Orlando

[Birdscribe]

well, donuts, i guess you're perfect, because if you think any of the following ...

A) being grumpy,
B) feeling underappreciated,
C) complaining about your desk, or
D) doing a byline count for colleagues

... makes steve unusual or a bad employee, well, there are an awful lot of bad employees in sports departments. and "mr. happy" is used affectionately by those of us who know him -- steve has a great sense of humor. i sat next to the guy you anonymously call a jerk for three years in raleigh when i was a young staffer, and he was always helpful and supportive.

but this is what i really can't figure out: anonymous or not, whether you like him or hate him, why are you going there? why are you ripping a guy as he's trying to figure out where he's going to get his next paycheck? can you honestly not put yourself in his shoes?

steve politi

Please. Cry me a river. Steve is going to get another job no problem. He's one of the best golf writers in the country. Top five, easily. hell, he could probably double his salary strictly though freelance. He's that good. And his work made the Sentinel a better paper. Like I said before, he works hard, has immense talent, yadda, yadda, yadda. So I'm not worried about the unemployment end of it.

But hell yes I'm going to share context about why he got fired. I wouldn't have been inclined to say a thing if Elling hadn't come on here himself and thrown other people under the bus - acting like he's being held to a totally different standard than other journalists. He buried himself, and it had nothing to do with differing standards. Those other journalists he mentions? The guy who got arrested at the Magic practice was eventually fired. And the other two reporters he mentioned were severely reprimanded for what amounted to a first offense, to the point where they both had to have meetings with the ME and EE of the paper. I also might add that the latter two reporters did nothing but distinguish themselves after their incidents.

Lest we just give him a free pass, Elling DID do freelance work for a source, even if it was just for a short time. He DID gripe and ***** and talk smack about his bosses and fellow reporters (and more than the usual journalist, so don't give me that ****). And he WAS a guy who got shuffled from one editor to the other.

I'm glad your encounters with Elling were positive, Mr. Politi. I'm sure he's a fantastic guy to those who are closest to him. I'm also sure he's been a delight to some in the biz. He'll get another good job, as he should based on his work ethic and talent.

But he's hardly blameless, so feel free to take him off the cross when you get the chance.

And there's a problem with someone coming on here and defending themselves to total strangers because?????

Isn't this what we want, what we expect in this business? People to give their side of the story? So Steve comes on, sticks his toe in unfamiliar waters to him, answers questions as to what happened and you rip him for it?

Yes, Steve has a persona like Eeyore. And yes, he doesn't suffer fools at all. Apparently, you have a history with him. OK, that's neither here nor there and it's none of our business.

But don't rip the guy for coming out and defending himself.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

well, donuts, i guess you're perfect, because if you think any of the following ...

A) being grumpy,
B) feeling underappreciated,
C) complaining about your desk, or
D) doing a byline count for colleagues

... makes steve unusual or a bad employee, well, there are an awful lot of bad employees in sports departments. and "mr. happy" is used affectionately by those of us who know him -- steve has a great sense of humor. i sat next to the guy you anonymously call a jerk for three years in raleigh when i was a young staffer, and he was always helpful and supportive.

but this is what i really can't figure out: anonymous or not, whether you like him or hate him, why are you going there? why are you ripping a guy as he's trying to figure out where he's going to get his next paycheck? can you honestly not put yourself in his shoes?

steve politi

Please. Cry me a river. Steve is going to get another job no problem. He's one of the best golf writers in the country. Top five, easily. hell, he could probably double his salary strictly though freelance. He's that good. And his work made the Sentinel a better paper. Like I said before, he works hard, has immense talent, yadda, yadda, yadda. So I'm not worried about the unemployment end of it.

But hell yes I'm going to share context about why he got fired. I wouldn't have been inclined to say a thing if Elling hadn't come on here himself and thrown other people under the bus - acting like he's being held to a totally different standard than other journalists. He buried himself, and it had nothing to do with differing standards. Those other journalists he mentions? The guy who got arrested at the Magic practice was eventually fired. And the other two reporters he mentioned were severely reprimanded for what amounted to a first offense, to the point where they both had to have meetings with the ME and EE of the paper. I also might add that the latter two reporters did nothing but distinguish themselves after their incidents.

Lest we just give him a free pass, Elling DID do freelance work for a source, even if it was just for a short time. He DID gripe and ***** and talk smack about his bosses and fellow reporters (and more than the usual journalist, so don't give me that ****). And he WAS a guy who got shuffled from one editor to the other.

I'm glad your encounters with Elling were positive, Mr. Politi. I'm sure he's a fantastic guy to those who are closest to him. I'm also sure he's been a delight to some in the biz. He'll get another good job, as he should based on his work ethic and talent.

