Times change, the Dodgers brass believe. And seeing as how the young generation (under 40) are not reading the rapidly failing newspapers, many of whom employ REALLY lousy writers (and no matter how many of yall grouse about Ortiz, Justice, McTaggart, Footer, various other Chron writers whose knowledge of baseball is minimal, they are incredibly better than about any other paper’s sportswriters, excepting the Kansas City Star) they have smartly decided that allowing the bloggers, who the young generation WILL read, access to the usual sources of info is the smart way to go.
What this means is that bloggers are allowed in the press box, where they have to appear to be disinterested (or is it UN-interested) and invited to interview various people connected to the club.
How do I feel about this?
Good thing is that the pressbox has the very best seats in the house. Bad thing is that it would be like working. I mean, it’s great to sit with other fans, cheer, boo, CARE about what happens on the field, and not be unable to express your, uh, feelings. Truth is that I’m a fan first and a writer second. Writing about the Astros isn’t my job, it’s my hobby. I really wouldn’t want it any other way.
As for the “access” – well, I sure nuff would LUUUUVVVV to be allowed to see inside the clubhouse. But without nekkid guys all over the place because if there is anything funnier than a bunch of nekkid guys, I don’t know what it is and I wouldn’t want to giggle. And truth be told, I sure as heck wouldn’t want to be anywheres near 25 UNWASHED nekkid adult males, you feelin me here…
But as for interviewing the players, the questions I really want answers to, they wouldn’t answer. And if they did, I probably wouldn’t print them because they could get in trouble for answering them. I really am not interested in embarrassing or humiliating the ballplayers, even the ones I don’t like. I would certainly learn a whole lot about how the clubhouse was functioning just seeing how the players interacted with each other. You live with a lot of males, you learn to read them, ESPECIALLY when they don’t want to talk. But then again, I would keep pretty much that stuff to myself.
And as for “interviewing” anyone from the Organization, cmon, they want to keep their jobs and one thing that professional interviewees are good at is saying a lot of words and telling you exactly ZERO. Who, for example, is gonna explain why they will never give minor league player X a chance? I’d get the same blah pablum un-answers that the paid journalists do, and I can listen to their stuff on KTRH/690 or read it in the paper. So really, I don’t think I’m exactly missing out on anything by not attending these canned “interviews.”
But I do think that the Dodgers are very VERY smart to reverse the ballclubs’ decade long position of hostility toward bloggers/unpaid unofficial “media.” The Buzz Bissingers of the world may wish to go back to a time where only a very few people were permitted to air their views about ballplayers, the games, its strategies – but things change. I do remember reading that Calvin Griffiths moved how Washington franchise to Minnesota so he could have nice shiny clean White people in the stands instead of icky ol Blacks. Times change. Buzz might not like the internet, the proliferation of people like me expressing my thoughts and feelings about my team and the game of baseball to an audience his ilk used to claim exclusive rights to, but the truth is that newspapers and paid reporters are quickly dying off and the teams SHOULD be wanting rabid fans to be writing about them.
Publicity is important.
By allowing “access” they also hope to some degree, control the attitudes of those who are permitted to interview players and Organization personnel. Truth is that even bloggers are much less likely to write GM X suxxxxx!!!! if they just finished interviewing him, as they will want to get more interviews, and shooting someone down rudely is no way to guarantee more interviews. It’s the flowers principle. You know – if a guy wants a woman, um, in a good mood, it’s far more sensible to give her flowers than it is to tell her that her ass looks fat in that outfit…
As for the no reporting on the Silver Blah Series Part I – really, what is there to say except that the starters sucked, the relievers sucked, the hitters sucked and the manager mismanaged - removing Carlos Lee in a tie game in the 8th for a pinch runner who is a FAR inferior hitter and barely runs faster???? Besides, Interleague play is an idea whose time has come and should be gone, like the DH.
Tags: Los Angeles Dodgers
My wife commented today that we could have saved a lot of trouble by just mailing them the boot.
Was it you that I saw a day or so on FSN?
bruce
we mailed it in all right
j francois,
i was at the wandy game, but the cameras don’t show people in the cheap seats and IF they are gonna show women, it is big boobed blonds who aren’t wearing much.
they aren’t interested in some nondescript female with a scorebook sitting in the cheap seats
Lisa, don’t forget players’ wives. Especially if it’s Mrs. Maddux, Mrs. Clemens or Mrs. Lima.
“female with a scorebook sitting in the cheap seats”
Some guys really like chicks with scorebooks.
mrs lima, maddux and clemens are all blonds with giant boobs who don’t wear much clothing to ball games
bruce darling boy,
the guys who aim the cameras at the crowd looking for giant boobed barely dressed blonds are not the kind of guys who like chicks with scorebooks.
I can’t speak for Mrs. Maddux because I haven’t seen her in a long time, and though it’s true of Mrs. Lima, I haven’t seen Mrs. Clemens wearing very little to baseball games. All the other parts are true, though. I remember the first time I saw her. They showed her during a game because the Astros had just drafted Colby. They kep talking about his mom, and I was just like…I only see his hot girlfriend sitting next to him. Took me a second. lol
By the way, Nelson Cruz sure found his stroke against the Astros. Wow.