Live blogging Tiger Woods' um, whatever it is.

***Updated below with postscript***

10:20 AM - 40 Minutes Till Go

It's the event that no respectable journalist should attend: Tiger Woods' scripted, no-questions-allowed statement to 30 of his closest friends and few media outlets.

You might think that's not a lot of people, except it's televised. And the fact that Woods isn't answering questions there is no reason for anyone to really attend at all. Woods could have apologized in person to those people. It's a "pseudo-event." But he is apologizing to me, so unlike the Golf Writers Association of America, I'm bringing the media circus straight to you.

Woods has no reason to apologize to the public. As Richard Sandomir writes in the New York Times, "Woods did not sin against golf." He sinned against his partner and American institutions perhaps, but not his sport. It's the institutions part that I am fascinated by. Woods was seen as a safe bet for advertisers, a positive role model. So he lost his sponsorships and was vilified when a single affair (and over the next few days a harem) is exposed.

I love it. Compare it to Alexander Ovechkin, who is one of the dirtier players in the NHL, nice neither on nor off the ice. But kids somehow look past his transgressions because he is an amazing player:


(1:10 gives the best detail)

"But wait," you say, "the situations are completely different!" You're absolutely right! Woods transgressed on his own time. If there is any crossover between Woods' personal life and his sport, it is because of the entertainment-media-advertising complex. Woods plays great golf no matter who he has sex with.

Roy Peter Clark brings to light five great stories that should be done on Woods. In my opinion, these creative methods should be the only pieces done on Woods:

1. Woods as a prototype of Barack Obama, an African-American with light skin and a proper accent (cf. the oafish Harry Reid), deemed more acceptable to white America.
2. A description of the gender differences revealed by the reaction to the scandal: how women focused on disloyalty, while men seemed more concerned with the stupidity and recklessness that resulted in his getting caught.
3. A story on race and gender focused on the reaction of African American women to Tiger's apparent obsession with light-skinned, light-haired women.
4. Whether or not a wealthy celebrity like Tiger Woods can find justice within the legal system. Does his status get him a pass? Or does it attract harsher penalties?
5. The extent to which a double standard governs cases of spousal abuse. What if it were the Tiger swinging a club at his wife?

Those are good stories. This upcoming live blog...not so much.


*You might notice I refer to Tiger Woods as "Woods" throughout this post. That's because I don't know him on a first-name basis, as apparently a number of newscasters and writers do.


10:30 ESPN Pregame

The asshat is giving commentary on ESPN. He advocates taking six months off of golf ("we're only three months into it"). Says Woods is on step nine (of a ten-step program), but Woods is going back into rehab after this statement.

Reilly is very concerned with Woods' marriage and the people he surrounds himself with (in public). "We invested in his life," says Reilly: buying his products, believing in his school, etc. Yeah, but people invested in Enron as well. There is a risk to investing in anything.

Apparently women are the people that are the most disgusted by Woods's actions. And Nike? Woods should therefore go on Oprah and get interviewed by Diane Sawyer. Couch jumping, in fact, has been proven to endear strange-seeming men with astereotypical (yes, astereotypical) relationships.

Rick Reilly calls the man "Tiger." Josh Elliot calls him "Woods."


10:40

ABC News' John Berman interviewed. Go figure.

Sergio Garcia: "To tell you the truth, I'm really not that interested."

Golfers interviewed are more interested in Woods' professional life than personal life. Go figure.


10:50

SportsCenter Rundown: Tiger Woods Public Statement // Tiger Speaks Today // North and Reilly Live.
On now: Tiger and Galleries

10:54

How many William Blake knock-offs do you think have been written since Thanksgiving?


11:00

According to Randy Shilts in Patient Zero, The Wall Street Journal did not report on GRID (as it was called before the more correct term "AIDS" came into use) until the disease had a heterosexual angle. That's shameful on the part of the paper, but the newspaper does offer an interesting glance into the financial world. The Wall Street Journal lets us know what's on the minds of America's business people, with some hard-hitting news built in (through the lens of business, of course).

Things that matter this morning (headlines courtesy WSJ):

Tax Protestor Crashes Plane Into IRS Office
U.S. Bets Best Ally in [Afghanistan] Surge is Old One
[Interest] Rate Rise Stirs Questions
Obama Unveils Debt Panel - and GOP Is Likely to Join It
Soldiers Oust President in Coup in Uranium-Rich Niger
Somali Troops Gird for Battle With Militants
Fight Over Health-Care Premiums Heats Up
IAEA Suspects Iran Seeks Nuclear Arms
U.A.E. Probes a U.S. Tie in Killing of Hamas Figure
IMF Suggest Capital Controls for Emerging Markets
Pakistan Arrests Two Taliban Leaders
Dutch Nearing Afghan Pullout
Wal-Mart Warns of Soft Sales Ahead
Toyota's Chief Will Testify in Congress
Google Defends Its Books Pact
Regulators Clear Microsoft-Yahoo Alliance
Greece's Next Test Is in Bond Sale
Lewis Knew of Legal Decision
Obama Meets Dalai Lama Despite China's Ire


11:10

It is 31 degrees outside.


