Dodgers: One beat writer left

[Screwball]

The L.A. Daily News laid off Tony Jackson, a few weeks after the Riverside Press-Enterprise laid off Diamond Leung.

That leaves Dylan Hernandez of the Times as the only newspaper beat writer traveling with the Dodgers. (That is, unless the Daily News assigns someone else, which would be a surprise.)

Is this Bud Selig's dream or nightmare?

[fishwrapper]

Look at the seats at 80% of the games and you tell me.
Of course there are dozens of factors, but this being one. News and coverage generates interest.

[Smasher_Sloan]

Amazing. In the '70s, there were about eight writers traveling with the Dodgers. Of course, the team was picking up the tab for some them via what was presented as an advertising trade.

[RayKinsella]

Bud Seligs got his own guy covering the Dodgers, right? I'm sure MLB.com's guy travels with the team. I know several others do with other NL west teams.

[SoCalDude]

   Dylan Hernandez is the LAT beat guy. Ken Gurnick is the MLB beat guy. Those are the last two traveling writers.
   With all of the LANG conglomeration and the Dodgers/Angels trade agreement with the OCR, somebody said recently that Tony Jackson had to be the safest writer at LANG because he was covering the Dodgers for every paper in the Southland except the LAT.
   But, alas, Singleton can prove ANYBODY wrong.

[Claws for Concern]

I feel bad for TJ. Good guy when I worked with him at the DN. I hope he's able to land on his feet somewhere soon.

[MTM]

Jackson and recently laid-off Press-Enterprise reporter Diamond Leung had the best Dodger blogs.
So much for those papers embracing the Web.

[missingthepnw]

RayKinsella: MLB.com writers don't travel with the team. It's not 1960 anymore.

[MileHigh]

Um, wow. Definitely didn't see that one coming. LANG really is in a bad, bad situation.

And that beat used to be full of many people.

LAT
Daily News
Orange County Register
Riverside
San Bernardino
Long Beach
Torrance
Antelope Valley
San Gabriel Valley
Ontario

Sad. Depressing. Angry.

[Mr. X]

I don't recall Ontario having a Dodger beat writer.  I know the Pasadena Star-News did.  (I believe the late Matt McHale for one.)

If you want to go back to the 1980s, add the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner.  If you want to go back to the 1970s, add the Santa Monica Evening Outlook.  I believe Michael Martinez, later of The New York Times, was the Evening Outlook's Dodger beat writer in 1977.

[Fran Curci]

So where is LANG getting coverage? And where is the OC REgister getting stories? AP??

[Mr. X]

LANG had staffer Jill Painter cover Thursday's game.

[MileHigh]

I don't recall Ontario having a Dodger beat writer.  I know the Pasadena Star-News did.  (I believe the late Matt McHale for one.)

If you want to go back to the 1980s, add the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner.  If you want to go back to the 1970s, add the Santa Monica Evening Outlook.  I believe Michael Martinez, later of The New York Times, was the Evening Outlook's Dodger beat writer in 1977.

I was thinking home games on Ontario (and Antelope Valley; don't think they traveled but Birdie can let me know on that). Still, to go from at least 10 in the Dodger Stadium press box to two in 10 years is appalling.

[MileHigh]

Tony covered for a good chunk of papers. All of LANG and the OCR. Don't understand the rationale behind letting him go, but I've given up on figuring out any rationale in anything anymore.

[Some Guy]

RayKinsella: MLB.com writers don't travel with the team. It's not 1960 anymore.

I wasn't around then, but I'm guessing there wasn't anybody from MLB.com on the road during the '60s, either.

[Birdscribe]

I don't recall Ontario having a Dodger beat writer.  I know the Pasadena Star-News did.  (I believe the late Matt McHale for one.)

If you want to go back to the 1980s, add the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner.  If you want to go back to the 1970s, add the Santa Monica Evening Outlook.  I believe Michael Martinez, later of The New York Times, was the Evening Outlook's Dodger beat writer in 1977.

I was thinking home games on Ontario (and Antelope Valley; don't think they traveled but Birdie can let me know on that). Still, to go from at least 10 in the Dodger Stadium press box to two in 10 years is appalling.

Yep. We did home games and selected road games (read Brian Golden) in Anaheim, San Diego and -- when they were good -- the Giants. I'd cover 12-15 games a year.

