Blogfathers

Meeting people you look up to can be a harrowing situation. You don’t want to meet such a person and find out they’re a total jerk. Nonetheless, I’ll be attending the 1st Annual FreeDarko World Columbian Exposition tonight. And with that being said, I’d like to highlight a few of the writers that have inspired me to traverse the choppy waters of the NBA blogosphere:

Will Leitch, Deadspin – I’ve had the pleasure of meeting him once and he’s the nicest dude you could imagine, even if he was hating on the random 80s music playing in Big Black. Though he may only be tangentially interested in the NBA, you can’t argue against the guy who spawned a thousand sports blogs.

Henry Abbott, TrueHoop - Even though his comments section has turned in to an internet Bosnia since he moved to ESPN, Henry is the most informative NBA blog there is. Once the season rolls around, his analysis is tops.

Kelly Dwyer, Sports Illustrated – It’s sad that KD gets held down a little by SI, but his writing on TrueHoop and FreeDarko show just how awesome he is. Plus he’s a Bulls fan which is always nice.

Masters of the Klondike, FreeDarko – It’s really impossible to describe FreeDarko but I’ve been reading Shoals, DLIC, Recluse, and the rest for a minute and they’ve changed the way I see the league.

The Hype Guy, NBA and Other Unrelatedness – Hype specializes in absurdity and silliness which are two things I value in anyone.

These writers have had tremendous influence on the Blowtorch you see today. Without a little knowledge of where you came from, you can’t ever know where you’re going.