11:15

The shindig is over. Rick Reilly is coming on so the TV is turning off.

Fin.


1:45 Post Script

Okay, it seems I can't not talk about Woods. I was just talking with my roommate Jon about Woods' claim that Elin Nordegren did not ever harm him. Where did that report ever come from? TMZ? Oh. Reblogged by the...wait. Huffington Post?! Oh my. Oh, oh my.

I am surprised no one has advanced a Tyler Durden theory yet regarding Woods' injuries. Spread the word. But not too much - no one likes a media circus.

Rick Reilly is a Pompous Asshat

[Can I say asshat on here? Is that okay?]

It's amazing. I write uncreative, self-serving drivel all the time and don't even get paid for it.

There was a time when Rick Reilly wrote about the little people in sports, the people you could learn lessons from. As a professor once told me, "Sports journalism is not about sports. It's a way of talking about everything else."

So I was disappointed when Rick Reilly sold out to ESPN for a five-year, $10 million contract. Ever since Reilly joined the Everything Sexist Pig Network, his writing has been uninspired (and at times, uh, repetitive), duller-than-bread-knife, more-arrogant-than-Kobe Bryant articles. This is not a dig at Kobe. When you're one of the best at what you do, you are allowed to be self-centered, especially when you're doing your job. The difference is Kobe, one of the best, getting 28 points a game. Rick Reilly, on the other hand, is getting paid $2 million a year to maybe make a foul shot when he's lucky.

Which brings me to my point: his foul shots against Canada.

His February 15 article, "Oh Canada" was depths below the standardized level of creativity and exceeded fivefold the amount of acceptable ass-hattery (I hope that phrase catches on). His writing does nothing but repeat Canadian stereotypes: They're nice. They are inferior to Americans. They live in the wild. They talk funny. They're great at curling. Where's the creativity? Check out the article. You'll see what I mean.

Reilly got some negative feedback for that article, so he wrote a second today in response, "Are We Having Fun Yet?" I read the whole thing with the Wicked Witch of the West's Voice in my head. The taunting, the sheer arrogance was that bad. Check it out. Seriously:

...Although I did like torchbearer Wayne Gretzky being taken to the lighting of the Official Olympic Giant Outdoor Reefers in the back of a pickup truck...That is what's known as a Canadian limo.

and

I would like to make up for it by awarding the following Canadian citizens gold in other disciplines: The Canadian Olympic women's hockey team, for beating Slovakia 18-0. Slovakia beat Bulgaria 82-0 almost two years ago in pre-Olympic qualifying. Eighty-two to nothing! Suck on that, Slovakia! How's it feel? Canuck women rule!

Wait, I actually don't understand what that one means. Who is he speaking to?

[Still giving out medals] The Canadian fans who wait more than four hours at Robson Square to ride a 30-second zip line. And they wait happily! And they say "sore-ee" when they bump elbows accidentally! Do they realize they could build their own 30-second zip-line ride in four hours?

I once waited 3 hours to ride a ride at Six Flags. Golly, I wish there was something else I could have done to simulate falling like that...Oh wait.

How does he get off with this stuff? It's drivel about a little drizzle. Like Canadians control the weather! If I wanted to read some boring, inconsequential piece about what an awful time someone is having, I would have checked out fmylife.com. And that site doesn't even have to pay its writers four digits a day.

Interested in more? Check out FireRickReilly.com. Their analysis of this issue is far better than mine.

Introducing Team USA

I thought wasps died in the winter.

Oh, those WASPS. Silly me. And that's not completely true. Only the drones do. The queens hibernate until spring.

According to Yahoo Sports, Team USA just revealed its outfits for the winter games opening ceremonies. And I quote: "Inspired by designs worn during the 1932 Lake Placid Winter Olympics, these outfits are so American they basically play Bruce Springsteen songs." That got me really excited. I imagined something rugged, like jeans and an undershirt. Maybe some flannel to keep out the cold. You know, Springsteen attire. Cool, I thought, Ralph Lauren is about to stand for the common man! Imagine my shock when I saw the designs.

Check this one out:



Is that logo big enough? Seriously. It looks like the First Horse of the Apocalypse, come to conquer us all.



If you have $385 to spend on a cardigan, you too can look like a U.S. athlete in the Winter Olympics. $325 for the opening ceremony jacket.

Of course, this is just continuing the tradition of dressing for prep school. And really, I'm not even sure why I am complaining about athletes and promotions. Apolo Ohno will be getting a good night's sleep thanks to NyQuil. Maybe he will eat McDonalds and drink Coca-Cola, or at least pretend to. He will be wearing Nike. So will curlers. Bobsledders will be wearing UnderArmour.

