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June 14, 2009 By 17 Comments

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Filed Under: Featured Column, Random Thoughts, Sports Writers and Reporters Tagged With: Blogs with Balls, Raul Ibanez, Rebel
About Jerod Morris

A proud graduate of Indiana University, Jerod Morris founded Midwest Sports Fans in August of 2008 and has been its Managing Editor every day since. Follow him on Twitter (@JerodMorris) for MSF updates, sports discussion, and a compelling daily assortment of funny and interesting links.
In addition to his work at MSF, Jerod hosts the fast-growing Indiana basketball postgame show The Assembly Call and provides regular music recommendations at IndieChristmas.com. He also helped develop the Synthesis Managed WordPress Hosting platform on which MSF and all of his other sites are run.

  • http://philliephanatics.org Shay Roddy

    Jerod, my respect for you went from none to a lot this week as well. You represented yourself well, though I still think you made a bit of a mistake. Just too bad they picked you as the whipping boy, because you’re a real smart and good guy.

  • http://www.midwestsportsfans.com JRod

    @Shay Roddy, I certainly respect your ability to disagree in regards to the original post, but unlike you so many you were open-minded and gave me a forum to explain myself to your readers, which I appreciated greatly. You alone cast doubt on a lot of the preconceived notions I had of Philly fans, without having had much fist-hand experience with them.

    And thanks for the kind words…right back at you. I’m looking forward to seeing where your blog goes because you’d got the passion, intelligence, and drive to take it a long way.

    Just do me one favor: if you ever add Ibanez to your growing list of interviews, tell him I’ve been trying to get a hold of him and slip him my email address and perhaps he and I can have an overdue conversation one of these days.

  • http://phillieslongdrive.com/ Tug Haines

    There are 2 things I hate about baseball after all the steroid hubbub – One: That career years are called into question, and Two: That these questions are more or less valid.

    It’s funny how mainstream media misread your Ibanez post, and then used it to rip on sports bloggers while simultaneously using it to create some news for their own (faltering) print media.

    Well, nice talking to you. I have to get back to my mother’s basement. She’s making hot pockets for me and I don’t want to miss that.

  • Cracker Jack Menardi

    I have learned that you are an attention whore and your dog is a cowardly little bitch.

  • http://macho-row.blogspot.com Kevin M

    I hope you learned your lesson! If nothing else came out of this, I picked up a new blogger to read. I give you props for backing up what you write about and standing up to the criticism, however unwarranted it may have been.

  • http://www.midwestsportsfans.com JRod

    @Tug Haines, I agree. The most important part I’ve wanted to express all along is how sad it is that a guy like Raul Ibanez gets dragged into the whole steroid conversation, but that it’s impossible not to wonder. And it’s not an indictment of him, but the league he plays in.

    I never miss mom’s hot pockets. They’re the best. Do you usually blog from a beanbag chair in the basement or have you upgraded to a desk yet?

  • http://www.midwestsportsfans.com JRod

    @Cracker Jack Menardi, thank you Cracker Jack. When he gets out of his surgery today I’ll be sure to inform him of your uplifting words.

  • http://www.midwestsportsfans.com JRod

    @Kevin M, I appreciate it Kevin. That’s something I should have added to the list above. Thanks to all of the great people who have emailed and commented, I’ve found out about so many more great blogs that are out there writing thought-provoking and interesting articles every day. It’s amazing how much the advent of blogs has empowered sports fan. I agree with those who say it comes with a responsibility…but the responsibility is to be honest and genuine and talk with readers, not at them.

    As long as we can hit publish and believe in what we’re saying, and be accountable for it, there is no reason to write in fear. Besides, if you can’t take a little backlash and criticism from time to time, writing may not be the best gig for you.

  • http://zonersports.com Zoner

    Tug you can’t even throw hotpockets in the microwave?

    Great post Jerod. And I think we are all still waiting for the MSM to jump all over their own colleagues that have written nearly identical pieces to yours.

  • http://phillieslongdrive.com/ Tug Haines

    @Zoner, momma makes ‘em better.

  • http://phillieslongdrive.com/ Tug Haines

    @JRod, hunched over a coffee table sitting on my couch. So, kind of a desk.

  • J.D. Shaver

    Great stuff Jerod, well said…and here’s hoping Rebel comes home soon too.

  • Will

    What people like Ken Rosenthal don’t realize is that jobs in mainstream media are hard to come by. People with plenty of qualifications and talent write for blogs because they can’t get jobs with ESPN or some fancy newspaper. He just seems arrogant.

  • Bryan

    Well, looks like you learned quite a bit. Really, what is life for than to experience everything you can? Just think when in the future you can point your grandkids to the “Ibanez flap”. Sure, it’s not like our grandparents storming Normandy, but you’ve done a more interesting thing than I have come close to.

    And I hope Rebel is ok.

  • http://www.opensports.com John

    Jared — <a href=”http://www.opensports.com/community/user/blog_entry/52/74742fed-4a95-4770-9b95-877a5a951c7c wrote this immeadiately after watching the OTL segment … think you did a great job. Your assessments above are 100 percent correct — glad you were able to survive.

  • http://None Chico Rosado

    I don’t feel sorry for Ibanez or any of the other hundreds of silent accomplices (teammates, coaches, managers and even league officials)to the cheapening of all great MLB accomplishments. If any of these idiots would have had a stitch of integrity they would have cleaned the game themselves years ago. But no, they all play stupid and stay silent while we all hear the lies and alibis and sometimes, finally, the truth.

    The baseball media has been useless as far as PEDs and our sport is concerned. Invisible, except for Jose Conseco, he’s our most reliable source of truth in ALL of baseball concerning the subject and its a damned shame!

    Raul, your denials sound just like every other players denials because you all sound the same. Unfortunatly their lies sound just like your truths, imagine that! Not our fault, it’s your fault. Same song and dance man.

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