"People just want to be around my husband"

...or something to that affect.

Muttered by one of the women on The Real Housewives of Atlanta. I don't watch the show, but I am always hanging around while the wife is catching up with what feels like a 43 hour marathon. Anyway, the paraphrased quote was from Lisa Wu-Hartwell the wife of former NFLer Ed Hartwell. To put the quote in context, the Hartwell's find that the easiest way to get investors involved in their business plans or to get their foot in the door anywhere is to 'career drop' Ed's former profession. Sure his name might ring a bell with local Atlanta sports fans/business men but when you attach 'former NFL player' then everyone takes notice. Everyone wants to meet and rub elbows with former athletes.

Lisa and her husband are entrepreneurs, trying to make his fleeting fame and money last for as long as possible by investing in other businesses and starting a few of her own. Every athlete needs to plan for the future whether it's in broadcasting, sports writing, fund raising, or even the private sector. Then there is the rare athlete who thinks he can excel at them all. Or anything really.

Take for instance, Pags.

Mike Pagliarulo, a below average third baseman best known for his porn 'stache, opened shop at Dugout Central, where "Mike Pagliarulo and baseball fans discuss our national pastime." While Pags is seldom correct about anything he jots down, to his credit he has surrounded himself on the site with some reasonably informative and knowledgeable writers.

Why do I bring this up?

Well, recently, HHR reader and sometime contributor Assassin Ave brought to our attention DorseyLevensReport.com.

Yes, it appears Dorsey Levens has a football blog ala Pags (only not as bitter and full of misinformation).

Despite rave reviews by pseudo-celebrities and former athletes:

• “Great website Dorsey! Colorful and informative!” Bernard Berrian - WR, Minnesota Vikings
• "Coolsite. Way to go, Dorsey!" Bill Bellamy, Comedian
• "Great site!" Michael Merriweather, Retired NFL Linebacker 1982-93 Steelers / Vikings
• "Love the site, keep up the excellent work!" Mark Jenkins, Celebrity Trainer
• "This site is awesomely creative. For one guy who played in the NFL to another, this is the site that every NFL fan should be looking at!." Roger Craig, former San Francisco 49ers All-Pro running back

It's rather, how you say?...rather pointless?

Not nearly as pointless as the aforementioned former San Francisco 49ers All-Pro running back Roger Craig's fantasy site: http://www.rogercraigfflrush.blogspot.com/.

While some people may just want to be around other folks' husbands, it seems some of those husbands more accurately just want to be around people.

Don't get us wrong. We find the practice of athletes, current and former, taking their message directly to fans admirable. We would just recommend said messages be entertaining, informative and/or newsworthy. Otherwise they risk coming off as former jocks not willing to give up the spotlight they spent their entire formidable years basking in.

I Thought Pags Was Bad

I understand that we sometimes throw random, pointless and sometimes even unamusing stuff on HHR. They can't all be gems.

Someone who has made a second career out of doing that has been Mike Pagliarulo. OK, that's a little harsh. He isn't that bad. Hell, he isn't even the worst writer on his site.

That distinction belongs to Scott Jensen, if for no other reason than his decision to post this repetitious, cliched and unfunny post: 17 Bold Predictions for the 2008 Season

Here's a very brief snippet...

1. Ben Sheets will get hurt.
2. An announcer will describe David Eckstein as “gritty.”

Get the picture? yeah, my stomach's turning, too.

Pags Plays Homer, Falsely Credits Yankee Kindness towards Children

Image: twinscards.com

We've teased Pags before for his Joe Morgan-esq aversion to the Moneyball philosophy. but, he is reasonably interested and for a group of guys growing up in the Yankees media market during his playing days, we take interest in the where-are-they-now aspect of the players we grew up watching the Scooter hoot and holla about.

As such, we check out his Dugout Central website to see what sort of knowledge he cares to drop on the world.

Apparently, we aren't the only ones who check it out as evidenced by his mailbag feature.

This weekend, Sam G asked:

Which spring training parks are best/worst for fans who want autographs?

Pags: In Fort Myers, FL at City of Palms park, home of the Red Sox, fans are very close to the field. Seats along the 3B line provide access to players walking to and from the dugout. One of the most difficult places to get autographs is in Tampa at Legends Field. There is a lot of security, so it’s tough to get close to the players. However, the Yankees players accommodate fans often by signing a ton.

This stuck out to me because last week on Fat Mike and Chris' radio show, a caller bitched about how unaccommodating Yankee players were.

Note the last two sentences in Pags' response as you listen to the audio below.

1. "There is a lot of security, so it’s tough to get close to the players."

Then listen as the caller talks of how accessible Phillies players were.

2. "However, the Yankees players accommodate fans often by signing a ton."

Maybe Pags meant "none" rather than "a ton."

I don't often agree with Mike and the Doggy, but they actually put into perspective the point about not caring whether people make money off a guy who's making millions of dollars' autograph. Not like their livelihood depends on it.

Looks like Pags is trying to stay in favor of his old team. Or he just lies to his readers.