So be sure to catch all the action on NBC and buy GE appliances! Oh, and be sure to check out Universal's The Wolfman on opening day, February 12!

Hourly Comic Day 2010

Happy belated Hourly Comic Day! Yesterday, Monday February 1, people drew a comic every hour to chronicle their life. It combines all the self-absorption of Twitter with the fun of online comics!

I learned about this through John Campbell's comic, Pictures for Sad Children. It is one of my favorite web dailies. He did an hourly comic for every day of January, ending February 1. From his site:

i wanted to see what it would be like if journal comics were a little more detailed and also monotonous. it helps me see where my life has been ("nowhere") and where my life is going (probably also "nowhere")

On that note, here's my day.

Two Poems

These I just rediscovered.

As they were written many months apart, I didn't intend both these poems to feature Buddhism, animals and death. But they do. I hope you enjoy.

I hope the mayfly I just killed was Buddhist

Death by newsprint –
the business section eclipsed the table lamp’s
mirthless glow as a story on Citgo’s Venezuela
trouble hit hard an unintended audience.

Perhaps he was meditating on death
or fashioning tiny mayfly prayer flags
from stray banana peel fibers,
which he’d dole out to other Buddhist mayflies

to place wherever Buddhist mayflies’ prayers need saying.
I’d like to think the life I took
just might have had a prayer
because Buddhist flies get another chance.

A mayfly’s samsara:
eat shit and mate.

I would have sent an incarnation onward as a station
on Nirvana Railways, giving it a second or third
hundredth shot at bodhi, which for Buddhist mayflies
is realized simply one day at time.

- - -


“The Badgers are on fire!”

Billy’s callin’ – I let it ring
because I know he’s watching
the Wisconsin game too, and wishes
to discuss the ten unanswered points,
and the announcer’s absurd observation.

I wonder if they’re worried, the badgers,
confronted with their abruptly
existential condition, combusting spontaneously like
frantic badger-shaped logs soaked in kerosene,
sputtering like stuntmen or popping like prop jobs,
these also on fire.

Or are they transcendent little furry burning monks,
tranquil as a phoenix in its last moments aflame
with foreknowledge of impending rebirth?

I imagine shouts of “FIRE!” in the Kohl Center –
spectacle of the unexpected. Still the squeak
of high tops, the quickening cadence
of leather on maple continues
as the home team smokes its competition.
Bucky bravely stands, sentinel on the sidelines,
mascot-ed head immersed in a Gatorade cooler.

Blogging the U23 World Rowing Championships Day 4

The U.S. Under-23 crew received three silver medals today at the U23 World Rowing Championships in Racice, Czech Republic. Our hero, Pete Orlando, and his crew in the lightweight quadruple sculls placed third in the B-level finals, or 9th overall.

In a race that saw many lead-changes, the U.S. quad was notably consistent. Never more than two seconds behind the lead boat, they pulled near even splits: 1:30, 1:30, 1:32, 1:30. That last split especially helped them pull ahead of Spain in the last 500 meters as Spain pulled roughly a 1:32 for fourth. Denmark finished first in a 6:00.76. Sweden was just 0.14 seconds behind in a 6:00.90. U.S.A. finished third with a 6:02.72.

It's been a long journey for Pete and his buddies. I'm sure they will be updating their blog soon. Congratulations on racing with the world's finest young rowers!

Othere U.S. News
After sitting third through the first half of the race, the defending champion U.S. women's eight charged ahead in the second 1,000 meters to beat out Poland and challenge Great Britain. Their sprint was not quite enough, though, and they finished 1.09 behind Great Britain, which posted a 6:20.71. Poland came in third.

The lightweight women's quadruple sculls was consistent throughout, with Germany winning, USA coming in second and Australia pulling in third.

After being down for the first 1,500 meters, the U.S. men's four charged through their sprint to improve from fourth place to second. New Zealand finished first and Germany third.

After a close first 500, the field separated in the women's four, seeing team USA struggle for position but ultimately fall to sixth. Belarus came in first, Italy second and New Zealand third.

B-level finals:
The lightweight men's four came in fourth in the B-level final, or 10th overall.

The lightweight women's double sculls finished sixth in the B-level final, or 12th overall

The women's single sculls came in second in the B-level final, or eighth overall.

In other news...
The men's eight final was remarkable in that the field was more condensed at the 1,000 meter mark than they were at the 500! (1.75 second spread from 1st to 6th vs. 3.99 seconds). The incredibly close field saw Poland jump to the lead for its only first-place finish. Poland turned a .64 deficit on Great Britain at 1,000 meters into a .70 second lead by 1,500. Poland and Germany then executed blistering sprints to edge out Britain, which finished third in 5:35.25. Germany finished second in 5:34.11 and Poland first with a 5:32.77.

