Acquired Tastes: Bill Simmons

I just finished the Bill Simmons (Sports Guy) article on the players with the highest trade values in the NBA. For those of you who’ve never read Simmons, this would be a great introduction to the phenomenon that is ESPN Page 2’s Sports Guy.

My good friend, Kimberly Chong, introduced him to me way back at the turn of the century when Simmons was still writing under the name “Boston Sports Guy”. While he writes under the name Sports Guy, it can be justifiably said that, more accurately, he would be better off calling himself the Mainstream Sports Guy. Generally, he only covers traditional competitive sports and sporting leagues, with the odd exception such as the National Spelling Bee popping up with regularity for some reason or the other. He’s at his best when he writes about the NBA, and since basketball aficionados everywhere had just finished watching a spirited playoff season replete with genuinely awe-inspiring, gut-check level competitive play, Sports Guy has been on an euphoric high for the past two months. He’s a pretty good read, and the past two weeks have been vintage Sports Guy. If you like your sports pundits to provide intelligent, albeit at times juvenile wit, the occasional belly laugh, and random pop culture references with disturbing regularity along with insightful commentary, you’ll love Sports Guy. Check him out.