Comments on: So, about the HBO show on sports media

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 02 May 2008 00:34:18 +0000

Peter - I want to thank you for your blog. I check your blog periodically throughout the day - everyday. You are my source for all Yankee news and insight. Your blog is both informative and entertaining.
Thank you again. Looking forward to a long season.
Rob

By: Jon

Jon — Thu, 01 May 2008 19:56:16 +0000

It’s just amazing to me that the debate even exists.

Isn’t it obvious? There are sportswriters, and some are good and some are bad. There are bloggers, and some are good and some are bad.

It’s so painfully obvious that the “journalists” feel threatened (and rightly so). Costas himself seems like a whiny baby:
http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/03/14/costas-blogs-a-high-tech-place-for-idiots/

The biggest difference is that blogs cater to the long tail. This is why Amazon has books that sell 4 copies a year (and make money doing it) and why you see online stores like http://everythingchopsticks.com that you’d never see when walking down Main Street. Essentially the zero-cost model for the blogs means that they can write (and even make some money from) a blog that only 300 people will find interesting. Try that with a newspaper.

Newspapers have their place - generic news for the masses. It’s clear that electronically distributed media is the future (and present, I’d argue), because people can find exactly what they want, and focus on it.

Congratulations on embracing the technology rather than fighting it, Pete.

By: Jeff K (Pinstripers)

Jeff K (Pinstripers) — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:21:31 +0000

Buzz comes across as one of the most ill-informed, unprofessional and lewd people I’ve seen on TV in a long time. It’s ironic considering his entire purpose is to accuse Deadspin of being unprofessional. Way to shoot yourself in the foot and give sportswriters a bad name Buzz!

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:51:02 +0000

I discovered this blog about a year ago, and it replaced the Daily News and the Post for where I get my Yankees news. This and the Buster Olney blog on ESPN are where I get my baseball news.

I think the comment about Costas and the old school reporters wanting to see their sports heroes as “gods” is spot on. These guys grew up with Mickey Mantle, and started working during the Michael Jordan era. They’re used to a world where taking on the big fish meant that you were shut out of access.

I also think that Bissenger and Costas seemed to have no idea what the differencs, or even that there is a difference between an actual post and a comment, underscores how little they know about blogging and blogs.

By: Vighorois

Vighorois — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:39:17 +0000

I second the opinion. Of course, it feels differnt between reading newspapers and blogs. Blogs are less restrictive and more open-enede, while with newspapers, it’s more of a “final say.” For now, I enjoy checking updates of this blog, and look forward to the digital version of daily sports reports. They go hand in hand. One doesn’t have to replace the other, but the line might be blurred more and more.

In order to read Buster Olney’s blog, one has to sign up for ESPN Insider. I prefer the freebies, especially when it’s as good and fun as this. Thanks Peter.

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:35:07 +0000

I wrote up my take on the Bissinger thing on my blog:

http://schteeve.wordpress.com/2008/05/01/welcome-to-the-buzz-saw/

Essentially, I think it’s about money.

By: Rayster12

Rayster12 — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:33:53 +0000

Pete, you nailed it head-on about the future of newspapers and online media. Costas should have had you on, you’ve got the right perspective. By the way, I enjoy your comments on other things other than the Yankees very much. Also worth mentioning is that the tone of the writing is much more informal on the blog versus the newspaper, but I guess that is obvious to all who read it anyway.

By: Yankease Fan in Jersey

Yankease Fan in Jersey — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:06:29 +0000

Peter, you’re so right about the fact that people who read your blog don’t read your paper (I’m one of them).

I forget how I found your blog originally, but I bookmarked it and have been back several times.

Meanwhile, since I live in Jersey, I never heard of your paper; even now, if I wanted to get a paper copy, I wouldn’t know where to get one (the local newsstand doesn’t carry it).

So, yes, blogs are the future, and that’s not a bad thing.

By: Neil J. Squillante

Neil J. Squillante — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:06:26 +0000

Excellent post. It’s refreshing to see a traditional journalist recognize the steps he needs to take to remain relevant.

By: Kay

Kay — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:14:29 +0000

Pete,

Like others, I’m glad you weighed in on this. That debate didn’t need to be as contentious as it was. I was particularly bothered by the way Bissenger dismissed Will’s claim that fans want to see players as human beings. Of course we do! But older guys like Costas and the like want to view them as gods. They’re not. They’re fallible and they do many of the same things we all like to do. If we saw more of their actual personalities rather than the fake swagger or the guardedness, we’d like them even more.

You can see that play out right here on the Yankees. People love Joba because he’s let us in on his personality. A-Rod on the other hand gets respect only for his baseball skills because I don’t think anyone has ever seen his real personality.

I appreciate that you give us solid analysis and the little tidbits that make the guys relatable.