Mainstream Sports Media Scared Stiff and Not Sure of Next Move
After viewing and reviewing today’s episode of Outside the Lines, I could not help but begin to wonder why Ken Rosenthal and John Gonzalez were feigning such outrage towards Jerod’s post regarding Raul Ibanez.
It became easier to understand once I realized that Rosenthal had not even read the post before appearing on television to discuss its significance (now that’s what I call journalistic integrity).
Rosenthal admits and agrees that, “all players today must face this kind of scrutiny because of all that has happened in the past.” Apparently, he meant all players except for Raul Ibanez.
The fact of the matter is, ALL players; even players who are NOT performing unusually or particularly well; should be scrutinized for two reasons:
1) Several of them have already been caught cheating.
2) The Collective Bargaining Agreement protects players from being blood-tested.
So Ken Rosenthal feels that JRod’s post (which I believe he neglected to take the time to read) was “wrong” and “unfair”. He went on to illogically back up this point by saying that this never would have happened 10 years ago. Nice logic, Kenny.
Next, Rosenthal interrupts Jerod with some more of his brilliant logic. While JRod is explaining that his article carefully separates accusation and speculation, Ken chimes in with, “then how did we get here? How is Raul Ibanez responding to this yesterday?”
Those questions are so stupid and illogical, that I dont know where to begin. It is my estimation, that “we got here” because mainstream media is forced to sensationalize stories to stay afloat. That, and the fact that neither Ibanez NOR Rosenthal took the time to read and digest Jerod’s post. Gonzalez may or may not have misunderstood Jerod’s article; but he mis-characterized it nonetheless. Ibanez was NOT responding to Jerod’s blog, as Ken Rosenthal mistakenly points out. Ibanez was responding to the SPIN that Gonzalez put on JRod’s blog. Spinning things to suit one’s argument is very easy. Check this shit out:
JOHN GONZALEZ ACCUSES RAUL IBANEZ OF BEING “PAINFULLY OUT OF TOUCH”
(Ibanez referred to the blogger as a 42 year old living in his mom’s basement —> Gonzalez said on TV that “people who think bloggers are irrelevant and living in their parent’s basement are painfully out of touch” —> Gonzales thinks Ibanez is out of touch.)
When prompted to explain the “simple standard of decency” that Ken Rosenthal thinks all bloggers & journalists should adhere to, he spews out the following rule of thumb: “Would you want this written about yourself?”
Brilliant. Apparently, journalists are only supposed to report good news and present positive opinions and editorials. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Bob Woodward.
I think i figured out why these guys were so pissed. Newspapers are dying. Bloggers and blog sites are growing exponentially. It is ten times harder for John Gonzalez to get people to read his column than it would have been say… 10 years ago?
Here’s an example. Television used to be monopolized by ABC, NBC, and CBS. If you were on TV, you had a HUGE audience, no matter what. Now that TV viewers have the option of hundreds of channels, dish networks, and the Internet, it has become increasingly difficult to grab the attention of a large market share.
Similarly, the emergence of the blogosphere has quickly taken away the audience and influence of old-world “journalists” like Ken Rosenthal. The Internet has slowly turned sports journalism into a meritocracy, where information is sought out by the people, and not force-fed to them by the few. People now have options when it comes to where they will get their sports news and info, and that scares the shit out of the “boys club” that is old-school mainstream media. Ken Rosenthal is a whiny bitch who needs to spend more time honing his craft, and less time trying to eliminate the competition that can only make him better. I can call him a bitch for two reasons:
1) The 1st Amendment of the United States Constitution
2) I’m pretty sure he doesent read articles all the way to the end.
Tags: John Gonzalez, Ken Rosenthal, Raul Ibanez
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Since you mentioned that you “viewed and reviewed†ESPN’s “Outside the Lines†today, I can only assume that you also read and reread Gonzalez’ Philadelphia Inquirer article, “A Cheap Shot at Ibanezâ€. Ken Rosenthal may not have made it to the end of your blog, but I question whether or not you yourself read John Gonzalez’ article in its entirety.
If you had, you would have read the following:
“I’m not a blog hater. I’m not an old-school newspaper guy who fears the Internet the way children fear what’s under their bed. Far from it. And I’m no apologist for Major League Baseball or the players who chose a quick way to get better and forever tarnished their sport as a result.
