Ellington

Athletes have found a new way to give reporters the finger: the Jock blog. Slate's Bryan Curtis writes:

Jock blogging is the latest hiccup in the tempestuous athlete-journalist relationship, which has headed almost directly south since the chummy days of the 1920s. Back then, sportswriters operated under the sway of the team owners, who bought their train tickets and primed them with gifts. To return the favor, the press rarely wrote anything nasty about Babe Ruth or Lou Gehrig. As sportswriting became a more legitimate beat, the scribes used their newfound freedom to write rougher stories. Not all athletes appreciated the writers' new professional ethic, however, and some decided to eschew the press jackals altogether. Now, through the Internet, athletes can ignore sports reporters and still communicate with the fans.

OK, but don't try to pull that crap on Doctor S. The Amazing SportsBlog will burn your ass.