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Taking the Initiative

thenewbriansig — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:47:15 +0000

In the spirit of the new football season, I am doing a little Monday-morning quarterbacking on Thursday (opening night for the NFL). Don’t ask me why, but I feel a little foolish about announcing my desire to work for the University of Iowa someday. There’s no need to worry about the future. I need to focus on the present instead.

What I’ve learned in my professional career is that you get ahead by making your own opportunities. I didn’t become a news producer just because I wanted to, I did it by showing initiative when I was an intern. Same goes for at The Gazette. It didn’t just magically happen that I moved from sports stats to calendar and obits then to features as a reporter. They promoted me because I showed initiative.

So that’s what I have to do now to get what I want later on. I admit that I haven’t been so good at it with this project thus far. I’ve had my moments, but am still trying to feel my way through the whole process. There’s been one top secret idea that I’ve had and I want to try to put a proposal together on it, but the big issue here is its feasibility.

On one hand, I should throw caution at the wind and start writing the proposal. But on the other hand, my philosophy has always been that anything worth doing is worth doing right. I can’t just walk up to people and say “hey, I have an idea!” and expect they will go along with it. The idea needs to be well thought-out before I present it to anyone. It’s something I’ve been meaning to work on this week, but have not gotten around to it.

I’ve shown a little more initiative in the other project I’m helping out with, Eastern Iowa News. That might be because there’s a lot more room for spontaneity there. Not only am I writing articles about volunteering efforts in Cedar Rapids, but I’m actually doing a little bit of sportswriting. I was a guest panelist on the live chat for Iowa-UNI last weekend, and I was asked just this morning to cover the Panthers again, this time in Cedar Falls.

There might be some concern that the work I am doing with Eastern Iowa News (note use of the word with rather than for) constitutes as having a second job. It’s not. I am simply helping out as a favor to a fellow former Gazette alumnus. I do not make any extra money doing this. I don’t know that he even makes any money off of it. I will pay the gas money to and from Cedar Falls out of my own pocket.

In addition, I feel that I am providing a community service in this effort. The Iowa-Iowa State game is airing this Saturday on Fox Sports Net, which the Corridor technically does not have. I did a little bit of checking and was able to find out what channels the game will be on for both cable and satellite subscribers.

When you consider all of the problems the world is facing right now, it seems that what TV station the Hawkeyes and Cyclones are playing on is a rather trivial matter. That being said, technology can be quite frustrating, and it’s a courtesy to share your knowledge with everyone so it makes their lives a little easier.

Bottom line is, I consider no task to be too small. Whether it’s helping with cleanup from the flood, or finding the channel a certain football game will be on, it’s my honor to serve the people of Eastern Iowa. Now that’s an initiative that everyone can benefit from.

Which Football theme song do you like better? #1

Mitch — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 06:11:38 +0000

We like random crap about the world of sports. One of my favorites is theme songs to broadcasts. They enhance the tone of a football game to me. So throughout the week I’m going to be posting some football theme songs that you can vote on to say which one is better.

First match-up. Fox Sports Net College Football vs. NBC Sunday Night Football.

Fox Sports Net College Football

Thoughts: Always reminds me of Kyocera and a late-night Pac-10 game with Steve Physioc or Barry Tompkins.

NBC Sunday Night NFL Football

Thoughts: Pretty damn powerful stuff right here. Since the NBC regained NFL rights I have really liked this theme. Going to miss hearing John Madden this year.

Shaq Press Conference! | King James Gospel | A Cleveland Cavaliers ...

hepuxode — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 07:49:35 +0000

Shaq Press Conference! | King James Gospel | A Cleveland Cavaliers …

Brock Lesner says: July 2, 2009 at 1:44 pm. SHAQ WILL ALWAYS, IN MY OPINION, BE THE BEST BASKETBALL PLAYER IN THE HISTORY OF THE NBA. mitch robson- ohio says: July 2, 2009 at 2:02 pm. shaq is now my favorite cavs fan …

Cavaliers schedule 1PM press conference to welcome Shaq. Shaq is in town, ready to meet with the media for the first time since he was traded to Cleveland last week. Link about 1 hour ago Fts_small_tiny …

Cavaliers schedule 1PM press conference to welcome Shaq - Fear The ...

hepuxode — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:08:39 +0000

Cavaliers schedule 1PM press conference to welcome Shaq – Fear The …

It&s the moment we&ve all been waiting for, the Cleveland Cavaliers will be holding a press conference to introduce newly acquired Center, Shaquille O&Neal.

The Hockey News: Headlines: Pittsburgh Penguins to seek

klaasbaber1997 — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 05:50:05 +0000

The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947.[More..]

Welcome to Pensburgh.com – a Pittsburgh Penguins blog dedicated to building a community of, by and for Pittsburgh Penguins fans. Start posting about the Penguins ». Join SB Nation and dive into communities focused on all your favorite …[More..]

