THIS WEEK IN CHATTER (8/30/07)

(FanChatter's sorta-weekly letter to its registered users. Sign up here to receive via email and Call 'Em Like You See 'Em.)

What's up Sports Fans,

Welcome to FanChatter's first ever THIS WEEK IN CHATTER (imagine Mel Allen saying that) report. This is where we highlight all of the best Chatter from the week in sports, but before we get to that...

THANK YOU

We mean it. Thanks for signing up and giving this site a try. We've only been up for a couple of months and we truly appreciate all the activity and feedback we've seen so far. We're also working our butts off to make FanChatter an indispensable utility in every sports fan's life. How so? By allowing you to talk sports with your friends from anywhere, anytime, all at once.

That means (1) recruiting your sports fan friends to sign up, (2) adding them to your Lineup, and (3) activating mobile alerts (via text message or email) so you'll never miss it when your buddy has something to say. Imagine the possibilities...

FANTASY FOOTBALL

The NFL season is one week away, the trash talking in your fantasy league has only just begun, and a flurry of trade requests can't be far behind. It's time to go mobile and start a FanChatter group for your league. If your commissioner chatters in your group on Sundays and Monday nights, and everyone else activates group mobile alerts, then your league updates can follow you, not the other way around. Going to the game? No problem. In a business meeting when a big mid-week trade offer is made? No problem. Wanna rub in that big win over your hated nemesis/best friend?... over and over no matter where you are or what you're busy doing? No problem. FanChatter.com is here, just in time for Fantasy Football 2007.

THIS WEEK IN CHATTER

-In the ever popular Go Twins group, I was lucky enough to chatter from a luxury suite at the Dome and unlucky enough to chronicle Matt Garza serving up four bombs to the Mariners in 2 1/3 innings (but he did get Ichiro out twice). Later, KPK (who was in the suite with me) described his own luxurious experience before switching to the MLB group to pimp his beloved Cubbies

-thewagontrain joined up and promptly started two groups -- NHL ("everything NHL") and The Stitch Nation ("everything hockey"). What's the difference? We'll wait and see, just like we're still waiting for a link to his scathing take on the Little League World Series. (A tip, you might want to add this guy to your Lineup.)

-Back in the always-interesting Minnesota Nice group, the ever-prolific statman and our newest Chatter-er Rusty are keeping track of the St. Paul Saints current American Association playoff run. Rusty is actually a big deal down in the Tampa-St. Pete area, so we're glad to have him.

-Michael Vick's guilty plea touched off some good chatter over in the NFL group, including thewagontrain's point that Vick would have been better off had he killed a human and gaulstone's reaction to Stephon Marbury's "dogfighting is a sport" gem.

-RamDon wondered if anyone was interested in Latrell Sprewell's recently repossessed yacht. It's called Milwaukee's Best, and charlieiq posted a photo link in the tumultuous Twolves group.

-KPK, always good for a quote of his own, added some of his favorites to psid's popular-but-underused Best Quotes of All Time group.

-Let's not forget to mention the valuable Chatter of MattThomasFan (who hates Billy Martin) and JJDacotah (who chattered first about the KG deal being back on). Since I'm subscribed to him and I had my mobile alerts activated, I heard about the biggest trade in my lifetime as soon as it was going down, right there on my phone. Thanks JJ, whoever you are.

-Did I mention that Bistro24 broke the news about the Luis Castillo trade at FanChatter before most of the news outlets had it?

-And just when you thought it was safe to ignore the Packer Fans group, packerette snuck in her takes on Titletown's offensive outlook at the skill positions. Offensive is right. Haastyle or sschroed, either of you care to chime in here?

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN

Who's got what it takes to make it into the next TWiCh report? Can't you just smell that football in the air? I'll be working the Fight On Trojans group this Saturday for sure, and there's even an NDSU Football group. Remember those guys who almost beat the Gophers? And what about baseball's divisional races? It's a great time of year.

Thanks again for trying us out, remember to recruit your friends, create those fantasy league groups, and always Call 'Em Like You See 'Em.

Marty

PS - To learn more about what we're doing at FanChatter (including my adventures at the NBA Draft and floating in a kayak in McCovey Cove during the Home Run Derby), check out THE BLOG TO BE NAMED LATER... for occasionally frequent insight into what it's like to build a mobile sports fan chat utility.

