I don't have time to comment yet, but get a load of this.********************************
OK, now I have a little time to explain.
GOD CALLED, HE WANTED HIS OMNIPOTENCE BACK
My unending fatigue over the Seattle PI writers goes back to last year. I used to be an avid reader of the PI during the football season, because they were an excellent source of news and inside information that seemed to be unmatched. But after a while, the personality of the writers has taken its toll.
It came to a head last November when I read an article from John Levesque (formerly the P-I's television critic) that, IMHO, was completely asinine. I sent him an email regarding this and posted a copy of it in the PI's own 'Talkin' Seahawks' blog. You can find the post here if you scroll down to the post at November 17, 2004 10:39 AM. (Please read it, it's the worst I ever came down on somebody in print without feeling guilty.)
Now I see he's at it again-- In today's column, he posted more, IMHO, vile dung. From what I understand, these sports writers are not supposed to be FANS. The are generally supposed to be objective, informative, well, JOUNALISTS. Of course, they are also entitled to have an opinion, and it should be an informed one, at that. But then we have articles like this, where the writer draws a line in the sand, demanding a certain result from the team or the coach be fired.
"Mike Holmgren is entering his seventh year as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.
"And I'm starting to get itchy.
"I know, I know. I'm the guy who counsels patience, who rails at those expecting immediate gratification, who thinks firing a coach after two or three years of frustration and futility is shortsighted.
"But if Holmgren's Seahawks can't win a playoff game after he has mentored, advised, cajoled, hectored and pleaded with them for seven-tenths of a decade, he should scratch this itch of mine and take his show on the road.
"And if the Seahawks can't make the playoffs at all this season, Holmgren should give Seahawks owner Paul Allen a healthy rebate."
Tell me, and pardon my French: Who the hell does he think he is? How did his opinion become so informed, and carry so much weight, that he has the power to call for Homgren's job, and circulate it through hundreds of thousand of newspapers, not to mention the countless other times it is repeated on the internet? Does he honestly think that it will result in a better Seahawks team?
It's not so much the angle he takes on things, it has more to do with his arrogance without basis. It's not his opinion, so much as it is his attitude.
And apparently, it is contagious.
In one of the more turgid articles of memory, the PI Sports writers first bragged about themselves, and then in round table format, proceeded to take turns sputtering basic answers to basic questions. IMHO, really nothing informative at all. All they did was elevate themselves, pretend their opinions are better than anyone else's. Again, the attitude is what wore on me the most. The content was basically nil. What makes them think I care if they think Shaun Alexander will play another year? They contradicted each other anyway.
Their introductory paragraph said it all:
"The following staffers will cover the Seahawks and NFL for the Post-Intelligencer in 2005. Combined, they have nearly 70 years of pro football reporting experience in their portfolios (and not one of them can remember a single detail about the Seahawks' last playoff win)."
There you go. They simultaneously inflated their self worth and put down the local franchise in one sentence. Arrogance, pure and simple. Do you get the impression that they think they know better than the Seahawks on how to run the franchise?
If I'm off base, please say so. It won't be the first time you guys have 'talked me off the ledge'.
In any case, I'm starting to get itchy.
The only was to scratch it is to not buy their paper, and continue to enjoy you guys in this blog.
And continue to enjoy Mike Sando's work. He's grounded and golden.
Sorry about the long post. I had to get that out.
oh, its a load alright...
ReplyDeleteJim Moore picked the Lions?
Art Theil picked the Packers?
Art Theil picked the TITANS?
lol...i didnt notice the Titans when i first read it earlier this morning
the only one I even looked at was Farnsworth, really, his were similar to mine
there were a ridiculous amount of articles on the PI, and apparently the Tribune isn't done yet, either
Great image for this piece. Not ONE beat writer has the cajones to pick the home team?
ReplyDeleteAnd PUH-LEASE with the Steelers. Rothlesburger will be lucky to win half as many games as he pulled out of his arse last season.
wow Alba...thanks, i thought I was the only one who thought the Steelers were and are way overrated
ReplyDeletethey are right beside the Chargers as my do-it-two-straight-years teams...and I think the Chargers have a better chance...
No doubt. And you think SOMEONE ought to tell Danny O'Neil that Training Camp is over?
ReplyDeleteThis notice appears at the bottom of their picks: Don't miss Danny O'Neil's reports from Seahawks training camp
I really hate those guys. I got nothing to add, they just really suck.
ReplyDeletePosted by JoSCh
Does anyone actually read Levesque and Thiel?
ReplyDeleteHere's my reporter ranking:
1. Go2Guy...A smartass, a Coug and knows somthing
2. O'neil...he's optimistic and has drank the Kool-aid
3. Farnsworth...occasionally makes a good point.
4. Levesque...because he's not Thiel.
5. Theil...too busy kissing his own ass to say anything important.
Some of their rankings read like they're just trying to be clever contrarians. Did you see their "round table" aritcle?
Thiel: "Wallace showed enough in preseason to move the stakes about him from the Richter scale to Magic Fingers."
What the hell does that mean?