But he's hardly blameless, so feel free to take him off the cross when you get the chance.

And there's a problem with someone coming on here and defending themselves to total strangers because?????

Isn't this what we want, what we expect in this business? People to give their side of the story? So Steve comes on, sticks his toe in unfamiliar waters to him, answers questions as to what happened and you rip him for it?

Yes, Steve has a persona like Eeyore. And yes, he doesn't suffer fools at all. Apparently, you have a history with him. OK, that's neither here nor there and it's none of our business.

But don't rip the guy for coming out and defending himself.

Sounds more like David Caruso than Eeyore.


YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jboy]

And yes, there was a general distaste for him among the Sentinel's bosses, because he was one of the biggest jerks in the newsroom...

People should understand, Steve is a very talented, very hard-working and very tormented person. His nickname is Mr. Happy simply because he's RARELY in that disposition (this might be an epic understatement). In the years he was in Orlando, Steve repeatedly sniped at Hoppes and other reporters in the sports department - often doing it loudly enough that everyone could hear what he was saying. He was constantly bitching about being underappreciated, constantly ripping his desk and his bosses, and constantly belittling the younger reporters because he felt like they were getting more attention than he was...

The guy was notorious for filing **** on deadline that was far longer than it was supposed to be, then bitching about his copy was cut down.

Wait. Are we talking about the Sentinel golf writer, or the Times-Union golf writer?

Just kidding. Love 'ya Smitty!!!

 

[wickedwritah]

I don't think anybody else has anything to gain by posting under their name; they have plenty to lose, though.

As for the post of, say, Donuts, I think people can evaluate what he writes, factor in the anonymity and decide for themselves how much credibility he has. If you think Donuts merely sounds like someone with an axe to grind, then treat it that way.

I get that MR. I just don't understand the motivation of someone to post crap on here after the dude's been axed. OK, so you think he's a ****. Do we need 10 posts from 10 different people saying the same thing?

We all take our shots at folks. Most of us aren't former co-workers, though. Stone up if you are.

 

[FreddiePatek]

Oh, why the heck not ... Since everyone else who works at Orlando has tire treads on their backs, let's make it a clean sweep and throw one last fella under that bus ...

Van McKenzie was a weenie. ;D

 

[slappy4428]

No matter what kind of person he may be, he didnt deserve his fate... Good luck Steve...

And Ike, you are 1000 percent correct with your assessment of who this is or isnt about...

 

[fishwrapper]

I got lost. Now, who is this "Ellers" character?

 

[SF_Express]

1. Why should Lynn Hoppes--or anyone, for that matter--have to report to SportsJournalists.com about anything??

we're in a very warped place, lads and lasses...if you look at where this thread has gone..

If people start managing their departments based on us...sweet holy ...whatever (insert your own deity)

 

[fishwrapper]

1. Why should Lynn Hoppes--or anyone, for that matter--have to report to SportsJournalists.com about anything??

we're in a very warped place, lads and lasses...if you look at where this thread has gone..

If people start managing their departments based on us...sweet holy ...whatever (insert your own deity)

Now, what exactly is wrong with my "Ellers" post?

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

Oh, why the heck not ... Since everyone else who works at Orlando has tire treads on their backs, let's make it a clean sweep and throw one last fella under that bus ...

Van McKenzie was a weenie. ;D

Whoa . . . . . .

There were still people left to go. Like the dude who fell for Shaq's BS at the All-Star Game a few years ago, when at the height of his powers in LA, Shaq played dude like a fiddle, saying he totally would come back to Orlando.

Thus igniting a breathless column about how great it would be if Shaq returned in triumph. A Shaq denial and explanation that he was being a smartass followed, and so did a column which had the point of "Shaq, you can't take it back."

Perhaps not the proudest moment journalistically for the grand lady in Walt Disney World.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Oh, why the heck not ... Since everyone else who works at Orlando has tire treads on their backs, let's make it a clean sweep and throw one last fella under that bus ...

Van McKenzie was a weenie. ;D

Whoa . . . . . .

There were still people left to go. Like the dude who fell for Shaq's BS at the All-Star Game a few years ago, when at the height of his powers in LA, Shaq played dude like a fiddle, saying he totally would come back to Orlando.

Thus igniting a breathless column about how great it would be if Shaq returned in triumph. A Shaq denial and explanation that he was being a smartass followed, and so did a column which had the point of "Shaq, you can't take it back."

Perhaps not the proudest moment journalistically for the grand lady in Walt Disney World.

The Orlando writer who fell for that is hardly the first reporter to fall for Shaq's bull****. He asked Shaq if he would be interested in coming back to Orlando and Shaq said he would be... Is he supposed to not write that?

