Denver Post tells writers to stop making picks in games they cover

You're on another planet with this one, man. You can't pick and choose. My head is starting to hurt just trying to comprehend your thoughts.

 

It's really pretty simple. I choose legal over illegal. Makes my head feel good.

 

But you're saying papers shouldn't pick games, run the lines, etc... because it promotes gambling? Just about EVERYTHING in the sports section can aid gamblers, whether it's the lines, the scores from last night, the injury report.

So you'd just strip all that out of your section? Makes no sense.

 

I'm sure it does, because making real judgments based on actual morality is hard, and painting the world in silly, black-and-white dichotomies is easy.

 

Yup. It takes me approximately 10 sec. to pick each game, and that story becomes one of our most widely read each week.
Complete waste of time.

 

matter of principle to me ... we keep saying these guys aren't the pros ... and they aren't ...

 

Just because they aren't pros doesn't mean people don't care who wins the game and aren't keenly interesting in the respect that comes if a neutral "expert" believes their team is better.

 

So you're against picking All-Area teams and running all-district, all-region and all-whatever teams in the paper, too?

Either that or I just don't understand what "they're not pros" means.

 

Actually, I am saying that ... but that's not my call, and recognizing someone for an achievement IS different from weighing the abilities/chances of one group of school children over another, in print ... (even if they are old enough to shave and pro-create) ... Even around here, I refuse to offer any comments or predictions on high school football or any other sport, even though I cover tons of it ... my tack is to let the kids speak for themselves, describe what happened, and go on to the next gig ... doesn't mean anyone else has to do it that way ... it's just my thing, I guess, and I'm fully at peace with that ... my employers seem to be, too ...

 

You're still weird.

 

I receive that compliment, amigo ... 8)

 

It's all about what the readers want.

Sadly, readers care more about the weekly picks column than they do the Sunday investigative take-out. I wish it wasn't that way, but it is.