Sports Illustrated Report: The Redemption of Mike Danton

Keeping with my theme of sports for the week... Another great sto

Mike Danton's Mugshot

Courtesy of: http://jocksbehindbars.com/mugshots/gallery/

Why do I love sports? Obviously the competition is the main factor. However, in the world of sports journalism, nothing is better than a great redemption story. 

Mike Danton was convicted in 2004 of murder for hire; he was 23-years old and an up and coming player for the St. Louis Blues. He was caught trying to have his agent, David Frost, murdered. 

Mike Danton, as a player for the St. Louis Blues. 

Also, his mug shot, along with the man he tried to have killed, David Frost.

Courtesy of: blogs.bettor.com

Danton served his time, just like many other athletes have along the way. Mike Vick is the most recent example of federal inmates getting a second chance. For Mike Danton, his second chance took him to St. Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. With the blessing of the team and an accepting coach, the hockey team took in an ex-pro and ex-con with open arms. This is what sports can do; they offer redemption in the most unlikely of ways. 

Obviously, no one can condone what Danton did. What he tried to have done is something that will stay with him and tarnish his reputation for the rest of his life. But why not give Danton a second chance? He served his time. Would you deny any parolee the chance to start over? I give Danton credit for getting his life back together and obviously making himself into a rehabilitated and productive person.

In terms of the journalistic aspect of this story, SI did a great job. Loved a couple of the shots: the video of the St. Mary's hockey coach walking past the university's sign with the snow covered ground. The white background with the red sign and single silhouette of the coach made for a great shot. Also, I really enjoyed putting Danton behind a black background; it shows the darkness in his past, but also allows the audience to look straight into Danton as he tells his story of redemption. I also really enjoyed the skate sharpening B-Roll, the setting of the interview with the team's captain, and seeing Danton as a member of regular university classes. The VO did not take over the entire story, the story let Danton do the talking, and I think that makes for a great piece.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/video/si_video/2011/02/23/022311.danton.SportsIllustrated/index.html

60 Minutes Report - Sports Betting: Billy Walters

Sports Betting Legend Billy Walters

Courtesy of: worldgolf.com

Lara Logan leads this "60 Minutes" profile of the most dangerous gambling man in Vegas. Billy Walters has never had a losing season in sports betting, somewhat of an amazing feat in the world gambling. In this piece, you see Billy Walters betting hundreds of thousands of dollars, sometimes millions, in a single weekend on professional and collegiate sports. Instead of dabbling into what he does and doesn't do, as the piece can do that for itself, I would like to look at this from a journalistic standpoint.

After seeing the story, the first thing I noticed was a full circle story. It starts by making a hero out of Billy Walters; he is winning money, all his historic feats are chronicled, and we see everything good that comes with this man who is making his money playing the odds. He is spending more money in a weekend (and putting it at complete chance at that) than most people make in their lifetimes. Yet somehow, in the beginning of the story, you find yourself in amazement and even rooting for this guy to succeed.

As every good journalistic story goes, there comes a sense of objectivity. You learn that Billy Walters has been indicted on felony charges four times, that he loses a lot, and he runs a pretty secretive operation that makes you uneasy. The Vegas casino owners come in to offer their point of views and describe Billy as "dangerous" and you find that most won't take his bets. He makes prop bets to get lines to go his way, and all of a sudden you can't seem to figure out what to make of this guy.

The way that the profile examines his entire background makes an audience feel secure; they know that the reporter has done their research and that they aren't picking and choosing information to make the story they want.

They have some great B-Roll of Vegas gamblers, nice cutaways in Billy's house, and they also get close enough to telling you how Billy does it, without stepping over the line and revealing his operation.

All in all, a great story.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7253011n&tag=contentMain;contentBody

Weekly Warrior

Another week, another package, here's what I'm working on in Broadcast 2:

This week I turned another package focusing on increased parking fines in the downtown Columbia area. I definitely wanted to angle it toward the impact on local business, as increased fines could, and I believe will, take a hit on local businesses in the area. I got to talk to Francisco Guillen, owner of La Siesta Mexican Restaurant, and he was genuinely concerned, especially for people during lunch hours. Overall, I thought the package turned out great, I really liked my work. I had a good opening shot with natural sounds; it was a parking meter in a tight shot with :01 minutes left. As it turned to :00, the sounds came up and the colors went from green to red. I definitely still need to work on my framing during interviews, as both of my interviews looked much wider than they did when I shot them. The LED on the cameras we use makes it tough to actually determine what will show up on the big screen during critiques. Overall, I was happy and proud of what I turned it.

A week ago I turned in a package I wasn't proud of. The story was okay, pretty fluffy, and I just tried to make the best out of it that I could. I know I can do better work than what I turned in, so I don't even want to dwell on it.

A lecture last week really opened my eyes to writing for news stories. The lecture made us focus on keeping short, direct sentences with simple language and bring the story full circle.

