It was an unspectacular debut. After reading the initial offering from Page 2’s newest hire, Jemele Hill, we felt kind of like we did watching Monday Night Football in August: It’s early, let’s give it time. Far be it from us to offer criticism – really, judging a writer based on one column is like judging a rookie QB after one start – but is anyone else surprised by her constant references to Jason Whitlock? We couldn’t tell if she was promoting herself as the anti-Whitlock, or the anti-Scoop, or a combination of the two.

And when was the last time a white – or purple, or green – writer came out in their initial column and offered musical tastes? And then there was the supposedly inaccurate hockey puck reference. But what do we know, we’re not clocking $400k over two years.

We imagine ESPN will probably be thrilled she’s moving the needle this week, what with many bloggers (linked below) writing about the debut, and of course, the heavy promotion on the site.

That’s one thing we’ll never understand – who at Page 2 is in charge of placement? We’d like a chat with him. In talking to sources in Bristol, we’ve gathered that a front page mention can easily be worth another 100,000-150,000 hits; if your story is buried in a tiny box at the bottom of Page 2, chances are, you’re not going to get noticed (read: no hits, no money).

Which brings us to our next piece of news, courtesy of a Birdie in Bristol: Page 2 has made yet another hire, this time securing the services of one-time Page 2 freelancer Bomani Jones. As with Hill, we’re optimistic about the full-time addition of Jones – his recent fawning praise of terrible Mario Williams notwithstanding – but not if we’ve got to scour Page 2 for days just to find his work. Can we expect a big splash on the front page and a ‘Here’s who I am!’ column when he debuts? At the salary we hear he’s getting, probably not.

I’m Hearing Voices (Page 2)
Welcome to the Page 2 Jungle Jemele (Awful Announcing)
Jemele Hill: I Hear Bojangling In My Head (Worldwide Reader)
Jesse Jackson with a Bra (Berg at Bat)
Jemele Hill’s debut (Sportsjournalists.com)
Finally, Lisa Salters Has Someone to Eat Lunch With in the ESPN Cafeteria (Leave the Man Alone)