Old tapes

[finishthehat]

Tommie Agee, name no Mets fan will ever forget.

 

[JackS]

But seriously, I've always been told to dispose of notes/tapes after 6 months. I've not always heeded.

I've never really understood this thinking. I know in broadcasting, radio and especially TV, the companies basically value preserving tapes "forever and ever" as part of their archives. Are newspaper folks with that mentality getting some "super-duper secret deep throat sh!+" that could get 'em whacked some day in the future if they don't erase some stuff that broadcast folks never get?

 

[Steak Snabler]

But seriously, I've always been told to dispose of notes/tapes after 6 months. I've not always heeded.

I've never really understood this thinking. I know in broadcasting, radio and especially TV, the companies basically value preserving tapes "forever and ever" as part of their archives. Are newspaper folks with that mentality getting some "super-duper secret deep throat sh!+" that could get 'em whacked some day in the future if they don't erase some stuff that broadcast folks never get?

I always thought it was a liability concern, but maybe I'm wrong ...

 

[friend of the friendless]

Sirs, Madames,

I had a then-two-year-old tape of an interview with Curt Flood hanging 'round that I was sadly able to turn into an obit. Can't find it all these years later ... the problem with microcassettes, hard to mark, easily tangled.

o-<

 

[Killick]

But seriously, I've always been told to dispose of notes/tapes after 6 months. I've not always heeded.

I've never really understood this thinking. I know in broadcasting, radio and especially TV, the companies basically value preserving tapes "forever and ever" as part of their archives. Are newspaper folks with that mentality getting some "super-duper secret deep throat sh!+" that could get 'em whacked some day in the future if they don't erase some stuff that broadcast folks never get?

I always thought it was a liability concern, but maybe I'm wrong ...

Liability is the answer I've been given. I've never quite understood it, if you've done everything correctly.

 

[Double J]

I keep a few good ones, including Pete Rose getting testy in Mobile (circa 2001) when asked, by me, if he ever gambled on baseball.

So what did he say?

I need to get the tape back out and listen again.
I don't want to misquote Pete or have what he said be misinterpreted.
My lasting memory is that he referenced the Dowd report, which he says cleared his name.
He said he was always "an ambassador for baseball" and that he never talked down about baseball, only talking up about it.
He said his clubhouse door was always open, so players who walked by would have surely heard him on the phone making bets.
He said he never bet on baseball.
All of this after several softballs had been served up by the mass of reporters.
Folks asked things like, "You must be awful proud to be serving as grand marshal of the GMAC Mobile, Alabama Bowl Game."
Or, "What do you know about Mobile."
He did, at that point, at least reference and pay homage to local hero Hamerin' Henry Aaron, and Magnolia, Ala.'s Tommie Agee. I always love it when the stars of here and now can reference past greats, so I give Pete, on that day, some credit for that.

I need to find the tape and listen again.

Tommie Agee, name no Mets fan will ever forget.

Pete must not have been aware that Cleon Jones, also of the Miracle Mets, is from Mobile too.

Also the hometown of Satchel Paige, Billy Williams, Willie McCovey and Ozzie Smith, among many other major leaguers.

 

[Steak Snabler]

I keep a few good ones, including Pete Rose getting testy in Mobile (circa 2001) when asked, by me, if he ever gambled on baseball.

So what did he say?

I need to get the tape back out and listen again.
I don't want to misquote Pete or have what he said be misinterpreted.
My lasting memory is that he referenced the Dowd report, which he says cleared his name.
He said he was always "an ambassador for baseball" and that he never talked down about baseball, only talking up about it.
He said his clubhouse door was always open, so players who walked by would have surely heard him on the phone making bets.
He said he never bet on baseball.
All of this after several softballs had been served up by the mass of reporters.
Folks asked things like, "You must be awful proud to be serving as grand marshal of the GMAC Mobile, Alabama Bowl Game."
Or, "What do you know about Mobile."
He did, at that point, at least reference and pay homage to local hero Hamerin' Henry Aaron, and Magnolia, Ala.'s Tommie Agee. I always love it when the stars of here and now can reference past greats, so I give Pete, on that day, some credit for that.

