Dodgers: One beat writer left

da man · May 3, 2009

BYH said:

da man said:

BYH said:

da man said:

I think he meant they don't physically travel with the teams. They make their own arrangements just like newspaper beat guys.

And MLB.com beat writers travel to some games but not all of them. I know MLB.com uses local freelancers to cover visiting teams for a significant number of games.
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not anymore. They got rid of freelancers this year. [blue]Fucking economy.[/blue]
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Not true. I know of one they're using in our city right now and the regional boss told me he's looking for another.
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Well then they were full of shit again a few months ago. the mlb.commers I know are working stupid hours to make up for the home office's pathetic cheapness.
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Just did a google search for "special to mlb.com" and came up with quite a number of freelance efforts from this season.

Cousin Jeffrey · May 3, 2009

mlb.com absolutely still uses freelancers. it's not an urban myth. they stopped paying interns. big difference.

SoCalDude · May 3, 2009

Editude said:

There aren't that many ads anymore. It's a race to the bottom, a circle of sorts back to the Valley Green Sheet.
Dodgers aside: A veteran writer, who worked for the combined Ontario and Pomona products before they became officially combined, used to drive to Dodger Stadium each home game to grab a free meal in the press box and drive back. And not write a word.
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I know of whom you speak. And I know there were times when he ate TWICE.
He would show up right when the dining room opened at 5 p.m. or so and eat, then go out to the press box and read the paper or use the phone, then a little while before the game started at about 7 p.m or so, he would go back in for a second meal.
And I can confirm, he never wrote one word.

fishwrapper · May 4, 2009

They would call him the "Double Dip."
Mud -- who, um, was ok with dining -- told a great story about him.

Screwball · May 4, 2009

Was this the same guy who made everyone watch him brush his teeth in the men's room?

SoCalDude · May 4, 2009

He also got re-assigned to agate and dropped his SE with one punch.

buckweaver · May 4, 2009

The classy Tom Hoffarth, in before lock:

http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/archives/2009/05/our-daily-dread-29.html

(And I'll cut and paste the relevant passages, in case LANG really does delete this blog entry):

It gets tougher and tougher, and sadder and sadder, each day to love something that doesn't want to seem to love you back.
Or to even accept emails from those like the ones above without wanting to fire something right back, return the punch. As if it will make things better.
You take a deep breath, scratch your head, consider the source, and move forward.
Or try to, at least.

Those of us left paddling in a circle, as it sometimes feel, feel like our lifejackets keep slipping off our shoulders. We huddle up, as a good team does, and try to figure out how to tie a rope to each other and make survival last a few more weeks. Because no matter when you think that last tidal wave has come, there's another on the horizon.
Meanwhile, don't miss deadline, find something interesting to write about, and get those photo assignments in a timely manner -- granted, if there are photographers left who can work with you on that story.

Our jobs aren't that much different from yours, really. Hopefully, you still have one. If not, we feel your pain, anguish, fears and frustration.
Those of us still working for the sports section are here because we want to be. And we'd have wanted it more if those who we worked with on a regular basis were able to stay as well.

The sports section is very much a team project. We help each other with resources, bounce ideas off each other, argue, agree, argue more, see something that's a great story and try to figure out how, as a group, we can cover it best.
When those pieces of the team continue to leave -- either voluntarily, because it's just too hard to take another punch in the but, or by reason of financial reality -- it makes the team project even tougher to commit to. Team players, whose who are willing to do more than just cover one beat that they were hired to do in the first place, become those asked to stay, for their versatility.
Because, for example, they can copy edit one day, write another, and help try to console departed members the next.

***********************

We grew up reading the newspaper sports section for all it had to offer. We see it now, and while it can still serve up some great information, opinions and basic information, all of which can also be found on the Internet for less than 50 cents a read, we try to understand, as a co-reader, why this doesn't make sense.
We're not good business people. We're sports writers. We accept the rather low pay (despite what you may think) and what few perks there are (again, despite what you may think) for the fun of working for the reader.
What does the reader want? We don't think of you as the consumer, or "what will sell" (again, despite what some may want you to think). We want to write about things you'd enjoy reading about.
If you see it in the newspaper, great. If you find it on the website and are able to link to more resources, even better.
If we could figure a way to do that, and keep our jobs, even better.

Because as soon as another one of us is told by someone in the management position that, unfortunately, we can't afford to have you on our team any more, we go back to becoming just a reader instead of a contributor. And, as a reader, we also wish we could read more and find better stories to entertain and inform us. Just as we remember back in the days when we'd look forward to the newspaper arriving on our driveway with a thump.
The internet, and blogging, is an amazing resource to keep people informed as quickly as possible. The newspaper's sports page can be the place for stories that compliment and suppliment that immediate medium of transferring information. But not if we don't have enough players left on the team.
We'll keep trying. Believe us. We're in this for the good, as well as the bad.
We love this job. We keep grinding and try not to whine so much.

