Game One was the coming-out party; a Bulls message that said “We’re for real.” Game Two was the win Boston had to have, and they got it in dramatic fashion. Game Three? Matt and Nick will be giving you the ultimate fan’s insight as this compelling series unfolds. It’s Matt and Nick’s Playoff Game Blog: Bulls/Celtics Live, Thursday night, available only at BleacherReport.com. 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/161112-matt-and-nicks-playoff-game-blog-bullsceltics-live

Paging all Creatures: Bleacher Stud Leroy Watson has revealed the secrets to his writing in his latest submission.

The five-time POTD winner shares with you the three e’s of Bleacher Report publication: engage, educate, and entertain.  He then fleshes out how to achieve each of these important goals.

For those of you searching for success on the Open Source Sports Network, this is truly a can’t-miss.  Many thanks to Leroy for revealing his secret sauce!

Hey Everyone,

Be sure to tune-in to Sports Overnight America Weekend this Saturday night (from 10:06 pm PDT – 1:00 am PDT) and listen to some of your fellow Bleacher Creatures talk shop!

Jameson Fleming will break down the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final match-up, Bob Warja will address the many questions that the Chicago Cubs face heading into this season, and Stephen Meyer will discuss the Yankees’ chances to christen the new ballpark with a World Series Trophy.

Hope you’re around to listen and support your fellow creatures!

-The Bleacher Report Team

With four Picks of the Day in a matter of weeks, it’s safe to say that Hotnuke (who also goes by the name Daniel Barber) has blown up on the Bleacher Creature scene.In his latest piece, he advises fellow writers on the best strategies for constructing a successful B/R article.  I’m re-posting it here for the benefit of future writers looking to follow in Daniel’s footsteps.As Bleacher Report’s Community of talented and passionate contributors continues to grow, it’s refreshing to see a new hotshot (or Hotnuke, lol) extending a helping hand to his fellow writers.  This is a testament to the hard work all of you who have been around here for years have put into fostering a highly collaborative culture amongst our membership.

Huge news everybody:

Longtime Bleacher Creature Tori Willis recently found her way onto ESPN the Magazine’s website.  Her experience as a proven sports writer on Bleacher Report and active member of Arizona University’s student section made her the perfect candidate to write an expose on the Zona Zoo.

Tori was one of the first females to make a splash in the B/R Community, and we could not be more proud.  In her typically modest fashion, she’s giving us all of the credit for her big break.

This is a dream true for Tori and another great success story for our Community.  I’m confident all of you will give this young lady the congratulations she deserves on a job well done!

I just spoke with Kevan Lee, a retired Bleacher Report writer who found his voice during the days of the concept site.

Since his work on B/R, Kevan has gone on to become a copywriter for a health food supplement company. In addition to that, he is also am a freelance writer and copy editor for an online lending institution and a music magazine.  Kevan used Bleacher Report as a reference and believes it helped showcase his ability to capture an online audience.

You heard it here first: writing for B/R can lead to paid writing gigs, sports or elsewhere.

Bleacher Superstar Saraswathi Siriginia is at it again…this time, she’s taken up the cause of the female sports writer.

The result?  The Foxes in the Henhouse, a brand new section of Bleacher Report devoted to our lovely lady journalists.

Sarah has joined together with Lisa Horne, Kara Martin, Mary Jo Buchanan, Michelle Alves, and a host of other uber-talented Creatures of the better sex in creating a new Community devoted to the female perspective on the world of sports.  But don’t be intimiated guys…male fans are also welcome to join in on the fun!

Just ask College Football Community Leader BabyTate, who recently scooped the Foxes: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/112449-bleacher-reports-secret-society-of-women#

The new section can be found in the “More” menu on the front page.  Make sure to stop by and give these amazing gals the respect they deserve!

We could not have envisioned a more competitive, hard-fought finale to our inaugural season-long writing competition.

Over the past two weeks, Angel Navedo and Sean Crowe have been furiously producing B/R content in the hopes of being crowned NFL The Season Champion.

These community favorites combined for nearly 60 articles and more than 50,000 reads in 14 days, driving our NFL postseason coverage.

Our congratulations go out to Angel for claiming the title with an unblemished record. He’ll have his choice of an apparel package or a complimentary subscription to NFL Sunday Ticket.  Sean’s runner-up finish will be rewarded with a jersey of his choosing.

Thanks to everyone who participated and read along.

Super Bowl Results

1) Navedo (16-0)   28,852 reads

def.

3) Crowe (13-3)   23,601 reads

Once again, our congratulations go out to Justin Goar, this year’s b/rCS champion. We are thrilled to be able to reward his great writing with an all-expense paid trip to the BCS National Championship.

You can catch Justin’s title game coverage starting this week on Bleacher Report. He will also be reporting from Miami on Wednesday and Thursday, as Florida and Oklahoma battle for college football’s ultimate prize.

We encourage all Bleacher Creatures to post questions, comments and recommendations on Justin’s board. He plans to field and respond to as many “mailbag items” as possible during his stay.

On behalf of our college football community, we wish you good luck and a great trip, Justin! We know you’ll represent us well!

1/6:  Justin’s Weekly Brain Seepage: The National Championship Edition

1/8: Championship Game Preview

Here at the Bleacher Report office, we pride ourselves on thinking up clever ways to enhance the finest Community of passionate sports fans on the web.

Yet increasingly more often, we’re finding that many of the best ideas come from the Community itself.  Which of course makes perfect sense, considering that B/R’s top contributors probably use the site ten times more than us working stiffs in suits (okay, okay…more like T-shirts and jeans…)

The latest development in this regard personally excites the living daylights out of me.  I’ve always loved the idea of collaborative writing—whether it be Round Tables or Q & A’s, there’s nothing quite like multiple expert analysts putting their skills together and continuing to push the envelope for what is possible in world of sports citizen journalism.

I’m pleased to announce that we have a brand new method for writer collaboration on Bleacher Report:

Presenting Creature Vs. Creature, a Justin Goar creation.

The Concept: two Bleacher Creatures go head-to-head with opposing viewpoints of an upcoming game.  They write their breakdowns in separate articles, then link the two articles together.

The Format: 

1) Find a fellow Creature who’s a fan of the team you are squaring off against this weekend.

2) Both of you construct mirroring articles that offer a fan’s take on the upcoming battle.  Suggested formatting is as follows:

•  Title the Piece Creature Vs. Creature ____________________ (create your own subtext, and make sure it’s clear to the reader which team you are representing).
•  Use the following bolded headings to guide your analysis: Game Preview, {Team 1} will win if…,{Team 2} will win if…, X Factor, Prediction.
•  Give your fellow Creature a link and a plug to their opposing piece at the bottom of your article.

Examples: LSU/South Carolina, LSU/Florida

As always, don’t hesitate to let me (or Justin) know where you have questions.  Can’t wait to see this take off!