R.I.P. Eddie Griffin

R.I.P. Eddie Griffin

Here's a video I made for Timberwolves.com back in February 2005. I'm posting it because this was the only time we had a chance to interview former Wolves forward Eddie Griffin, who died in a tragic car accident last week. Sad news.

Nothing Lasts Forever

A week ago my favorite player was traded away from my favorite team.

The next day a bridge I had crossed many times fell into the Mississippi River, killing at least five people including a guy I had played baseball against named Patrick Holmes.



I'm lucky I wasn't on that bridge. I'm lucky I get to feel sad about KG leaving for Boston and I'm lucky (if not crazy) to feel hopeful about the future of my Timberpups.

Two years ago, when I was still doing my sports fan TV show THE SHOW TO BE NAMED LATER..., we had an idea to have an 11-year-old Wolves fan interview Wally Szczerbiak after the final game of the season. Rumors were rampant that Wally would be traded that off-season, so we figured this might be her last chance to interview her all time favorite player.

So we got permission from the team, (show host) Jonny Voss came along to help out, I operated the camera, and here's what happened...



We learned later that KG left without talking to the media that night, but he went out of his way to talk to us.

As Jonny expressed in our lead out to commercial, we really did believe that the Big Ticket would be a Timberwolf for the rest of his career, just like those people on that bridge believed they would make it home safely last Wednesday.

Nothing lasts forever. Not home run records (Bonds hit #756 tonight). Not TV shows (no matter how much your local superstar athlete loves the one you created). And certainly not KG in Minnesota.

But we'll always have our memories (and thanks to DeROK, we have this heartfelt video tribute)...



And there's always hope. I snuck into the Wolves press conference today where they introduced the five players they received in the KG trade.


I chattered about everything I saw in the Go Wolves group at FanChatter.com, and my fellow Wolves fans followed along, responding to my chatter and challenging me to speak up and ask a question. I didn't.

But the back and forth on the site was great, and the new guys looked good (except for Gerald Green who looked tired/bored/sedated), and mobile sports fan chat once again proved to be pretty cool.

Even with no guarantees, life is good, isn't it?

Rock and Rollover

Wanna know what happens when you don't post for a while? Sooner or later, all hell breaks loose.

Today the dam gave way when it was announced that Kevin Garnett would be traded to the Celtics. Then the water rose higher when the Luis Castillo trade to the Mets was made official, all of which led me to chatter my afternoon away.

But more on that later. Let's go forward by going back, starting with July 19th (my birthday)...

On the day I turned 34, with my mom and dad and wife and daughter Audrey all there to see it (the first and only time that group has ever been assembled), I knocked in my baseball team's winning run (I play on a town ball team in the Park National League called the Minneapolis Lakers) with my first ever walk off hit. It was certainly a birthday to remember, especially since I was able to chatter about it from the parking lot while the crack of the bat was still ringing in my ears.

A couple days later, on our way back from a weekend away in Galena, Illinois, I stopped at the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa.

All around me were fans that had brought their own bats and balls and gloves to please the gods of baseball with games of catch and rounds of batting practice.



As I walked with my dog Lula Mae out from the corn and into left center field, all I could ask was "Is this heaven?", because it sure did feel like it.

Then I held Audrey as we ran the bases. Reaching third, we waited for the batter to step aside before we headed for home. It was Audrey who scored as I set her bare feet on the plate. What a wonderful place it is, that field where dreams come true.

My Mother in Law Daphne and I discussed FanChatter in the car later that day, driving through Iowa, and her questions helped lead me to another important revelation about the site...

"Mobile Sports Fan Chat" isn't just about posting from your mobile phone via SMS, because someday all phones will have browsers and all chat sites will be accessible by phone.

When we say "Mobile", we also mean "Updates". No other sports fan chat site notifies you by SMS or email when your friend has posted an entry. That means no other sports fan chat site can compare to FanChatter when it comes to breaking news or even just breaking commentary.

Thanks to my Mother in Law, I figured that out somewhere in southeastern Iowa.

Intermission:



Those were the days, weren't they?

So about those updates. Today I received a email from FanChatter (I've opted to use my Gmail account as my mobile "updater" for now because I can access it from my Blackberry and I prefer to chatter with a full QWERTY keyboard) that read...