I am continuing to learn at an amazing rate, and hope to be cleared soon for KOMU. Hopefully by my next blog I will have some good news to share.

My Take

My take on sports for the week:

-Devastating news out of Cardinals camp today, perennial Cy Young contender Adam Wainwright has a serious arm injury. John Mozeliak, or any GM in MLB do not go out of their way to speculate on a serious injury, so this has all the makings of being terrible. So, who steps up? Lance Lynn, Kyle McClellan, and journeyman like Miguel Batista and Ian Snell will battle it out. My guess? Tony and Dunc like their bullpen depth and start with McClellan. He is given a starter's workload every spring anyway, so why not try? Lance Lynn is the emergency 6th starting in AAA, and he is coming off an impressive playoff run last year with Memphis, striking out 16 in his final start. It's definitely bad, but it could always be worse (please stay healthy Albert and Matt).

-Don't overlook the loss of Nick Punto as well. Punto signed for $750,000 and would be LaRussa's ideal super-utility guy (a la Aaron Miles). With his return date not expected for 2-3 months, Daniel Descalso could be the lucky recipient of a roster spot. Earlier this spring I guessed that with the rotation healthy, the Cards would break camp with 13 position players and 12 pitchers; with this news, I think it flip flops. My roster, as it sits today, expecting Wainwright to miss opening day (if not the entire season):

12 Position Players: Molina, Pujols, Schumaker, Freese, Theriot, Holliday, Rasmus, Berkman, Laird, Greene, Craig, Jay. (Still no Descalso, but could be an early call-up).

13 Pitchers: Carpenter, Garcia, Westbrook, Lohse, McClellan, Boggs, Motte, Franklin, Miller, Tallet, Salas, Walters, and Batista as a long reliever.

-In college basketball, crazy weekend. This season has a ton of parity, which I don't think is necessarily good or bad for the sport. When the NBA put in the 1-year post high school graduation rule, what we are seeing today was bound to happen. With young players with tons of potential leaving school early (7 of the top 18 picks in the 2010 NBA draft were college freshman) and even more scheduled to do so this year (6 of the projected top 10 picks are college freshman), the game was bound to slip. There are few teams that are truly senior laden in college basketball (Duke) and therefore talent is more spread across the board, and anyone can truly beat anyone. My number 1 seeds as of today: Duke, Pittsburgh, Ohio State, Texas.

-Two weeks ago I listed my NCAA All-American Team, I will update that now:

Jimmer Fredette, G, BYU
Nolan Smith, G, Duke
Derrick Williams, F, Arizona
Jared Sullinger, F, Ohio State
Marcus Morris, F, Kansas

-Like the trades the St. Louis Blues have made. Eric Brewer seemed to be an expendable piece, but they should have gotten more for him than what they did. A 3rd round pick and a project prospect seems a little cheap for a proven defender and captain, but I still call the trade a wash. The Erik Johnson trade shocked many, including myself. The Blues followed the old rule that "you have to give to get" and definitely hit it big with Stewart and Shattenkirk. If Stewart can return to the form of last year, this deal would have been a good one straight up for EJ. Shattenkirk is a prospect and definitely has skill as an offensive D-man. Overall, big win for the Blues.

-Mizzou has a big test tonight with a talented Baylor Bears squad. Perry Jones is a freak, Lace Dunn can really score, and their height is something that Mizzou will definitely struggle with. The point guard spot is something Mizzou should take advantage of, as Pressey and Dixon are much better than what Baylor has to offer. Calling Kim English... please show up!

My Take

My take on sports for the week:

-Mizzou needs to rebound. They get killed on the boards and playing three guards under 6'2" really hurts them (F. Pressey, Denmon, Dixon or M. Pressey). Where is Kim English? This was supposed to be his breakout year and I can't find him on the court. Of course, when Nebraska or Colorado come to town he will step up, but Mizzou needs him in the big games too. I think part of his struggles come from not being able to create his own shot.

-North Carolina is back. Duke is a great team with a ton of experience. North Carolina starts two freshmen, two sophomores, and one junior (T. Zeller, who has really played one year of college basketball due to injury). That game Wednesday night was an instant classic and just shows me one thing: Carolina is dangerous and I love it.

-Pitchers and catchers are starting to report for spring training, and I am glad to see that Cardinals baseball will be back in full swing soon. The Cardinals have a ton of question marks; Berkman's ability in the OF, Freese's health, Kyle Loshe's true value, and who will play 2B? I don't think the Cardinals will have enough offense or defense out of the middle infield. Schumaker is a solid hitter, but he doesn't walk and has no speed. Theriot is a max-effort guy, decent average and some quickness. Neither have pop and neither are great defensively. Would have loved to see Brendan Ryan stick around, hope that move doesn't come back to haunt the cards.

