The pipes of the Internet have nearly exploded over the fiery exchange on Tuesday night involving Deadspin.com editor Will Leitch and author and journalist Buzz Bissinger on the HBO show "Costas Now."

The show featured a panel discussion on the role of blogs in sports, with Leitch forced to defend himself against Bissinger, who must have had a red habanero pepper lodged into his rage cavity. Rather than get into a recap of the program, I'd rather everyone just watch the video. It's quite entertaining.

Before I get into my thoughts on the matter I will say that I have never met Buzz Bissinger but have always found him to be a fantastic journalist and writer. I was aware, however, of his more traditionalist-driven attitudes against sabermetrics and the blogosphere.

I have interviewed Leitch and found him to be engaging and funny, though ridiculously intense. I read Deadspin daily and find it to be a nice diversion, but it's sort of like watching an episode of Family Guy. I appreciate the hard work and intelligence of its creator, but find some of its content to be a little too frat-boyish for my taste.

Now, there is a great discussion to be had about the role of blogs in sports and the impact on traditional sportswriting and journalism. It's something I've thought about on occasion, and I've always reached the conclusion that the two mediums can co-exist quite nicely.

Consider, for instance, that most blogs use stories from traditional news organizations as their source copy. And consider that when news stories are picked up and linked to by blogs, it leads to more people going to the newspapers' Web site, which leads to more money for the newspaper. And it also leads to more people reading those news stories, which in turn means those stories can theoretically impact more people. Which is the whole point of journalism.

(And the fact that I am writing this on a blog illustrates the fact that there is a shrinking, often nonexistent, separation between the blogs and traditional media anyway.)

Which brings me to Bissinger and his comical meltdown.

I am utterly baffled by Bissinger's behavior and his attitude toward Leitch. Unless he decided to go crazy on purpose to draw attention to himself and increase book sales (which I doubt) then he fails to realize that embracing the blogosphere could actually be quite beneficial to him as a writer.

Let's say that Bissinger writes an article on, say, the genius of Manny Acta. And let's say it appears in Esquire, which is the type of magazine his long-form work has often appeared.

Now, how many people read Esquire on a monthly basis? About 700,000 subscribe, according to its online media kit. A nice number, but still only representing less than 3 tenths of one percent of the population.

But let's say that Esquire has a Web site. (Which it does.) And let's say that all of the blogs run by Nationals fans link to the article because they find it interesting. And let's say that Deadspin links to it as well, which it turn leads other main sports blogs like the Big Lead, Kissing Suzy Kolber and others to follow suit.

Now we'll concede that many of these blogs might accompany their links with some bad criticism, pot shots and insults. But think of who might be reading the article now. Millions upon millions. And isn't that the point? As journalists, don't we write articles with the hope that people will read them, be informed, enlightened or otherwise intrigued? Isn't it our goal to have some sort of impact, no matter how trivial, on society in general?

I'm not in Bissinger's head, but I'm willing to be that when he wrote the famous book "Friday Night Lights," he was pretty darn please when it became a best-seller. And how did it become a best-seller? Sure, a lot of it was marketing. But a big chunk of it was word of mouth. People talking and saying "hey, you gotta check this out."

And that's basically what the blogosphere is all about. Bissinger just doesn't get it.

- Tim Lemke

The D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission held its monthly board meeting this morning at RFK Stadium. Nothing too major to report, but there were a few noteworthy items. The highlights:

-The commission is still waiting on its first rent payment from the Nationals for the new ballpark. The payment is due 45 days after the commencement of the lease, but the team believes the commission hasn't quite completed certain requirements in the lease that would allow it to actually commence. (To be clear, this does not mean the team has been playing at Nationals Park rent free. Once the lease officially commences, the team will be required to make all payments dating back to the beginning of the season.)

To satisfy the Nationals, the commission must still submit to the team a full set of maintenance manuals relating to the stadium, it must provide operations training to certain team employees, and it must turn over extra materials known as attic stock to the team.

There is some pressure to resolve this issue soon, as the first bond payment for the stadium is due later this summer.

