Boston Blogs Network
Where were you when Obama received his party's nomination?
I watched Obama’s acceptance speech last night at Vox Populi in Boston, among about 300 other supporters, politicos… and those obvious few who snuck in for the free booze.
Funny, I never thought I’d see the day when the patrons of an entire bar shut their mouths and glue their eyes to the TV for a politician. Last night I looked around the room and saw nothing but saucers – everyone eagerly awaiting Obama’s next word.
As far as the actual speech went—well, I was really hoping to be moved to tears the way I was when Michelle and Biden spoke. In the end, though, talking family values wasn’t Obama’s mission last night (and that’s the stuff that makes me all misty-eyed). He needed to outline a clear plan for how he will make change a reality, and he did just that, point by point—from the economy to the war in Iraq to civil rights. I also thought it was really smart of him to address the “where’s the money coming from” question head-on. No dancing around the issue: his plans will take money, and he has accounted for the source of every penny.
After last night, no one can say that Obama doesn’t have clear strategies in place for executing on his dreams for this country.
On a more personal level, I found this part of his speech particularly inspiring:
We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. Passions fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers. This too is part of America's promise - the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.
The "inherent good in us all" message was one that Obama incorporated in his campaign early on, but one that I haven’t heard in recent months. I’m really glad he’s gone back to it, because this idea is truly powerful. And no one can really refute this message without sounding like a total sleaze ball naysayer.
But let me take a step back. Because last night was bigger than words.
I haven’t lived through too many “I was _____ when _____ happened” events. My parents have tons. I have a few. I was in class on my second day of college when the planes crashed into the World Trade Center towers. I was on the phone with my dad, listening to him say, “Ryan, turn on your T.V. immediately, you won’t believe it—all the people drowning in New Orleans are Black” when Katrina hit.
Now I have another. I was at a bar in Boston, standing next to one of my favorite people in the whole word, my heart racing, my hands clapping, my eyes sparkling, when the first African-American man accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for president of this country.
Wow.
Related: Obama wrapping it up, my grandparents would have been so proud
Really?
Dan Quayle in a skirt
1. It shows McCain can't adjust quickly to changing events. A woman might have made sense last week. But, right now, it looks as though Republican hopes of peeling off vast numbers of Hillary Clinton supporters are diminishing. No, Clinton voters don't have to march in lockstep with convention delegates. But whatever lingering anger there was between the Obama and Clinton camps had largely dissipated by Wednesday night.
2. It fails to address McCain's biggest weakness. That would be his age (72 today) and his history of cancer. Let me be blunt: If McCain wins, it would surprise no one if his vice president became president in a year or two. Palin is stunningly inexperienced. And before you say, "So's Obama," keep in mind that's the single biggest obstacle Obama needs to overcome. Voters are making judgments about that every day. Running mates are not generally subjected to that level of scrutiny. And it already looks like the vetting process used to select Palin was a little ragged.
If McCain really believed he needed a woman, I'm not sure why he didn't go with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas. At 72, Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina is probably too old, but Hutchison is 65.
By far the most intelligent choice would have been former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. Above all else, McCain needs a plausible president as his running mate. Romney's not the most popular guy in the world, and McCain plainly doesn't like him. But he would have done McCain a lot more good than I suspect Palin's going to do. And given his political and business experience, you can picture him as president.
This is not going to play well, I suspect.
More: Markos Moulitsas, who also thought of Quayle, flips the experience question on its head: "The Sarah Quayle Palin pick is an abandonment of the 'Obama is not ready to lead' attack lines. Those are dead, and to be honest, while that line didn't work for Hillary and it had limited traction for McCain, it still had some traction. That attack line is gone." He's right.
And the Outraged Liberal takes note of the corruption investigation now under way involving Palin's alleged involvement in trying to get her ex-brother-in-law fired from his job as an Alaska state trooper.
Photo (cc) by Tricia Ward and reproduced here under a Creative Commons license. Some rights reserved.
The media and the message
Building a bridge to nowhere
On the surface, an interesting move: a 44-year-old "former beauty queen" whose private plane landed amid great secrecy last night in Dayton, Ohio would be the latest effort to lure the remaining disgruntled Clinton PUMA supporters
But even though the GOP soon-to-be-nominee admits he doesn't know how to use Google, surely his crack staff does. Because it's not too hard to do this, and get the following result from the Wall Street Journal:
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- When Sarah Palin was elected governor as a Republican outsider in 2006, she didn't just take on an incumbent from her own party. She took on Alaska's Republican establishment.
