Full Throttle

Unless you’re talking about a field that only contains 10 entrants. Then it kinda sucks.

On the other hand I can take solace in the fact this year’s Weblog Awards also sucked. In more than a few ways.

As a disclaimer, I judged the Best Canadian and Best Australian categories. Not that it matters, it’s just an admission of sorts, but it gave me a peek at some of the behind the scenes shenanigans. And they ain’t pretty.

Those that voted for FT this year obviously noted this humble outpost wasn’t listed as a finalist in the Best Sports Blog category, but the Best of the Rest. Before the finalists were announced and before voting commenced I was asked by Kevin the Awards host and organizer whether I minded being shifted out of my rightful category into Best of the Rest.

Allegedly this move was predicated on too many blogs in my category and it was “hard” to pare them down to ten. I consented with the idea that “what the hell, a finalist is a finalist.” And that was and always has been my only goal in these things.

Then the finalist lists came out. The Best Sports Blog list included Deadspin a blog that finished second last year and WASN’T nominated this year.

To say my cardiac tea kettle it went to full boil is an understatement.

According to Kevin, and relayed via email to all judges, he “want[ed] everyone working categories to at least consider the top one or two from the 2006 edition of your category (where relevant) for inclusion this year.”

Well then… that explains it then. I was “considered” out of my rightful category and replaced by a blog whose readership far outstrips the entire sports blogosphere except this years and last years winner Kissing Suzy Kolber (KSK).

The real point is Deadspin shouldn’t be there in the first place, rules changes for inclusion into the finals shouldn’t have been “considered” mid-stream and most importantly, Deadspin is a corporate monster.

The site’s editor and one of it’s primary authors is all over the media. At least once a week he’s on Red Eye a show that’s shown 6 nights a week on Fox News. An “independent” blog can’t ever compete with that.

Added to the insanity is Deadspin and KSK may as well be joined at the hip there is so much cross pollination between the two and this years results bares that out. Nearly 70% of the votes cast were for those two with the nearest “competitor” sitting at 10% and below.

A quick look through some of the other winners show much the same pattern. If your “connected,” i.e. you have “LLC” tagged on the end of your blog’s title, you have a distinct advantage.

And finally there’s that “dregs of the blogosphere” category I was relegated to compete in. The faint odor of fish abounds.

Slublog won with 41.8% of the votes. However, after a bit of checking I’m puzzled by the 370 votes that make up that percentage.

Between 28 Oct and 06 Nov (the last post published) the blog only contains 33 total comments. Even giving the benefit of doubt (voting didn’t start until 02 Nov.) and assuming all 33 were individual people and not repeats, and again assuming all voted the total should be around 198 total.

And worst case with only 16 comments from 02 Nov til voting closed only totals less than a hundred votes.

Having said that I fully understand everyone that votes aren’t among those that comment often or at all on a particular blog. But still something smells.

And it has to be said if something lays dead under that fish smell if may be caught before the votes are finalized. Each year cheaters have been found and winners adjusted.

If all this sounds like sour grapes, too bad, get over it. I went in this year with the same goals as in previous years, to make the finals. That was reached although under dubious circumstances this year.

I have a draft email waiting for completion that will be sent to Kevin once the voting has been verified. Included are improvements I think, and some with input from others (thanks Dude!) will be beneficial in the future.

It’s a wait and see game if anything will come of it but it’s worth a try. If it’s all a waste of time and the awards continue as they are I’ll send Kevin and his awards home with a few “parting gifts” and I’ll play no more.