Star Tribune's Kevin Seifert off to ESPN.com

He was the beat guy for the Vikings, and always did a good job.

http://www.minnpost.com/davidbrauer/2008/05/14/1857/strib_loses_top_vikings_reporter_to_espn

And in even worse news for the Strib, the paper has to cut $20 million.

http://msp.blogs.com/brianlambert/2008/05/the-strib-and-k.html

 

Congrats to Kevin. This was rumored a year ago, but for whatever reason nothing happened.

ESPN is spending a shitload of money hiring some of the best NFL beat writers. I think they have one for every division now.

Sando, Williamson, Yasinkas (sp?), Seifert... I know I'm forgetting a few...

 

We already know who will be replacing Kevin...

NOBODY

 

Mosley is another. Word on the street is that there will be eight bloggers in all. Plus Clayton, plus Pasquarelli, plus Garber ...

 

Damn... Strib's getting hit hard... fuckin investment bankers...

 

One per division?

 

One writer for each division in the league - eight in all. Probably with guys like John Clayton, Len Pasquarelli and such doing stories throughout the league.

Pat Yasinskas (there you go, Mizzou) is doing stories on the NFC South. Fitting, given his years in Charlotte covering the Panthers.

 

Impeccable timing on Seifert's part. Star Tribune, your tar pit is ready.

 

My wife, child and mortgage thank you.

 

Kevin's a good guy and well deserving of the opportunity to flee to the WWL. I'm all for anybody who can survive several years in a highly competitive situation and emerge with sanity and journalistic legitimacy intact.

 

According to The Big Lead, writers to cover six of the eight divisions have been hired, with ones from the AFC South and AFC East still to come...

 

Safe to assume the Boston Herald's guy won't get the AFC East gig?