‘Idiot’ is the New ‘Credible’
By
Amanda
Posted at 10:51 am
In Ricciardi blogged down by Wells rumor in today's Toronto Star, Richard Griffin describes how former Jays special assistant to the GM, Keith Law has rankled his former boss with his new job: a blog on ESPN.com.
In last night's blog posting on ESPN.com, Law, a former Jays special assistant to GM J.P. Ricciardi, officially became persona non grata with his former front office mates, stirring the pot surrounding the uncertain future of Vernon Wells in Toronto.
“Vernon Wells has told Blue Jays' management that he has no intention of signing a contract extension to stay in Toronto,” Law wrote online. “He and his family would like to move closer to his home in Texas, and he has become increasingly disenchanted in Toronto as he has faced public criticism from general manager J.P. Ricciardi.”
I find this story interesting because it demonstrates the growing importance of bloggers in sports. People have certainly been hypothesizing about whether the Jays will be able to extend Wells, but those idle conversations haven't merited a response from Wells and the general manager:
“The conversation never happened,” Wells said, curtly, following last night's game. “It's a complete fabrication.”
“He's become a writer,” Ricciardi said of the Harvard-educated Law. “It doesn't take long. Keith Law is officially an idiot.”
An idiot, huh? Might as well come out and say it's true yourself, Mr. Ricciardi, sir. This is a proud moment for bloggers. Maybe, if I work real hard and have just a little luck, Wayne Krivsky will be calling me an idiot.
Maybe, just maybe, he already does.
knowing Keith as I do I suppose I should say something here in his defense. First of all, the incident did happen and other teammates have talked about it with fans. Secondly, JP is the idiot and everybody in the game knows that, as you mentioned. And third, the reason Keith took his leave from the Jays pretty much explains both of their comments.
However, I don’t see this as a good thing for bloggers – in general – because Keith shouldn’t be opening up on the org he just left. There are underlying rules in baseball and one of those is that what happens in the clubhouse, stays in the clubhouse. And, it should.
To that end, I see Keith’s comments as a blow on his credibility.
Speaking of a blow, how about everyone wishing Will Carroll good luck as he takes off to ESPN! BP will never be the same.
knowing Keith as I do I suppose I should say something here in his defense. First of all, the incident did happen and other teammates have talked about it with fans. Secondly, JP is the idiot and everybody in the game knows that, as you mentioned. And third, the reason Keith took his leave from the Jays pretty much explains both of their comments.
However, I don’t see this as a good thing for bloggers – in general – because Keith shouldn’t be opening up on the org he just left. There are underlying rules in baseball and one of those is that what happens in the clubhouse, stays in the clubhouse. And, it should.
To that end, I see Keith’s comments as a blow on his credibility.
Speaking of a blow, how about everyone wishing Will Carroll good luck as he takes off to ESPN! BP will never be the same.
Jake at Bucco Blog
[url=http://buccoblog.mlblogs.com]http://buccoblog.mlblogs.com[/url]
Oh sure, had to post it again just to get your cheap plug in.
[quote]There are underlying rules in baseball and one of those is that what happens in the clubhouse, stays in the clubhouse. And, it should.[/quote]
Bullshit.
Why is it that people think that just because generations of baseball players have hidden their homoerotic pre-game rituals with this stupid phrase that it’s the God’s truth? If Washington gave us a knowing smile and said “What happens in the Oval Office stays in the Oval Office,” would we then scorn whistleblowers for breaking the trust?
You can debate whether sports reporting is real news, but as long as you’re going to treat it that way, it has to follow the rules of real news. The media might have reasons to keep certain tidbits to themselves, but it’s not some lame insider agreement that they’re part of a secret club outside of which some information must never go. For fucking out loud, what is this, fifth grade?
The reasons the media might keep things to themselves might be noble: protecting public safety for example; or they might not: keeping their press pass and not ruffling feathers. And that’s exactly the benefit of bloggers that this story demonstrates: the blogging community has nothing to lose and is freer to tell it like it is.
And that’s what girlfriend’s doing right now.
Agreed. How is reporting a true story “a blow to Law’s credibility?” It may be a blow to his standing in the Jays’ clubhouse, or even all clubhouses, but not to the public.
“You can debate whether sports reporting is real news, but as long as you’re going to treat it that way, it has to follow the rules of real news.”
The ‘rules of real news’ goes way back Mama.. when I think of ‘journalism’ I think of the Pentagon Papers and the Penny Press and the Alien and Sedition Act and the Scopes Trial and understanding libel and malicious intent and everything it took to gain freedom of the press and maintain it.
“And that’s exactly the benefit of bloggers that this story demonstrates: the blogging community has nothing to lose and is freer to tell it like it is.”
Sure — someone still has to be the news gatherer. But they should be folks who understand building sources, investigating, facing the music when you cover athletes, weighing the public’s need to know against doing the right thing, co-existing with the people you cover around the clock — just as beat writers do.
Not just someone hammering a GM because he has a personal grudge against him.
Being ‘freer’ doesn’t imply stupidity… or does it? LoL
I’m sorry.. but we’ll have to agree to disagree. There are rules in the game and while you might not agree with them, they exist and have existed almost as long as the game has. They won’t change just because you or me want to see them changed.
And, BTW, I am not in the camp that believes bloggers should be given media credentials just because they blog. Nor do I believe Keith will have a job very long if he keeps his Blue Jays rants up. The game, the players, and the media won’t/don’t tolerate a snitch.. that is all there is to it.
But if you want to live in a fantasy world, then believe what bloggers have to say. 😉
Well, Jake, ragging on bloggers won’t get you far around here….I don’t know how the Pirates bloggers act, but here in Reds blogging country we stick together. I stand behind RHM 100%.
And I agree with her. Assuming the story is true, and I have no reason to doubt it, Keith Law had every right to report it. If Vernon Wells played in New York or Boston, you better believe this would be out there.
And kudos to Will Carroll for getting a pay raise. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy, or a harder worker.
Jake, honey, you stopped making sense two posts ago. What do the personal feelings of the blogger have to do with whether the story is the truth? Who are you implying is stupid in this situation? What “fantasy world” are you talking about?
My point is that bloggers, outsiders by defintion, don’t have to worry about the day-to-day making nice with their subject matter, so it doesn’t interfere with their ability to report a story. That gives the the opportunity to be more credible, in a very general sense.
If you want to talk about the specifics of the blogger’s “grudge” interfering with his objectivity, I suppose that’s fine, but the reason I drew attention to this story has nothing to do with taking sides on this particular issue.
It interested me because Ricciardi validated the blogger’s report by refuting it, and that’s among the first times I’ve seen a blogger so validated. It excites me to think that a blogger would be important enough in the eyes of a GM to be addressed at all.
Combine that with the potential for credibility that I mentioned before, and you get an idea of the power and potential of reporting through blogs.