you bring it up, I'm not sure. Seems like the pic you are talking about but that is a rather innocuous photo
 

JBill

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Great final NFL pod of the season. And I would listen to an entire hour of Simmons and Cousin Sal making fun of their agent, James 'Baby Doll' Dixon. "You're gonna have to do the impossible Baby, and listen to the podcast yourself."
 

luckiestman

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Great final NFL pod of the season. And I would listen to an entire hour of Simmons and Cousin Sal making fun of their agent, James 'Baby Doll' Dixon. "You're gonna have to do the impossible Baby, and listen to the podcast yourself."

Phil me up sounds like a hell of a show

I was listening to this while shoveling and had to stop a few time to laugh. Mor brisker being shitfaced should have been fleshed out a bit more
 

Kliq

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The episode from yesterday with Haralabos Voulgaris is the first sports related Pod with Bill that I'm not going to listen to. I don't really understand the appeal of Voulgaris other than that he made money gambling and Bill loves that. The guy can't talk.
 

nattysez

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The episode from yesterday with Haralabos Voulgaris is the first sports related Pod with Bill that I'm not going to listen to. I don't really understand the appeal of Voulgaris other than that he made money gambling and Bill loves that. The guy can't talk.
Wow, I completely disagree. I watched a two-plus hour podcast Voulgaris did with a poker guy on YouTube and always listen to his Simmons hits. I think he's both very well-spoken and an interesting character, as long as you can get past the fact that he (seemingly justifiably) holds himself in very high esteem.
 

Kliq

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I
don't
know
it
is
just
hard
to listen
to
him
talk



Conversely, he had Al Michaels on and the show is sensational. Nobody has stories like Michaels, and Bill started digging into him about Collinsworth bringing up Deflategate during the Super Bowl.
 

johnmd20

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Voulgaris podcast was great, hard to call Voul anything but smart and interesting. That said, the Michaels podcast goes into the pantheon. It was incredible. That was just unbelievable.
 

DLew On Roids

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Confession time: When Simmons called him "Haralabob," I'm not sure if he's making fun of himself for being unable to pronounce names, making a mistake, or if it's what Voulgaris likes to be called.
 

Auger34

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Confession time: When Simmons called him "Haralabob," I'm not sure if he's making fun of himself for being unable to pronounce names, making a mistake, or if it's what Voulgaris likes to be called.
That's his name. Simmons, and others, call him Bob because it's much easier and they don't want to mispronounce it
 

Auger34

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I
don't
know
it
is
just
hard
to listen
to
him
talk



Conversely, he had Al Michaels on and the show is sensational. Nobody has stories like Michaels, and Bill started digging into him about Collinsworth bringing up Deflategate during the Super Bowl.

This was great but he almost got Michaels to comment on the Peyton HGH/compare it to Brady but he somehow got off topic. Damn, I wish that he got Michaels to talk about that
 

Auger34

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Also, don't know if this should go here or if this is worthy of a new thread but Simmons just announced on Twitter his new website and writing platform. It's called The Ringer and the website is theringer.com, you can go sign up for a newsletter now
 

soxhop411

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http://theringer.com/



A NEW DIGITAL VENTURE FROM BILL SIMMONS
COMING SOON

Sign up here to receive our newsletter, with Ringer updates, riffs from our writers, and the occasional Russell Westbrook GIF.
 

Number45forever

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Fantastic. Grantland-lite unchained from ESPN would be great by me. Cannot wait to see what this turns into.

Also, a little surprised that BS will be writing again. I figured he'd step back and do the HBO show and podcasts while running something like this new site and managing/editing for a stable of ex-Grantlanders and the like.
 

ifmanis5

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Fantastic. Grantland-lite unchained from ESPN would be great by me. Cannot wait to see what this turns into.

Also, a little surprised that BS will be writing again. I figured he'd step back and do the HBO show and podcasts while running something like this new site and managing/editing for a stable of ex-Grantlanders and the like.
I mean, his 'writing' is basically NFL picks and the NBA Trade Value columns. It's more cross platform promotion for him and a chance for others to be read and get exposure (and make some money in the process) then anything else.
 

Nick Kaufman

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Ok. His birthname is HaralaboS. It's Greek. His twitter handle and nickname is Haralabob which is a bit more americanized.
 

Auger34

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Ok. His birthname is HaralaboS. It's Greek. His twitter handle and nickname is Haralabob which is a bit more americanized.
I honestly had no idea. I follow him on Twitter so I just assumed that was his name. I am going to guess that Simmons honestly thinks his name is Haralabob since he knows him through Twitter