Stuff I like: Dr. Saturday

I tend to be critical of the media, particularly those in the sport media.  It's therefore only right that I salute those who I feel are doing a good job.

One of the best college football blogs is written by Matt Hinton: Dr. Saturday (or how I learned to stop worrying and love the BCS).  Below is an explanation of why I like this blog and why other college football fans should be enjoying it too.

1. Good writing. The writing is well structured and easy to read.  Compare that writing with someone like CBS' Gregg Doyel (choppy sentences, written like college sophomore at best) to see the difference in style.  The Dr Saturday articles flow well with sentences move nicely from one to another and are aimed at readers with a high school education.


2. Entertaining writing. It's witty, humorous, and fun, all without being obnoxious.  The writing doesn't say, "Look at me!  I'm witty!", but it still comes through nicely.  The following paragraph about the Cam Newton scandal serves as a brilliant example: "If only explaining the gap in the Watergate tapes had been so easy. (Then again, the general public probably cared a lot less about the fate of Richard Nixon's presidency and reputation than Deep South football fans do right now about Cam Newton's eligibility. The threat of federal indictment is one thing; but the wrath of Paul Finebaum callers is more than anyone can withstand.)"


3. Content. Simply, the stuff is good.  He writes about current issues that are of importance  and interest to college football fans, summarizing games well and breaking down off-the-field issues. The writing is concise, yet the articles are pithy.  And if there isn't enough detail for you in the article, he points you to where you can find more (see point #4 below).  The quantity is also good; the posts are frequent, but not overwhelming.


4. Links. One of the tenets of all blogs is the prevalence of links to other sources, but he is one of the best.  The LPA (links-per-article) average for Dr Saturday has to be among the highest out there (if he were making a similar claim to what I just did, he would have provided links to 3rd-party reports with complete LPA metrics).  Everything he says is supported, and I learn so much by going back to sources referenced or allusions made to past events.  Dr. Saturday has links like law review articles have footnotes.


5. Balance. He presents a fairly objective view of college football.  He isn't overtly pushing an agenda or injecting his own views unnecessarily.  His editorializing is done with full disclosure and comes off as just his view, and if the reader disagrees with it, s/he's welcome to do so without feeling like an idiot [as you're meant to feel if you dare to disagree with the likes of CBS' Dennis Dodd, Fox Sports' Jason Whitlock, etc.]. The Dr Saturday articles are very... pleasant.  Unfortunately, it's controversy that drives clicks, so people like Hinton are at a disadvantage in their field.


6. The blog title.  Hey, it's a clever reference.

Thanks Matt, your blog definitely qualifies as stuff I like.  I hope that others feel the same way too and you can influence future sport writers.