"'Parks and Recreation' writer Michael Schur talks to Bill Simmons about Manny Ramirez, the Internet, his new show and more. Plus, JackO on UConn."
I'm a fan of the Simmons podcasts, so even though I had no idea who Michael Schur was, I threw this one onto my iPod and listened to it before going to sleep last night. I figure, if Simmons is interviewing a guy I never heard of, it's probably because he's a reasonably interesting fellow.
At the start of the podcast, Simmons mentions that Schur used to write for a website that Simmons can't mention. This sets off no alarms in my mind at the time; as a D
isney employee, Simmons, I figure, isn't allowed to mention anything. Anyway, a solid 10 or 15 minutes into the podcast, they're talking about the Red Sox, and sabermetrics, and lazy sportswriting, and the fact that this Schur guy used to write for "The Office," and it dawns on me.Schur is Ken Tremendous from FJM! It's Ken Muthafuckin' Tremendous!!
At no point in the podcast is this even alluded to, and FJM was around for 95% of its lifespan before Ken Tremendous revealed his true identity. I'm supposed to know offhand that Michael Schur is the shadowy, mysterious character who's written 98% of the funniest things we've ever read about baseball?
Of course, I understand that Simmons can't say "Fire Joe Morgan," as Morgan i
s still (?!?!) employed by the same company that employs him, but how 'bout a hint or two here, eh? Ask ol' Mose Schrute (see right) about his time working at Fremulon Insurance in Partridge, Kans., or something. Make a reference to something "HatGuy" wrote. Christ, if Simmons had mentioned that Schur was Regis Philbin's son-in-law, I'd have picked up on it.Anyway, you can stream or download the podcast here; scroll down to 3/26.
Schur seemed in no way to be the robotic pedant -- or "VORPie" -- critics of sabermetrics would like us to believe. His writing on FJM was exponentially more strident -- and hilarious -- than he seems as an individual. And he has a truly infectious laugh. So he's got that goin' for him. Which is nice.
Anyway, Schur's new show, "Parks and Recreation," premiers April 9 and stars the fantastic Amy Poehler and Aziz Ansari from Human Giant.
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4 comments:
I actually listened to that podcast yesterday too. There are some people who are so interesting that I'd happily listen to them read the phone book, and I'm proud to add Ken "Mose "Michael Shur" Schrute" Tremendous to the list. Welcome, sir, welcome!
And long live the Bloggytown Basecloggers!
On a slightly different track, I wonder how Jack O's bosses feel about him talking on the phone about sports to Bill Simmons for hours at a time.
I might actually play roto ball this year, and of course the Bloggytown Basecloggers will be my team name, with "the Celizic" as my logo.
For a beet farmer, Schur is damn funny. And it is very awkward that they can't mention website names or aliases. That's gay.
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