Ms. Palin vowed to clean up a long-cozy political system that had been sullied by an FBI corruption investigation. She endeared herself to Alaskans by making good on her reform promises and showing homey touches, like driving herself to work.
Now, one of the bright new stars in the Republican Party has suddenly become tarnished. The state legislature this week voted to hire an independent investigator to see whether Ms. Palin abused her office by trying to get her former brother-in-law fired from his job as an Alaska state trooper.
But miss it -- or ignore it -- they did.Argue all you want about a "partisan" witch hunt. Is it really a swift move to take a running mate who, in the words of a Democratic state senator in Alaska "... could face impeachment, in a worst-case scenario." During the middle of a campaign in which McCain will try and argue his opponent doesn't have a record?
At least McCain's running mate doesn't have one -- yet.
And this only brings into play the case of indicted 86-year-old Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens -- who knows the Internet as "The Tubes" and who is facing trial before his own re-election campaign on charges he used his own office to gain personal favors.
And it also reminds us of Alaska Republican Rep. Don Young, he who wanted taxpayers to fund a $398 million "Bridge to Nowhere" between Ketchican (population 8,000) and Gravina Island (population 50).
That move was of course a pork barrel stunner that caught the attention of a certain congressional pork watchdog:
"Maybe if we had done it right, maybe some of that money would have gone to inspect those bridges and other bridges around the country," McCain told a group of people in a town-hall style meeting in Ankeny, Iowa.
"Maybe the 200,000 people who cross that bridge every day would have been safer than spending $233 million of your tax dollars on a bridge in Alaska to an island with 50 people on it."
And you will of course note the irony that the collapsed bridgeMcCain was referring to was located in the Twin Cities -- where he and the GOP are headed right now.All this for a state with three electoral votes that were likely his anyway.
Memo to the McCain campaign: Google is a great tool. Too bad you didn't know how to use it. But will come in handy when you pick Palin's successor.
Memo to the Obama campaign: Michael Dukakis ran a really good campaign spot about George H.W. Bush's veep choice.More blogs about Politics.
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Globe story on web comics
Let me interrupt my mini-vacation to send you to my Living/Arts story this morning about the web comic "Questionable Content" by Jeph Jacques of Easthampton.
Video Game Golf vs. Tiger Woods? He's Got No Chance
First of all, it's a great marketing promotion utilizing video games as an advertising tool (also known as in-game advertising). It's no secret that ads are beginning to appear in a growing number of video games on the latest internet connected gaming devices like the PS3 or XBOX360. These ads and marketing tie ins are a great revenue and sales stream for game developers who are seeing excalating game development costs. Not only that but it adds the sense of realism to video games and the ad companies are making their ads unobtrusive and seemless with the game's environment. Imagine a Boston style game where your character is going past the TD Banknorth Garden. Instead of billboards that adorn the cement brick of a building, there would be nothing. You knew something was supposed to be there but it's not. Now imagine ads dynamical inserted. It would seem normal. That's the beauty of these placements. This tie in with Tiger Woods (now I have to go pick up the game this weekend..) will provide Gillette with a great tie in with one of their spokespersons and the biggest athlete in the world. (Sorry Phelps..)
Secondly, if you win the mini tournament, you get a chance to play against either Woods, Federer, or Jeter. It's a tough choice. Hang out with the world's most intense and mentally strong golfers in Tiger. Play against Jeter and not try to throw up in my mouth that I'm next to him. Or play against Roger Federer, the prettiest tennis player since Pete Sampras (whom I idolized as a tennis pro many moons ago). It's a tough one. Who do I choose. I'd probably choose Federer since I'd also try and finagle a 30 minute hitting session on a tennis court with him just to get run around a tennis court without him breaking a sweat.
Fore!!
Happy Birthday John McCain, you just blew the presidency
Word this morning is that John McCain is going to announce Alaska governor of two years Sarah Palin as his running mate.
Pro’s:
She’s a women, obviously. However, I think McCain is overthinking this if he thinks just simply putting a women on the ticket will bring disaffected Hillary supporters into the fold. That’s a pretty low opinion of women IMHO, that they would just switch sides because the VP pick of the Republicans is a women.
Palin is a conservative and solidly pro life.
Perhaps her strongest area, she is very good on the energy issue, and has been great badgering the Dems in Washington to come up to Alaska and drill.
She is a rising star in the GOP. By rising I mean, just getting off the ground. I wonder if she is truly ready or being pushed on the national stage too soon.