World Rowing Web site here.
Full results from World Rowing here [.pdf].
USRowing will most likely update results Monday.

Blogging the U23 World Rowing Championships Day 3 (cont'd)

Complete Results from Saturday:

The U.S. men’s four came in third in its semifinal to advance to the A-level finals Sunday. It joins the women's pair, lightweight women's quadruple sculls, women's four, men's four with coxswain and women's eight in medal position.

Finishers:
LW1x 4th of six in C-level finals
LM1x 5th of 6 in D-level finals
M1x 3rd of six in C-level finals
LM2- 2nd of three in B-level finals
W2x 4th of four in B-level finals
LM2x 6th of sic in C-level finals
M2x 2nd of four in C-level finals
W4x 3rd of three in B-level finals
M4x 5th of five in C-level finals
M8+ 1st of three in B-level finals

Level Finals:
W1x [B]
LW2x [B]
LM4- [B]
M4- [A]
LM4x [B]

Crews in Medal Position:
W2-
LW4x
W4-
M4+
W8+

Blogging the U23 World Rowing Championships Day 2

First day of racing on the official U23 LM4x blog here.

After a hot day of racing, a storm rolled through Racice last night, with winds at a blistering 30 m/s (67 miles per hour). Luckily, racing had been advanced two hours, so there were not any problems with rowers. The boats are a different story.

According to World Rowing:

The terrible news is that a rack of men’s coxed four boats was picked up by the wind, embroiled like a tumble weed until it was stopped by a nearby truck. The coxed fours were from Great Britain, Germany, Ukraine, Italy, New Zealand, France, and USA. A Croatian boat was also involved, but it might be able to be repaired, according to Rainer Empacher of the German Empacher boatbuilders. Italian boatbuilder, Filippi has already organised special transport to be made tomorrow for two coxed fours from Italy. The German team has kindly offered their spare coxed four for use. The Czech Rowing Federation and the German Rowing Federation will be looking for other coxed fours for the remaining teams.

On top of this, the fours rack rolled over the Polish women’s eight and the boat was deemed not repairable at the regatta. The Polish will bring another eight from Poland on Friday. The German women’s eight was also damaged but can be repaired in time for their next race. A few other boats were damaged and more will be known about the damage on Friday.

The wonderful thing about rowing is that boat builders do come to regattas and do care about the teams that use their boats. Also, teams will offer boats and oars to teams whose equipment has been damaged (or who don't want to ship the shells and blades overseas).

- - -

One of the quirks of the World Rowing system is that everyone gets to race in a final to receive a ranking. Therefore there are six "final" races for the lightweight men's single sculls, and four for four other events.

Today the women's four and women's single sculls both finished second in their repechage races. The four will compete in the finals Sunday, while Helen Tompkins in the single will duke it out in the A-level semifinals tomorrow.

The lightweight women’s double sculls, lightweight men’s four, men’s four and lightweight men’s quadruple sculls did not race today, having advanced yesterday straight to Saturday's semifinals. The women's pair, men's four with coxswain, lightweight women's quadruple sculls and women's eight advanced directly to Sunday's final.

The above ten crews (W1x, W2-, LW2x, W4-, LM4-, M4-, M4+, LW4x and LM4x, W8+) are all in medal position.

In other USA news:
The M1x had a tight finish as Argentina's Brian Rosso beat Belgium's Bram Dubois to the finish line by .7 seconds, posting a 7:04.07. Over six seconds behind heading into the final 500 meters, USA's Stephen Lambers made a huge sprint, coming to within one second of Dubois and posting a 7:05.71, just short of making the A/B-level seminfinals.

The M2- missed qualifying for the A-level final in its repechage, losing by 20 seconds to second-place France. It was an incredible battle for first, though, as Germany beat France by .08 seconds, with a time of 6:39.87.

The LW1x is heading to the C-level final.

The LM1x is heading to the C/D-level semifinal.

The M2- is heading to the C-level finals after losing to Georgia by a second and a half.

The W2x is heading to the B-level finals after finishing sixth in their repechage.

The LM2x is heading to the C/D-level semifinals.

The M2x is heading to the C-level finals.

The W4x is heading to the B-level finals.

The M4x is heading to the C/D-level semifinals.

The M8+ is heading to the B-level finals.

Rowing resumes tomorrow, bright and early.

Day 2 results here [.pdf].
Previous results, entries, start lists here.
World Rowing coverage here.
USRowing coverage here.
U.S. boats underweight? here.

Blogging the U23 World Rowing Championships

Today marked the first day of rowing at the World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Racice, Czech Republic.

The USA lightweight men's quadruple sculls placed third in their heat to advance to the semifinals. Falling behind Germany's 6:08.83 and Hungary's 6:14.40, USA posted a 6:17.15, nearly 30 seconds ahead of Venezuela. Because USA was not pushed for placement, it's unknown what they are capable of facing tougher competition.

