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Spurrier slams Columbia writer

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by sctvman, Oct 11, 2011.

  1. SEC Guy

    SEC Guy Member

    Harry and Dooley are friends, but my guess is that a part of Harry will never forgive Dooley for writing that.

    When writers kiss his ass like Dooley did for over a decade, guys like Spurrier think they're constantly in the right.

    There have been a ton of great writers who have covered UF in the last 20+ years, but in my opinion, Chris Harry was the best of the group.
     
  2. BB Bobcat

    BB Bobcat Active Member

    Maybe these coaches wouldn't feel like they had authority over the media if the writers didn't call them "coach" [/ducking]


    Just a little jab. We don't need to start this again.
     
  3. doctorquant

    doctorquant Well-Known Member

    When I was still writing I covered Auburn, but of course I read all the big guys around the SEC. I was always struck by the disconnect between how smart Finebaum considered himself (he'd come around to Auburn on occasion) and how lightweight his columns actually were. He was always going off on how "well-coached" (or ill-coached) a particular team was, or some other variation on coached/coaching/etc. But in support he offered up little more than you'd get at a tailgate party of (reasonably sober) avid football fans.
     
  4. hondo

    hondo Well-Known Member

    Morris pulled the same crap when he was the sports editor in Tallahassee in the mid-90s, when he took snipes at Bowden when the old man still had game and FSU was still winning 11 games and a major bowl every year. If it's not ACC basketball played by a North Carolina school, Morris is going to go to the snark.
     
  5. dixiehack

    dixiehack Well-Known Member

    Finebaum started mailing it in the day he discovered radio paychecks. And even before that he was a cartoon character. What is infuriating is when the national media is working on a story with a state connection and take the lazy way out by citing him as their authority.
     
  6. Darin Gantt

    Darin Gantt New Member

    If Morris writes mostly negative columns, is it possible it's because South Carolina has a reputation for talking big, increasing expectations, and then failing to meet them in disastrous ways?

    This is the school that had a party when the all-time football record got to .500, and cites equestrian titles as major sport championships.
     
  7. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    He's definitely in the conversation.

    Dooley's in the homers hall of fame.
     
  8. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Very few newspaper columnists are all that negative. It's mostly coaches and fans with thin skins and long memories.
     
  9. SCEditor

    SCEditor Active Member

    Oh, you're correct in South Carolina's flameouts. It is a tradition. And I'm not opposed to columnist having strong opinions or pointing out something that is clearly an issue. But Morris has gone out of his way to, let's face it, attack South Carolina athletics for years. That's his schtick, and that's fine. I have no idea if the Bruce Ellington deal was fabricated or not. But you can't constantly poke a bear over and over and over and over again and not expect it to eventually bite back. Do I agree with what Spurrier did? No. Do I think the majority of South Carolina fans are going to back him? Yes.
     
  10. glenoaks

    glenoaks New Member

    Trying to think of examples of columnists taking college PLAYERS to task. Can you guys think of examples (aside from Jenni Carlson before the Gundy rant)? Do you think columnists should be delicate with college players anymore?
     
  11. mb

    mb Active Member

    My issue: The bear waited six months to bite back.
     
  12. SCEditor

    SCEditor Active Member

    He didn't wait six months to bite back. Morris ripped him pretty good after the Auburn game. Spurrier can say he's upset with Morris for writing something factually wrong all he wants, but this had more to do with the totality of Morris' work and not just the Bruce Ellington issue. He starts off talking about the Ellington report, but he finishes talking about "negativity."

    Again, I'm not defending Spurrier. But I'm also not surprised. And if I take my newspaper hat off for a second, I'll even go as far as saying he handled it better than most coaches. He didn't scream or holler or tell people "I'M A MAN." He did separate interviews with television, and I think he did interviews with print folks afterward. He didn't make it Spurrier vs. the Media or Spurrier vs. Newspapers. He made it Spurrier vs. Ron Morris. And Spurrier is going to win that one in the court of (non-journalism) public opinion.
     
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