Cons:
She has two years experience as governor. She’s 44 years old. So much for the anti-Obama experience arguement.
McCain turns 72 years old today. When thinking about a VP, I believe voters look at them and think, “can I imagine this person as president”. For all his flaws, Joe Biden passes that test. Will Sarah Palin? I don’t know?
Can she hold her own against a hostile press corps? How about against Joe Biden for that matter? The only honest answer is that nobody knows. I saw her about a month ago on Larry Kudlow’s TV show and I thought she did ok, not great, just ok. If that was my impression watching her in friendly territory, how will she do when really pressed?
Yes, she’s been a reformer and gone to bat against Republican corruption in her state. However, does the GOP nationally, in all of the races beyond the presidency, really want increased attention on Alaska Republicans, who are monuments to the myriad of ways the party has gone off the rails?
Conclusion:
McCain is really rolling the dice here. As I wrote yesterday, I think Pawlenty meets the conservative factor, has the requisite experience and I believe people would see him as “presidential material”.
The most overlooked question in all of this is “does the VP nominee have the media relations skills to be a forceful advocate?” Pawlenty has demonstrated that he does. I don’t think you can underestimate how important this single point is, the media relations skills. Ultimately, I believe they are even more important than the conservative positions or resume. We live in a 24/7 media soaked world. There is no such thing as a single mistake when it comes to working with the media. There are blogs and You Tube that can keep a single mistake alive from now until November.
I’m flummoxed by the choice honestly. Sure, its Mavericky alright. Yes, it shows McCain is an independent thinker. However, I wonder if he’s beeing too cute and losing sight of the basic ingredients that make a good running mate. I hope I am proven wrong.
Labor Day
Keeping in the spirit of the upcoming holiday, this is a reprint. I pretty much trot it out of the mothballs every year around this time. I believe this is it's fourth appearance.
(I know that "it's", with the apostrophe, is generally incorrect when referring to something inanimate, but I figure this post has been resurrected enough times to qualify as some sort of a life form.)
Be that as it may - and, if it is, there's probably not much you can do about it now, so you may as well ignore it as much as possible - here is...
LABOR DAY
Let's hear it for Labor Day, the only holiday specifically created as an excuse to do absolutely nothing!
Oh, sure, there are those other days throughout the year when you don't have to go to work, but they all require at least a grudging acknowledgment of somebody or some thing; saying prayers, listening to speeches, the preparation of a gluttonous feast. Labor Day asks only that you revel in sloth (which is my second-favorite deadly sin.)
I hear someone saying, "Oh, yeah, wise guy? What about New Years Day? You don't have to do a damned thing on New Years Day!" It troubles me that I'm still hearing the voices, but I'll answer the question. Hangovers. The only reason New Years Day is a holiday is because you couldn't get diddly-squat out of the work force after New Years Eve. Everyone gets stinky drunk and stays up until at least 2 am the night before. You can't expect much else from folks the next day except for them to lay on the couch like slugs watching Oklahoma get their asses handed to them by USC/Boise State/West Virginia/The Little Sisters Of The Poor.
Next up on the calendar is Martin Luther King day. Nice guy, but you get history lessons all day. Next!
President's Day. This used to be Washington's Birthday, and in some places you also got Lincoln's Birthday off, too, but now you get a day honoring Harding, Taft, Clinton, and whichever bozo we elect in 2008. There are some mighty fine deals on cars, though.
Saint Patrick's Day. This is one of those days that isn't really a holiday because you don't get the day off - unless you work for the state government in Massachusetts, in which case they call it "Evacuation Day" and you get the day off to try and figure out just what in hell that means. However, most folks recognize Saint Patrick's as a special day. This is because they see the Irish getting looped and beating the bejeebers out of each other. They figure that if they'll do that to themselves, what will they do to me if I don't wear something green?
Memorial Day. One of two days on the calendar specifically set aside to honor those folks who served in war. The other is Veterans Day. Veterans Day started out as Armistice Day, and was created as a remembrance of that day when peace was declared at the end of World War One. Of course, in those days they didn't have to number their wars; they just called it The Great War, because they didn't expect their children to be stupid enough to have another one. After World War Two, they realized that the calendar might get too full of holidays if we took a day off to celebrate the end of every war to end all wars, so they changed it to Veterans Day. For some folks - myself included - Veterans Day is the day you trade off at work so that you can have the Friday after Thanksgiving.
July 4th! Fireworks! History! Speeches! Concerts! Way too busy to even be considered!