It's just tougher, every day, to feel like we're spending most of our energy and focus on things that just shouldn't be stuff you need or care to worry about.
We're not going down without a fight. We care about it too much at this point to throw up our hands and just walk away.
Just so you know ... or is that too much information?

Comment here or at thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com.
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dragonfly · May 4, 2009

So what if local coverage is freelance? At least there is local coverage.

fishwrapper · May 4, 2009

Well, because there is a question of quality, oversight and continuity. With fewer editors and more freelancers there's an intrinsic loss.
Everytime they look to trim costs, before they look to staff and travel, guess which budget gets immediate scrutiny?

rpmmutant · May 4, 2009

dragonfly said:

So what if local coverage is freelance? At least there is local coverage.
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I resemble that remark these days. The real question is how many more opportunities will there be for local freelancers like myself.

Claws for Concern · May 4, 2009

buckweaver said:

The classy Tom Hoffarth, in before lock:

http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/archives/2009/05/our-daily-dread-29.html

(And I'll cut and paste the relevant passages, in case LANG really does delete this blog entry):

It gets tougher and tougher, and sadder and sadder, each day to love something that doesn't want to seem to love you back.
Or to even accept emails from those like the ones above without wanting to fire something right back, return the punch. As if it will make things better.
You take a deep breath, scratch your head, consider the source, and move forward.
Or try to, at least.

Those of us left paddling in a circle, as it sometimes feel, feel like our lifejackets keep slipping off our shoulders. We huddle up, as a good team does, and try to figure out how to tie a rope to each other and make survival last a few more weeks. Because no matter when you think that last tidal wave has come, there's another on the horizon.
Meanwhile, don't miss deadline, find something interesting to write about, and get those photo assignments in a timely manner -- granted, if there are photographers left who can work with you on that story.

Our jobs aren't that much different from yours, really. Hopefully, you still have one. If not, we feel your pain, anguish, fears and frustration.
Those of us still working for the sports section are here because we want to be. And we'd have wanted it more if those who we worked with on a regular basis were able to stay as well.

The sports section is very much a team project. We help each other with resources, bounce ideas off each other, argue, agree, argue more, see something that's a great story and try to figure out how, as a group, we can cover it best.
When those pieces of the team continue to leave -- either voluntarily, because it's just too hard to take another punch in the but, or by reason of financial reality -- it makes the team project even tougher to commit to. Team players, whose who are willing to do more than just cover one beat that they were hired to do in the first place, become those asked to stay, for their versatility.
Because, for example, they can copy edit one day, write another, and help try to console departed members the next.

***********************

We grew up reading the newspaper sports section for all it had to offer. We see it now, and while it can still serve up some great information, opinions and basic information, all of which can also be found on the Internet for less than 50 cents a read, we try to understand, as a co-reader, why this doesn't make sense.
We're not good business people. We're sports writers. We accept the rather low pay (despite what you may think) and what few perks there are (again, despite what you may think) for the fun of working for the reader.
What does the reader want? We don't think of you as the consumer, or "what will sell" (again, despite what some may want you to think). We want to write about things you'd enjoy reading about.
If you see it in the newspaper, great. If you find it on the website and are able to link to more resources, even better.
If we could figure a way to do that, and keep our jobs, even better.

Because as soon as another one of us is told by someone in the management position that, unfortunately, we can't afford to have you on our team any more, we go back to becoming just a reader instead of a contributor. And, as a reader, we also wish we could read more and find better stories to entertain and inform us. Just as we remember back in the days when we'd look forward to the newspaper arriving on our driveway with a thump.
The internet, and blogging, is an amazing resource to keep people informed as quickly as possible. The newspaper's sports page can be the place for stories that compliment and suppliment that immediate medium of transferring information. But not if we don't have enough players left on the team.
We'll keep trying. Believe us. We're in this for the good, as well as the bad.
We love this job. We keep grinding and try not to whine so much.

It's just tougher, every day, to feel like we're spending most of our energy and focus on things that just shouldn't be stuff you need or care to worry about.
We're not going down without a fight. We care about it too much at this point to throw up our hands and just walk away.
Just so you know ... or is that too much information?

Comment here or at thomas.hoffarth@dailynews.com.
Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Tom Hoffarth is DEFINITELY one of the great ones at the DN. Always has and always will. Great writing on a tough subject.

Piotr Rasputin · May 5, 2009

As the Singleton Turns:

Heard that the Long Beach paper had its sports freelance budget eliminated recently.

Likely not alone in the group.

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Dodgers: One beat writer left

da man Well-Known Member

Cousin Jeffrey Active Member

SoCalDude Active Member

fishwrapper Active Member

Screwball Active Member

SoCalDude Active Member

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dragonfly Member

fishwrapper Active Member

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Dodgers: One beat writer left

da man Well-Known Member

Cousin Jeffrey Active Member

SoCalDude Active Member

fishwrapper Active Member

Screwball Active Member

SoCalDude Active Member

buckweaver Active Member

dragonfly Member

fishwrapper Active Member

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Piotr Rasputin New Member

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