I need to find the tape and listen again.

Tommie Agee, name no Mets fan will ever forget.

Pete must not have been aware that Cleon Jones, also of the Miracle Mets, is from Mobile too.

Also the hometown of Satchel Paige, Billy Williams, Willie McCovey and Ozzie Smith, among many other major leaguers.

Yes, Pete knew that, and so does Blitz. I was working at the same paper as Blitz at the time, and the whole event was a Mobile baseball suck-off other than Blitz's gambling question.

However, the Ozzie Smith claim is a little suspect. His family moved to California when he was six (he played on the same high school baseball team as Eddie Murray, and on the same basketball team as Marques Johnson). He was born there, but he doesn't claim Mobile as his home.

 

[JackS]

But seriously, I've always been told to dispose of notes/tapes after 6 months. I've not always heeded.

I've never really understood this thinking. I know in broadcasting, radio and especially TV, the companies basically value preserving tapes "forever and ever" as part of their archives. Are newspaper folks with that mentality getting some "super-duper secret deep throat sh!+" that could get 'em whacked some day in the future if they don't erase some stuff that broadcast folks never get?

I always thought it was a liability concern, but maybe I'm wrong ...

Liability is the answer I've been given. I've never quite understood it, if you've done everything correctly.

Yeah, as long as you haven't screwed up, it seems like keeping tapes would protect you rather than making you liable.

Maybe newspaper bigwigs assume their employees are gonna screw up, whereas broadcast bigs don't.

 

[finishthehat]

I keep a few good ones, including Pete Rose getting testy in Mobile (circa 2001) when asked, by me, if he ever gambled on baseball.

So what did he say?

I need to get the tape back out and listen again.
I don't want to misquote Pete or have what he said be misinterpreted.
My lasting memory is that he referenced the Dowd report, which he says cleared his name.
He said he was always "an ambassador for baseball" and that he never talked down about baseball, only talking up about it.
He said his clubhouse door was always open, so players who walked by would have surely heard him on the phone making bets.
He said he never bet on baseball.
All of this after several softballs had been served up by the mass of reporters.
Folks asked things like, "You must be awful proud to be serving as grand marshal of the GMAC Mobile, Alabama Bowl Game."
Or, "What do you know about Mobile."
He did, at that point, at least reference and pay homage to local hero Hamerin' Henry Aaron, and Magnolia, Ala.'s Tommie Agee. I always love it when the stars of here and now can reference past greats, so I give Pete, on that day, some credit for that.

I need to find the tape and listen again.

Tommie Agee, name no Mets fan will ever forget.

Pete must not have been aware that Cleon Jones, also of the Miracle Mets, is from Mobile too.

Also the hometown of Satchel Paige, Billy Williams, Willie McCovey and Ozzie Smith, among many other major leaguers.

Pete doesn't hold with getting caught having sex in a van. Not unless he's got money on it.

 

[Killick]

But seriously, I've always been told to dispose of notes/tapes after 6 months. I've not always heeded.

I've never really understood this thinking. I know in broadcasting, radio and especially TV, the companies basically value preserving tapes "forever and ever" as part of their archives. Are newspaper folks with that mentality getting some "super-duper secret deep throat sh!+" that could get 'em whacked some day in the future if they don't erase some stuff that broadcast folks never get?

I always thought it was a liability concern, but maybe I'm wrong ...

Liability is the answer I've been given. I've never quite understood it, if you've done everything correctly.

Yeah, as long as you haven't screwed up, it seems like keeping tapes would protect you rather than making you liable.

Maybe newspaper bigwigs assume their employees are gonna screw up, whereas broadcast bigs don't.

Oh, I don't think that's the case. The difference is that in broadcast media, audio/video is the life's blood. They save that stuff, just as we archive our papers. That's all.