Levesque: "Tatupu is football-wise beyond his years...he could make Seattle's linebacking corps better simply by imparting his knowledge and wisdom."
Can't you see it? "Jamie, I know you have over a 1,000 takles in your 9 year carrer, and lead the NFL in tackles in 2003, but let me tell you how this works..."
Posted by bokonon
I like your perspective on that
ReplyDeleteONeil is very inconsistant, i think he has written some great articles, but on the other hand, he has bombed some too...but overall hes in the top 4 reporters for me, along with Farnsworth from the PI
Sando is another good one, but hes too 'im right no matter what'
Posted by ADP
i was happy that they didn't pile a bunch of huge expectations on the team. i mean, you really feel like an underdog when your hometown press doesn't think you're going to win the division. maybe that will be motivation.
ReplyDeletethe alternative is that if they pick the seahawks to go far, (just like last year!), then we all know how that went.
who cares what they say? even sando picked them to be 9-7, so maybe tempering our expectations is a good thing to do at the start of the season. sure, i am very optimistic about this year, but i also know that our defense is very young and new and will take time to gel.
i just remember the old days when i couldn't read any seattle papers (because there wasn't the internet back then), and i had to wait for the hawks to get on george michael's just to see a highlight of them.
so they're idiots. at least they're writing about our team!
brett, you make a great point. I'd rather have them underestimate the 'hawks a litle bit, too. And you're probably right, I AM taking an awfully critical angle on these guys, and should just appreciate what publicity they do bring to the team.
ReplyDeleteIt just bothers me when they audaciously criticize persons in the organization, but fail to explain in depth what the source of the problem is.
Imagine Howard Stern criticizing NASA. Sure is would be easy to do, anyone can criticize NASA and make themselves sound smarter and wiser than the rocket scientists. But in between the interview with the midget porn star and a drunken William Shatner burping Green Eggs and Ham , there would be little substance to his argument. He still doesn't know anywhere near as much about the situation, and is not able to provide a workable solution to the problems, but because of the negative publicity, the PR folks at NASA begin to panic and make decisions based on short-sighted, misled public opinion, rather than just doing the right and smart thing.
But in reality, this is going on all over the country. I honestly feel that if there were less spastic, knee-jerk criticism in the media, and more insightful analysis of the problems on teams, there wouldn't be the same coaching turnover that has been steadily increasing in the NFL. IMO, a lot of the coaching changes in the NFL are unnecessary and does not actually end up helping the team. So by extension, I don't feel that acrimonious writers do, either.
Posted by Bluefoot
thats all I want from reporters across the nation...
ReplyDeletetwo things:
1. Do your research. Admit your mistakes.
2. Stop being ridiculously bias.
I could go into great detail about those two things, as most of you would know...but im so comfortable with you guys and all the other Seahawk fans, that they dont need to be explained anymore. Im not blind because every other Hawker sees the same problems in the media...Those two problems are simple, but they are so deep, the rants could be endless.
I know you have to earn respect. But its another story when you're made out to be a horrible team, and it feels as if you dont exist.
That said...I would like to hope that one day, we will get St. Louis on the road in the NFC Championship...beat them and play the Raiders in the Super Bowl---get revenge on the two teams that ripped out our Super Bowl hopes in the past...the luck has to change at some point. We're overdue for a major break.
Posted by ADP
How can we expect the national east-coast biased media to respect our team when we can't get a decent review from the local guys?
ReplyDeleteGranted, if we start winning some games that we shouldn't, and winning all the games that should, then the attention, respect and acknowledgement will follow.
I hate this time of year cuz every station is doing it's NFL intro, you know, the montage of great plays from previous seasons. You see Ray Lewis, Brett Farve, John Gruden, Raiders, Rams, Giants, Jets, Randy Moss, ad nauseum, and then there's maybe a 2-second flash of Shaun Alexander or some such thing. That's it. 2-seconds when other teams get multiple and extended clips.
Pleasantly surprised with two recent commercials though. The DirecTV Sunday NFL Ticket commercial starts with the Seahawks running onto the field under their flag, and there's a NFL sponsored commercial which shows all kinds of cars with NFL team paraphranalia, and there's a Jeep with a Seahawks tire cover.
Other than that, we're usually just a montage after thought.
Oh well, gotta prove it on the field I guess.
Posted by alba
Oh yea, I meant to add that while the PI guys may suck, AT LEAST THEY'RE NOT LES CARPENTER!!!
ReplyDeleteBlue - thanks again for the sports spider feed. The first link in this mornings grouping is an analysis of the Jags-Seahawks game from the Pittsburgh Tribune, which is fair and balanced.
ReplyDeleteInstead of just playing the "seahawks receivers drop balls" card, they have an informed and objective analysis on how K-Rob was let go and sure handed guys like JJ and Warrick were brought in.
Maybe the PI guys can learn something from their colleagues in Pennsylvania.
ROFLMAO!!!
ReplyDeleteThis rant is awesome Bluefoot, kinda reminds me of some rants I have gone on. OUtstanding!!
