Rats get a bad name. There are dozens of reasons to dislike them, but a million more to love them. They appear in fiction, sports, and in the movies. They surround us. They comfort us. They teach us and they humor us. Some even play basketball.

Remember Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM, the award-winning children’s book from 1971 (No? You are so young! Go look it up!) Those were some Smart Rats.

What about Stewart Little? Now that's a Talented Rat. What about The TNMT’s Splinter? He's one of the movies' greatest Zen Rats.

Remember Chris Mullin when he played for the regularly play-off-bound Golden State Warriors?  With his stalwart play, flattop haircut, and ordinary guy appeal, Mullin was the ultimate Gym Rat.

Add one more: BallHype's own Tube Rat. In the sports blogosphere, we have guys who hang out, watch, and poke fun at YouTube videos all day. One of BallHype’s biggest contributors, Ethan Jaynes, aka The Ethanator, is a bonafied Tube Rat. One of the most likeable ones we know (he was one of the first BallHype members to send me a friend request.)

Jaynes runs NESW Sports, "Sports videos from every direction," a home-spun blog that burrows deep into the crevices of YouTube sports videos and uncovers snippets of gold, songs of mirth and wit, and the occasional painful clip. Each story is written with a sense of humor, a playfulness, and straight talk.

Jaynes describes himself as "a Christian, Husband, Father, Sports Fan, and Blogger. I see humor in almost everything. I am 28, and I live in Glencoe, Alabama." I didn’t know it before the interview, but in his bio, Jaynes says if he was stranded on a desert island and had only one DVD to bring with him (assuming the island had, you know, a DVD player, infinite electricity, and a waterproof TV) he would pick “The Fugitive.”  Big points in my book.

We caught up with Jaynes mid-way through the week to discuss some basics. Who would win in a one-on-one between Kobe and LeBron? Why does he hate college baseball so much? Who’s going to win this year’s NBA championship? This year’s college champs? What’s his problem with the stuffy Spurs? And what is his take on Olympic Gold medal winners who take bong hits? Read on…

BallHype: When you first started NESW, what was your original goal?  Has that goal changed or evolved since starting the site?

Ethan: NESW Sports was going to be a sports blog network. The world was my oyster. I was going to be a mover and a shaker. I was going to have my very own sports blog network. Then after about a month of wielding no power and not being able to help the “network” at all, I just made it into an all sports video blog. The only thing I ever received any links for, on previous blogs, were the videos that I posted, so I decided to have the whole site devoted to the best sports videos I could find.

BallHype: What are your top three favorite college hoops teams and why?

Ethan: 1. My Auburn Tigers because they are my Auburn Tigers.

2. Any team Bobby Knight is coaching for, and yes I think he will come back. I just always rooted for him. I think that he wants everyone to believe that every outburst is a calculated risk in which he took every aspect into consideration, and the ultimate outcome would be for a cause far greater than we could possibly fathom. Now who would not pull for that guy?

3. Any team that is playing against Duke. I think you have to say that when you get your Wordpress password for your sports blog.

BallHype: Which pro basketball teams do you really dislike?

Ethan: I would have to say the Spurs.

Their talent is amazing. They have the rings. They have HOF players and coaches. They have just suck the fun out of basketball. They are turning into the Duke of the NBA. The only difference is that Tony Parker is not Jewish, and Coach K does not have a Sean Connery old man beard. Besides that they are dead ringers.

BallHype: During the course of life, people have to move because of employment opportunities, relationships, what have you. Have you ever loved a team and then switched loyalties?

Ethan: I lived in Utah 'til I was 13. That was right in the heart of the Stockton-Malone days. Everything out there was Stockton to Malone, and the only announcer you knew was “Hot Rod Hundley” yelling “You Gotta Love it Baby” every time the Jazz would orchestrate a pick and roll.

I moved to Alabama, and Malone soon left to the Lakers and retired. I did not pick a favorite team again until the Cavs selected LeBron. They have been my favorite team since that day.

BallHype: What sports will we never catch you dead writing about?