The fastest time of the morning was a 6:04.41, posted by Italy.

Repechages* and quarterfinals will be raced Friday, semifinals Saturday and Finals Sunday. Our boys (men?) get a day of rest.

If you're interested in checking out other races, the start list can be found in .pdf format here. Or you could get up early in the morning to check out the live race viewer.

Full Results:
The defending U.S. women's eight won their heat, along with the women's pair and lightweight men's four.

Teams advancing:
LM1x [Quarters]
W2- [Finals]
LW2x [Semis]
M4- [Semis]
LW4x [Finals]
LM4x [Semis]
LM4- [Semis]
M4+ [Finals]
W8+ [Finals]

Teams racing in repechages* tomorrow:
LW1x
W1x
M1x
LM2-
M2-
LM2x
W2x
M2x
W4-
W4x
M4x
M8+

*Repechage: French for "re-fishing," this is a consolation race for lower-placing teams that allows the winner(s) to get back into the medal bracket.

Complete results here [.pdf].
World Rowing coverage here.
USRowing coverage here.

Send Rowers Places

Reposted from the Facebook group, Send the Men's U23 Lightweight Quad to Worlds!:

The four of us just qualified to go to the Under 23 World Championships. This is an extremely costly endeavor for all of us and we need everyones help to do it. Worlds is in Prague, Czech Republic which makes it that much more expensive.

We are in the Lightweight 4x...
4 - Bob Duff
3 - Mike Nucci
2 - Pete Orlando
1 - Will Kelly

Unfortunately, the US doesn't pay for us, so we need everyone's help even if it's a couple bucks.

We are flying out to Prague on July 18th to kick some European ass.

You can help us by going to this website...

http://www.firstgiving.com/guenterbeutter1

THANKS

Read Pete's story here. Feel free to join me in making some dreams come true.

The Power of One

Congratulations Pete-O!

Powerhouse Timing results for the 2009 USRowing U23 & Jr World Championship Trials seem to indicate that former IC rower Pete Orlando is heading to the 2009 Under-23 World Rowing Championships!

Indeed, he just lit up my phone via text:

Going to u23 world championships!

Pete will be facing some of the best young competition on the planet in Racice, Czech Republic in the lightweight quad (4x).

A former commodore for Ithaca College, Pete only became a lightweight within the past year and a half after a lot of hard work and possible starvation. Clearly it was worth it.

Best of luck in this race and all the regattas to come.

A New Opportunity

May 22, 2009 - USRowing adds yet another collegiate championship regatta into the spring racing mix. Besides the risk of the race dates coinciding, isn't it a little absurd that there are so many "national" championships? That's three "national" championships we have now in the United States.

What is USRowing thinking? IRA is widely considered the national championship for men's racing. A new championship not just under the name of but actively controlled by USRowing pits the prestigious Intercollegiate Rowing Association against what amounts to its parent company. If you want to row internationally, the only way to do it is through USRowing.

Rowing championships are messed up enough as it is. Take a look at the ACRA championship results. In the men's varsity eight, Michigan destroyed the competition, finishing nearly eight seconds ahead of the UC Davis. Last place was Texas, with a 6:31.1. See the strength gap?

It's even more pronounced in the men's varsity four with cox, which Penn State won with a 6:40.2. LSU staggered across the petite-finals line with a 7:31.0. In the third-level final, Binghamton finished with a 7:10.6 (bad seeding?) while Ohio State struggled for a 7:42.5, over a minute behind Penn State.

What I like about the ACRAs, though, is the emphasis on small boats.

Everyone knows the Varsity 8 is the holy grail of collegiate rowing, showing you can field eight strong rowers at your school. But what about schools that only have, say, four great rowers and twelve other mediocre ones? Question: Do you put together a strong four and a mediocre eight or a mediocre eight and a mediocre four?

Answer: You put your strongest guys in the eight, because that is your Texas Football Team(TM). Your Texas Football Team wins you respect, even if all the players are weaker than those soccer pansies (read: scullers and other technically good rowers, etc.) who are only good for giving you kickers. You lead with your Texas Football Team because it's the biggest penis you have to flaunt.

USRowing could really shine in offering elite-level competition in small boats and sculling (1x, 2-, 2x as well as 4- and 4x). This is an unfilled niche in the rowing championship market. Both the NCAA and IRA championships focus on big boats (eights and fours). The USRowing championships would offer a nice championship for smaller schools and those that wish to focus more on sculling.

From the press release:

"The purpose of creating this event is to provide a post-season regatta for the collegiate community that truly reflects an open format across multiple boat classes," said USRowing Chief Executive Officer Glenn Merry. "Our junior programs have really embraced small boat rowing and sculling, and this regatta will provide similar racing opportunities for collegiate rowers."

That "open format" does not exist now, but USRowing stands able to really create it with this championship. Long under-represented, sculling and small-boats offer a great opportunity for smaller schools and teams that do not have the recruiting power of D-I and Ivy schools.

