Pearlman tracks down one of his agitators, calls him up

Re: So you want to work in SJ?

Best one I ever heard was Art Hoppe, late satire columnist with the SF Chronicle, who'd send complainers letters back threatening to cancel their subscriptions.

http://articles.sfgate.com/2000-02-03/news/17639288_1_chronicle-lung-cancer-art-hoppe

 

Hey Smasher: F you. Now come find me

 

Re: So you want to work in SJ?

This is reminiscent of the time Jerry Seinfeld heckled his heckler.

 

Re: So you want to work in SJ?

What have I been telling you? That's not much you can do to stop that.

 

Re: So you want to work in SJ?

He admits on his blog quite often that he has thin skin and criticism bothers him. I think he knows it's a flaw, and just kind of lives with it and understands he's human. So at least he admits it.

 

No euphemism on the cookies and hot chocolate. It was damn cold that day.

A 50ish couple that lived in a little 900 sq foot home in the woods. Only station the guy got. No cable out there and that was before Dish or DirecTV was too common.

He was SO disarmed (in shock?) when I showed up and made myself at home in his living room.

 

You're probably lucky he was disarmed and not armed.

 

Re: So you want to work in SJ?

No shocker from Pearlman. He's never liked it when people criticize his work. If this came from someone we knew was thick-skinned, it'd be better. But Pearlman comes off like he's this cool, calm guy, when really he was probably pissed off beyond belief throughout this entire process.

 

Agreed.

Yes, a stupid thing to do at 23 but, at that age, I was a main sports anchor with a sizable ego who was very immature.

Now, I'm one of the Roy McAvoys of TV anchors. Once a solid prospect but never could put the 'complete game' together.

 

About five minutes after I read this column I got a nasty e-mail calling me names and saying my staff should all be fired.

I thought about responding differently this time, trying to humanize myself and evoke a more normal response from the guy. You know, a "I'm from Podunk, have a family and a cat and really like my job most days."

Then I realized he would probably take that information, find my address and come kill my cat. Not worth it. I deleted the e-mail.

 

Re: So you want to work in SJ?

That, and when reading his baseball writing, he comes off as so joyless, tortured and indignant that it seems like he has to be trying to get under people's skin. Since there are plenty of columnists who make getting a reaction the first priority, it's hard to tell the difference. It can't be healthy to spend so much time thinking and writing about people and a culture you loathe.

 

Re: So you want to work in SJ?

His commenters always say that about him, but I disagree completely.

You can love the game and not be a fanboi of every person who plays it.

It's like the whole "Love it or leave it!" thing gets shifted over to baseball.