I will say this though, in defense of the article...I actually agree with his opinion 100% he is right on the money and saying something that I have been saying for a while now. This is it Holgren if you cannot find a way to win this year (or even worse, we take a step backwards) you should be fired, plain and simple.
At the same time I completely understand what you mean BLue...I get what you are saying and agree with you that the arrogance SUCKS.
"It's not so much the angle he takes on things, it has more to do with his arrogance without basis. It's not his opinion, so much as it is his attitude."
ReplyDeleteThis I agree with wholeheartedly Bluefoot.
A couple of quick points. Why does everyone want to be underrated? I don't understand this thinking at all. I don't want to "sneak up" on anyone. I want the press to be talking aobut how we are obviously the team to beat for the next ten years, and I want our team to live up to those expectations. I want our team to be known as the best because we're the best. And I want the press to get it right for a change.
I WANT to be the BIGDOG that everyone fears, who the press can't stop raving about; not the team that everyone has forgotten who "sneaks up" on people, that kind of back seat mentality is EXACTLY EXACTLY why we never blooody well win! This team has NEVER established an identity, a reputation, an attitude, and so, consequently, NOONE is afraid to play them. In the minds of the rest of the NFL we are the team out west, out in Egypt, who will forever be mired in mediocrity. The only way to chage those perceptions is to have HIGH expectations placed upon us which we then meet and exceed.
Remember last season how many were picking us? Well now this season they are doing the same moronic thing with the Cards. Give me a BREAK already!! It's ridiculous! These guys are looking at improvment on paper and equating that to wins on the field, but when they look at our team, they are predicting failure based on the same qualifications. No logic whatsoever! The problem is that they are a little huffed with the Hawks and feeling let down after having picked us last season, and also they are trying to be controversial and cutting edge by picking the Cards. They are TRYING to prove their great NFL knowledge, but all it proves is their gullibility.
In other words, we were last years trendy pick that backfired so no one wants to pick us now. The Cards are simply this years flavor, I will laugh my buns off when this years trendy pick backfires on these moronic so called "Experts". I can't wait, in fact I think I will start collecting articles like this round table crapola and the email addresses of the morons involved, so that after the Cards fail to even have a winning record (and they will) I can rub their noses in the feces that is these kinds of articles.
ReplyDeleteI love how you bring up the 'sheik pick' monkey...one word for you:
ReplyDeleteSonics.
They were supposed to be horrible...ESPN spread the word of how bad they will be, when really they had no idea who we had outside of Ray Allen. (now they are sucking Ridnours peepee like hes the next John Stockton). I admit that NOONE thought the Sonics would do what they did, but I along with others thought they would finish from the 6th seed to just missing out of the playoffs...I had them finishing as the last team that missed the playoffs...
Jerome James set the tone for what ive been doing for the last couple years---a revolution in Seattle thats hasnt been seen since Kurt Cobain was MURDERED. The media gives us nothing. We may not of won the super bowl, but two playoffs appearances in a row calls for something. We all know by now that they never really believed we had a shot last year, as they dumped us like a bad habit...
I say this...WHEN we win the Super Bowl or what not...they will be all up on our team...they will say it was a fluke...they will give every excuse of why we were able to do it...but we'll know...as fans we'll know that deep down inside they cant help but know our team is good...and we'll know that they know...and we're going to take that respect we earned, and shoved it down their throats because they never gave t to us in the first place...
if you have read a few articles thoroughly, you will notice that some reporters know my name...i was hoping to find a rotoworld article that mentions me as a 'Sonics fan with a chip on his shoulder'...specifically names me as Mr. Dakota...and if i get into the NFL/MLB I will go off on the media...
I know I sound crazed, but this crap drives me nuts, and now im going to defend this city until the day I die...and I know I aint the only one...im seeing places all over where Seattle fans are sending in emails and openly bashing 'experts'...the revolution is beginning, or in Nirvana terms, its In Bloom...
im loving it...the unity of our fanbase vs. 'the man'
Posted by ADP
hoping to find THE article in rotoworld...not A...one exists, it was during the NBA playoffs recently
ReplyDeleteSeems to me if none of the Seattle sports writers can remember the last Seahawk playoff victory, then maybe the PI needs different sports writers. There are a number of contributors here that remember that game. And probably write as well.
ReplyDeletePosted by highwater
That was YOU ADP?!? OMG I was laughing my butt off reading the piece that quoted some raving lunatic sports fan from Seattle, I was agreeing with almost everything you said. I had no idea that was you, absolutely hysterical man!
ReplyDeleteyeh, i i go by the name Andrew Dakota (the A and D of my name...i dont use my last name much, which obviously starts with a P)
ReplyDeleteI completely bashed rotoworld's NBA expert Steve Alexander, also known as Doc for saying the Kings would beat Seattle in a cakewalk, and then saying San Antonio was going to beat us in a cakewalk...
Posted by ADP
i still saved the emails!
ReplyDeletelol so yeh, i do have proof just in case
That is too cool ADP, I really had no idea. I remembered thinking at the time reading that thing, that we needed more fans like this Dakota guy rooting for the Hawks. Awesome man, awesome.
ReplyDelete