Read this. It's long, sure, but part of the point is that important things take time and effort. It's important that you read and understand ... and act on this. Brilliant work by Orcinus and read closely, it's truly non-partisan and even non-ideological.

The same goes for sports reporting. What are we doing that teaches or illuminates? Tim Marchman of the NY Sun often discusses how beat reports tell us next to nothing. UTK is kind of the same thing - much of it is simply regurgitation, but there's also short-form analysis. While I think it's important to understand sports medicine and that it's a worthwhile endeavor, I also realize that one of my main tasks is to be there every day, providing time for the geniuses behind the scenes - guys like Keith Woolner, Keith Scherer, and Doug Pappas - to work on long research pieces.

Joe Sheehan can do both, as can Derek Zumsteg, but those guys are few and far between. I took on hacks earlier this season and started a war, but next time, I'm not backing down so easily. In politics and sports, the hacks must go and we must move on to more substantive discussions. The future depends on it.