The Official Site of the Pittsburgh Penguins.[More..]

FSN

klaasbaber1997 — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 05:49:43 +0000

Thursday

Bud Selig is set to Fine and Remove Pittsburgh Pirates • MOVE ON ...

klaasbaber1997 — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 05:29:47 +0000

I am a Pittsburgh and related area sports fan. In college ball, I defy the norm by following not only Penn State, but also Pittsburgh and West Virginia as well. I like to see them all perform well. Football and hockey are my favorites, …[More..]

After unsuccessfully

Flyers More Than Good Enough to Force Game Six --NHL FanHouse

klaasbaber1997 — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 05:27:00 +0000

This Is Getting Old. Pirates, Penguins, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pens, Penn State, Music, Movies, and More (Basically, Things I Like). Thursday, April 23, 2009. New FSN Pittsburgh Logo. at 8:36 PM Posted by Brad. 0 comments: Post a Comment …[More..]

“Tonight

Sad days ahead for Rocky Mountain News sports reporters, readers

Lodish — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 06:32:54 +0000

Like always, Rocky Mountain News sports cartoonist Drew Litton exemplifies the thoughts of Denver sports fans. Let's hope this cartoon posted on a site dedicated to saving Litton's Rocky Mountain News isn't one of his last. (Cartoon by Drew Litton from Iwantmyrocky.com)

For more than a quarter century, readers of the Rocky Mountain News have opened up to Page 2 of their sports section to find the drawings of Drew Litton, one of the last remaining sports cartoonist in the country. But starting next week their may not even be a Rocky to open.

Yes, it’s sad but true, Litton and roughly 250 other Rocky employees are likely to be out of a job unless by some miracle — we’re talking a miracle the 2007 Rockies would envy — a philanthopist, or seven, takes the 150-year-old paper off the hands of E.W. Scripps.

For as long as I’ve been alive, Denver has been a two paper town, but I’ve always been a reader of the Rocky. Not to say I don’t catch the Denver Post, but if I’m forced to choose between the two, the Rocky is my choice. The sports reporting at the Rocky is magnificent. Whether it be Hall of Fame writer Tracy Ringolsby on the Rockies bete, Jeff Legwold on the Broncos bete or Dave Krieger’s insite as a columnist, their staff does a magnificant job covering the sports scene in Colorado, which has grown exponentially in the last 25 years (when Krieger started their were only two professional sports teams.)

For those who aren’t familiar with the plight the Rocky – and really the entire journalism industry – is facing, I’ll fill you in. Scripps owns the Rocky and put it up for sale on Dec. 4. It cost Scripps $20 million to pay it’s newsroom employees in 2008 and the company generated just $5 million in profit distributions last year. I only took one math class in college, but HOLY CRAP! No wonder Scripps is selling (or maybe the better phrase would be practically giving away) the newspaper.

The last edition of the paper was expected to be last Saturday, but Scripps extended their sale deadline for another week. That news offered the tiniest glimmer of hope to the Rocky employees, but not much. You certainly can’t accuse the Rocky staffers of not trying to save their paper though. They’ve planned a candlelight march in Downtown Denver on Thursday, Jan. 29 to help build support for their cause.

Employees at the Rocky also started a Web site, iwantmyrocky.com, and a Facebook group to garner community support, but neither are doing extremely well. The Facebook group had just 432 members as of Wednesday night.

It’s extremely discouraging to see so many journalists, including a few Pulitzer Prize winners, losing their jobs. But as a sports fan, it will be tough not to have the joy to read the product the Rocky sports staff is well-respected for and known for turning out.

There has been little word on the Internet about what might happen to the Rocky’s top sports reporters and columnists, but they’re all good enough to get jobs somewhere. It’s probably just not likely they’ll get to stay in Denver. Journalists of that ilk demand a high salary and it’s not like other papers in Colorado have extra cash lying around (believe me, I know first hand.) It’s wait and see for the entire paper, not just the sports guys.

It’s likely guys like Sam Adams, who doesn’t do much for the Rocky anymore anyways, will take on bigger roles with Fox Sports Net. The same can probably be said for Krieger. But that’s just speculation. The Rocky columnnists are well-known and have informed, unique opinions to offer and they will likely find some sort of platform. Maybe even some opportunities on the radio will open up, but then again Clear Channel (owner of 104.3 The Fan) announced layoffs this week, too.

The reporters are the Rocky employees who I worry the most about. Ringolsby said on his posting at iwantmyrocky.com that he’s turned down several offers for better jobs in the past. This comes as no surprise. The guy is as good as Peter Gammons, he just never took the job at ESPN to get all the publicity. But where will the cowboy from Wyoming end up? He loves living at his ranch and obviously loves covering the Rockies. Maybe something will open up for him, we’ll see. I doubt we’ve read Ringolsby’s last report on the Rockies, but it’s entirely possible.