Ethan: College baseball. They play with a metal bat. It is not baseball.

BallHype: What were the general reactions from your friends, family, and coworkers when you started your blog?

Ethan: No one could care less, and very few people feel any differently now. You have to remember, I live in North East Alabama. We have no pro sports, and our Universities stink at basketball. (Yes, I remember that I named Auburn my favorite basketball team in the beginning of the interview. I am a fan, but I am not blind). So no one cares about pro sports. As a whole, people kind of keep up with the Braves, they care even less about the Falcons, unless they are in the playoffs, and forget about the Hawks.

BallHype: What are your NBA favorites rivalries?

Ethan: My favorite NBA rivalries are any team that battled the Knicks in the ’90s. Those Knicks were starving for championships, and they had one of the best defenses ever. Michael Jordan’s Bulls vs. Knicks, Reggie Miller’s Pacers vs. Knicks. Alonzo’s Heat vs. Knicks.

BallHype: Which NBA team do you predict to win the championships, and why?

Ethan: Cavs. It is LeBron’s year. He has elevated his game, and he now has a better supporting cast. The only thing that would slow them down is if Starbury plays lights out, and kills off the bench for the C’s. I think that Kobe will choke in the playoffs and or Bynum will get hurt again.

BallHype: Which college hoops team do you predict and why?

Ethan: UCONN because the Big East is awesome, they got the bigs, and they play a great team every night. They are conditioned to win.

BallHype: In a one-on-one game to 11, who would win in a match-up? Kobe Bryant or LeBron James? (I think I might already know the answer to this...)

Ethan: LeBron because he can over power Kobe. LeBron is a freak. He is huge, and fast, and can soar. He also studies Kobe non-stop.

BallHype: What drives and compels you every day to write about sports, basketball in particular?

Ethan: I love sports videos. I do not write for links, recognition, site traffic, or anything like that. I write because I love to do it. Basketball has character. You get to see every player’s face. You get to hear them. You get to see them off the court. You see their highlights and their bloopers. Every player is marketable. Every night there will be multiple great videos.

All you get with baseball is a 30 second clip that MLB will take off of YouTube in four hours. Baseball has no idea how to market its great sport on the Internet. The answer is to let the Internet market your sport. You just have to let it.

BallHype: What have been some of the best stories you've covered, and what made them unique and memorable?

Ethan: I guess uncovering Michael Jordan vids. He is an icon. He is still my favorite athlete of all time, and when you can find a great video of him that no one has seen, it is like breaking a news story. One of the biggest videos I posted was the one where CEO John Rogers beat MJ in a game of one on one. We all know that MJ could have won, but everyone wants to be that guy that beats Michael Jordan even if MJ was not taking them seriously. For the rest of his life, you could tell everyone that you beat MJ.  

BallHype: What makes sports blogging so much fun?

Ethan: I would say the community of sports bloggers. I have met a lot of sports bloggers that have been very nice to me, and have shown me the ropes. Sports Bloggers are smart and funny. Some are pure genius.

BallHype: What’s your opinion on Michael Phelps’ recent transgression. Does it matter, or should he be punished? Should his Kellogg’s sponsorship have been dropped? Or did the company overreact? Do you think he should find a cannabis-type sponsor to replace it?

Ethan: I would say it does matter, and that he should have been punished. I know that is not a popular answer. This is also probably a good time to tell you that I am a preacher as well as a sports blogger. Not many people on the Internets know that. I do not shout it to the world on my blog, but I do try to conduct myself in a manner that would be considered somewhat acceptable, but certainly not self righteous. That is a little more of an answer than you were asking for, but I thought I would explain the difference of opinion.

BallHype: Anything else you'd like to add?

Ethan: Thanks again for asking me to do this. I would have never dreamed that I would be interviewed by BallHype. This was nice.

Want to see more interview with our top bloggers? Check out:

BallHype Spotlight on Hip 2 Da Game

BallHype Spotlight on Sports 2 Debate

BallHype Spotlight on “And One"