Flagrant Fouls, Home Court Advantage

In this corner: Jim Calhoun. (That's the corner with the money)
In this corner: Ken Krayeske. (That's the corner with people asking about the money)
In this corner: Gov. Jodi Rell. (That's the corner angry with the outburst)
In this corner: Bros. (That's the corner filled with UConn grads watching the game in a sports bar).

Four corners!? Are we even talking about the same thing anymore? I thought this was an issue of money! We're not talking about money now? That's all we've talked about so far this year!

It's no longer Krayeske v. Calhoun. Now it's Rell v. Calhoun and Bros, with Krayeske as the clown.

Fair and balanced news coverage indeed. My favorite parts are the cheap shots at Krayeske:

If someone asked the reporter about how much he made a year, I'm sure he wouldn't have...had an answer right away either.
-Man in the bar

I don't want to put words into Krayeske's mouth, but I'm sure he would have been happy to answer. He's an independent reporter, not Peter Jennings.

But it's the reporter's cheap shot that really gets to me:

Now there's no indication that Coach Calhoun plans to address this again. Ken Krayeske, meanwhile, has said he's not done with it. We'll just have to wait to see if he makes the trip to Milwaukee to continue his line of questioning.

I wonder how much Laurie Perez was paid to throw that in.

Perhaps I celebrated a bit too early. Jeff Jacobs reverted to eyes-glazed UConn beat reporter. ESPN and many radio talk shows are defending Calhoun. But the New Haven Register is doing some good reporting on the issue that matters (which isn't anger, but money). This is only the first seed, perhaps. And given the way the economy is going, (to do so, just check out the daily Drudge Report headline) it seems this question may be asked more and more.

By the way, I checked out Office of Postsecondary Education and made some interesting discoveries. UConn basketball's revenue is $12,603,755 combined. The men's team takes in $7,333,214. But its expenses are $6,097,728, so men's basketball "only" profits a little over a million.

Sure there are more factors than that, such as potential student draw (athlete and non-athlete) and supporting local business, not to mention morale for the state. But it turns out that mountain of money was actually just a mole hill.

Strong Personalities, Big Questions

UConn men's basketball coach Jim Calhoun explodes at "reporter" Ken Krayeske at press conference.

In case you aren't familiar with this story, you can check out the AP's account here.

When I first saw the video, entitled "Jim Calhoun Owns Reporter (Ken Krayeske)," my first reaction was, "Wrong time, wrong place. That reporter's getting reassigned." No self-respecting reporter would actually ask that kind of question at a press conference, for fear of losing everything that goes along with being on the UConn men's basketball beat (more thoughts on this here and here). But it turns out Krayeske isn't a mainstream news reporter. He's a blogger.

Ah, this changes everything.

David Borges, beat reporter for the New Haven Register, wrote a particularly scathing review on his blog, but was kind enough to include the transcript. He ended his entry:

Bottom line: there's a time and place to ask Calhoun questions about this. Leading off a postgame presser with this line of questioning isn't the time or the place, and rather comes across as simply a way to call attention to yourself in a loud and obnoxious way.

But that's the point, isn't it?

Krayeske is the sort of go-get-'em guy so essential to independent media. He's not afraid to ask hard questions or get arrested for his views. He started a conversation that otherwise would not have begun. He prodded the mainstream media into action.

The barrage of media coverage by the Hartford Courant alone is staggering.

And it's funny. Coverage has gone from "objective"/everyday:

Krayeske, 36, of Hartford, was arrested in 2007 and charged with breach of peace and interfering with an officer at Gov. M. Jode Rell's inaugural parade. The charges were later dropped.

The press conference continued without further incident.

to Jeff Jacobs' more objective analysis:

For years, The Courant has jousted with Calhoun and Auriemma on contracts and quantifying endorsement money.

Krayeske leaves me a little cold when he starts coming off like the only Woodward or Bernstein in Connecticut.

Having said that ... in the wake of Gov. M. Jodi Rell's request of a 5 percent across the board budget cut at state schools, I know of no journalist who has asked Calhoun or Auriemma about the merits of a pay cut. So bully for Krayeske. As big a pain as he can be, he keeps us honest.

I honor his agitation.

to analysis on the financial situation:

Around the country, teachers, elected officials, casino employees, state employees, even newspaper reporters and a university president, are giving up some pay these days. It's what happens when people are suffering.

It has nothing to do with whether you are a clerk at the DMV, a bank president or even the most successful college basketball coach in the country.

to calls for Calhoun to be disciplined in a letter from state legislators (.pdf):

His recent behavior was unacceptable and we request that the university take appropriate disciplinary action to reinforce the high ethical standards we have come to expect from our flagship institution.

He's really started something.

It's funny, in a way, because what Krayeske has essentially done is opened the door for mainstream media to start covering an issue that before would have been much more difficult taking into account the nature of beat reporting and papers' bottom-line interests.