Columbus Day. Nice little holiday to honor a man who thought he was going to Asia, but ended up here, instead. Although I really like the idea of a holiday to honor those who become famous by mistake, this has become way too politicized to totally relax about. Let's move on.
Halloween. See Saint Patrick's Day, but exchange "children" for "Irish", "sugar addled" for "loopy", and "give 'em some candy" for "wear something green". Actually, in recent years this has become more of an excuse for adults to wear silly costumes and drink copiously, which is what most holidays eventually devolve into.
Thanksgiving. Eat gigantic amounts of food and flop down into an easy chair to watch the Detroit Lions embarrass themselves nationally (as opposed to locally like the rest of the year.) Thanksgiving is followed by Friday After Thanksgiving, which doesn't really have an official name. I've been proposing "National Shitloads Of Leftovers Day" for some time now. Thus far, nobody with any clout has listened to my suggestion (which is probably the very reason they have clout. However, I digress.)
Finally, we get to December. Religious holidays abound which, while fun and all, do require you to go someplace and mumble stuff at the very least. Anyway, the weeks beforehand certainly require more work from you than any other holidays - shopping, wrapping, cursing - and take so much out of you, both mentally and physically, that the day or two you get off don't come anywhere near to resting you up enough to make up for it, which is why you get shitfaced on New Years Eve.
So, let us be thankful for Labor Day. Or not, if that seems like too much work.
We interrupt this party...
The state budget is tanking (subscription required).
The Statehouse News Service is reporting Massachusetts faces up to $1 billion in shortfalls in the $28.2 billion budget signed less than two months ago. And the source is state officials themselves -- in the form of a prospectus to bondholders.
“In total, these updated revenue forecasts and cost estimates for fiscal 2009 suggest the potential need for approximately $1 billion in budgetary solutions.”
The twin culprits? Soft tax collections and the uncertainty over $600 million in federal dollars to support health care reform.Lawmakers restored over $50 million in vetoes offered by Gov. Deval Patrick and declined to give him the power to make unilateral mid-year cuts. That means they will need to come back to address the problem -- probably in the fall during the campaign over the income tax repeal.
Now that will be a post-convention hangover. It would be nice if the Boston media noticed it.More blogs about Politics.
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Billie Jeans
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
'There was zero, nothing, a flat line,' Part II
Better. Obama's criticism of McCain starts at about 0:50. But I don't think it was devastating criticism. They're trying to paint McCain as an out-of-touch rich man. Didn't work for Reagan and Bush I and Bush II. Probably won't work now. ... I might come across as overly picky, but I'll repeat: The election is about the past eight years. Attack that -- and you're attacking McCain more effectively. ... Just my own little observaton. ...
"The media" cheer Obama
Several members of the media were seen cheering and clapping for Barack Obama as the Illinois senator accepted the Democratic nomination Thursday.
Standing on the periphery of the football field serving as the Democratic convention floor, dozens of men and women wearing green media floor passes chanted along with the crowd.Is it possible that some members of the media behaved unprofessionally? Of course. But there were 15,000 people in Denver with media credentials, and to tar "the media" with an item like this is ridiculous.
Having covered four national conventions, I can tell you that there are plenty of folks at these things from one- or two-person newsletters for farmers, accountants and the like, blatantly partisan outlets and — in some cases — organizations with no obvious tie to journalism at all. A friend of a friend comes up with a media credential, and there you go.
If you want to make the case that the mainstream media are in the tank for Obama, be my guest. But this non-item proves nothing. (Via InstaPundit.)
Fuzzy
Josh Beckett Screen Grab by The Boston Channel
Rough night but time to suck it up and start the day.
After a few hours at work, I’ll be hooking up with KellyO and Tru to meet the family and pass along the donations from everyone! I’ll be back tonight (or tomorrow) with a more detailed account of what we collected and how thngs went down. Thanks to everyone for their support with this. It was certainly a great “people” experience.
We were hoping to get Beckett but get Daisuke tonight. Works for me. I’m concerned about Josh, but am standing by my decision to not freak out until it’s absolutely time. :) PVs to Josh!
On top of the Taylors being at Fenway tonight, it’s the LMOTFer’s “annual” group game. (Just a name for another group of my friends.) I’m really looking forward to it (and to seeing some folks I haven’t seen in a while!)! I just hope I can stay awake for it!
Have a great day, folks.
Your Labor Day Weekend Megalinks
Ken from Fang's Bites here as usual on this Friday. As we head into a three day weekend, it's time to give you your Friday megalinks.
