The point of live-blogging is to gather in commenters and have fun interacting while the game is going on. It’s the internet version of sitting in a room with your friends and cracking jokes during a game. And the host of the live-blog gets multiple page reloads, so there’s a definite incentive for him, as well.

Also, in the case of a daytime event like the first round of the baseball playoffs, or the first two days of the NCAA tournament, it’s a fun way to keep tabs on the game while you’re at work. It’s not the same as sitting at home on the couch, but it does offer a little bit of interactivity.

I guess it all comes down to whether the reader enjoys the writer’s style or not. I would never do a live-blog where I just called play-by-play. I don’t see the point of that. But if I get to make jokes and have a little fun with it, then I’m bringing my own style to the table.

That said, I rarely indulge. It’s hard to actually engage in the game as a specatator when you’re formulating posts in your head.