Hoosier Blog Compare and Contrast

I am comparing Terry Hutchens’ “Hoosier Insider” blog from The Indianapolis Star to “The Hoosier Scoop” from Bloomington, Indiana’s local paper, The Herald Times. “The Hoosier Scoop” is written by sports editor, Doug Wilson, and sports writer, Chris Korman. The particular post that I am comparing and contrasting with Hutchens’ is written by Chris Korman.
Upon reading a post from January 26 from each paper, I discovered that they have many similarities. Both blogs concentrated on the Hoosiers’ loss against the University of Connecticut (UConn). They also contained one of the same themes: the lesson the Hoosiers learned from Saturday’s conference game. Hutchens writes, “It is often said in sports that you learn more about yourself in a loss than in a victory…here's some of the things I think Indiana learned today.” Korman writes, “…Indiana needs to learn something from today.” It is obvious that each writer has similar thoughts in terms of their writing and about the game on Saturday.
Another similarity is that the writers both picked up on many of the same flaws from specific players, such as Lance Stemler. Stemler is one of the best three-point shooters on the team and the bloggers were both concerned about his shot in the game. Korman writes, “Sampson inserted him to shoot 3-pointers. He took and hit one. Stemler had what appeared to be a good look for another 3 but pulled it down and tried a jump shot from just inside the line, which missed.” Hutchens noted Stemler’s inaccuracy during as the game as one of the Hoosiers’ top 10 mistakes. “Lance Stemler needs to shoot from beyond the arc -- and no where else… C'mon Lance, shoot the ball from long range and let some of these other guys stop and shoot from 17 and in,” writes Hutchens.
While there are similarities in the blogs, there are also many differences. Because Korman is a Bloomington local, he has a way with his words that connects with the Bloomington population. His introductory paragraph is a perfect indication.

“By now many of you are probably off drowning your sorrows at Nick’s
or either of the Kilroy’s or in some musty frat basement. Maybe
tomorrow as you shake it off you’ll begin to dissect what happened at
Assembly Hall. Consider this your dose of two aspirins as you struggle
down the path toward clearing your post-loss fog.”

Korman realizes how passionate IU fans are and that a game is not just upsetting to the team, but to everyone.
Another difference in “The Hoosier Scoop,” is the ongoing political metaphor. UConn’s surprise win is compared to Barack Obama’s surprise win in South Carolina. Korman wraps up the blog post with a continuation of the metaphor that is more hopeful than the previous references. He writes that Indiana can still become a team “just as Hillary Clinton’s staff could still find a way to win big on Super Tuesday.” I thought this metaphor was very clever and it is a method that can be used to engage more than just sports fans.
Hutchens begins his blog in a different manner than the prior. He provides a very understandable synopsis as to why the Hoosiers could not pull through on Saturday afternoon. The rest of his blog is very structured, listing 10 things that Indiana’s players, coaches and fans need to learn from this experience. He makes many good points, but does not stray from the sports angle, like Korman did when making political references.
The absence of direct quotes is another difference in Hutchens’ blog. Korman uses direct quotes from Head Coach Kelvin Sampson frequently, whereas Hutchens prefers to use his own words to explain the events. In addition, Hutchens engages his reader by asking thought-provoking questions and by asking for opinions from his reader at the end of his post.
All in all, I would say Hutchens’ blog is slightly more informational because it goes into more detail, but I really enjoyed hearing the viewpoints from both a big-city and a local writer.
http://blogs.heraldtimesonline.com/iusp/
http://blogs.indystar.com/hoosiersinsider/