-On Pujols: Get it done. Everyone knows he isn't walking. The Cards can't handicap themselves by giving him 10 years, and if anyone else wants to do that, it is a death sentence. My proposal: 7 years with a club option for an 8th, $33 million per year for the first 4 years, $25 million the last 3 with the club option at $22. Puts the total value at 7/207, or 29.6 million per year.

-My picks for first team All-America NCAAB as of right now:
Jimmer Fredette, G, BYU
Nolan Smith, G, Duke (this one pains me)
Kemba Walker, G, UConn
Jared Sulinger, F, Ohio State
Marcus Morris, F, Kansas (this one as well)

-The St. Louis Blues have big games this week with a back-to-back, home-and-home with the Minnesota Wild. Five points out of the 8th spot and getting healthier, I like their chances going forward.

60 Minutes Presents: Gotti

Courtesy of newyork.cbslocal.com

Having never followed the Gotti's, this piece was eye opening. The Mob and Mafia are gangs of these sort of folk heroes that play it close to the vest and, in most cases, seem to end up dead or completely off the map.

From a journalistic standpoint, who does it better than "60 Minutes"? They get the best interviews and ask the tough questions. Steve Kroft held a great interview, and I thought the piece followed a great form. It started with his childhood and worked us up to the point where he left the family. It is the true journey of a dangerous man. The only thing I didn't like was the framing of the interview with Gotti; for some reason the top of his forehead being cut off bothered me. I feel like that led to some unnecessary pans and movement of the camera that distracted me from what was being said. However, the effect it gave was the chance to look right in the eye of John Gotti Jr., a true gangster of his time.

I was absolutely captivated for all 42 minutes of the piece. Gotti comes off as slick, street smart, and ruthless; a calculated man with a plan. How he has escaped all of these cases is beyond me. His family has run the streets of New York for years and it makes them all the more interesting. I grew up with my dad on baseball diamonds and football fields; he ran around a social club full of murderers and traffickers. He stole, fought, and climbed his way to the top of a very powerful and dangerous family gang. 

Honestly, there is not too much to say. The fact that there are people who can live this life and think it is normal is beyond me. I encourage everyone to take the time and watch this video.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7324109n&tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel

Weekly Warrior

In my "Weekly Warrior" section I will be taking a look at what I am currently doing as a broadcast journalism student at the University of Missouri.

I am currently working on a package right now covering Black History Month at the university. Mizzou does a great job of recognizing the month by hosting 40 events to help celebrate. This year, the theme of the event is "African Americans and the Civil War." Tonight I am going to see an English professor at the university play a traditional African instrument and hoping to ask him some questions about Black History Month, what he does, and why this is so important to him.

I think the thing that has been toughest for me so far is getting reacquainted with the technology. Anyone familiar with resources like Avid and iNews knows that taking a month layoff and getting thrown back into the fire is a pretty tough thing to do.

As always, I'm learning more in lecture every week. I think one thing that really hit home was the "pregnant eye" story structure. The "sell-tell-tag" technique is a great way to think about proposing a story. Hopefully this can not only improve my writing, but also improve my capturing and editing processes.

"Future of Football": Outside the Lines Report

AP Photo/Scott Audette

The story of Tom McHale is a tragic one, one that seems to be happening far too often in recent years. Concussions are at the forefront of NFL football and rightly so; suspensions, heavy fines, upgraded testing, and even the collective bargaining agreement negotiations are all constant reminders of what seems to be an epidemic in football.

For what it is worth, I feel that football players have an inherent risk of injury, serious injury, when they lace up their cleats and strap up their helmets to take the field. Players are bigger, faster, stronger, and more vicious now than they have ever been. James Harrison, Terrell Suggs, Bob Sanders, and Brandon Merriweather are just some of the names we associate with explosive hits on the field at the professional level. But as we see in this story, that is traveling down the ranks into youth leagues.

I can remember my first practice in sixth grade; we spent the whole practice going over proper tackling form to help prevent injuries as well as make sound plays on the field. I had played in a Junior Football League some five years before that, but it was still a good lesson. What I wonder now is simple: Does the style of play in the NFL dictate how kids are playing the game today?

The video above shows a pretty stark example of a helmet to helmet hit and the kids are young, too young, to be hitting that way. From a journalistic standpoint, this is a great piece. It is investigative and insightful; it shows a torn family to draw somber emotions from its viewers. The imported video pieces are great and the early shots are sequenced together for a great effect. I think it shows both sides of the equation with the Lavar Arrington interview, seeing as he is a guy who played football at a high level at both Penn State and with the Washington Redskins as a linebacker. It is captivating and informative; everything you want from a sports piece.

In the end, I wonder how long the shelf lives of players are going to be heading into the future. If an 18 game schedule is approved by the NFL, players may see their careers cut by 2 or 3 years, that's how serious this concussion problem can be. For fans and players alike, I hope this does not continue; seeing a player stabilized during a game is nothing we wish to see.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6091106&categoryid=3286128