Now batting *** FAYETTEVILLE

Damn, I hadn't heard that either. Brett's a good writer and a good guy who did a nice job moonlighting on golf last year. Glad to hear he landed on his feet.

Wonder if the former SE is entangled in this, someone it was my misfortune to work for way back in my past life.

 

Friedlander had been in Fayetteville a looooong time. He did a good job with the little stuff, and I was fortunate enough to swap the odd bit of info and such on common assignment involving our markets.

I'm not the least bit surprised Neil Amato snatched him up in Wilmington. Good for both of them, and good for the Star-News and its readers.

(No, I'm not any of the parties above ... spare the bad joke, eh?)

 

Not to get this too far off topic, but staying within North Carolina's borders, if Friedlander is covering the ACC for Wilmington, what happened to Andrew Jones, the Star correspondent who had that job last season?

 

Andrew Jones might be doing a radio gig on ACC Sports for a satellite radio station, but not positive.

 

I know a lot of people there and hate to see that this is going down there. But it doesn't come as a total shock. I knew the paper was hurting. Rumor was that it was on the market about a year ago. Then it lost the rights to The Paraglide to Landmark earlier this year.

Like it has been mentioned, Brett Friedlander was ousted in May/June. The previous sports editor Doug Kennedy a year ago. Matt Tabeek left earlier this summer. A lot of good people have already left the sports department there in recent years.

I left on my own terms earlier this year for family reasons, but it still doesn't make this any easier.

 

Friends and colleagues. I have done my best to stay away from this site since my untimely demise at the Observer in late May, but friends alerted me to the fact that my name has finally come up and I feel the need to respond to a couple of things.

First, I would like to say that while my leaving the Observer after nearly 15 years was not my decision, it was not directly related to the current purge. Other than that, I can't say much more because of the terms of my separation agreement. Suffice it to say that the FO is in major trouble and what was the best sports section in NC just three years ago is bearing the brunt of the damage.

As for my current situation, I am currently writing about ACC football and basketball for Wilmington. But while I WAS picked up off the floor by Neil Amato in Wilmington, one of the best people and newspaper men I've ever had the pleasure of knowing, I have not exactly landed on my feet. My gig with the Star-News is only a part-time, freelance position and as much as I am thankful for it and enjoy what I'm doing, I -- like many others in my situation -- still find myself actively seeking full-time employment.

That brings me to one final point.

While losing my job was probably the worst thing that has happened to me in my adult life, the one positive aspect of it is that I have learned just how many great and caring people there are still left in this business. I would love to name names, but there are simply too many of you -- including several regulars on this board -- to do it without leaving somebody out. What I can say is that I am a lot more humble and appreciative of the things I have now than I was two months ago.

I just hope that somebody gives me another chance to provide for my family and do what I love most on a full-time basis. But even more, I hope and pray that the people I love and respect at the Observer -- especially Sammy Batten, Thomas Pope, Earl Vaughn, Dan Wiederer, Monica Holland and Michael Graff -- come through this mess unscathed. They deserve only the best.

 

Amen, Brett. Very well said. The people you named are not only quality news people, but quality people in general. I'm hoping for the best for all of them.

 

Andrew Jones is now working for a start-up college sports network — Buster Sports — that will broadcast on Sirius Radio beginning early next year and through a Web site that will go live in early October. They're in the middle of finalizing their lineup of conference beat writers at this time.

And in other Wilmington news, if nobody on here has heard: SE Neil Amato will be leaving in a little more than a week after running the section for the last three years (the longest anyone has lasted in that position, I do believe, since Jack Hooks left in the late 80's). He and his wife took jobs at the Raleigh N&O, which seems to be a great opportunity for both of them.

 

I hope that's not the case - then again maybe so just so Paxton doesn't get the benefit of Frank Dascenzo. Guess it depends on whether Frank's departure is voluntary.

Neil's going back to the Triangle? Well, well ... good for him and a nice hire for the N&O - if McClatchy doesn't lay him off before he and his family are settled.

Back to Fayetteville: To echo Brett's sentiment, I hope nothing but the best for the remaining sports staff, particularly guys like Sammy Batten and Earl Vaughan.

 

The only guy I know there is Thomas Pope...but I'm blessed to know him.