But wait, the guy got in on photography credentials - should he have even asked the question?

If he hadn't, would we be discussing it now?

There's a Reason Enron Field is Gone

Given my post yesterday, I was very excited to pick up the Wall Street Journal this morning and read the front page headline, "Citigroup Explores Breaking Mets Deal." [WSJ Online is by subscription, but you can check out a summary here.]

The deal would give Citigroup, Inc. naming rights to the new Mets stadium in a 20 year, $400 million marketing deal.

This comes on the heels of a letter by U.S. Representatives Dennis Kicinich (D., Ohio) and Ted Poe (R., Texas) advising Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner:

"Citigroup is not dependent on the support of the federal government for its survivall as an institution...As such, we do not believe Citigroup ought to spend $400 million to name a stadium at the same time that they accept over $350 billion in taxpayer support and guarantees."

But Citigroup says it is locked into a deal. A CNN report detailing how Citigroup does intend to spend its $45 billion in bailout funds read:

Citigroup told CNN in a statement though that it has a "legally binding agreement" with the Mets, and that it is "using no TARP capital for Citi Field, or for marketing purposes."

One must, of course, consider the fee that Citigroup would have to pay to back out. Plus that might set a "bad precedent." According to an executive quoted in the Journal:

"If we cave for political reasons, it will have enormous implications for our ability to contract with third parties."

Oh, really? I thought it was problems in "contracting" with "third parties" that caused this whole mess. Shouldn't your new financial backers (read: taxpayers) have some say in the way you operate? If you don't want to be influenced by politics, don't beg the government for taxpayer money.

There is hope in sight, however. The Journal goes on to make a very astute observation,

If Citigroup parts ways with the Mets, other financial institutions may find themselves under pressure to reconsider sports-marketing deals.

Right now, it's a spin on the prisoner's dilemma for the banking giants. If one defects, they will all be pushed to follow suit in an attempt to seem benevolent. If none defect, they will be able to remain as they are, mistrusted by the public but still operating on their own terms. The greatest hope is that one will crack under public pressure and set the precedent for the rest. Citigroup may be the first, given its report on spending and its consideration of backing out of the deal.


A note:
The article doesn't go here, but I would like to know exactly how banks benefit from these deals. Does the stadium just act as a giant billboard and place for people to sign up for bank accounts? I'm operating on the assumption that this is just $400 million worth of advertisements that will not be recouped, and I would like to see how else Citigroup intends to capitalize (as in, you know, make money) on the deal.

Tracking a Story

"Poor men wanna be rich,
rich men wanna be kings,
And a king ain't satisfied
till he rules everything."

Perhaps Springsteen should have played "Badlands" in yesterday's halftime show. But that might have been too real - the Super Bowl is all about escaping the world for one Sunday evening, right?

That's what Bank of America must think, anyway.

The Huffington Post headline this morning read: "Bailed Out Bank Spends Millions on Super Bowl Activities." It linked to an ABC News article on Bank of America's corporate sponsorship of the multi-million dollar "NFL Experience," a five-day carnival/midway/bazaar held outside of Raymond James Stadium. This is on top of an estimated $10 million in corporate sponsorship.

Granted, there had to be some contract. But Tom Schatz, president of the watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste, notes that:

"The Super Bowl is a big deal, but it's a bigger deal that Bank of America is being bailed out by the America taxpayers," Schatz said. "This is an exceptional year and it's a time to say we're not going to do business as usual. We're going to say no, we're going to show some restraint, and we're going to cut back on something that really isn't absolutely necessary."

The Drudge Report also linked to the article (the headline was about the actual game). A bunch of bloggers picked up on it, but the only mainstream media article linked to is that ABC article. The media were all over that game. Where is everyone else's coverage?

I was confused a bit by NPR's coverage of the game versus the economy. Linton Weeks writes:

At a time when many Americans have to choose between groceries and gasoline, the idea of paying a grown man $78,000 for playing on the winning football team (in addition to the millions he is already hauling in) makes the executives of Bank of America look like pikers.

[A piker (I didn't know this) is one who makes small bets.] That assertion is nonsensical, considering Bank of America received $45 billion dollars in bailout money, $20 billion of which is said to be for problems caused by the purchase of Merrill Lynch. And they are not revealing how that money is being spent. Well, sort of. I suppose some of it must have gone toward a Super Bowl party...or something.

The NPR article continued:

And if you need more evidence, Playboy and Sports Illustrated have canceled their Super Bowl soirees this year. Maxim magazine has trimmed back its party plans. And the Tampa Tribune is reporting that corporate jet traffic may be less than expected.

"No one is immune from the economy," said Reid Sigmon, the Super Bowl host committee's executive director, "not [even] the NFL."

