Mark Madden column for the ages...

Color me shocked.

 

Well, he writes like a ferret, doesn't he?

 

Column for the ages? Jesus. Please read some more. Half of the posters on this board could have dashed something off the top of their heads better than that in 20 minutes.

 

That's my point...even by his low standards, it was trash.

 

Oh please, Markvid, are you related to Bob Smizik? You must be because it seems like you have a real hard-on to try and get Mark Madden, who is a shock jock and nothing more.

And this column is what it is and frankly he is right -- among the idiotic suspensions we've seen in PC America this is numero uno.

I mean, give me a fucking break -- a guy could punch someone on the ice, break his jaw and get less games -- if any -- than a guy who makes some juvenile remarks about his old girlfriends.

This country is becoming scary and it is because too many people are too quick to endorse censorship-like punishments handed out to those they think are jerks or disagree with politically or they don't like their style.

It is a very slippery slope when we start allowing and celebrating punishment of speech.

As for Madden, he is what he is, he's a shock jock who obviously gets good ratings and is popular. He's increased the ratings for his station in his time slot in a very short period of time and that's why they hired him.

 

Sorry -- I'm usually pretty good at picking up sarcasm. Maybe I'm getting so old I need the blue font?

 

I got the sarcasm, but I have to disagree with you on this one. Not that I think it was anything spectacular, but I really do think that was better than most of the crap I've heard or read from Madden.

 

Very, very true.

That said, I cannot believe a fine regional paper like the Beaver County Times still gives Madden column inches.

 

93 -- At the rate that paper is downsizing and laying people off, what choice do they have but to go find someone to work for $50 a story in order to have some by-lines generated locally and not attached to the words "Associated Press"....

I mean, this paper used to be good - now it is a shit bag.

They used to staff Pirates games with one of the best baseball guys around -- John Parotto (sp?), they've recently annuonced they are scaling their Pirates coverage way back - to the point where he won't even really be a beat writer.

The Monday after Pitt's final home game, they gave their Pitt writer -- he covered all the home games -- his walking papers along with like 10 others in the news room.

It is, like so many others, a sinking ship, so yeah, given what its become they have no choice but to lay in bed with the Mark Madden's of this world -- a big name (at least locally) who might draw some attention to the paper and who is willing to do anything to have a column, including work for $50 a story.......

 

I don't disagree with you about the suspension. It is stupid.

However, any argument/screed that is based around, "this country is becoming ..." is automatically dubious in my book.

Next comes it's cousin. The "we're a nation of pussies" argument/screed.

 

Zag, he was big enough a moron to compare Sean Avery to Rosa Parks.
I rest my case.
And he's done nothing to the ratings. NOTHING.

 

He's taken them from nothing to at least a blip on the radar -- that's something