(JJDacotah) KG to Celts? For a package of Ratliff, Jefferson, Telfair, Green and a pick? It better be for the one the Wolves gave Boston!

What was this? The Celtics deal was back on the table? Even though it hit me out of the blue, it made sense because Boston had picked up Ray Allen on draft day, meaning now KG could consider teaming with both Allen and Paul Pierce on a squad that would most certainly contend in the NBA's Eastern Conference.

The thing is, I found out about it because JJDacotah chattered and I received the update. Thanks JJ, whoever you are.




So history was made twice today, once by a couple of old teammates (McHale and Ainge, above) and once by a crazed Timberwolves superfan learning about the imminent trade of his favorite player... not on TV, not from a guy on the street, not even from a visit to ESPN.com... but from a new sports fan chat site offering mobile updates.

(Oh, and all the Twins got for Castillo were two minor league scrubs who can't hit their weight.)

Now that's a day to remember AND forget.

So why did I call this post "Rock and Rollover"? Well, I intended to mention that Audrey, who turned 4 months old today, completed her first full rollover this morning (followed immediately by her second, and third, and almost fourth before I stopped her from rolling off the bed). Then I was going to liken that (somehow) to FanChatter's 1-month anniversary (July 28, 2007) and how it was time for us to take it to the next level, just like my daughter. Time to rock, if you will, like Kiss on their Rock and Rollover album.

But this post was getting too long, and I'm only making it longer, so props to Audrey for learning to roll, and congrats to us for one month of chatter beginning with the NBA Draft and ending with my all time favorite baller being shipped to Boston.



Who said sports are boring in the summer?

Explaining What We're Doing (in Six Easy Steps)

Yesterday I was interviewed live on the air by KFAN's Henry Lake during "The Lake Show", his weekly Sunday solo gig. The interview lasted about twelve minutes but it felt like two. I did, however, succeed in repeating the name "FanChatter.com" at least a half dozen times.

I'm not sure how well I did beyond simple name repetition, but I'm hoping to get a copy of the segment soon. Others gave me good reviews, although my wife said I talked "pretty fast"...

...but here's what hit me this morning:

The more I talk to people about FanChatter, the more I learn what elements of my pitch are resonating. Interestingly enough, by observing the reactions of others I get a much better idea of where we should be aiming.

Or maybe it's by using the site in its current form that I discover more of what we have to offer. For example, FanChatter is currently populated by myself and several people that I know, and we've been talking sports for a few days now using only the site. I get mobile alerts when the people and groups I'm subscribed to post new chatter, and I presume others have figured out how to receive alerts when I chatter.

All of this led me to compose a new Google Ad Words-style ad this morning in the shower:

Mobile Sports Fan Chat
Talk sports with your friends from
anywhere, anytime, all at once!
FanChatter.com

Sitting around talking with your friends about sports... Isn't that exactly how many of us would rather spend our days, like we were in the 6th grade again? If only we could hang out with our friends all the time -- like we did in the 6th grade -- so each of us could hear all at once what all of us think about each passing sports headline.

Well, now we can, thanks to FanChatter.com.

Here's how I would suggest the average sports fan use the site, in SIX EASY STEPS:

1. Sign up and quickly fill our your sports fan profile (this takes about 2 minutes)

2. Recruit your friends to sign up, too, and ask them to tell you their usernames so you can easily find them on the site.

3. Once they sign up, add your friends to your Lineup (kinda like YouTube's "Subscriptions") and make sure they join your Crowd ("Subscribers").

4. Next, enable your mobile phone to send and receive chatter from your Lineup. Once enabled, you can start and stop mobile chatter notifications anytime by texting #start or #stop to the address "m@fanchatter.com" from your phone.

NOTE: After completing steps 1-4, you and your friends will be able to talk sports ALL DAY LONG from wherever you are, DISCREETLY via your computer, email, or text messaging, and all of you will see what everyone else is saying, and none of you will need to enter and re-enter everyone's email addresses or phone numbers over and over again (unless you don't use FanChatter). Now, on to the equally simple steps 5 and 6...

5. If you decide to explore a little bit and/or search by tags, you may find and subscribe to other users you don't know personally but who share your sports fan views.