Legwold is another reproter I hope to see stick around. Knowing he was likely to be out of a job in the next month, Legwold easily did the best reporting on the Mike Shanahan firing and the coaching search that ensued. Right from the get-go it was clear that for all my Broncos coaching news in the last month that my first and only stop needed to by the Rocky’s Web site.

With two newspapers in town, there have always been enough opinions and stories out there to get all the information one could possibly need. But will that change with just the Post to fill our ever-expanding thirst for sports knowledge? Sure the Post has a solid sports staff as well, in particular Troy Renck on the Rockies bete, but are we really going to be stuck with Woody “I only care about making my column look pretty” Paige and Mark “I know it all and you’ll like it” Kiszla as the predominant voices of reason for the Mile High City? God I hope not.

Unlike much of the Post sports staff, I’ve always respected the Rocky staff for being able to hit the nail on the head. One of my favorite Litton cartoons was circa 1996 after the Avs won the Stanley Cup. If you follow Litton’s cartoons like I do, you probably already know what I’m talking about. The cartoon showed Joe Sakic sleeping in his bed with the Stanley Cup resting on his night stand. Sakic had one eye open, peering over his shoulder at a buck-toothed John Elway peaking through his window. It still brings a smile to my face more than 10 years later.

We’ll miss you Drew. And the same goes for the entire Rocky sports staff. We here at Mile High City Sports can only hope to read your words in the future.

Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket Backpedals on Rinkside View

Gann Matsuda — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:13:05 +0000

LOS ANGELES — Watch out! If Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket (FSW/PT) executives backpedal any faster, they could run someone over while breaking the world land speed record.

Indeed, in response to the tremendous outcry and what appears to be pressure from the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, FSW/PT executives Tom Feuer and Steve Simpson were in serious damage control mode on Wednesday and Thursday, stating that they will be “fixing” the rinkside view broadcasts, starting with the Kings vs. Ducks high definition telecast on Sunday, November 16.

In stories by the Daily News, Los Angeles Times and Orange County Register, Feuer and Simpson spoke of the changes viewers can look forward to starting on Sunday. Kudos to FSW/PT execs for finally listening to the fans (and probably Kings and Ducks management). However, it is doubtful such changes would have come about sooner without the media coverage, which clearly put them on the defensive. Indeed, their reaction to the media attention showed that they totally misjudged and, until this week, ignored the reaction of the fans. It also shined a bright light on their arrogance, as Feuer’s comment telling fans who don’t like rinkside view “…don’t watch” exemplified.

Here’s a wrap-up of the stories where you can read all the details:

Daily News
Coming Friday: This Not-So-Rinky-Dink “Rinkside” Flap
The Media Learning Curve: More on “Rinkside,” ManRam, Hazel Mae, MMA and Closeted Fiction
MEDIA: Trying To Fix The Stink of FSN’s “Rinkside”

Los Angeles Times
Fox Sports Promises That Rinkside View Will Be Smoother, Slower
Ducks, Kings Offer Views On Rinkside View

Orange County Register
FSN To Tweak “Rinkside” After Fans Speak Out

New York Times
More Morning Skate: A Rinkside View Fans Don’t Like

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Don't Like Rinkside View? Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket Says, Then "Don't Watch"

Gann Matsuda — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:30:43 +0000

LOS ANGELES — The way behavioral traits such as politeness, common courtesy, professionalism, etc., have often gone by the wayside over the last twenty years, no one should be surprised by the vitriol from both sides of the increasingly heated furor over Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket’s (FSW/PT) use of “rinkside view” (see Rinkside View Loses By Landslide Margin) on their high definition (HD) broadcasts of Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks games this season.

To be sure, the threats, epithets and foul language aimed at Tom Feuer, Executive Director of FSW/PT, are unwarranted. However, the reasons behind the heavy, angry criticism aimed at him are quite valid.

In an article by Curtis Zupke in the Orange County Register’s Ducks Blog entitled, “Upon Further Review..‘Rinkside’ Not Going Away,” Feuer, for all intents and purposes, told dedicated viewers of Kings and Ducks broadcasts to deal with it or go [insert your favorite expletive here] themselves.

“I’m going to get killed for this,” Feuer told the Register. “But if these people truly don’t like ‘Rinkside View,’ then don’t watch.”

Although it is clear that this comment is an obvious reference to ratings for the rinkside view broadcasts, it is, nevertheless, a blatant display of arrogance and a total lack of professionalism.

As stated in Frozen Royalty’s op-ed piece on this subject on October 30, “…Kings and Ducks broadcasts have traditionally suffered from poor ratings and FSW/PT is obviously testing rinkside view in the hopes that it will give their Kings and Ducks broadcasts a boost in viewership.”

Indeed, ratings are up for the rinkside view telecasts.

