Herald to cut about 175 positions

ArnoldBabar · Mar 17, 2009

the bullet said:

AD said:

And Mike Phillips, by the way? One of the all-time great guys, an unstoppable workhorse and preps legend in that town, had it wired like no one before or since. Excellent writer. Generous to everyone, regardless of so-called "stature" in the business, heartfelt graciousness to families and sources, face of the paper for an entire generation of athletes now in the pros, with their phone numbers still in his rolodex -- an asset to any staff. I'm still confused as to whether he's gone or not, so this is in no way a confirmation. But if he is, it's just a massive mistake.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but that is not the image I have of him any longer. I did -- once. But that was before my lay off.

Mike, it seems, thought that an extra few months salary would allow him to sell his house, move and start a new job. Problem is, the buyout wouldn't cover the extra few months salary that Mike was looking for.

He approached me, the "dead man walking" on the staff, and made a gracious (and I fully intend all sarcasm with that word) offer of ALLOWING me to keep my job if I would give him the extra few months salary he needed out of my own pocket.

Think about it. As if it is not bad enough to be told you're the one on the chopping block and your job will be saved if -- and only if -- someone else volunteers to take a buy out, imagine the extra grief, worry, concern, outrage, etc. that comes with an attempt to extort you if you wanted to keep the job. I declined, of course, knowing that the next buyout will likely target me again.

Mike dragged it out to the final day and even made a rare office visit to discuss his situation in the final hour. Friends on the staff were calling me with the hope my job would be saved because Mike was there to supposedly take the buyout. The deadline came and went. Rather than call and tell me he declined, I had to wait an additional 24 hours before I got the call from management to dismiss me.

Oh, I did hear from Mike the next week. He said he was sorry and asked for all my contacts, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, etc. so he could do my old job. What a crock.

So while I join the others on here who mourn the loss of jobs for people like Jeff and Sarah, I celebrate Mike's dismissal. As I learned from Carson Daly (through My Name is Earl), karma is a bitch.
Click to expand...

Holy shit. That's all, just holy shit.

Blair Waldorf · Mar 17, 2009

I'd heard rumors about this type of behavior via friends in Miami, but I never believed it until now.

Wow.

SoBeOrNotSoBe · Mar 18, 2009

I, for one, believe "the bullet". I'm not one for kicking a man while he's down, but I had enough negative experiences with the guy -- anger management stuff -- that I'm not surprised. At all.

Shain's a whole different ballgame. It's a travesty if he goes. Never knew Sarah.

zagoshe · Mar 18, 2009

the bullet said:

AD said:

And Mike Phillips, by the way? One of the all-time great guys, an unstoppable workhorse and preps legend in that town, had it wired like no one before or since. Excellent writer. Generous to everyone, regardless of so-called "stature" in the business, heartfelt graciousness to families and sources, face of the paper for an entire generation of athletes now in the pros, with their phone numbers still in his rolodex -- an asset to any staff. I'm still confused as to whether he's gone or not, so this is in no way a confirmation. But if he is, it's just a massive mistake.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but that is not the image I have of him any longer. I did -- once. But that was before my lay off.

Mike, it seems, thought that an extra few months salary would allow him to sell his house, move and start a new job. Problem is, the buyout wouldn't cover the extra few months salary that Mike was looking for.

He approached me, the "dead man walking" on the staff, and made a gracious (and I fully intend all sarcasm with that word) offer of ALLOWING me to keep my job if I would give him the extra few months salary he needed out of my own pocket.

Think about it. As if it is not bad enough to be told you're the one on the chopping block and your job will be saved if -- and only if -- someone else volunteers to take a buy out, imagine the extra grief, worry, concern, outrage, etc. that comes with an attempt to extort you if you wanted to keep the job. I declined, of course, knowing that the next buyout will likely target me again.

Mike dragged it out to the final day and even made a rare office visit to discuss his situation in the final hour. Friends on the staff were calling me with the hope my job would be saved because Mike was there to supposedly take the buyout. The deadline came and went. Rather than call and tell me he declined, I had to wait an additional 24 hours before I got the call from management to dismiss me.

Oh, I did hear from Mike the next week. He said he was sorry and asked for all my contacts, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, etc. so he could do my old job. What a crock.

So while I join the others on here who mourn the loss of jobs for people like Jeff and Sarah, I celebrate Mike's dismissal. As I learned from Carson Daly (through My Name is Earl), karma is a bitch.
Click to expand...

Is there anyone else, at least on some level, a little bit uneasy about annonymous posters trashing someone -- based on a personal conversation in an office -- on a message board?

I'm not saying the story is true or it isn't because I have no idea -- the problem I have is the only name being thrown around in this story is Mike Phillips so we have no idea of ever knowing if it really did happen......

HorseWhipped · Mar 18, 2009

Shain is the best. Writes well, writes clean, never a problem.

Probably three others at the Herald that should go before Jeff Shain.

Shain always did everything they asked of him, and that can't be said about some of the others. Guy always knows how to do everything that is expected from him: Gamer, side story, notes, other stuff.

You call him up, he says this: "What more can I give you? Anything you need."

That is Jeff Shain.

HorseWhipped · Mar 18, 2009

zagoshe said:

the bullet said:

AD said:

And Mike Phillips, by the way? One of the all-time great guys, an unstoppable workhorse and preps legend in that town, had it wired like no one before or since. Excellent writer. Generous to everyone, regardless of so-called "stature" in the business, heartfelt graciousness to families and sources, face of the paper for an entire generation of athletes now in the pros, with their phone numbers still in his rolodex -- an asset to any staff. I'm still confused as to whether he's gone or not, so this is in no way a confirmation. But if he is, it's just a massive mistake.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but that is not the image I have of him any longer. I did -- once. But that was before my lay off.

