Great Mike Freeman interview on The Big Lead

[Mizzougrad96]

http://www.thebiglead.com

SportsJournalists.com is mentioned prominently. It's a great read...

 

[Ellis Redding]

I can't get on the site. Anyone else having problems?

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I just got there no problem...

For the record, I am a huge Freeman fan. I wish there were more people who were as open and honest in this business and I can't wait to read his book on sports journalism...

To a large extent, we owe him for this site. If Freeman's rant never existed, the sportspages board wouldn't have gotten pub and then after that wuss Rich Johnson shut it down, this site may have never been started...

Of course, we also owe Webby for this site as well... :)

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

And Freeman's expertise in media theory comes from exactly where?
His ESPN book was a loud, pale knockoff of McCambridge's SI masterpiece. I'm not optimistic.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

And Freeman's expertise in media theory comes from exactly where?
His ESPN book was a loud, pale knockoff of McCambridge's SI masterpiece. I'm not optimistic.

McCambridge's SI book was a masterpiece... I still loved Freeman's ESPN book... I never have been able to look at Mike Tirico in the same way ever again...

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

"One of my pet peeves is that a number of journalists commit plagiarism, crimes, cheat on their wives, lie all the time, steal information from other writers, etc. But only a select few are busted and punished. The system will try to crush one person for committing a sin while ignoring and even protecting many others."

What in hell is he saying here? That newspapers should punish their employees for adultery?
I remain not optimistic.

 

[Ace]

I also think that his bit about finding out who ratted him out in Indy is bush league. Hey, you falsified your resume.

Who's fault is it that you got caught, Mike? Yours.

Other than that, this business is like a lot of others. People don't mind you succeeding, just not at their perceived expense.

 

[lantaur]

I enjoy Freeman's writing for the most part and thought that interview was a good read, so thanks for pointing it out.

 

[21]

Not sure I'd call that an 'interview'....more like an updated rant....some serious holier-than-thou going on there. But entertaining nonetheless.

Agree with Ace completely about the resume 'investigation'....he's going to get a lawyer find out who ratted out his false resume? Tortious intereference, for uncovering a lie?

Love some of the follow-up comments from readers....but come on guys, save some for SJ.

 

[goalmouth]

Freeman is a confusedly bitter fellow. He calls out NY writers. He calls out Sean Salisbury. He calls out SportsJournalists.com. But when he gets called out, he calls a lawyer.

Hey, Mike, man up. As my attorney says, "I don't threaten to sue."

 

[Ellis Redding]

Agree with Ace completely about the resume 'investigation'....he's going to get a lawyer find out who ratted out his false resume? Tortious intereference, for uncovering a lie?

The threat worked for Big Tobacco in the Jeffrey Wigand affair. For a while, anyway.

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

That's great. A thief interviewing a liar.

 

[fmrsped]

BYH, you're famous!!!!!

(I do wonder, however: how many other professions have something similar to SportsJournalists.com? Are there doctors out there ripping each other the way writers rip each other on SportsJournalists.com? Are the doctors writing under the name Bitteryoungdoc and saying: “That Dr. Johnson couldn’t use a scalpel if his life depended on it.” Is there a neurosurgeons.com?)

 

[Mizzougrad96]

If the worst thing you can say about the guy is that he lied once on his resume, I'd say Freeman is doing pretty well...

 

[Ace]

If the worst thing you can say about the guy is that he lied once on his resume, I'd say Freeman is doing pretty well...

True, but to act like the big problem was the person that ratted him out rather than the fact that he misrepresented himself on his resume doesn't sit well with me.

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

It does seem odd he is pursuing it in the manner in which he described.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

In my mind, Salisbury remains an embarassment to the profession.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

There are plenty of rumors out there as to who turned in Freeman to the Indy Star... While I'm not advocating lying on your resume, whoever turned him in is complete scum...

 

[21]

If the worst thing you can say about the guy is that he lied once on his resume, I'd say Freeman is doing pretty well...

There are possibly worse crimes, but if you're going to rant about sportswriters who 'lie all the time' and are 'remarkably insecure,' (quoting from BigLead), you better insulate that glass house first.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

If the worst thing you can say about the guy is that he lied once on his resume, I'd say Freeman is doing pretty well...

There are possibly worse crimes, but if you're going to rant about sportswriters who 'lie all the time' and are 'remarkably insecure,' (quoting from BigLead), you better insulate that glass house first.

That's fair...