Very intrigued by this, re: PD reporter finding Riley in Cleveland hotel

[JoelHammond]

http://www.cleveland.com/ohio-sports-blog/index.ssf/2010/07/lebron_james_miamis_pat_riley.html

Curious to your thoughts: Knew Riley was going to be there?

That writer's taken a bashing on this board (from me, too), but it seems like a pretty good find to me.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Just think if Riley stayed at the Residence Inn.

 

[Boom_70]

Would have been a juicier story if it was a Police Dept report.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

I saw Aaron Boone in the Hyatt downtown a day or so before he signed with the Indians. I should have wrote a story.

 

[Batman]

Maybe I'm just clueless, but I don't see why that's much of a story. Riley was in town to make the Heat's pitch to James. It's no secret the Heat are a leading contender for James. Riley met with his agent a little ahead of schedule. Maybe they both had some free time and wanted to discuss some things in a more informal setting.
It might lead to something down the road, and might even be a good germ for a story if James signs with the Heat. Just seems like right now that story is trying to make a bigger deal out of this than it probably is.

 

[Mystery Meat II]

Hey, I'm staying at that Hyatt this weekend. If I see Chris Bosh and Rod Thorn sharing a sake in the hotel bar, YOU'LL be the first to know!

 

[Cousin Jeffrey]

Why is this a story? That's what reporters do. It's not all press conferences and awkward locker chats. (I've waited in a Ritz Carlton for Pat Riley myself. Good times.)

 

[Fran Curci]

Totally reasonable blog post. Kind of interesting. What else is there to say?

 

[rpmmutant]

When LeBron decides which team he wants to play for, it will be the biggest sports story of the summer. Who he and his agent talk to and when are important.
Plus it makes for great discussion. Cleveland needs LeBron more than LeBron needs Cleveland. The message board comments make that relatively clear.

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

When LeBron decides which team he wants to play for, it will be the biggest sports story of the summer.

Or the most tiresome.

 

[rpmmutant]

All the meetings and rumors will become tiresome. When he signs with a team, it will be the biggest story.

 

[BTExpress]

This is as bad as the annual recruiting hype, where every athlete's "My trip went well" is blown out of proportion to those leaning on his every word.

Only saving grace is that LeBron won't be using the old hat trick when he announces his decision. At least I hope not.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Early in my career I was coming back from covering a press conference when our beat writer got a call on his cell that a big-name free agent was coming into town. He knew what hotel the team usually put guys up in. He called the hotel and asked for the player. He was told nobody by that name was there. He then called back two or three times until someone else answered the phone.

"Hi, this is X from (the team). I forget what name we have (the player) registered under, but I need you to transfer me to his room."

30 seconds later, he had the guy on the phone.

 

[JackReacher]

The local morning sports radio show used to do a segment called Bother the Pro, where they'd call these random athletes at their hotel and interview them on the spot. One of my favorite segments.

 

[Scoop returns]

Are you guys serious? This was a great get. While the other "journalists" in Cleveland were sitting on their asses at home, including PD beat writer Brian "Sloppy Ass" Windhorst, Branson was doing what good journalist do. He was working angles and staking the places where the stories are. The story is not at IMG. It was at the Ritz Carlton where Riley and LeBron's agent felt the need to meet before the official meetings. Now we have confirmation that Miami is a serious contender for LeBron. Great work Branson. Hopefully the Plain Dealer will get its head out of its asses and put the Wright man back on the Cavs beat.

 

[JoelHammond]

Early in my career I was coming back from covering a press conference when our beat writer got a call on his cell that a big-name free agent was coming into town. He knew what hotel the team usually put guys up in. He called the hotel and asked for the player. He was told nobody by that name was there. He then called back two or three times until someone else answered the phone.

"Hi, this is X from (the team). I forget what name we have (the player) registered under, but I need you to transfer me to his room."

30 seconds later, he had the guy on the phone.

That's awesome. And scoop's Windhorst bashing aside -- Windhorst is awesome, and Scoop clearly has a long-established dog in this fight -- he's right, I think: This was a pretty darn good find.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Are you guys serious? This was a great get. While the other "journalists" in Cleveland were sitting on their asses at home, including PD beat writer Brian "Sloppy Ass" Windhorst, Branson was doing what good journalist do. He was working angles and staking the places where the stories are. The story is not at IMG. It was at the Ritz Carlton where Riley and LeBron's agent felt the need to meet before the official meetings. Now we have confirmation that Miami is a serious contender for LeBron. Great work Branson. Hopefully the Plain Dealer will get its head out of its asses and put the Wright man back on the Cavs beat.

Nothing in that article says Branson wasn't sitting on his ass at home and someone called him to tell him what was going on.

 

[Shaggy]

Early in my career I was coming back from covering a press conference when our beat writer got a call on his cell that a big-name free agent was coming into town. He knew what hotel the team usually put guys up in. He called the hotel and asked for the player. He was told nobody by that name was there. He then called back two or three times until someone else answered the phone.

"Hi, this is X from (the team). I forget what name we have (the player) registered under, but I need you to transfer me to his room."

30 seconds later, he had the guy on the phone.

False representation of yourself? Is that cool, even if it's just to a hotel front desk guy?

 

[DanOregon]

Breaking News: A group of swarthy men dressed as firefighters were spotted setting up what witnesses reported to be artillery shells on a barge in the river - intelligence chatter has turned up repeated references to July 4th.

 

[Scoop returns]

SportsPredict,

The way the story reads to me, sounds like Branson walked up on Riley and they talked face to face. But get this, say he was at home sitting on his ass, that makes Windhorst look even more like a sloppy lazy ass that a dude not even on the beat can sit at home and work his NBA sources better than him...LMAO! Stop, you are not helping Windbag. He has been getting his ass kicked on every Cavs story this offseason. He hasn't broke **** and everyone on this board knows that is true. I don't think he has a source in the Cavs front office and he damn ain't connected to LeBron and his people. I read the Cleveland section daily and the coverage is worse than it has ever been, even under two-word lede writing Mary **** Boyer. But I don't want to bash Windbag as much as I want to praise Branson for a job well done.