The Media Learning Curve: Nov. 6-13

There's a formula for doing a respectable newspaper sports column, and Dave Kindred is kind enough to share.

One part gin, another part gumption, and tell the editor to get the hell out of the way.

Or, use Kindred's method. It's enough to make a run-o-the-mill sports blogger maybe even take notice.

According to his recipe (linked here), you take three parts preparation, four parts reporting, three parts organizing notes and five parts writing. Not writing first, then rewriting, then Google searching for a cooler verb than adding something snarky.

Yes, there's a model that works. Try it sometime. Or don't.

Like Ray Ratto's piece here, deciding that baseball will someday use instant replay only it pays off somehow (linked here).

Like Mike Lupica does ... naw, he doesn't really. Who really likes him (linked here)?

See if Stephen A. Smith gives it a go, now that he's back at the Philly Inquirer (linked here).

That's today's writing lesson. Among the things we learned about the sports media world at the Media Learning Center Sponsored by A Greater Understanding Of Our Craft:

== Your NFL Week 10 L.A. TV guide, already one game old (linked here)

== Your college football week 11 L.A. TV guide -- you'll need it if you're a UCLA fan (linked here).

== Check out the free Iooss/Leifer exhibit in Century City (linked here)

== Why CNBC's Darren Rovell really likes the USC football website -- "The only thing missing is live tweets from the games. Banned? Nope. (Ben) Malcolmson said he currently doesn't tweet from games because the phone service is spotty in the stadiums on game day." (linked here).

== There's no Scully news, keep moving (linked here).

== A review of Bill Simmons' new basketball book: "A collection of personal obsessions masquerading as an encyclopedia. ... Simmons wouldn't be Simmons without the pointless asides. One of the Sports Guy's biggest flaws, though, is that he tries too hard to entertain: He'd be twice as funny--and a lot less repetitive--with half the jokes ... The book is more a collection of extended blog posts than a work of literature, an anthology that's best read in short bursts. Instead of taking my time, I devoured the book in a couple of sittings because it was so fun to read--until it got a lot less fun when the jokes and pop-culture comparisons started repeating themselves. How's this for an analogy: Pounding on Bill Simmons for The Book of Basketball's excesses is like scarfing down 20 ice cream sundaes and blaming Baskin-Robbins for the stomachache." (linked here) That's not what Courtney Cummz said (linked here).

== Will Jim Lampley be left off the NBC Winter Olympic roster? (linked here)

== From Q-and-A from TheBigLead with Dick Vitale, he says:"My idols are people like Vin Scully and Ernie Harwell. You work as long as you possibly can. Physically, emotionally, if you can handle the travel ... Obviously ESPN has become a big-time player in all sports now, but I think it's going to be really tough for CBS to give the NCAA tournament up." (linked here)

== AND (SNIFF) FINALLY:

== Did she really need to go on ABC (with owns ESPN, no less) and cry about having Steve Phillips dump her?