Breaking news: I have TJ Simers' official response....

Doyel's Dribbles? He should see a urologist.

 

That's 11 seconds I won't get back.

 

Just as I will not be entertained by a racist or sexist comic, I will not be entertained by a bully who puts vehicles in front of locker-room backdoors.

 

This is hilarious... Everything from "Doyel's dribbles" to Simers' response to people criticizing Simers for using his own name, yet not registering. Hats off to anyone who can vividly remember work details from 25 years ago.

Great stuff, whitlock. You got my vote.

 

Of course people will remember details of how a friend got canned or other really funky shit at work. Why is that for some reason hard to accept?

 

OK...

I stay out of Simers shit for a reason, but ...

1) I worked for him -- way back before Morris County, even. I learned a lot from him, and I credit him with getting my career off to a good start. Whatever you think about him, he's right about one thing: We don't think outside the box (excuse the phrase) enough in this business, and we don't offer new, compelling things to readers enough. He's more right now than he was then. Because of him, I took chances in my writing and even my layouts. And that thinking from the get-go helped get me to a lot of great places.

2) We had our run-ins. But people who know me know I'm not exactly Mr. Tough Guy -- and if I felt bullied, or whatever, I don't remember it.

3) He can be a pain in the ass on the golf course, because he gets in your head, but he has never been anything but kind to me and my family outside of work. My kids and ex-wife love the guy. And nobody -- nobody -- in our business is more devoted to family. Somebody might be tied -- nobody's ahead of him. He has turned down golden opportunities because they weren't best for family.

4) When I won a national award, more than a year removed from working for the guy, the guy who woke me up to tell me with a call from New Jersey was T.J.

5) He was a GREAT beat reporter.

6) I never miss his column. There are two factions on this. If he's not your cup of tea, whatever.

This all outs me to some more, but so many people here know who this is that I might as well be posting with my own name anyway.

That's all.

 

Does anyone hold it against me that I don't remember anything from 25 years ago because I was four months old?

 

Yes.

 

yes.

 

Fair enough.

 

I don't know Simers. In fact, I don't know a lot of people in this business. But it always fascinates me when SportsJournalists.com decides to bash one person (Simers) or another (Wright Thompson) or another (Jemele Hill) without knowing all the back gossip.

 

Patience. It's almost game day.