[SoCalDude]

I don't recall Ontario having a Dodger beat writer.  I know the Pasadena Star-News did.  (I believe the late Matt McHale for one.)

If you want to go back to the 1980s, add the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner.  If you want to go back to the 1970s, add the Santa Monica Evening Outlook.  I believe Michael Martinez, later of The New York Times, was the Evening Outlook's Dodger beat writer in 1977.

   The late Terry Johnson covered for Pasadena in the early 80s, then moved on to Torrance and took the beat in 1982 when Chris Mortensen left for Atlanta. Steve Hunt, now the ME at San Gabriel took over for Johnson at Pasadena and had it until Matt McHale took over.
   At the Santa Monica Evening Outlook, Dave Daniel, who still is the secretary-treasurer of the BBWAA chapter, was the beat guy in the mid-70s. Mike Martinez covered from 77-80 until going to the San Jose Mercury News, then on to the New York Times. Chris Long covered from 81-83. In '83, the paper was sold to Copley, which eventually merged staffs with the Daily Breeze and Terry Johnson covered for both.

[BYH]

The L.A. Daily News laid off Tony Jackson, a few weeks after the Riverside Press-Enterprise laid off Diamond Leung.

That leaves Dylan Hernandez of the Times as the only newspaper beat writer traveling with the Dodgers. (That is, unless the Daily News assigns someone else, which would be a surprise.)

Is this Bud Selig's dream or nightmare?

Are you kidding? Dream. Pretty soon his grand scheme (or the grand scheme of his minions, I lose track of who is who these days) will be realized: The only place to get any fucking "beat" coverage of MLB will be that damn website. Also, buy a T-shirt, and make sure to watch MLB Network for more "independent" coverage of the sport.

Then, of course, the empty press boxes allow MLB to turn them into luxury suites (and charge the handful of reporters still around an arm and a leg to sit there).

[Mizzougrad96]

Tony Jackson is one of the hardest-working guys I've ever met in this business. He's one of those guys who is at the ballpark on his day off. Granted, this was years ago, but the guy has an unbelievable work ethic. Good guy too...

Awful...

[Moondoggy]

The truly baffling part of all this to me is the thought process (and I use that term loosely) that went into the decision. Somewhere, some suit who brings absolutely nothing to the table had to have decided, "Aw hell, who cares about Dodgers coverage? All those baseball writers do anyway is eat hot dogs and watch ball games."
By that measure, that same suit can pretty well justify getting rid of the entire newsroom because he/she/it is the only truly indispensable member of the organization. People who have no clue making decisions that impact, in this case, multiple newspapers and hundreds of thousands (for now, anyway) readers.
The same moron who made that call is sitting at the club today, laughing to the boys how he got rid of some more hack writers this week. I think that's what pisses me off the most. Before any suit lays off a reporter or editor, he/she/it should actually have to do that job for a couple of days to get an understanding of what's involved.
Silly me. That could never happen. That's actual work, and that might make them miss a meeting.

[dragonfly]

I don't think that's the case Moon...

From what I've heard, the decision was made to cover only home games, and if that's the case...

Not saying I agree with it, but honestly baseball is probably the most expensive beat to cover because of the sheer number of away games. I think this is going to start happening all over the place pretty soon, if it hasn't already.

[fishwrapper]

I don't think that's the case Moon...

From what I've heard, the decision was made to cover only home games, and if that's the case...

Not saying I agree with it, but honestly baseball is probably the most expensive beat to cover because of the sheer number of away games. I think this is going to start happening all over the place pretty soon, if it hasn't already.

Then why bother? If this paper -- AND THIS "GROUP" -- are not going to staff a hugely popular franchise with a dedicated fanbase and readership, then you it might as well become a mailer.
Dean Singleton focuses his anger and disgust toward Eric Schmidt when the assclown should look in the fucking mirror. He has been dismantling franchises and institutions for over three decades and in that course has become a media icon or mogul. He is an opportunist making his way to a coffin on the dedication and service of poorly-paid professionals.
He has ruined our profession.

[GBNF]

I'm stunned. Just speechless. Wow. I...I...wow.

[trench]

Talk about pressure to break news... When you're the only traveling writer, how do you explain getting beaten by a phone call from AP or a press release?

[BYH]

And the way the Times is going, we'll be able to update this thread in a few weeks.