KC Star Sports Editor Lawton resigns

I think most readers in the KC region got bored by Whitlock's schtick years ago. He knows football, I'll give him that, but I don't think he's ever written a relevant word about the Royals. You can insert your joke about the Royals not being relevant here, but when you are the big-name, big-money columnist is a town with two major franchises you aren't pulling your weight if you can't effectively write about both. He makes attempts to write about college basketball, but his columns usually read like he went to the press room, listened to the other writers talk and took the opposite stance, just to be contrarian.

 

Most of the time, I'd agree with that sentiment, Jake_Taylor.

But Poz cornered baseball and Whitlock football. It seemed to work.

 

This is the truth. For me, the only must-read piece he produces is the report card on the Chiefs. I do like his perspective on some of the various issues, especially race issues, that pop up from time-to-time.

But like Jake said, if you read the Star on a daily basis, the only topic he's consistent on is football.

 

Anyone else think this is a little shitty of Deadspin? This is literally an article about the reasons they're not going to do an article about someone that is accusing Whitlock of paying someone else to write his columns. One of Deadspin's reasons is that the claim doesn't seem very legit. Doesn't stop them from getting it out there that he's accused, though.

 

Anything that makes Deadspin seem in the know is something that's going to get put out there. That's the MO of that site.

I do wish there was a way we could know whether this, um, "ghost-writing" possibility is being investigated by the KC Star, and whether this situation, or its allowance or any knowledge of it is, indeed, what has prompted Whitlock to make himself scarce, and induced the sports editor to resign.

The timing of it all does seem awfully coincidental to be mere coincidence. And if the events are connected, then clarification is absolutely needed, for the sake of not just the individuals concerned, but also the paper, and even, this industry.

The accusation by Hall, if it is true, or if it was somehow determined to be true (or believed, anyway) by The Star, or if it was confessed to...well, then that is something that should come out. Shouldn't it? And, ditto for if there is any determination that no such thing occurred.

Just because Hall doesn't have a receipt or canceled a check for something that sounds like it may have occurred years ago doesn't necessarily mean that it didn't happen. Just because Deadspin doesn't have any canceled check allowing him to write, with proof, that it happened, also does not necessarily mean that it didn't occur or is not legitimate.

It just means it can't, or shouldn't be, pursued or written up in the media.

But what if any "ghostwriting" ever has occurred? Or if it occurred more than once? It really is a hell of an accusation to be making if there is nothing to it, even if you really hate somebody's guts, and The Star really should publicly address this.

 

Hall threw that accusation out there a few years ago. It just didn't go mainstream until recently when he threw it out there again.

 

I think Whitlock's MIA status at the Star and this accusation are not related at all. As others have said, Hall has been talking about this for years. But Whitlock being MIA combined with the SE resigning gave Deadspin the opening it needed to link to KCConfidential.

 

Scoop returns, what are you? Jason's publicist?

Reading these long-ass defense of Whitlock makes me assume that you are.

 

Hall makes no bones about how he used to like Whitlock when he started at the Star. Things turned sour and Hall's been critical in public about him. It's not the ghostwriting part per se. Hall thinks Jason has gotten lazy now that he's nationally read and recognized.

His point on Whitlock not writing about the Big 12 debacle was a key point. Where was Whitlock when all of this was going down?

He didn't write anything about it from a local angle.
I don't know what's going on either on why Whitlock hasn't written anything for the Star for this long, but something tells me that this could be a possible SAS/Philly showdown.

 

Calling a nationally known, bigshot columnist lazy? I've never heard of such a thing. That must sting.

 

How is the section these days? Even several years ago, I wasn't as enamored of it as some people were. The major takeouts were great, but the rest of it was just OK, in my opinion.

 

D-3, so does that make the rest of these guys who are writing long posts tearing down Whitlock haters? Well yeah, they are. But no, I am not Jason's publicist, but we are friends. But my posts are much bigger than our friendship. I hate to see guys blasting and slandering someone and they don't know any of the facts. Maybe the sports editor resigned for the reasons many of have left similar jobs in the past couple years. They are thankless and very stressful gigs. And just maybe Jason is taking a long and well deserved break. Obviously Mitch Albom has done so over the years, but we haven't noticed because he has just filed some fiction or re-sent some columns he did a few years ago. I honestly haven't talked to Jason about any of this and won't because it ain't my business and also because this business is not what our friendship is about. You guys also might be disappointed to know I believe Whitlock stopped reading this board years ago because he realized it's a waste of time.

In posting here, I just feel like there just needs to be some fairness and balance to the discussion. But that is par for the course on this board when it comes to discussions about people who look different than most of you. There is a reason most people won't even admit to reading sports journalists much less admit they post on here. Some of you guys have certainly earned your reputations as a bitter bunch of small newspaper hacks.