 

[finishthehat]

They may not be worried about the people who never screw up -- if everyone is told to toss their notes regularly, then the person who does screw up has an excuse for not having notes.

 

[Double J]

I keep a few good ones, including Pete Rose getting testy in Mobile (circa 2001) when asked, by me, if he ever gambled on baseball.

So what did he say?

I need to get the tape back out and listen again.
I don't want to misquote Pete or have what he said be misinterpreted.
My lasting memory is that he referenced the Dowd report, which he says cleared his name.
He said he was always "an ambassador for baseball" and that he never talked down about baseball, only talking up about it.
He said his clubhouse door was always open, so players who walked by would have surely heard him on the phone making bets.
He said he never bet on baseball.
All of this after several softballs had been served up by the mass of reporters.
Folks asked things like, "You must be awful proud to be serving as grand marshal of the GMAC Mobile, Alabama Bowl Game."
Or, "What do you know about Mobile."
He did, at that point, at least reference and pay homage to local hero Hamerin' Henry Aaron, and Magnolia, Ala.'s Tommie Agee. I always love it when the stars of here and now can reference past greats, so I give Pete, on that day, some credit for that.

I need to find the tape and listen again.

Tommie Agee, name no Mets fan will ever forget.

Pete must not have been aware that Cleon Jones, also of the Miracle Mets, is from Mobile too.

Also the hometown of Satchel Paige, Billy Williams, Willie McCovey and Ozzie Smith, among many other major leaguers.

Yes, Pete knew that, and so does Blitz. I was working at the same paper as Blitz at the time, and the whole event was a Mobile baseball suck-off other than Blitz's gambling question.

However, the Ozzie Smith claim is a little suspect. His family moved to California when he was six (he played on the same high school baseball team as Eddie Murray, and on the same basketball team as Marques Johnson). He was born there, but he doesn't claim Mobile as his home.

Good points, I guess.

But say this for Mobile - the city has produced more Hall of Fame baseball players than any city other than NYC and Chicago.

 

[Steak Snabler]

I keep a few good ones, including Pete Rose getting testy in Mobile (circa 2001) when asked, by me, if he ever gambled on baseball.

So what did he say?

I need to get the tape back out and listen again.
I don't want to misquote Pete or have what he said be misinterpreted.
My lasting memory is that he referenced the Dowd report, which he says cleared his name.
He said he was always "an ambassador for baseball" and that he never talked down about baseball, only talking up about it.
He said his clubhouse door was always open, so players who walked by would have surely heard him on the phone making bets.
He said he never bet on baseball.
All of this after several softballs had been served up by the mass of reporters.
Folks asked things like, "You must be awful proud to be serving as grand marshal of the GMAC Mobile, Alabama Bowl Game."
Or, "What do you know about Mobile."
He did, at that point, at least reference and pay homage to local hero Hamerin' Henry Aaron, and Magnolia, Ala.'s Tommie Agee. I always love it when the stars of here and now can reference past greats, so I give Pete, on that day, some credit for that.

I need to find the tape and listen again.

Tommie Agee, name no Mets fan will ever forget.

Pete must not have been aware that Cleon Jones, also of the Miracle Mets, is from Mobile too.

Also the hometown of Satchel Paige, Billy Williams, Willie McCovey and Ozzie Smith, among many other major leaguers.

Yes, Pete knew that, and so does Blitz. I was working at the same paper as Blitz at the time, and the whole event was a Mobile baseball suck-off other than Blitz's gambling question.

However, the Ozzie Smith claim is a little suspect. His family moved to California when he was six (he played on the same high school baseball team as Eddie Murray, and on the same basketball team as Marques Johnson). He was born there, but he doesn't claim Mobile as his home.

Good points, I guess.

But say this for Mobile - the city has produced more Hall of Fame baseball players than any city other than NYC and Chicago.

No doubt. If you expand it to include the entire state of Alabama --- Willie Mays, Heinie Manush, Early Wynn, Joe Sewell and some others, it's an impressive list.