MLB started the fire, but that doesn’t mean we have to keep it going by tossing players and their Louisville sluggers into the flames. At a time when anybody’s opinion can be quickly amplified and the weakest voices can suddenly make the loudest noise, I worry about fairness.
Ibanez hasn’t tested positive, and he’s denied taking PEDs on multiple occasions. Until there’s proof to the contrary, shouldn’t all of us – from the traditional mainstream media to bloggers – be judicious about calling people cheaters? It’s easier to sling mud than ever before, which is why we need to be careful when taking aim.â€
Gonzalez explained quite clearly where he stood on the matter days ago and seems to have both contradicted your suggestions about him today and made you seem like a hypocrite for accusing Rosenthal of not reading/digesting your blog.
Hi, Kettle? This is MSF. You’re black!
John Gonzalez didn’t misunderstand your article. He didn’t mischaracterize it. He wasn’t ‘force-feeding’ his readers information and, contrary to what many in the media said today, he didn’t provide footing for a rumor that wouldn’t have otherwise had any. He simply joined a pre-existing conversation. Whether you like it or not, both he and Ken Rosenthal have as much right to be participants in the conversation as you or I (or anyone else for that matter) do. That’s the beauty of that First Amendment you keep mentioning.
Further, both your blog and Gonzalez’ Inquirer article were the subject of heated debates today – in Philadelphia and across the country. I followed the story and found that out of everyone, John Gonzalez was one of the few people willing to acknowledge the sprawling reach of the blogosphere. Gonzalez defended bloggers against gross generalizations suggesting that they are 42 year olds who live in their parents’ basements. Like he himself stated, he is not clinging to the ideologies of the mainstream media “boys clubâ€, but rather quite willing to recognize blogs for what they are: a powerful and permanent fixture in the new media. He simply suggests that the bloggers themselves consider that power before they post, for as today demonstrated, the fallout can be pretty extensive. When stripped of all journalistic flourishes and trimmings, it seems that all Gonzalez really said was this: Think about what you say before you say it. My mom told me the same thing when I was in elementary school. It was as valid then as it is now and my sweet mother didn’t get crucified for imparting her wisdom with me.
You said in your post today that “People now have options when it comes to where they will get their sports news and infoâ€. That’s true. But was you projected about Ibanez in your blog was neither – it was speculation…speculation that has now slapped a scarlet letter on a baseball player’s uniform and planted seeds of doubt in the minds of baseball fans everywhere. THAT was the bottom line of the Inquirer article. THAT is what Gonzalez was warning against.
PS – Ibanez referred to the blogger as a 42 year old living in his mom’s basement —> Gonzalez said on TV that “people who think bloggers are irrelevant and living in their parent’s basement are painfully out of touchâ€, thus defending bloggers—> blogger accuses Gonzales of suggesting Ibanez is out of touch. —> huh?
What kind of convoluted high school game of telephone are you playing?
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Ryan Russell Reply:
June 10th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
@Ronald,
Well, because you failed to understand the joke within the “convoluted high school game of telephone”, I can only assume that you also failed to understand the essence of my post in general.
Furthermore,
Allow me to reiterate at this time, that I MYSELF am not Jerod Morris. In your reply, it appears as if you think that he and I are one person. Jerod is the founder and managing editor of this website, and I am someone completely different, hundreds of miles away, who writes about 3 blogs per year on this website. MSF is open to anyone who wants to blog about midwest sports to post articles.
I find the passage you chose to quote extremely amusing and ironic.
“a time when anybody’s opinion can be quickly amplified and the weakest voices can suddenly make the loudest noise, I worry about fairness.”
WHICH HYPOCRITE PICKED UP THE STORY? GONZALEZ IS THE ONE “AMPLIFYING” THIS TO MAKE A NAME FOR HIMSELF AND SELL NEWSPAPERS
The dude from MSF does not have an agent, and was contacted by OTL to defend himself. If it was not for John Gonzalez Raul Ibanez would not have known that MSF existed.
The fact that you think MSF planted the “seeds of doubt in baseball fans everywhere” only proves that you are not an “EXPERT” on the “steroid era”.
There are so many holes in your logic that i couldn’t possibly touch on them all, but I will say one more thing: Just because John Gonzalez SAYS that he isnt an “old-school newspaper guy who fears the Internet”; DOES NOT mean that he isn’t. OJ Simpson SAID he wasnt a killer, and Roger Clemons SAID he wasn’t a cheater.
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Ronald Reply:
June 11th, 2009 at 12:36 am
@Ryan Russell,
And you SAID you were a writer.
