Bissinger Drops The Pimp Hand

Stephen A's actions only prove to me that ESPN is like the mob, and he needs a legit place to file a W2, perhaps with God, so he can get his soul into heaven. The Inky serves that role for him.

 

So he's really in waste management?

 

It's a retirement community!

 

If either columnist were actually earning the salary he's being paid, I'm sure Bissinger wouldn't have made the suggestion.

There's no complex moral imperative here, nor any charitable conundrum in what he's suggesting. He's spanking these two fellas for consuming considerable resources in a lean time - without doing commensurate work in return. And he's spanking the suits at the paper for allowing it.

 

Which I would have no problem with, certainly, if his note went more in that direction and pointed out specific instances where these guys were mailing it in.

The way I read it, he was stating a moral imperative for them to quit, and that I don't agree with.

 

Buzz sure is into spanking.

 

OK, now that's a different story. You'll never catch me defending SAS as a columnist. Even before he started the TV work I thought he was ordinary at best. But again, in these lean times, the paper isn't going to pay big bucks very long to columnists who aren't earning it, in one way or another. My guess is that the paper feels like they have a positive enough effect on the bottom line to be worth the money. If not, no one needs to encourage them to resign, because they'll be out on their ass soon as their contracts expire.

 

Here's a link to the site where Mr. Bissinger originally posted the comment. You'll note that he's taking a spanking himself for having made it.

http://blogs.philly.com/blinq/2007/01/most_of_the_nam.html#comments

 

jg,

I think Bissinger is absolutely putting the moral screws to Grogan. Smith is getting critiqued as being a half-ass.

In 10, 15 years, doesn't everybody kinda think these columnists are gonna limp back to their newspapers, hat in hand, and starting writing again? Can anybody really see this trend of "newspaper on TV" continuing that much longer?

 

This thread shows what's wrong with newspapers: The drive to cut better people rather than the ftards who take up space and cash.

Cuts in themselves are not necessarily bad. Indiscriminate cuts, though, are a big problem.

 

I think he's scolding Mr. Grogan on a couple of points. Here's the first reference in Bissinger's comment:

"Grogan is mired in the gooey syrup that made Marley and Me such a hit and has never shown any knowledge of the region whatsoever."

Which speaks directly to Mr. Grogan's value as a columnist.

Here's the second, which follows an elaborate accounting of what Mr. Grogan has likely earned:

"More power to him, but if he has one tenth of the morality he shows off in his insipid columns, he will quietly retire from the Inquirer so someone's job can be saved."

So Bissinger's damning him, as I see it, for poor work poorly done, using what Bissinger views as the sloppy sanctimony of Mr. Grogan's own work to do so.

Six of one, etc.

I'm don't have a good answer to the second part of your post, because I'm not sure how much more "synergy" the communications companies can stand.

 

most admireable ace. i tip my hat.