Milwaukee J-S's editors take to the mound

Oh come on. What ethical standard did they crush here? I've been thinking a lot about this kind of thing. Our sections have no appeal. Mostly because while everyone was calling us the "Toy Dept.", we got an inferiority complex and started pretending like we're the Business and A-1 sections. We mistook "journalism standard" and turned our mission of giving people an out from their shitty day and made them bored with what used to be the greatest outlet for drama and passion and fun in the entire world. How many NCAA investigations do readers need to hear about? It goes on everywhere. You are criticizing something that was meant to be fun. OK, maybe you think Howard looked like a bufoon, but how else would you handle this? Would you have investigated why the Brewers allowed the MJS to throw out the first pitch? How about a fancy chart listing all the editor first pitches and how they rank in history. That would be fun, dude.

 

Since when was our "mission" to "give people an out from their shitty day"?

I'm all for having fun and being part of the community, but that's ludicrous.

 

When wasn't it? Sports is read first. Why do you think that is? You know the answer to this question. Search your heart, it may be a dusty notion to you, but I'm sure you realize this is true.

 

Perhaps they could spare a couple of writers as starting pitchers for the Natinals.

Ridiculous. Simply ridiculous.

 

Who charges for press box food, I'd like to know?

And yes, this is totally different. Free parking and food are part of us doing our jobs. We get them because we should not have to pay to do our jobs. Food is included because of the length of time we are at the stadium, and as fans know, once inside the stadium, the team is in complete control of food, which is why one hot dog costs $4 at a game while $2 gets you eight hot dogs and eight buns when you buy groceries. When you spend 7-8 hours at a stadium, you're going to be working during a meal.

Gifts from a team, such as souvenirs, serve no purpose towards our job. Those are unacceptable at all times. If you want team merchandise, you buy it yourself.

 

If you don't respect yourself at the end of the day, pally, who else will?

No putty nose or clown shoes for me, thanks.

 

Most baseball teams charge for press box food. The last I checked, it was all but the Dodgers and Angels, but that might have changed.

I don't think any other league charges.

 

Jambalaya, I covered National Div. I power the same way I would have covered our biggest local employer or the White House. My job - and my department - don't exist to give anyone an out from their shitty day. They exist to provide insights and information about teams that are now multi-million dollar enterprises. My beats have included stories about shootings, sex scandals, sexual harassment, broken contracts, civil suits, hazing, rape, theft - all by athletes or coaches.

So, yeah, I take my job seriously, because those are serious subjects.

Oh, and yeah, there are games, too. They're fun, but they're only part of the job.

You want happy slappy bullshit? Go work for your local Scout.com site, where they're often in bed with the coaching staff to gain access to inside recruiting info, staffers regularly wear team logo gear, and bad news about Big State U is not only suppressed, it's often downplayed when exposed by real journalists.

Oh, and at Scout.com, you can throw out the first pitch any time you want.

 

I was being facetious. Hence the blue font. Or should I have used brown font for facetiousness? As an added bonus, I deliberately used the spelling of "Nationals" whoever erred in printing the home unis used.

Perhaps this: If The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel can send its editors out to throw the first pitch and act more like fanboi loosers than journalists, they can spare an arm or two for a major league pitching staff might have worked better?

The point behind my blue font is that a newspaper has no business having its editors throw out the first pitch at a game hosted by a team it covers. Wilbon throwing out the first ball and leading Cubs fans in "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" neared a line. This obliterates that line.

 

A journalist's job is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Our major league and major college teams are waaaay too comfortable.