6. Another way to find like-minded fans, or to keep track of a particular sports subject, is to follow and participate in a group that interests you. You can even start and stop group chatter notifications to your phone by texting #start or #stop followed by the groupname. You can also post to a group from your phone by texting @ followed by your chatter.

I hope that sounded easy, because it is. I also hope is sounded useful, because it is.



And as I was typing this I just got a huge bit of news (Thanks Kev). 10,000Takes.com, a Minnesota Sports Blog I highly respect, just mentioned us in their daily "Morning Hangover" entry. Maybe it was the radio appearance. Maybe it's because I added them to the blogroll (at right). Whatever it was, thanks guys.

And thanks again to Henry for having us on. This is getting good. Go Twins.

After and Before

It's been a few days since the Home Run Derby and I'm haunted by my missed opportunity.

After watching the broadcast on my DVR, I noticed that there were in fact several random shots of the boats in McCovey Cove, some from rather close up, but they were impossible to predict.

Next time I'll have a hands free earpiece (preferably Bluetooth) connecting me to an accomplice watching TV and providing cues. That way, when Kenny Mayne chickens out and fails to rub elbows with the fans, I can still be ready for the cutaways, i.e., the "this is where Kenny wishes he was but he's too afraid to face his public for fear that they'll tell him how tired his shtick is" shots.

But I keep thinking, if that blast by Morneau would have cleared the media platform and landed near us, not only would our outstretched FanChatter.com banner have appeared live on ESPN, but the highlight would have been re-aired on every local sportscast across the country (not to mention Morneau's native Canada) as the only splash landing mustered by a disappointing field. Imagine the number of brand impressions just one water bomb would have produced. Okay, that's the last time I'll mention it.

In happier news...

The Derby and my paddling inspired our heaviest day of chatter traffic yet. Reading along from the kayak via my mobile alerts, it was gratifying to see fans who had never met in person congregating around a single event and sharing their views on everything from how annoying Chris Berman has become to how incredible Vlad's 503 ft. shot off the big glove was. Not that this is unusual on existing chat boards, but it was big for us and I was participating from McCovey Cove via SMS and other fans were trying to give me tips on getting on TV, and THAT is new and cool and only available at FanChatter.com.

Elsewhere on the network, users created more new groups, but the most activity continues to go on in the Go Twins group where fans of the team chatter together before, during, and after their games.

And TOMORROW, I get my first chance to promote the site to a radio audience. Henry Lake of KFAN had us on back in the day to promote THE SHOW TO BE NAMED LATER... and now he's nice enough to bring me back to discuss...

- What's happened since THE SHOW... went off the air.

- How FanChatter.com continues my efforts in support of the creative and connective potential of sports fans.

- Mobile and how it will revolutionize sports chat as we know it.

- My trips to McCovey Cove and the NBA Draft, as well as trading seats with Wolves first round pick Corey Brewer, all as demonstrations of ideal/once-in-a-million mobile chatter opportunities.

- And how we've only just scratched the surface of the network's potential...

My dad, a veteran of PR and promotional interviews, reminds me to (1) map out my talking points, and (2) hit them no matter what the questions are. We'll see how I do.

I'm hoping for a big boost in traffic. I'm also excited to unveil our new homepage (soon) and new features (as soon as we fine tune where we are).



And before I forget, HUGE thanks to a good friend and talented filmmaker Kevin Myers for pimping my Brewer story and FanChatter to all his boys and even a rival message board. For a good time and a lot of laughs, check out his rec league hoops mockumentary series Intramural Glory (and see if you can pick me out in the pilot episode).

After the launch, before the boom, can't wait for tomorrow.

Getting Gone

What’s that they say about the best-laid plans?

Yesterday, as planned, my buddy Damon and I rented a kayak and paddled into San Francisco’s McCovey Cove to join the flotilla of fans assembled for Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby.



Our mission: to clearly display the FanChatter.com logo banner from our boat every time ESPN’s cameras followed a home run ball out of AT&T Park and into the bay below.

With a little luck, viewers of what ESPN considers its highest-rated broadcast event each summer would see our logo multiple times, generating literally millions of valuable impressions.

Well, we had no luck, but I never had more fun being that unlucky in my life.