“It seems to me the ratings for these games are up ," said Feuer. “We’re getting a ton of e-mails, and most are negative. But I think that the people that don’t like something are the ones that will do something about it, and the ones that like it will continue to watch.”

“They may not like it, but they seem to want to watch it,” added Feuer, who said that ratings for rinkside view broadcasts of Kings games have jumped 200 percent, and 20 percent for Ducks telecasts, with the October 14 game between the two clubs earning the second-highest rating since the 2004-05 lockout.

No one can blame FSW/PT for attempting to boost their ratings. After all, higher ratings translates into higher advertising revenues. That said, the tremendous arrogance displayed by Feuer has understandably and justifiably made Kings and Ducks fans seethe with anger.

Although some have called for Feuer’s head, it is highly unlikely that he will be fired. However, it is clear that he has acted without regard to the existing viewer base for Kings and Ducks telecasts. Rather, he has tossed them out with the garbage—sacrificing them by gambling on a gimmick aimed at attracting new viewers.

And while ratings may be up for the rinkside view broadcasts, one thing Feuer is ignoring (or, more likely, does not understand) is that the Kings are a more entertaining team and are a better team so far this season. Despite that, fans are not showing up at the arena—many have clearly chosen to stay home and watch the games on television instead.

Although this likely does not explain all the reasons for the ratings increase, given the circumstances and the state of the economy, it has to be a highly significant factor, one that FSW/PT has not, in all likelihood, taken into consideration. After all, it is all about the ratings, baby.

I have already written about why rinkside view is nothing more than a badly thought-out gimmick in my earlier piece, so I will not belabor the point. However, based on Feuer’s arrogant, go-screw-yourselves attitude, it is time for the management of the Kings and Ducks, if they have the authority, to stand up for their fans—they have to be angry that Feuer told their fans “…not to watch.” Indeed, even though the vast majority of these viewers may not be season ticket holders or luxury suite holders, the Kings and Ducks must now demand that FSW/PT dump rinkside view once and for all.

Rinkside View Loses By Landslide Margin

Gann Matsuda — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 21:38:59 +0000

COMMENTARY: Viewers overwhelmingly loathe the “rinkside view” that Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket is showing on Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks telecasts. It is time for this utter failure of an experiment to end. Now.

LOS ANGELES — In the spirit of both Halloween and the 2008 election, Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket (FSW/PT) is scaring fans away from their Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks high definition (HD) broadcasts this season, and it is quite clear that the voters have spoken and have given Tom Feuer, Executive Director of FSW/PT, and both the Kings and Ducks, a mandate to dump the “rinkside view” that they are using this season on all HD broadcasts for the Kings and Ducks.

In fact, as voters across the country decide on Barack Obama vs. John McCain, and as California voters are about to decide on propositions dealing with marriage, funding public transportation projects, reapportionment and the like, Southern California hockey fans have also voted and they have given a landslide victory to the No on Rinkside View campaign.

To be sure, the outcry from fans has been so overwhelming that it is, to say the least, rather curious that FSW/PT has not already dumped rinkside view, which utilizes cameras at ice level to bring viewers an up-close view of the game action, specifically, whereever the puck is.

The problem with this view is that although it can be rather cool to see the action using such a close view, it does not translate well to television at all. To be sure, because of the speed of the game, hockey does not translate nearly as well as basketball, football or baseball to television and it must be viewed from cameras above ice level to get the proper perspective.

Instead, what FSW/PT is doing with their HD broadcasts is nothing more than dizzying and nauseating. The camera angles are so limited that you cannot watch play away from the puck, which is as important as the play around it—it takes far more away from the game broadcast than it adds. To most, it is not something they can watch for more than a few minutes, if that.

Kings and Ducks broadcasts have traditionally suffered from poor ratings and FSW/PT is obviously testing rinkside view in the hopes that it will give their Kings and Ducks broadcasts a boost in viewership. But this horrible gimmick is just that…a gimmick. It does nothing to improve hockey on television. Rather, it seriously detracts from it and while it might raise the curiosity of a miniscule number of infrequent viewers or even a small handful of brand new viewers, rinkside view is not going to improve their ratings. Indeed, if FSW/PT thinks those viewers will be hooked by it, they are badly mistaken. Moreover, rinkside view is already driving their core viewers away en masse—no doubt a losing proposition for FSW/PT.

Someone might want to give the folks responsible for rinkside view over at FSW/PT a lesson in basic math and since some of them apparently believe that rinkside view is worthwhile, a few pointers on hockey would also seem to be in order. And there is one other thing…perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised about this. After all, Fox is also responsible for another travesty in terms of broadcasting hockey on television…the infamous “glow puck” that still makes hockey fans shudder to this day.

fightstalker — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:36:15 +0000

IFL Gains Time Slot On Fox Sports Net