As always, we go into the Weekend Viewing Picks first.
College football has already begun with some games played on Thursday. Among the highlights for Saturday, USC takes on Virginia, Michigan hosts Utah, Appalachian State visits LSU and Alabama plays Clemson in the Georgia Dome. You can see the slate of nationally televised games for Saturday in my College Football Viewing Picks. On Sunday, ESPN has Kentucky-Louisville at 3:30 p.m. and FSN will air Colorado State-Colorado at Invesco Field at 7:30 p.m. Then on Monday, ESPN has a doubleheader starting Rutgers hosting Fresno State at 4 p.m. and Tennessee playing in the Rose Bowl against UCLA at 8.
The U.S. Open, tennis' last Grand Slam Tournament of the year finishes its first week of play in Flushing Meadow, NY. CBS has extensive weekend coverage starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. USA has primetime coverage throughout the weekend at 7.
Major League Baseball heads into September with two games on Fox on Saturday at 3:55 p.m., Philadelphia at Wrigley Field to take on the Cubs and the Tampa Bay Rays host Baltimore. The regional splits and announcing assignments are here. WGN has White Sox-Red Sox, Saturday night at 7. On Sunday, TBS has the White Sox-Red Sox at 1:30 p.m., WGN has the Phillies-Cubs at 2 and ESPN's Sunday night game airs on ESPN2 as the Dodgers play Arizona at 8.
The PGA Tour's FedEx Cup continues with the Deutsche Bank Championship at the TPC Boston in Norton. Golf Channel has 2nd round coverage on Saturday starting at 3 p.m. NBC takes over with 3rd round coverage Sunday at 3. Then NBC picks up the final round at 2 p.m. on Labor Day.
NASCAR's Sprint Cup series has the Pepsi 500 Sunday at 8 p.m.
Let's head to your links.
National
USA Today's Michael Hiestand talks about the next step in instant replay.
Christopher Byrne of Eye on Sports Media looks at TBS's blog which doles out its production assignments for its Sunday afternoon MLB games.
Glenn Dickson of Broadcasting & Cable reports that ABC's College Football Countdown will finally be aired in HD. It's about time.
Larry Barrett in Multichannel News tells us the NFL Network will have a slew of special programming leading up to Thursday's Redskins-Giants season opener.
CNBC's Darren Rovell says Olympians are picking up speaking engagements. Darren wonders if Nastia Liukin can make you eat your Wheaties. And Darren gets readers' reaction to the LPGA's English-only policy.
Joe Favorito likes how the US Open is going green.
The Sports Media Watch has some idle notes.
Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball talks about the new MLB postseason ad campaign being put forth by Fox and TBS. Thank goodness it will not involve Dane Cook.
East and Mid-Atlantic
David Scott breaks news that the Boston Herald is losing Red Sox beat reporter Jeff Horrigan.
Nancy Marrapese-Burrell of the Boston Globe talks about Inside the NFL moving to Showtime.
Phil Mushnick in today's New York Post remembers late Post columnist Dick Young.
The Post's Justin Terranova talks with ESPN's Tim Hasselbeck and NBC/NFL Network's Cris Collinsworth about the Giants. And Justin has five questions for ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has the composite college football schedule for the entire 2008-09 season.
Over to the Baltimore Sun where Ray Frager is impressed with Versus' versatility. In his blog, Ray has the announcing lineup for ESPN's family of networks' college football games.
The Washington Times' Tim Lemke writes that some Olympic sponsors are not re-upping for Vancouver and London.
South
Doug Nye of The State says the new SEC TV deals have made the conference #1 on TV. Doug talks about the South Carolina and South Carolina State football coaches shows switching channels.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes that ESPN is promising a new documentary on the University of Miami will be fair and not a hatchet job.
Dave Darling of the Orlando Sentinel says there's going to be a lot of college football on TV this season.
Mel Bracht from the Daily Oklahoman says CBS' Spencer Tillman is looking forward to calling his first Oklahoma football game. Mel has Spencer's top five college football teams. Mel has some news and notes. And Mel give us his Weekend Viewing Picks.
Midwest
George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal has women angry over fantasy sports leagues.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Bob Wolfley talks about Ron Jaworski getting a bigger role on Monday Night Football this season.
Teddy Greenstein in today's Chicago Tribune says ESPN helped to broker Saturday's matchup between Utah and Michigan.
Paul Christian of the Rochester Post Bulletin has a primer on the Big Ten Network.
Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch talks about the Rams not being on national TV this season. And Dan talks about Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann being reunited on Football Night in America.
Jeffrey Flanagan from the Kansas City Star has Fox NFL analyst Jayice “JC” Pearson lobbying for new sideline reporter Nishelle Turner.
West
Jay Posner of the San Diego Union-Tribune says focus groups turned ESPN back to the basics on Monday Night Football. Jay has the ratings from last week.
John Maffei in the North County Times writes about the new analyst for San Diego State University football games.
The Ventura County Star's Jim Carlisle says the game will be the star on ESPN's Monday Night Football. Imagine that.
Steve Springer of the Los Angeles Times compares this year's Olympics overall viewing record to other programs.
The Los Angeles Daily News' Tom Hoffarth is on vacation, but he does give us a shrunken version of his media notes.
That's going to do it for the megalinks. Have a good Labor Day Weekend.
In which eeka makes a stateist comment about how this upfucked story is of course from Texas
Herald Loses Another, Horrigan To Depart
The baseball beat on the Boston Herald has taken another blow, as Jeff Horrigan will be leaving and looking for a non-journalism job in Milwaukee, where his wife is from.
Scott's Shots has the details.
It's the latest in a series of losses for the Herald, which earlier this season could boast of one of the best collection of baseball writers in the country with Horrigan, Michael Silverman, Rob Bradford and Tony Massarotti. Now, only Silverman will remain.
Herald Takes Another Hit - Horrigan On His Way Out
By David Scott
Boston Sports Media Watch
Scott's Shots has confirmed that Boston Herald sportswriter Jeff Horrigan (mostly Red Sox) will be leaving the paper on Septembeer 10. Horrigan confirmed in a Friday phone interview that his wife, Katie, has taken a job as a public health administrator at Children's Hospital in her hometown of Milwaukee.
“This is strictly a lifestyle decision,” said the popular, amiable and soft-spoken Horrigan, who has been at the Herald for nine years. “I'm looking in to a non-journalism job in Wisconsin and to be honest, I want to be a better father (to 11-month old, Sadie) and a better husband. It's hard when you're leaving in the morning and Sadie is crying in hysterics, wondering if I'll be gone for another 7 or ten days on the road?”
Horrigan, who is heavily involved in the Hot Stove, Cool Music events confirmed that he is looking into a “non-journalism” job that will utilize his great passion for music. “I follow the music industry as close as the baseball industry,” said Horrigan, 45.
The departure from Hank Hryniewicz's staff means the sports desk has now lost Rob Bradford, Tony Massarotti and Horrigan in the course of the Summer.
“Jeff handed in his resignation on Wednesday. He'll be working with us up until Sept. 10,” Hank Herald confirmed via email. “We will be filling the vacancy and our search for replacements for Rob Bradford's slot, Tony Massarotti's slot and now Jeff Horrigan's slot continue.”
Horrigan echoed the sentiments of Bradford and Massarotti upon their departures from Wingo Way. “The toughest thing is to leave Hank,” Horrigan said. “He's a human being, and he sees US (his employees) as people, not cogs in the system. He was kind of laughing when I told him and he said, ‘At this point, nothing surprises me anymore.'”
The move will leave Michael Silverman, John Tomase (who is sliding over from the Patriots' beat) and likely Steve Buckley on the Sox beat for the stretch drive and the possible playoffs. Meanwhile, the main competitors at the Boston Globe and upstart WEEI.com are beefing up their Sox coverage as Massarotti adds considerable Sox punch to the Globies and Bradford and Alex Speier give WEEI.com a formidable one-two on Fenway happenings.
Hryniewicz, who seems to thrive on being the scrappy underdog and doing battle with all comers, simply plows ahead.
“It truly means a lot to hear that my staff trusts in me to get things done,” said Hank Herald. “I have every confidence that the Herald, and particularly the sports department, will come out of this stronger and will continue to set the standard for sports coverage, analysis and opinion in this sports-crazed city…. and I say sports-crazed in the most positive sense.”
• You can not miss this absolutely terrific takedown of Jay Mariotti penned by Roger Ebert. I'm still not hearing any legitimate talk of Mariotti landing in Boston and at this point people just seem to be putting logical old relationships together - none of which would have the cash or resources to afford the widely disliked Mariotti.
David Scott writes from a seaside shanty on the shores of Hull, Mass. and can be reached at shotsATbostonsportsmediaDOTcom.
Scott's first book, with Memphis Coach John Calipari, is scheduled for release in the Fall of 2009.
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