-Readers have probably heard the term "punchlist" when it referring to the final work to be done on the ballpark. For Nationals Park, the list contained a whopping 27,600 items. Of those 27,600, more than 16,000 have already been resolved. Most of the items are small and would not be noticed by most fans, but there are 200 "high priority" items and 15 "top priority" items, ranging from air conditioning problems in the ticketing office, the installation of televisions in right field for those seats that have obstructed views of the scoreboard, and cracks in concrete on the stadium ramps. Much of the remaining work centers around the team offices, which were built in the last phase of construction. The commission and the team are meeting with the architects and construction team to resolve these issues as soon as possible.

-The commission is close to finalizing a new lease agreement with D.C. United at RFK Stadium. The team has essentially offered to "buy out" the commission so that it has full control of the revenue from soccer events at the stadium. The commission has agreed in principle but the two sides are still about $175,000 apart on a buyout figure. Under the terms of the lease, the pressure to attract soccer events lies more with the team than the commission.

-The commission is projecting a $500,000 budget shortfall for the coming year and has submitted a request for the money to the office of the City Administrator. It has already been granted a $2 million subsidy, though that money has not yet been received. To cut the budget shortfall, the commission has placed great emphasis on attracting a big, revenue-producing event at RFK Stadium sometime this summer. Commission staffers are working with Desho Productions, an event management company, to identify and attract new events. Ollie Harper, the commission's director of facilities management, likened the attraction of a big event to a "final exam" for Desho.

"We have to have high revenue generating event and it has to happen this year," Harper said. "And that's the big test."

ESPN announced today that it will televise U.S. Open tennis beginning in 2009, becoming the first channel ever to have the rights to all four Grand Slam events.
The deal is worth $140 million over six years, according to Sports Business Journal, and includes the rights to the Olympus U.S. Open Series tournaments.

Cable network USA has held the rights to the U.S. Open for years and has been well-received by tennis fans. But this deal with ESPN looks like it will also be a good one. Consider that ESPN2 will show live matches in the tournament's first week from 1 p.m. until the end of play. The second week will have a four-hour window on Labor Day between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.; the rest of the second week will have live coverage from 11 a.m. until the end of play, or more than 12 consecutive hours.

Meanwhile, ESPN.360 will show live coverage of all courts during ESPN2's television window.

CBS still holds the rights to most weekend coverage including the men's and women's semifinals and finals.

With all of that live tennis, there's a good chance fans will see some drama. But the network will have a tough time topping its coverage of this year's Australian Open, when it blew through two schedule breaks to show nearly 15 straight hours of live tennis. The coverage included Lleyton Hewitt's five-set win over Marcos Baghdatis that ended at 4:32 a.m. Melbourne time.

We hinted at this last week in our story about D.C. United's partnership with Volkswagen and now it's official: WNBA teams will don the McDonald's golden arches on the front of their uniforms during opening games this month.

The fast food chain is the official sponsor of all "WNBA Tip-Off 2008" games, which include all home openers as well as nationally televised games on May 17, 20 and 24.

With the partnership, the WNBA breaks ranks with the NBA, which does not allow corporate logos of any kind on uniforms. Major League Baseball and the NFL also restrict the use of advertising on uniforms.

Without further ado, I offer you the self-serving press release quotes:

"The 2008 WNBA season promises to be one of the most competitive campaigns in league history, and we are so pleased that McDonald's has chosen to align with the WNBA as the presenting sponsor of WNBA Tip-Off 2008," said WNBA President Donna Orender. "In using WNBA jerseys as a unique marketing tool to support McDonald's product launch, the WNBA and its players will display, en force, the dynamic integration capabilities we bring to a partnership."

Dynamic integration capabilities. Sounds awesome.

But this quote from McDonald's is even more priceless:

"McDonald's sponsorship of WNBA Tip-Off 2008 is a natural fit for our brand," said Neil Golden, Chief Marketing Officer, McDonald's USA. "With the launch of our new Southern Style Chicken Biscuit and Sandwich, and a partnership with one of the premier women's sports leagues in the country, we'll deliver quality, great taste and fast breaks for McDonald's customers and WNBA fans everywhere to enjoy."

I'm not precisely sure what the Southern Style Chicken Biscuit Sandwich has to do with women's hoops. But I never believed that Tiger Woods drives a Buick, or that Michael Jordan had a strong allegiance to Rayovac Batteries.

