6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog

Labels: angels, dodgers, newspapers, retirements

// posted by Rob @ 7:10 AM link  //  1 comments

Comment:

We would like to know if this is a trick question.

Posted by: Mike Scioscia and Tim Wallach | September 21, 2010 at 10:04 AM

Labels: dodgers, funny, haha, managers, newspapers

// posted by Rob @ 1:14 PM link  //  0 comments

Labels: dodgers, newspapers

// posted by Rob @ 10:03 PM link  //  0 comments

Labels: blogs, newspapers

// posted by Rob @ 8:20 AM link  //  0 comments

If this is true, what will the LANG and Register do for Dodgers coverage?

MSTI relays rumors originally appearing in SOSG (broken at the moment).

Update: Commenters in what appears to be his final blog post claim this was mentioned in last night's segment of the postgame Dodger Talk show.

Terrible, terrible news. Tony Jackson was invaluable. I know he just bought a house near the Dodgers new facility in Phoenix; best of luck to you, Tony.

Update 2: More evidence that Tony's been laid off: yesterday's game recap has Jill Painter's byline. Also, e-mail sent to his account bounces according to Jimmy Bramlett of LAist.

Update 3: In related commentary, two writers from the Baltimore Sun and a photographer were laid off during Wednesday's game with the Angels. They found out about the layoff by phone.

Update 4: The one I've been waiting for, Jon Weisman:

I don't think there's any doubt that individual readers has more information about the Dodgers than they did 10 years ago. Then, you had access to only game stories and notebooks published once a day; now, there is a constant stream of rich information and analysis. I think we're well past the point of relying only on the reporter in the clubhouse. Nevertheless, you still need that reporter. [emphasis mine -- RLM]

Labels: newspapers

// posted by Rob @ 8:55 AM link  //  2 comments

What I do care about -- and the reason I have quoted all of this stuff by and about Selena Roberts -- is the culture of character assassination that has become inextricably linked to the subject of steroids in baseball. Every big name who has tested positive has not only been branded a cheater by the media, but a dirty cheater with evil and chicanery in his heart. Every assertion of innocence -- even to subordinate allegations -- has been met with scorn. In addition to censuring players under the rules of baseball, the media (and the public at large following the media's lead) has further demanded that high-profile steroids users be ostracized, and that the historical record be expunged, as best it can be, of their very existence. It has been a shameful few years in this regard, and I hope and pray that one day some semblance of perspective on the subject of performance enhancing drugs in baseball prevails. But we're certainly not there yet.

Enter Selena Roberts. The same Selena Roberts who has already demonstrated a clear interest in making Alex Rodriguez into a villain. The same Selena Roberts who smeared the Duke lacrosse players. Even if we concede that she gets the facts right in her upcoming book, can we have any faith that she presents them with even a semblance of balance, as opposed to surrounding them with innuendo, rumor, conjecture, and false sanctimony?

Labels: newspapers, yankees

// posted by Rob @ 11:55 PM link  //  0 comments

"Are you saying you're sorry?"

Are you sorry for showing up at spring training looking like a blue manatee? Sorry for not working hard enough to fix that weight? Sorry for ripping the fans who booed you for that weight? Sorry for asking to be put on the disabled list so you could disappear from those boos?

Labels: dodgers, ex-dodgers, newspapers

// posted by Rob @ 8:29 AM link  //  3 comments

Labels: dodgers, newspapers

// posted by Rob @ 6:06 PM link  //  1 comments

The News had been in continuous publication since 1859, and is Colorado's oldest newspaper.

Labels: newspapers

// posted by Rob @ 3:54 PM link  //  0 comments

Dodgers Near A Guillermo Mota Reunion

A Three Days Of Cryin' Comment About The Register's Jeff Miller

No amount of side-stepping, inapt analogies, or hogwash ”anonymous” quotes will return whatever credibility Miller may have enjoyed previously.

MSTI Puts Words In Ned's Mouth — And They're Delicious!