Though according to a Tampa Bay Tribune article, the parties in the corporate suites were pretty nice:

The corporate suites were filled with a "who's who" of corporate America. AT&T, Motorola, NBC and Pepsi. Even some executives from institutions that have received billions in corporate bailout money watched the game from suites. Capital One, Wachovia and Bank of America had suites with all the trimmings.

Today, perhaps it will be back to business as usual, including finding some way to scrape together the $7 million to keep the Carolina Panthers playing in Bank of America Stadium.

Re: Finding a Problem at Its Source

Today's discussion in class gave me a better understanding of how blogs can survive without the mainstream press.

Most of the information bloggers need can be sifted out of press releases and other forms of communication that an organization might use. It is easier to comment on people making a fool of themselves in print or over the air, but in terms of pure information, this is not essential in a general sense.

An interesting thought: Professor Cohen made a remark that went something like, "The great thing about being under communism is that you know the media is all propaganda." Thinking of the reverse is scary. Getting the true story by PR alone (and interpreting and balancing it, too) might be the way to go. If a source does not trust me, that's the story I will get form them anyway. If they do trust me, and I ever want to talk to them again, I'm going to have to write something close to the PR line because if I lambast them the odds of them assenting to another interview is probably pretty low.

I still maintain that some form of press is needed though, if only to catch politicians making racist comments or athletes making fools of themselves. You can learn a lot about character by what people say when they don't think a mic is near.

Finding a Problem at Its Source

Topic for the day: "Maverick, independent values: Stickin' it to the Man"

I really didn't think I would make it past the first graf of Glenn Greenwald's June 2008 Salon piece, Longtime reporter: "Bloggers have taught me a lesson" about dependency on sources. For some reason, he decided to change the tense of a quote of subject Dwight Jaynes, inserting a number of unnecessary brackets that muddled the typography. The original read:

...it’s led me to alter my approach to the way I do my job as a columnist, pushing me away from a philosophy I held dear for decades in this business. I changed, though, because the bloggers have taught me a lesson.

Greenwald changed it to read:

...led [him] to alter [his] approach to the way [he] do[es] [his] job as a columnist, pushing [him] away from a philosophy [he] held dear for decades in this business.

Perhaps I've lost you already with a quirk of my own. But I actually can relate to Jaynes, who found his writing was not-so impartial as a beat reporter for the Trail Blazers. He found access, but said:

Over time, you realize that in spite of all your attempts to know athletes and public figures, what you usually end up writing about them is the cover story – the half-true piece of semifiction that those people want the public to see. You begin to realize you’re usually getting played. And you sold your soul to get it.

It's a delicate balance between reporting the news and reporting what essentially amounts to PR. Well, actually, there should be no balance. It should be all news. But if Jaynes wanted to ever talk to these people, his articles would have to be notably positive.

New York Times reporter Rick Lyman faced a similar problem in his venue of political reporting, denied access on Dick Cheney's jet (even with open seats the paper payed for). People speculate it had something to do with the nature of the publication. How close did he get? Not very. It just shows that the strength of certain stories is dependant on access.

I faced something similar this summer interning in the media department of USRowing. My position was clearly PR, but I was assigned some articles that could really walk the line. I was told to write an article on the Detroit Boat Club, the nation's oldest boating club. The story was supposed to be about how the place was once great, then fell into disrepair, and now a band of rowers is attempting to fix it up. Simple PR line.

But as I conducted interviews, I began to uncover an undercurrent of racism. Rowing is a sport dominated by whites and throughout history has been a sport for the richer classes. I began to wonder about the state of rowing in Detroit, a city whose population is 81.6 percent black.

The Detroit Boat Club sits on Belle Isle, a stone's throw from Grosse Point, home to the white wealthy auto executives and their families. The suburb is 97.2 percent white and the median income is $81,111, as opposed to $29,526 for the city.

In interviews, I found that any "diversity" was mere tokenism, and a couple members seemed to be fearful of the Arab population. But I had to put the place in the most positive light in order to satisfy my boss, the organization, and rowers who wished to see the sport was making "progress" with women and minorities (actual progress has been made with the former, thanks largely to Title IX, which allows member-heavy women's crew to compensate for football in the NCAA).

But the reason these people were talking to me so candidly, I suspect, is because they trusted me to tell a positive story (or they were unaware of their racism). If a random blogger began asking some of these questions, I doubt they would be answered. I had access. But I also had a check on me.

This is a problem in the blogosphere. If I have an opinion contrary to yours and no press credentials save my own website, would you speak to me candidly?

There are many strong bloggers with credentials out there who might get such an interview, but unfortunately, a good deal of blogging is metanews. Dan Kennedy's recent article in the Boston Phoenix does not even quote a live source...and it's not even a blog! While blogs are doing a great amount of research, more traditional institutions of journalism are still needed to get the quotes.

...Which is probably why my professor pointed me to an article that originally appeared on IPS, an independent news service. Independent and trustworthy? That I can live with - in another post.