Post-Forsberg and Flames blogs: Chambers Gets To the Point

http://blogs.denverpost.com/avs/2011/02/14/avs-move-on-without-forsberg/6478/

http://blogs.denverpost.com/avs/2011/02/14/flames-torch-avs-penguins-up-next/6494/

With Dater likely using everything at his disposal to destroy the brain cells responsible for remembering the date of February 14, 2011, Mike Chambers takes over for these two blog entries and offers his get-to-the-point blogging style. The first is one of what seemed like about a dozen "Forsberg Retires" options for us to click on at the Denver Post's Avalanche page, all of them pretty much repetitions of the rest.

I get the feeling that many of these articles came from the same pre-written source, like what they do with celebrity obituaries. You just know that there's a pre-written obituary on file somewhere for people like Charlie Sheen, Courntey Love, and Tupac Shakur, so when they die all somebody has to do is pull it out and enter the correct date. I wouldn't be surprised if there's been a "Forsberg Retires" article hidden in Dater's desk drawer for years... he probably sealed it in an envelope with a shiny red heart sticker and refused to even look at it until today.

Anyway, back to business... here, Chambers throws in a few quotes from players and Sacco. This is what the 'official' Post Avs blog should look like: brief, info-filled versions of the full stories to come.

The second entry is a recap of the Avs/Flames game of Monday night, and a look forward to the Avs next opponent, the Penguins. Can we call last night's activity a "game?" Games are supposed to be fun. Let's just say that two teams met at Pepsi Center in much the same way that a northbound tractor-trailer meets a southbound Beetle on the interstate. Chambers gets big points for including a quote from the opposition (in this case, Jarome Iginla), something else I'd like to see more of.

As I said earlier, Chambers' use of the blog here is exactly what I believe should be the norm: quick, info-packed blogs with a little personality thrown in (referring to the Avs as the "blue and black" rather than "blue and maroon" was pretty funny, I thought), but still with the focus on the team and the game, not the author. Not as formal as an article, but still professional, and Chambers pulls it off nicely.

Grade: A