Mike, it seems, thought that an extra few months salary would allow him to sell his house, move and start a new job. Problem is, the buyout wouldn't cover the extra few months salary that Mike was looking for.

He approached me, the "dead man walking" on the staff, and made a gracious (and I fully intend all sarcasm with that word) offer of ALLOWING me to keep my job if I would give him the extra few months salary he needed out of my own pocket.

Think about it. As if it is not bad enough to be told you're the one on the chopping block and your job will be saved if -- and only if -- someone else volunteers to take a buy out, imagine the extra grief, worry, concern, outrage, etc. that comes with an attempt to extort you if you wanted to keep the job. I declined, of course, knowing that the next buyout will likely target me again.

Mike dragged it out to the final day and even made a rare office visit to discuss his situation in the final hour. Friends on the staff were calling me with the hope my job would be saved because Mike was there to supposedly take the buyout. The deadline came and went. Rather than call and tell me he declined, I had to wait an additional 24 hours before I got the call from management to dismiss me.

Oh, I did hear from Mike the next week. He said he was sorry and asked for all my contacts, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, etc. so he could do my old job. What a crock.

So while I join the others on here who mourn the loss of jobs for people like Jeff and Sarah, I celebrate Mike's dismissal. As I learned from Carson Daly (through My Name is Earl), karma is a bitch.
Click to expand...

Is there anyone else, at least on some level, a little bit uneasy about annonymous posters trashing someone -- based on a personal conversation in an office -- on a message board?

I'm not saying the story is true or it isn't because I have no idea -- the problem I have is the only name being thrown around in this story is Mike Phillips so we have no idea of ever knowing if it really did happen......
Click to expand...

And yet don't you, Zag, have a record on this site for being a total dick at times?

SoBeOrNotSoBe · Mar 18, 2009

HorseWhipped said:

Shain is the best. Writes well, writes clean, never a problem.

Probably three others at the Herald that should go before Jeff Shain.

Shain always did everything they asked of him, and that can't be said about some of the others. Guy always knows how to do everything that is expected from him: Gamer, side story, notes, other stuff.

You call him up, he says this: "What more can I give you? Anything you need."

That is Jeff Shain.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more.

zagoshe · Mar 18, 2009

HorseWhipped said:

zagoshe said:

the bullet said:

Sorry, but that is not the image I have of him any longer. I did -- once. But that was before my lay off.

Mike, it seems, thought that an extra few months salary would allow him to sell his house, move and start a new job. Problem is, the buyout wouldn't cover the extra few months salary that Mike was looking for.

He approached me, the "dead man walking" on the staff, and made a gracious (and I fully intend all sarcasm with that word) offer of ALLOWING me to keep my job if I would give him the extra few months salary he needed out of my own pocket.

Think about it. As if it is not bad enough to be told you're the one on the chopping block and your job will be saved if -- and only if -- someone else volunteers to take a buy out, imagine the extra grief, worry, concern, outrage, etc. that comes with an attempt to extort you if you wanted to keep the job. I declined, of course, knowing that the next buyout will likely target me again.

Mike dragged it out to the final day and even made a rare office visit to discuss his situation in the final hour. Friends on the staff were calling me with the hope my job would be saved because Mike was there to supposedly take the buyout. The deadline came and went. Rather than call and tell me he declined, I had to wait an additional 24 hours before I got the call from management to dismiss me.

Oh, I did hear from Mike the next week. He said he was sorry and asked for all my contacts, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, etc. so he could do my old job. What a crock.

So while I join the others on here who mourn the loss of jobs for people like Jeff and Sarah, I celebrate Mike's dismissal. As I learned from Carson Daly (through My Name is Earl), karma is a bitch.
Click to expand...

Is there anyone else, at least on some level, a little bit uneasy about annonymous posters trashing someone -- based on a personal conversation in an office -- on a message board?

I'm not saying the story is true or it isn't because I have no idea -- the problem I have is the only name being thrown around in this story is Mike Phillips so we have no idea of ever knowing if it really did happen......
Click to expand...

And yet don't you, Zag, have a record on this site for being a total dick at times?
Click to expand...

There is a huge difference between two annonymous people on a message board calling each other dickheads, jackasses and shit for brains and one annoymous person sharing an alleged personal story about a real person based on a private conversation and using the other person's name but not his own.

The two are not remotely close to being the same.

If you can't understand the difference, I can't help you.

zagoshe · Mar 18, 2009

HorseWhipped said:

And yet don't you, Zag, have a record on this site for being a total dick at times?
Click to expand...

And for the record it is not "at times" it is all the time....

Get it right, jackass..... ;D

SoBeOrNotSoBe · Mar 18, 2009

I wouldn't have had the guts to post that account. But I have reason -- many reasons, actually -- to believe it. All I'm sayin'.

I'm not sayin' I'm glad to see him go. A little piece of me dies with every layoff, actually, no matter who it is.

zagoshe · Mar 18, 2009

SoBeOrNotSoBe said:

I wouldn't have had the guts to post that account. But I have reason -- many reasons, actually -- to believe it. All I'm sayin'.

I'm not sayin' I'm glad to see him go. A little piece of me dies with every layoff, actually, no matter who it is.
Click to expand...

You misunderstand.

I don't doubt the story, I have no reason to believe it or doubt it because I don't know any of the people involved.

I'm just questioning whether it is a good thing that one of the people in the story has been identified -- and thus his credibility and reputation is on the firing line -- and the other person is not.

HorseWhipped · Mar 18, 2009

Thanks for the clarification, Dick.

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Herald to cut about 175 positions

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Herald to cut about 175 positions

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