In all seriousness, you have to give credit to McDonald's for finding a way to get some unique exposure in an era when advertisers struggle to find a way to set themselves apart.

I reported last year on the strong ties that McDonald's has with women's sports, including one of the LPGA's major tournaments. And of course, the restaurant has been heavily involved with basketball, most notably with the McDonald's High School All-American Game. (AKA, the "No One Guards Anyone, Ever, Classic.")

Will this deal lead to more corporate logos on uniforms? Time will tell, but this can be seen as a step over into an area once seen as taboo.

-- Tim Lemke

More kudos to the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission and its construction and design teams for getting the new Nationals ballpark completed on time.

The D.C. Building Industry Association (DCBIA) tomorrow will present a 2008 Building Achievement Award to the ballpark project team, in recognition of the accomplishment of building the stadium in under two years while facing significant budget pressure.

The sports commission will be recognized along with Clark Construction Group, Hunt Construction Group and Smoot Construction; architects HOK Sport and Devrouax & Purnell; and the program management team of Brailsford & Dunlavey, McKissack & McKissack and Turner Construction.

- Tim Lemke

Will Leitch over at Deadspin apparently shot an email to ESPN columnist Bill Simmons wanting to know why he hadn't been writing all that much recently. Simmons' answer suggests that he's a little frustrated with the Worldwide Leader at the moment.

"I still love writing my column and only re-signed last year because I really did believe that we had hashed out all the behind the scenes [expletive] and come to some sort of agreement on creative lines, media criticism rules, the promotion of the column and everything else on ESPN.com," Simmons told Leitch. "Within a few months, all of those things changed and certain promises were not kept. It's as simple as that."

Simmons, for the uninitiated, writes the "Sports Guy" column on ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2001 and has grown with the Web site, quickly becoming one of its more popular personalities. Last year, he signed a new contract that extended his deal to include appearances on ESPN television shows and original programming.

It's surprising that Simmons would be so frank and open about his feelings toward ESPN, but I don't find the feelings themselves too surprising, based on things he told me in an interview last year. It was in April, and he had just signed a new contract to write for the Web site and do some other things for the network, but it was a tough negotiation. Simmons admitted to me that the folks at ESPN weren't too happy with some of his writings, particularly those that were critical of broadcasters for both ESPN and other networks.

On April 11 of last year, I wrote a story that examined many of the once-independent bloggers and writers that ESPN had hired. I talked to Henry Abbott of TrueHoop, Matthew Berry of The Talented Mr. Roto, plus a few others, including Simmons. The link to the story online is dead, but here's a relevant excerpt:

"ESPN does have its drawbacks. The company has been turned down by some writers who felt a move to ESPN would amount to 'selling out,' and others have rejected ESPN's advances out of fear the company would stifle their creativity.

"Bill Simmons, who writes the popular 'Sports Guy' column on ESPN.com, said he has constantly battled with the company over creative freedom since being hired in 2001. Previously, he wrote independently online as the 'Boston Sports Guy,' where he gained a loyal following by riffing on the sports teams and figures from his hometown.

"Simmons agreed to write for a more national audience and to tone down some of his content - particularly the criticism of television networks and announcers - to appease ESPN, but it wasn't easy.

"For the first five years it was a real creative battle, and it was really frustrating for me at times,' Simmons said. 'About a year ago I was hitting a wall, to a degree. They just needed to realize that it was 2007 and the rules were different. The important thing was that they worked it out.' "

Perhaps there may still be some things to work out ...

Everyone knew it was only a matter of time before the Brewers locked up slugger Ryan Braun with a long-term contract. And it's a doozy: eight years, $45 million, with some escalator clauses that could bring it to $51 million.

The contract is sure to turn some heads, if for no other reason than Braun has played just 152 games in the majors, the equivalent of less than a full season. Of course, he did win NL Rookie of the Year honors last year after batting .324, mashing 34 homers and driving in 97 runs despite not joining the team until the end of May.

Braun's signing continues a trend of teams locking up young stars in their pre-arbitration and pre-free agency years. I looked at this issue in-depth last month after the Tampa Bay Rays signed third baseman Evan Longoria to a deal worth as much as $47 million over nine years, despite just six games of major league experience.