We had wondered if our plan would upset some of the paying sponsors of the event (Chevy and MasterCard both scattered giant inflatable baseballs with their logos throughout the Cove). We thought ESPN might try to avoid showing our sign (although the genius of the scheme was that they had to follow any ball out of the park no matter where it landed, kinda like the John 3:16 guy positioning himself behind the goalposts at football games). We imagined being arrested by the Coast Guard for smuggling in illegal advertising.



But despite concealing our rolled-up banner in a foldable chair bag (who would bring a chair along on a kayak trip?) and, when we explained that we had a sign in there, receiving a warning from Ted at City Kayak that we’d be kicked out if we “displayed any commercial logos or anything that would make ESPN upset”, we were allowed to shove off in our blue kayak packed tightly with food, gear, and ambition.



Note: We didn't end up taking the orange kayak pictured because it was determined that we needed a deeper boat to house our stuff (you can see the blue boat we eventually took at left). Also, steering a single-person kayak is MUCH easier than steering a two-seater, just so you know.

Zigzagging closer to the Coast Guard checkpoint I couldn’t help but notice the giant machine gun bolted to its bow and I wondered if our sign would make a suitable target.



The inspecting officer glanced at our cargo and opened our cooler bag, remarking “Hmm, bunch of snacks and stuff.” Looking at the long bag at my feet he said, “Got a chair in there. Okay.” (Again, why would anyone pack a chair on a kayak trip? That cracked us up). And that was it. No guns fired. No prisoners taken. We were on our way.

On our way in, I stopped “steering” long enough to grab this shot of the ballpark.



Pac Bell, er, SBC, er, AT&T Park is up there with Wrigley Field as my co-favorite of all the parks I’ve been to (I attended a Giants-A’s spring exhibition game there in 2001, the year Barry went on to hit 73), mainly because of the great city it calls home and the romantic allure of a long enough home run to right landing in the ocean. THE OCEAN!

Speaking of the ocean, we were on it all day, from the time we floated in amongst the early birds around 1:30pm until we zigzagged away after Vlad Guerrero hit his third and decisive final round home run (to left, all to left) a little past 8:00pm to take the title.

Worth noting…



-When we first arrived, fans standing along the railing behind the park were throwing tennis balls, allowing the boaters to practice (A) catching with their fishing nets, or (B) ducking to get out of the way, whichever floated your, um, kayak. From the water you could try to throw the ball back all the way up to the bleachers level above (my throw landed just short), but before long the Wave Runner Cop killed the game of group catch, I guess because too many fans passing by on foot were getting hit. Thankfully, that didn’t stop the MLB promo people from tossing hundreds of fun-size Baby Ruth bars our way, and taking one off the water I soon remembered how good the occasional Baby Ruth bar tastes, especially seasoned lightly with the saltwater on my fingertips.



-We met a lot of great people, from Hawaii Rob on his surfboard (with his PBR sign) to the two dudes in the huge green party tube (that let us buy some of their beer and hang on against the tide) to the bearded Navy vet guy, the girls from San Diego, Batman and Superman, and everyone else. It was simply one of those great parties you’ll always remember.



-The only home run balls that made it out of the park and in the water were hit during the All Star batting practice sessions from 2:30-4:30pm, although there was no live TV coverage at that time so we chose to wait on our sign until the Derby (per the warning from Ted the Kayak guy, if we were going to get kicked out, we wanted to get kicked out after being seen on live TV). Overall I’ll bet about a dozen balls made it out, with the bats of Junior Griffey, Big Papi, and Bonds being the most notable launch points.



-The guy in the boat immediately to our left – and I mean we were rubbing elbows – had a ball lodge right next to his left hip when he wasn’t looking. Normally the fans on the top rail would point and yell when a ball was on its way out, but this ball came after a foul that nearly found water, so no one was watching. I happened to see it as it cleared the wall and once I realized what was happening it was in my neighbor’s boat. It didn’t hit him, and it didn’t even bounce. It couldn’t have landed in a more perfect place. That’s as close as I got to getting a ball all day.



-Both Damon and I were chattering from the boat (demonstrating FanChatter’s unique mobile sports fan chat features) but we soon realized the importance of keeping our heads up and our cargo secure. Not long before the aforementioned ball nearly landed in my boat, a kayak was capsized by the melee sparked by another splash landing. Not wanting to drown my phone, my camera, or especially my sign, when I chattered I chattered quickly.