Then, the next day he threw the columnist, who I believe was the Magie beat writer when he was playing in Orlando, under the bus.

Unfortunate situation, but hardly the writer's fault...

 

[hondo]

Not to threadjack, but I asked a question a few pages ago, and I'd be interested in any thoughts: When Tiger moves to south Florida (which should happen within a year), does that change the golf beat at the Sentinel in any way? Will the next golf writer get the same amount of travel Steve got without the paper being able to claim Eldrick as a homeboy.

 

[Montezuma's Revenge]

Mizzou's right.

Now we're going to rip people for not being able to read minds? Unless you were there and personally witnessed how Shaq clearly was yanking the writer's chain, you're writing out of your ass.

 

[miamiheraldchick]

Re: Elling's forceout.

This is the bottom line. If the same controversy over freelancing had involved someone management liked (say Rick Maese or the much-discussed Jemele Hill before either of them left), the punishment would have been nil. Or maybe an unannounced suspension.

But when someone is a pain in the butt to management AND gives it a reason to take action ......... well, that is when someone gets fired.

 

[ondeadline]

Aren't we over the thread limit on the cliche "under the bus?"

 

[Montezuma's Revenge]

Re: Elling's forceout.

This is the bottom line. If the same controversy over freelancing had involved someone management liked (say Rick Maese or the much-discussed Jemele Hill before either of them left), the punishment would have been nil. Or maybe an unannounced suspension.

But when someone is a pain in the butt to management AND gives it a reason to take action ......... well, that is when someone gets fired.

Yep. Isn't a justification for the Sentinel getting rid of productive employee for a petty reason, but that's the way the business is.

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

Mizzou's right.

Now we're going to rip people for not being able to read minds? Unless you were there and personally witnessed how Shaq clearly was yanking the writer's chain, you're writing out of your ass.

Shaq yanks writers' chains as a rule. The LA Times made the tone of the conversation pretty clear. You guys are saying you've never encountered a source with the attitude of "Yeah, here's something you want to hear, that's clearly bull****. Put THAT in your paper, kid!"

Come on, now.

Dude should have written a column about how Shaq is still a BSer who likes to say weird things. Instead . . . he fell for it. Not the first, not the last writer to do so.

 

[boots]

And because there are so many assholes with a tape recorder, Shaq gets free pub whenever he wants it. It's another reason why this is taking hits with the subtleness of a kick in the groin.

 

[abyrd]

Being only a partial plagiarist is like being half-pregnant.

You're either present other people's words, ideas and information the proper way, or you do it the wrong way -- and plagiarize. You'd think they covered this at Northwestern.

Oh, please. I'm with SF_Express on this one. It's easy to be holy here, but anyone who actually bothered to read the particulars -- rather than, say, toss around labels like "plagiarist" as if they were Italian ambassadorships -- would know that this is one of the more ridiculous "scandals" ever to have been bruited hereabouts. Even more absurd is that Orlando Magazine has now taken to calling this "the notorious case of [NAME REDACTED]," clearly inspired by the collected works of Erle Stanley Gardner. Where, exactly, is this notorious? In the mind of Orlando Magazine's publisher? In the office of some J-school prof who wiped the sherry off his moustache and decided to take his shiny new blog for a spin?

As the guy who wrote the book that Emily Badger lifted 33 items from, it was a pretty crappy thing to have happen to.

I mean, this was my hometown paper. I've read it since I was in high school and regularly kicked its ass when I was at the Business Journal. It's not like the paper didn't know who I was or where to reach me. I was the first reporter covering sports business in Orlando as a full-time beat. I wrote for the Sports Business Journal on a regular basis. My office at the Business Journal was two blocks from the Sentinel's offices.

I had articles about my book in Money Magazine, Newsweek, Houston Cronicle, Boston Globe and many more. All of which attributed ideas to me. And when I picked up the morning sports section of the local paper for the annual spring training guide, there are 33 instances where a word was changed from my book. Not vague discrepancies, but instances where only a word was changed.

I haven't said much about it in the past, because she was relatively new to journalism at the time. Besides, it didn't cost me anything other than some free press and it wouldn't have made me feel any better by having a young journalist be on the unemployment line. The Sentinel wrote a clarification, and that was fine by me.

But, when you say that there was nothing to this and it wasn't "notorious," think about how you would feel if someone took something:
* you had been planning for over a decade
* you worked a year on
* you spent several thousand dollars reporting on
* you list as one of the proudest accomplishments of your life
and simply changed a few words and passed it off as their own.

Alan Byrd
Author
Florida Spring Training, Your Guide to the Grapefruit League

 

[Ellis Redding]

Thanks for the insight, Alan. [/not sarcasm]