Sorry – that was a cheap shot. And yes, I took it. Again, Sorry.
I DID understand the joke (thanks for all the —>, this feeble-minded reader with hole-filled logic found them very helpful)- it just wasn’t that funny.
Yes, I did use the pronoun “you”. In essence, I was really addressing the website, “JRod”, you the writer, and anyone of that mindset. Thank god you can’t get sued on technicalities or we’d BOTH be in big trouble.
And when did I claim to be an expert in the steroid era? I’m not so self-important as to assert that I’m an expert in anything.
I really think you’re missing the point of the article by claiming he’s amplifying the story to sell papers. We all know nobody buys papers these days! Ha. And like Gonzalez himself said on Outside the Lines (see your own link), the story had legs before he commented on it. That’s the beauty of blogs and the new media – you click “publish” and in the time it takes to sneeze that link is posted in a hundred more blogs, tweets, facebook posts, myspace bulletins, etc. You know that.
Alright, Ryan. I don’t really have the energy nor the desire for a full-on comment/reply war with you. I simply find it frustrating when a situation like this snowballs into something unnecessarily large. If everybody- EVERYBODY- just stepped back and took a moment to digest, Ryan and Ronald, Rosenthal and Raul, and even that darn Gonzalez could all just be buddies who like baseball.
I stand by the core sentiment of what I wrote before (which had nothing to do with the steroid era): Gonzalez’ article simply meant to comment on the increasing relevance of the blogosphere and reiterate those ever-potent words “think before you speak”.
You and I both could probably heed Mr. Gonzalez’ advice. Fair?
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Ryan Russell Reply:
June 11th, 2009 at 1:13 am
@Ronald,
@Ronald,
where to begin……..
WHEN & WHERE did i say i was a writer? i think i said that i was a dude who RARELY ever blogs.
to be perfectly honest, i am a chef from cleveland who has no aspirations to be a sports writer. I come here to read blogs about the browns, cavs, and indians (not to mention buckeye football)
i was not playing the pronoun game with you, but i do wish to stress that i do not represent the MSF. i am not compensated by MSF, and i dont speak for all of the very different people who blog here.
this story “had legs” before Gonzales put it in the Sports Page at the feet of Ibanez???!?!?!?!?!?
are you really going there?
Riddle me this; if Gonzalez is not desperately seeking sensationalism, then why cant he find anything better to write about than “SOME BLOGGER IN DALLAS TALKS ABOUT HIS FANTASY BASEBALL STUD”
do you mean to tell me that as a newspaper reporter whose job is quickly being marginalized, he didnt LOVE the fact that he got to wear makeup, go on TV, be on the ESPN ticker, get mentioned in PTI and Around The Horn….etc, etc,
my comment about you being a steroid era expert only refers to your inability to recognize that the snowball has been rolling since Canseco and MacGuire were in Oakland. it was ridiculous to attribute ANY of the “seeds” of doubt to be planted by JRod’s post. I dont know who is ACTUALLY to blame for planting those seeds, but they were watered by Sosa, fertilized by Balco, and they have been fully grown Oak trees for many many moons now….
Ronald Reply:
June 11th, 2009 at 3:10 am
@Ronald,
Now you’re just a dude who needs to chill.
I tried to bury the hatchet and extend that olive branch. Didn’t work.
So yeah I’ll go there. Check out the other baseball blogs from the day JRod’s original blog was posted. It was being posted and reposted all over the blogosphere. It was discussed, dissected, analyzed, swallowed and crapped out before Gonzalez even brought pen to paper a day later. If anything, criticize the man for being a few steps behind. And if he was desperately seeking sensationalism, I’d hope he’d find a better spin than “blogs are pretty wide-reaching, think before you post”.
Ok, so you’re a dude from Cleveland. I’m a dude from Philly. A dude who regularly reads the paper here and has for years. A dude who, daily, listens to sports radio here. A dude who every now and again, even gets crazy and flips on the good ‘ole TV here (that’s that box with the knobby things and rabbit ears right?). Gonzalez is already all over all of it. This little blogging story didn’t propel the guy into any medium he hasn’t already been. I see and hear the man pretty frequently.