The deal essentially buys out three years of Braun's arbitration years and possibly as many as three years of free agency. The numbers average out to just over $5.6 million per year, which could turn into a real bargain if he maintains his high level of play. In fact, industry sources I've spoken to say these types of deals are generally great for teams even if the player performs a level only slightly above league-average.

(The Brewers decision to move him to the outfield from third base also makes this contract a better value, as he was terrible defensively at third last season.)

So far this year, Braun is batting .287 and is among the league leaders in power with nine home runs and 29 RBI. His .318 on base percentage isn't great, as he's walked just eight times. But the Brewers clearly think he's worth the risk.

"Relative to the state of baseball, there's a little bit of a sea change here," Brewers owner Mark Attanasio told the Associated Press. "There's been a number of young players now who are getting signed, and I think what you see is there's a real economic incentive on both sides to do something."

Baseball Prospectus projects that Braun will average close to 40 home runs and 115 RBI through 2014. (Its projections only go out 7 years.) Braun's comparable players, according to BP, include Frank Robinson, Alex Rodriguez, Jim Rice, Dave Winfield, Cal Ripken and Johnny Bench. For $5.6 million per year, that ain't too shabby.

But anyone feeling sorry for Braun need not worry. When this contract expires, he'll be only 30, giving him at least one good opportunity to nail down a big free agent deal.

-- Tim Lemke

In Tuesday's edition of this fine newspaper, I wrote extensively about the generally positive buzz about Indy Car racing leading up to the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. That story takes a broad look at the Indy Racing League, but I though it might be fun to use this space to examine how some of the drivers and teams are financing their seasons. Some of the sponsorship tie-ins are pretty intriguing.

Dan Wheldon: As a member of the Target/Chip Ganassi team, he is not want for support. His sponsorships include Target (obviously), Energizer batteries, Polaroid and my personal favorite, the Commit nicotine lozenge. The Commit lozenge has been big in NASCAR, where the company gives out a cash prize to the driver who leads the first lap of a race. The award is known as the "Commit to Win" Award.

Danica Patrick: On media day in New York on Monday, it seemed like every driver had an iPhone. But not Danica; she's Motorola head-to-toe. Danica also has a big sponsorship with GoDaddy.com, appearing in a racy (pun!) commercial during the Super Bowl.

Tony Kanaan: A member of Andretti Green Racing, Kanaan has long been supported by 7-Eleven. But unfortunately, there's no cupholder in an Indy Car to hold a 64 ounce Slurpee.

Marco Andretti: The grandson of 1969 Indy 500 winner Mario Andretti will have the name "Indiana Jones" splashed alongside his car for Sunday's race. Duh Duh-Duh-Duh! Duh Duh-Duh! Duh Duh-Duh-Duh! Duh Duh-Duh! Duh! Duh!

Tomas Scheckter: This Indy vet has a deal with Symantec, the Internet security company. On carb day, Scheckter will sign autographs and fix all the problems with your copy of Windows Vista.

Townsend Bell: His chief sponsor is William Rast, the clothing company founded by pop star Justin Timberlake and designer Trace Ayala. Other drivers will wear flame retardant jumpsuits. Bell will wear a t-shirt with a pair of $220 stone-washed denim jeans.

Graham Rahal: The former Champ Car driver and son of 1985 Indy winner Bobby Rahal is a member of the Newman/Haas/Lanigan racing team, which was co-founded by actor Paul Newman. Rahal's chief sponsor is Hole in the Wall Camps, Newman's main charity, which provides summer camp experiences for seriously ill children.

Alex Lloyd: The former Indy Pro Series champion is sponsored by Wii Fit, the video game system that encourages players to get off their duff and get some exercise.

Will Power: We've heard of sponsorships with Budweiser and the like, but this former Champ Car driver is supported by Aussie Vineyards, which hails itself as the "newest goldmine of exceptional wines."

John Andretti: Want a good deal a trip to Las Vegas? Well, just call 1-800-LAS-VEGAS, the number plastered alongside Andretti's car.

