Layoffs at MLB.com claim a few

[SnoopyBoy]

MLB.com, which I thought was about as stable as it comes in this business, has laid off 20-25 people, including seven in editorial. Included are Jim Molony, Jack O'Connell, Mike Scarr, Justice Hill, Robert Falkoff and Kevin Czerwinski.

Apologies if posted elsewhere...

[Moderator1]

Jeez.
Will they still have a "beat guy" for every team?

[BYH]

This is really fucking disgusting.

They are PRINTING money at mlb.com. PRINTING IT. It's not like they're operating a dying medium. MLB.com is profitable a zillion times over. Yet these rotten bastards are STILL cutting people and STILL cutting space. It's the fucking Internet! There's no space restrictions! Yet there are fewer and fewer stories every year.

The end game is interns doing everything and the place just existing to sell T-shirts. Book it.

A lot of good people lost their jobs there. Fuck you, mlb.com.

[Mediator]

I can't believe this. It's every day now. And no one works harder than a baseball writer with no space restraints. I just don't know what to think anymore...

[playthrough]

Hope someone reminds Bud about this the next time he blathers on and on about baseball's health.

[Lee Jackson Beauregard]

MLB.com isn't filling correspondent openings with seasoned pros, either. Mostly green ex-collegians. Big surprise there.

[Smasher_Sloan]

This is really fucking disgusting.

They are PRINTING money at mlb.com. PRINTING IT. It's not like they're operating a dying medium. MLB.com is profitable a zillion times over. Yet these rotten bastards are STILL cutting people and STILL cutting space. It's the fucking Internet! There's no space restrictions! Yet there are fewer and fewer stories every year.

The end game is interns doing everything and the place just existing to sell T-shirts. Book it.

A lot of good people lost their jobs there. Fuck you, mlb.com.

Amen. Slimy bastards.

[BYH]

MLB.com isn't filling correspondent openings with seasoned pros, either. Mostly green ex-collegians. Big surprise there.

Not mostly. Completely.

Baseball is doing just fine. But there's always more fat to cut for Bob DuPuy and the rest of the rotten pieces of shit.

[SF_Express]

Know a number of people there, so was concerned for former collleagues, but not any of these. Still sucks, though.

[GBNF]

Damn, man, Justice is a good dude. This sucks. Again. It always sucks. Fuck.

[In Exile]

Bud made $14.5 million in 2005.

Note to Bud: See auto industry.  Meet you there in a few.

[Joe Williams]

[....... waiting for Jim Jenks to weigh in on the cuts and on working with all green ex-collegians rather than seasoned pros ....... ]

[Lee Jackson Beauregard]

It's a great time in the business to be inexperienced and know nothing.

[Jersey_Guy]

[....... waiting for Jim Jenks to weigh in on the cuts and on working with all green ex-collegians rather than seasoned pros ....... ]

My guess is you'll be waiting a long time.

[GBNF]

It's a great time in the business to be inexperienced and know nothing.

I would say the two of those are mutually exclusive. You can be inexperienced and still be a good writer and good reporter. Shit, Graham Bensinger is one of the best interviewers I've heard, and he's what, 19, 20?

[Hookem06]

Justice was a class guy. I spoke to him at a couple job fairs last year. I hope he lands on his feet.

[jeff.pearlman]

This isn't an original thought, but I think it applies to many of the situations right now: Too many corporations—MLB included, I'd guess—use a poor economy as an excuse to hand employees their papers. MLB is making tons upon tons of money but who would complain about layoffs at a time like this, when it's happening to everyone?

[Lee Jackson Beauregard]

MLB's bean counters, and I am close to one, are not losing their jobs. That's for sure.

[jakewriter82]

It's a great time in the business to be inexperienced and know nothing.

I respectfully disagree.
It's not a great time in the business for anyone. experienced, inexperienced, old, young, everyone.

[spnited]

Oh, shit, There are two guys on that list who I've worked with and know are good people and good writers.

For one of them I think this is his third layoff. How can good people constantly get screwed like this?

[steveu]

I still support the sport, warts and all. This, I don't. MLB.com makes good money. Unless they want to pump more money into MLB Network. Then again, even that wouldn't make sense.

[Smasher_Sloan]

This isn't an original thought, but I think it applies to many of the situations right now: Too many corporations—MLB included, I'd guess—use a poor economy as an excuse to hand employees their papers. MLB is making tons upon tons of money but who would complain about layoffs at a time like this, when it's happening to everyone?

Exactly. It's almost like "hey, everybody else is getting away with this....maybe we can jump on the bandwagon, too."

If MLB has decided it can produce a product without these people, then their business must have been horribly mismanaged in the first place.

[casty33]

It really does stink. I spoke to my good friend, Jack O'Connell, and he has been through this before, like two years ago when the Hartford Courant did it. This one was a surprise, though, for the reasons others have said here. I just hope Jack can find something. He's as good a reporter as I know and deserves better.   

[Twoback]

This isn't an original thought, but I think it applies to many of the situations right now: Too many corporations—MLB included, I'd guess—use a poor economy as an excuse to hand employees their papers. MLB is making tons upon tons of money but who would complain about layoffs at a time like this, when it's happening to everyone?

Bingo.
They do this because they think they can get away with it, not because they need to do it to save their businesses.

[Joe Williams]

This isn't an original thought, but I think it applies to many of the situations right now: Too many corporations—MLB included, I'd guess—use a poor economy as an excuse to hand employees their papers. MLB is making tons upon tons of money but who would complain about layoffs at a time like this, when it's happening to everyone?

Bingo.
They do this because they think they can get away with it, not because they need to do it to save their businesses.

All on a foundation of either not valuing the best coverage that's available or deciding that their fan base doesn't value the best coverage that's available.