Contrary to what folks west of the Mississippi want to think, he seems to be well-liked and well-respected around here and in my understanding, already has a substantial reader base. A reader base that finds his often quirky and sometimes out of the blue subject matter humorous and appealing. Read a few of his articles (you’ll probably be able to find links to them sprinkled throughout the blogosphere) and you’ll understand that a Dallas blogger’s fantasy baseball pick isn’t a far out territory. In fact, just read the end of the article (have you made it there yet?) and read where the guy talks about George Strait and a Phillies commentator singing Twisted Sister. Talk about sensationalism!
I guess you and I just won’t ever be on the same page. I watched (and rewatched) Outside the Lines and walked away with something totally different than you. In my assessment, Gonzalez was the more diplomatic voice of the mainstream media, stressing the ever growing relevance of blogs in the new media.
As far as your oak analogy…it was just beautiful.
Ryan Russell Reply:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:11 am
@Ronald,
and youre a dude who needs to realize the difference between “extending an olive branch” and “trying to sneak in the last word”
i seriously doubt that Raul Ibanez would have ever read JRODS post, or clicked on any of the Tweets that linked to it. NONE of this happened until Gonzalez AMPLIFIED the story and printed it in Raul’s local sports page (without any of JRODS disclaimers, without any of the quotes where Jerod admits that even HE thinks Ibanez is clean).
WHY didnt Gonzalez include these parts of Jrods post? Because if he had, he wouldnt have gotten a soudbyte out of Ibanez or gotten to go on TV.
I dont blame Gonzalez for trying to make a name for himself OR sell papers. Thats his job, and if he denies trying to sell papers, then he wont have one much longer.
i just think its funny that he amplified a blog to raise awareness to the recent increase in wrongful amplification of blogs.
Ronald Reply:
June 11th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
@Ryan Russell,
Ryan,
Again, I don’t think you and I are ever going to be on the same page with this. You seem pretty set on arguing everything I say – which is fine – that’s your perogative.
I really don’t have the time to reply to you hourly, daily, what have you. So you are welcome to enjoy the last word here. Go for it.
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Ryan Russell Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
@Ronald,
No. You win, Ronnny. You take the last word. I’ll be the bigger man here.
Great time to be a blogger..
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As someone who writes a blog and has run a media organization before, I see both sides to this issue. In order for Ken Rosenthal to pass along the same take as JROD, he has to go through an army of suits and lawyers. He also has first person relationships with players and GMs which get him his scoops. For him to be able to write what JROD did would cost him a lot of cred with those players and those GMs which, in turn, costs FOX cred, which weakens their product and Rosenthal’s position in it.
So if Rosenthal is railing against bloggers, it’s because JROD does his job without handcuffs and the same constraints Kenny does.
This is not an issue over journalistic responsibility, it’s an issue over the fact that Rosenthal spends hours everyday cultivating sources, working the phones, talking to people and then carefully crafiting a column that passes the smell test for a small army of fact checkers and corporate types. And, everytime he goes to the ballpark, he has to face the players on the field and in the locker room.
JROD is a fan with an opinion.
As I said, there are no rights or wrongs here. Just differences of opinion and a little frustration on behalf of the rank and file media who has to operate under much tighter regulation.
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Ryan Russell Reply:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:15 am
@Chip Ramsey,
thats what i am saying….
Ken Rosenthal is just whining about the times changing. He was happy with the way things were in his profession in the late nineties; now he is not. What does he want us to do about it?
time machines have yet to be invented.
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Over the last year I have found myself reading more and more sports blogs, and less ESPN.com, CNNSI.com, etc. This was not a conscious decision, but one based simply on (what I think is)better, unbiased, more in depth, edgier writing. Bloggers seem to be more in touch with the real fans. Ken Rosenthal can see the writing on the wall. He is becoming irrelevant.
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If you had to politicize it, JRod was to the left, John was in the middle, Ken was the far right. That’s how you debate. It was good TV and that was the point of the OTL segment. It was not to get the truth out of the original JRod article…..or any sort of apology…it was to create the best debate possible. From that stand point- success.
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Ryan Russell Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
@KVB,
God I admire you.
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Ryan Russell Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Fletch F. Fletch
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Well, it appears that in todays age of information some people, the main stream media, do not know how to harness the power of digital media. It was said earlier in the comments thread about the layers and suits. That is just it. We fans or bloggers are not constrained by the corporate rule book.
We follow the consitution and that is that. That is the beauty of the world we live in. Freedom of speech and allow everyone to speak their mind is fundemental here.
I am just another fan who enjoys writing. I may not be the best or even good for that matter. But interacting with you out there in the blogosphere will only make me better.
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