- Tim Lemke

I just spoke with a source from the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission, who confirmed a report that the Nationals are seeking $100,000 per day in damages on grounds that the city was not able to complete the team's new ballpark in time for Opening Day.

According to the source, the dispute centers almost solely around the stadium offices, which city officials acknowledged were not completed on time. But, they pointed out, the offices represent a very small portion of the overall project, and has no impact on the ability of the team to hold games or sell tickets and concessions.

It is unclear how much the team believes it is owed in total, but construction of the offices will be 100 percent complete in just a few weeks.

According to the source, this dispute has commission officials quite perturbed, given that the city is paying upwards of $600 million toward the stadium. The Lerners claim to have contributed as much as $50 million to upgrade the team scoreboard, luxury suites and concourses, though official figures in the stadium budget as of Opening Day show a contribution of $11.5 million.

"We don't take too kindly to this at all," the source said. "To say the stadium was not substantially complete is almost a joke."

But at the same time, this type of legal wrangling should not be surprising, given the Lerner family's reputation for taking a hard line in the stadium negotiations. Last year the team owners took the commission to arbitration over several million dollars in disputed costs over the stadium. (An arbitration panel ruled unanimously in favor of the commission.) And early in the stadium construction, the Lerners nixed a proposal that would have allowed for parking to be built underground at the stadium site, allowing for commercial development above ground.

"They're very contract-bound, letter-of-the-law people," said the commission source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on behalf of the commission. "If 2 percent isn't complete, then they're going to stick you with it. I'm not surprised."

The source referred to the $100,000 per day request "ridiculously excessive."

The Nationals also have yet to pay the $3.5 million rent payment to the city.

Readers of this space will recall that I wrote earlier this month about how the team had not yet made its first rent payment because of a lengthy "punchlist" of items that had yet to be resolved. Of the list of more than 11,000 unresolved issues, 200 were considered "high priority" and 15 of those were considered "top priority," including the completion of doors in the team offices.

Sports commission CEO Greg O'Dell declined to discuss the dispute with the Nationals, but issued the following statement:

"As it relates to the new ballpark, we are in the process of closing out the project. In addition to completing the punch list work, we are working to resolve several issues inclusive of some contract-related matters. Specific to the issue of substantial completion of the ballpark, we are currently in discussions with the Team, and it is our hope that this will be resolved for the best interest of all parties."

In other ballpark news, Fitch Ratings today said it will upgrade its rating on $25 million in bonds used to finance the Nationals new ballpark, from "BBB+" to "AA." The rating upgrade will take place Friday after the city converts the bonds to a weekly rate from an auction rate. People who follow the bond issue closely will recall that the city was recently stuck with higher interest payments on that $25 million because the auction rate was affected heavily by the worldwide credit crisis. Rates on those bonds rose from 4.75 percent to 14 percent, costing the city as much as $200,000 per month.

According to Fitch, the bonds will now also have a short-term rating of F1+, its highest rating, indicating "exceptionally strong capacity of obligor to meet its financial commitment."

I'll translate the above paragraph: the bonds used to finance the ballpark a good, solid bonds and the city is not in any danger of defaulting.

-- Tim Lemke

One of the questions I get most from readers about the Nationals new ballpark is, "What's the deal with that ugly cement plant to the south of the stadium?"

I always tell them the site is owned by a company named Florida Rock, which has plans to redevelop the nearly 6 acres of land into a nice mixed-complex with shops and offices. But the timeline of the project has always been unclear because the company was still waiting for zoning approval from the city. (The company had plans approved several years ago, but it was back to the drawing board after the city decided to put the ballpark next door.)

Now it appears that the development is moving forward, after the D.C. Zoning Commission approved plans for the project, known as "RiverFront."

Work on the site probably won't begin until 2009, and construction will probably take several years.

(A hat tip to workaholic and fellow tennis enthusiast JDLand.com for breaking the news of the ruling.)

Rendering by Davis Buckley Architects and Planners

- Tim Lemke

A quick heads up -- with The Washington Times' new website launch, the URL for our sports blogs are going to change. Instead of video1.washingtontimes.com/sportsbiz, you can reach SportsBiz at www.washingtontimes.com/weblogs/sportsbiz.

We're still working out the kinks but the updates should be steady starting tomorrow.