The embodiment of a focused team

Relaxing in Vegas in February 2007, I had a vision of creating a conscious and unique alternative to MSM. My personal website recently went online, but I believed a more important impact could be made banging the door down with a talented team. After a couple of emails, I called D.K. Wilson–sight unseen–and presented my idea. I grew to admire Dwil’s writing while we both were writing for BSN and thought we could make noise exhibiting our contrasting styles. Along with Dwil, I had plans on including Dave Zirin (hard hitting, intelligent and political), David Aldridge (very knowledgeable and extremely professional) and Scoop Jackson (experienced, helpful, misunderstood and unapologetic). I thought the five of us working together could forge a new path for those who follow. Obviously, this wasn’t going to happen because of contractual obligations, but the dream couldn’t stop there…

We scoured the web in hopes of locating capable underground writers.

Dwil contacted Jonathan Weiler and Myles Brown. I located Dax Devlon Ross.

A dream realized…

The Starting Five (TSF) intends to cause a ruckus in the most honorable way. Our collective goal is to provide sports fans with an alternative to the popular Internet social and sports readings of the day.

We are scrupulous in our reporting of sports-related topics and subject matter; we source actual people; we reference actual publications. We relate the truth as it finds us, not as we want it to be.

Some days TSF will raise eyebrows. Some days TSF will anger many people, but inform more. But most importantly, we of TSF will be relentless in our pursuit of knowledge about the games about which we write and equally relentless in our pursuit of the truth about the people in and around the games, sports, and leagues we love.

Welcome to The Starting Five.

TSF is: Michael Tillery (mizzo), Vincent Goodwill (youngvito), Ron Glover (thebrotherreport), Anthony CinQue Carter (anthonycarter), Jerold Wells Jr. (wellslion1), Anthony “AG” Gilbert (north philadelphia), Calandra Coone (Co Co) and Alex Reed (areed12).

(links are email addresses)

Lets Get It!

Postscript: You can find our archived writings at our original blogs and websites. They are: Michael Tillery, TheBrotherReport, The Detroit News (youngvito) and MVN (north philadelphia), Co Co Vents (Co Co)

Unfortunately, four of the founding writers–D.K. Wilson (dwil), Jonathan Weiler (jweiler), Myles Brown (maxairington) and Dax Devlin-Ross (hnic)–have moved on. We wish them well on their continued quest to raise the journalistic bar higher and higher with every single insightful piece they create.

It’s not cool to look back, but brothas you always have a spot on the floor before tip-off.

Their work can be found all over the web, but mainly at these sites:

Sports Media Review (jweiler), The HNIC Report (hnic), SLAMonline (maxarington), and Sports On My Mind (dwil).

The good are separated from the great simply by the risks they take.

Be Peace