When I was at ESPN.com, the top item on my wish list for things ESPN.com should’ve been doing was opening up the Fantasy engine with good APIs. My reasoning was twofold. First, there were lots of features people wanted that simply weren’t popular enough for a site like ESPN, where audience is measured in millions. Second, the team is small and couldn’t (and wouldn’t) build everything in house. It doesn’t make sense.

So, the idea is that a clean API that exposed just enough of the game engine for external tools to integrate in and then independent developers could build (and charge for, if they wanted) all the little niche features that are out there. FAAB free agency and auction drafts were the biggest features I thought were missing (though ESPN did roll out limited auction drafts this year).

Another thing to consider: Facebook was just “eh, Facebook” until the developer API came out. Then, they became a darling, started growing audience a bit more quickly, and now even Friendster has a developer API. There are positive business effects for concentrating on the core platform and turning your game into a service.

You have no idea how much I wanted to do this. Had I stayed at ESPN, I would’ve pushed for that as a new architecture. I had it documented out, plans on how to implement it, and was lining up the ducks to turn the sports group at ESPN.com into a stealth data provider. I was really considering this to be the next startup idea for someday in the future after we turn Fanzter into a media giant.

Now, it seems I won’t have to do it. TechCrunch just wrote up a new company called OPEN Sports Network. While the company web site talks more about the social piece (perhaps they integrate into social networks?), the TechCrunch post suggests that their game platform will have open APIs.

I’m making a prediction now: if this is executed well (and there’s reason to hope because this guy ran SportsLine), this will become the fantasy platform of choice for serious gamers quickly, with casual games following as soon as enough third party features extend the game.

The only thing I don’t understand is launching the platform in August. That gives 0 time to developers to extend the game before the NFL kickoff. I’m sure I’m just missing something, or they’re going out cautiously in year 1.

I’ve found the perfect baby shower present. I’m trying to decide if pairing it with this would be too obnoxious. Just need to be careful and make sure the baby doesn’t grow up to be a construction worker.

I want to watch the Phillies game, but don’t want to spend $200+ on DirectTV’s MLB package or $120 on MLB.tv’s package. So, it’s MLB.com’s radio player instead. Not quite the same as being able to watch any game, any time at my desk.

Yahoo has made a pretty significant change to their fantasy baseball game. I’m not sure if this is new for Yahoo (I didn’t play football there), but the new interface is pretty nice. All drag-and-drop YUI goodness. Here’s a screenshot of me fixing my roster:

It’s pretty well executed. The yellow rows are the only slots that Fielder is eligible for, and the symbol on the far right conveys whether I’m dropping the player in the right slot. More importantly, this will cut down on the cryptic error messages in most fantasy games when you forget to move someone to the bench or accidently put two people in the same slot.

Useful Ajax and a nice addition.

Man, that was some finish! After a really boring game for 3 quarters, the final 10 minutes were un-freaking-believable.

I’m glad that Brady got shut down. He showed, once again, that even a little bit of pressure in his face will make him an average quarterback. He also showed that he doesn’t have the arm to throw to Moss. That last deep play where the ball went off of Moss’s hands… another yard further on the throw and Moss is home free, TD, Pats win. Tom Terrific is human after all.

He’s still a great QB, and the 2007 Pats will go down as one of the best teams in history. Let’s be honest though. The defense was overrated. The offense was the difference, but the Giants blitzing scheme was a great match for it. After watching the Eagles nearly pull of the upset of the century, I had the Giants circled as the only team that could shut down the Brady/Moss offense.

Even then, though, I thought the Pats had this one in the bag. Never would’ve predicted a Giants win.

Another thing: that catch by David Tyree after Manning somehow escaped the Pats rush… man, that’s why I watch sports. Great finish. Congrats New York Giants!

BTW, did anyone see Tom Brady congratulate Eli Manning after the game? Or was he still a classless jerk at the end?

Friend just said this joke to me:

“I heard the Fins couldn’t get into their locker room last week.”

“Why, what happened?”

“Someone painted a goal line in front of the door.”

I feel bad for the Miami Dolphins, but they are really bad…

ESPN (not an uninterested observer in this mess, btw) covers the NFL Network and why the nation can’t see the Packs/Cowboys game this week. One thought: allowing a la carte purchases with a cheap monthly fee, say $5/month + the individual subscriber fees for each channel you want would solve this.
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Watching the classless, absolute a-hole move by Belichick, going for it on 4th and 1 with a 28 point lead, I have to say that a bus crash or some other misfortune will be in the Pats future if they keep this up. There was no honor or necessity in going for it on 4th and 1 with that lead, none. Don’t give me any BS about how the game isn’t over until it’s over and how any team could come back. It’s the Bills and you’re the Pats, with the football equivalent of the 2000 Yankees lineup. The Bills are not coming back, and you’re going to put up more points.

The Patriots have no class. They continue to show it every week. This is just the latest example.

I’m sure many of you have seen this highlight but in case you missed it, this desperation play was unbelievable.

Especially since he is now backing the Red Sox!

Another World Series appearance for the Sox… Boston is living the high life right now in sports. I’d be happier if they were facing the Phillies, but I’ll take what I can get.

I feel obligated to point out that the Red Sox look to be smarter than the Yankees front office at this point. Over the past 5 years or so (the Theo Epstein era), the Red Sox have managed to spend much smarter than the Yankees. Looking back at the different teams, Boston put their money on mid-reputation players with upside and focused their big money on pitching. The Yankees, on the other hand, have paid for a LOT of expensive bats and thrown together pitching almost haphazardly. Injuries have been a big part of the picture, too, but it’s hard to say that Brian Cashman (and Steinbrenner, however much he participates in personnel decisions ) have really shown good baseball sense since their last World Series championship in 2000.

And really, if not for Grady Little, the Yankees probably don’t make the Series in 2003, either. It’s a pretty amazing run the Yankees have had, but this year they lost the division, lost in the first round, and lost their best hope for future success, Joe Torre. I thought maybe it was time for him to move on, but looking back, he’s clearly not the problem. They don’t have the arms to compete. Torre is just a convenient fall guy…

Um… wow. Really, just wow. Watching him try to finish game 5 of the ALCS right now, and it’s definitely a different Jonathan Papelbon on the mound.