I'm pretty excited about the Arizona Cardinals getting so deep into the playoffs. We're talking two wins from a Super Bowl! And I'm not ever a football fan ... I don't know 99.8 percent of these players. But I am a relentless hometown sports supporter. I want all our teams to do well, whether they play badminton or basketball.
But The Arizona Republic is really overdoing it. Too much Cardinals coverage on A-1. We're a huge city. We have so many problems, so many opportunities, so many characters. I know this from being a news reporter. It's a fact.
But it takes work to dig into those problems, opportunities and characters. And it takes skill to make the readers understand that they are important. Great newspaper leaders give their staff members the time and skill to do so. I'd love to see The Republic take that approach ... I want that paper to be great, because I root for everything in my hometown - not just the sports teams.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
You're boring ... take your lumps and like it!
I knew when Forbes came out with its "Boring Cities" list that local cities so "honored" would snivel about it, along with some of the chicken-dinner rah-rah pundits.
And sure enough, my former Tribune colleague Gary Nelson came charging in to rescue those cities from being labeled boring. He did a bang-up job with Mesa, especially:
"Nuh,uh! Mesa's not boring!" Gary fired back. "It has a new $100 million art center! And it has the factory where Apaches are made! And professional athletes live there!"
Well, that sure showed that uppity Forbes writer. I know that when bobsled jousting, being a human cannonball and skydiving from the B2 have become dull for me, Mesa is where I go. Nothing screams heart-pounding excitement like a good art center. The adrenaline rush of seeing a building inside which Apache helicopters being built is simply unparalleled. Oh, and spotting a pro athlete's house? You will feel endorphins surge from your toes to the very tips of your hair follicles.
Well done, old bean.
And sure enough, my former Tribune colleague Gary Nelson came charging in to rescue those cities from being labeled boring. He did a bang-up job with Mesa, especially:
"Nuh,uh! Mesa's not boring!" Gary fired back. "It has a new $100 million art center! And it has the factory where Apaches are made! And professional athletes live there!"
Well, that sure showed that uppity Forbes writer. I know that when bobsled jousting, being a human cannonball and skydiving from the B2 have become dull for me, Mesa is where I go. Nothing screams heart-pounding excitement like a good art center. The adrenaline rush of seeing a building inside which Apache helicopters being built is simply unparalleled. Oh, and spotting a pro athlete's house? You will feel endorphins surge from your toes to the very tips of your hair follicles.
Well done, old bean.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Props to Coyotes Coverage
Ever since the Coyotes first started playing here in Phoenix, I've always relied on the newspaper for hockey coverage. At first, that was because I was a funds-impaired college student, then a funds-impaired writer.
By the time I was in a position to start spluring for tickets more, they moved to Glendale. Not the brightest move ever, boys.
Anyway, I've watched The Arizona Republic go through several Coyotes beat writers. First was Bob McMananam. That was a dark time for me. Not only did he not ever seem to really understand or even like hockey, but his writing was brimming with that self-importance and bloat that afflicts many sports writers.
Next came David Vest. A genuinely good hockey reporter - he seemed to know the game well, and worked hard to deliver quality reporting. And he was a lot more down-to-earth than a lot of sports reporters.
Just like that, David seemed to disappear and get replaced by Jim Gintonio. I have to say Jim has also done a really solid job with covering the Coyotes. Both his regular print stories and his blogs regularly give a hockey fan some fun and interesting tidbits. Like David, he comes across as a guy who likes his sports, but doesn't act as if analyzing a trade takes on the same importance as a summit on nuclear weapons proliferation.
By the time I was in a position to start spluring for tickets more, they moved to Glendale. Not the brightest move ever, boys.
Anyway, I've watched The Arizona Republic go through several Coyotes beat writers. First was Bob McMananam. That was a dark time for me. Not only did he not ever seem to really understand or even like hockey, but his writing was brimming with that self-importance and bloat that afflicts many sports writers.
Next came David Vest. A genuinely good hockey reporter - he seemed to know the game well, and worked hard to deliver quality reporting. And he was a lot more down-to-earth than a lot of sports reporters.
Just like that, David seemed to disappear and get replaced by Jim Gintonio. I have to say Jim has also done a really solid job with covering the Coyotes. Both his regular print stories and his blogs regularly give a hockey fan some fun and interesting tidbits. Like David, he comes across as a guy who likes his sports, but doesn't act as if analyzing a trade takes on the same importance as a summit on nuclear weapons proliferation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