But Scott, I'm not writing to talk about the crimes you've committed against humanity. As you may or may not have noticed: the economy's in the dumper. People who are losing their homes have no patience for a petulant child's whining about millions of dollars he clearly doesn't even need. On top of that, your usual "ooooh! there's a mystery team!" crowing just doesn't play here. Twenty-five or so of the MLB teams can't even pretend to afford Manny. Of the ones that can, I'd say it's pretty safe that Boston's not interested, even the Yankees seem to have reached the end of their checkbook (not to mention they have far too many old "outfielders" as it is), the Angels are stocked in the outfield and have publicly declared Manny will never play for them, the Mets don't seem to be in play, and what, are you really going to send Manny to Washington just because Jim Bowden lusts after outfielders?

"But, the Giants!" you begin to say, before I cut you off. Come on. Stop with that. Just because Jon Heyman's either on your payroll or completely deluded doesn't make it true. (Seriously, what is with that guy? I can't even count the amount of sportswriters who are refuting his claims, yet he continues to crow about how he's "confirmed" the discussions. I can't wait for his new book, No Really: I've Confirmed WMD in Iraq!) The Giants are at their payroll limits, already have too many old and busted outfielders, and you'd think they've had their fill of controversal old left fielders, no? What does that leave? That's right. It leaves us.

Dodgers Thought About Voiding Andruw Jones' Contract

According to the sources, the Dodgers suggested to the commissioner's office and the players' union that they explored their contractual right to terminate the deal of any player who "shall at any time fail, refuse or neglect . . . to keep himself in first-class physical condition or to obey the club's training rules."

Such action would immediately have been contested by the players' union. The sources said they could not recall any instance of an arbitrator ruling that a player had to forfeit any part of a guaranteed contract under such circumstances.

Labels: angels, dodgers, hot stove, newspapers, rumors, transactions

// posted by Rob @ 8:59 AM link  //  1 comments

Literally the only general-interest sports columnists left in the group are the two guys in Long Beach, Doug Krikorian and Bob Keisser. Neither has gotten much use outside of the Press-Telegram, of late.

Either that usage pattern changes … or someone is promoted to columnist from the handful of remaining staffers … or LANG newspapers go without a columnist.

Like, what? This at the very time when seemingly intelligent people are saying that what newspapers still have that no one else does … is local analysis, commentary, color and opinion. And if you don’t have that … what are you left with? Preps? Wire copy?

Labels: newspapers

// posted by Rob @ 9:55 PM link  //  0 comments

Blagojevich and [chief of staff John] Harris also allegedly conspired to demand the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members responsible for editorials critical of Blagojevich in exchange for state help with the sale of Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs baseball stadium owned by Tribune Co.

Labels: cubs, newspapers

// posted by Rob @ 1:19 PM link  //  0 comments

Supposedly this won't affect the Cubs, but we'll see.

Labels: cubs, newspapers, times

// posted by Rob @ 1:01 PM link  //  0 comments

Tribune is in danger of falling below the cash flow required under its agreement with its bondholders, but it is not clear how seriously Tribune is thinking about seeking bankruptcy protection. Analysts and bankruptcy experts say that the hiring of advisers, including Lazard and Sidley Austin, one of the company’s longtime law firms, could be a just-in-case move, or a bargaining tactic. The company would not comment on Sunday.

Some interesting discussion at BTF over this.

Labels: cubs, newspapers, times

// posted by Rob @ 11:02 PM link  //  0 comments

Further south down the I-5, the Register has taken a 15% hit in daily circulation numbers in the six months ending September 30. (The Times over the same period of time is only down 5.2% according to the linked Orange County Business Journal story.) And this is new: the Register is thinking about joining up with the Times to save money? We already know that the OC daily has been buying Dodgers coverage from the Los Angeles Newspaper Group all year, but a consolidation with the Times would be momentous indeed.

Labels: dodgers, media, newspapers

// posted by Rob @ 1:06 PM link  //  0 comments

Singleton previously approached the Register to acquire it, but was rebuffed when the Hoiles family heirs raised $900M from the Blackstone Group and Providence Equity Partners. If they can't return that money by 2010, they may have to sell the paper anyway. Singleton has a reputation for slashing newspaper operating staffs, as he did after he bought the Press-Telegram in 1997. A content-sharing agreement would be a first step toward a merger.

Update 2/16: Lookee here: a Tony Jackson byline at the Register. Huh.

Labels: angels, dodgers, media, newspapers

// posted by Rob @ 7:52 PM link  //  1 comments