-In case you’re wondering, yes, I did have to pee, and no, there were no floating restrooms. Aquafina water bottles have a larger mouth than most. Enough said.

-Once the Derby started we readied our banner for action. It suddenly became much harder to stay in one place, and breaking away from the pack meant drifting with the tide into (and under) the stadium. The Wave Runner Cops were literally pushing the flotilla back away from the building, but that only caused more movement. Holding what you felt was a good spot at a good angle was difficult-to-impossible as no one was anchored and everyone was jockeying for position. I would not be chattering or taking photos during the Derby itself for it became all I could do to stay in place and raise our sign.

-When the sign was up, it was glorious. The plan of sewing two banners together back to back leaving the bottom edge open for ends of paddles to be inserted into each corner worked to perfection. When raised and pulled tight the 8 foot long banner must have been about 7 or 8 feet in the air (the length of the paddles). It actually acted like a sail at times, moving not just us but all the boats around us, too. But moving wasn’t a good thing. We knew where the ESPN cameras were positioned (the main one sitting high above on a platform beyond the foul pole in right) so we fought to keep our sign at a good angle, but doing so meant taking the sign down and regaining our position. Up and down, over and over, lessening our chances of being seen on TV.

-Regardless of positioning, however, we made sure to fly the sign when the three lefties were up. But Morneau, Howard, and Fielder all failed to advance beyond the first round, and NONE OF THEM GOT ANY BALLS FAIR AND WET (though I saw in the highlights that Morneau came the closest). So with only righties left in the competition the boats started to clear out early, leaving us even more prone to drifting away. I called my dad to ask his advice (he was watching on our behalf to coach us on positioning for TV) and he said there were occasional cutaways to the Cove in- and out of commercial breaks so there was still a chance of being seen. Inbetween paddle strokes I tried to read the latest Chatter on the site to see if anyone else had advice for where we might be spotted. We learned that the floating putting green was being featured only after they began to take it down. But we stuck it out, flying the sign as high and as often as we could and praying for opposite field power.

Alas, no Home Run Derby balls were destined for the sea that day. The papers called it a disappointment. I agree.



Our day ended as it began, this time waving goodbye to the Coast Guard officer and his machine gun. As it turned out, no one cared that we were displaying our FanChatter sign. Some floaters-by tried to rip Corporate America for planting brand names in the water until I explained that I was the small businessman spending his own sweat equity to promote my own passion project, and for that I got props. But the thought of kicking us out never seemed cross anyone’s mind.



Additional Props…

-Slantwise, for jamming to fine tune the site in time for a long day of failsafe Chatter. Great work guys. Now on to more feature improvements, changes, and additions….

-Nobl (the girl who helped pick me up from the airport) and Meaghan (the girl who rescued us shivering on the side of the Embarcadero after we found land again). Both of you were much nicer to look at across a dinner table than…

-Damon, without whom, this trip wouldn’t have happened. Thanks for letting me stay at your place, for rides to- and from the airport, and for hoisting that sign when you would have rather talked to girls. We argued about navigation and whether a sign can be seen when there are no TV cameras are around to see it, but in the end we had a time worthy of hanging on your wall of memories. I hate UCLA, but I’m reminded of Coach John Wooden saying “make each day your masterpiece.” That’s what we did (even though Bonds vs. Griffey in the Derby Final would have made the day a whole lot more interesting).

To read how we chattered about the day as it was happening, visit our FanChatter pages here and here.

---

On the ride to the airport this morning Damon reminded me that marketing is repetition. A lot of people saw our sign (in person) yesterday, and while few if any may have gone home and typed “FanChatter.com” into their browsers right away, most will likely remember the crazy guys in the boat when they see our name again. Maybe then they’ll pay us a visit. The same thing goes for the NBA fans I met in New York at the draft.

My job now is to make sure they do see us again… and again… and again.

SPECIAL REQUEST: We’ve already seen ourselves in a bunch of McCovey Cove photos from the Derby posted at Flickr today (here, here, here, and here), and to see all of my photos visit the Home Run Derby Photo Set on our FanChatter Flickr Page, but if anyone reading this happened to take a picture with our sign in it, please let me know by entering a reply below. You can understand why I didn’t get any of my own, and I’d really love to show everyone what it looked like from afar… myself included.