Layoffs at MLB.com claim a few

All on a foundation of either not valuing the best coverage that's available or deciding that their fan base doesn't value the best coverage that's available.

 

Jack O'Connell? Holy crap! If I would have thought anyone would be protected by The Firm in times such as this, it would have been him. Good guy, level-headed, and plugged-in. We're all screwed, lads and lassies. I fear the post above about turning it all over to kids is playing out in front of our eyes.

As the events at Newsday showed, and now this, there is no value any more placed on things most of have been raised to believe is important. Real news (not just handouts), solid information, and elegant, clever writing is being squeezed out. Teams and leagues have been totally trying to control the flow of information for years now with their web sites and restrictions on mainstream media, but now they're turning it into a profit center.

Since they figure people will click on their sites no matter what, who cares what blather they're spewing out there as long as they get page views. It's over, folks. Send up the flares. Women, children, and middle-aged male sportswriters first. It was fun while it lasted.

 

A scant few are finding work, and at decent places. They just aren't over 35.

MLB.com might -- might -- hire someone in the prime of their youth and the vitality of their talents to be a stats stringer. And pay standard chicken feed. The kids are getting the rest of the jobs.

 

Me too, Jim. What's happening over there?

 

Man, my sympathies to those who were victim of the ax. When I was younger, and looking for a baseball gig, I personally emailed every writer I could find across the MLB.com chain. Two of the guys mentioned on the list on Page 1 of this thread wrote back with detailed advice and people to contact. Good men. Thanks to them. And good luck.

 

In the past, they've had Chicago interns cover both teams and the Brewers as needed. So you can extrapolate that out and have one person for NY/NY, one for LA/ANA, one for SF/OAK, one for BAL/WAS.....and then five to cover the other 19 teams. Perfect!

 

Are you including Pittsburgh with the major league intern coverage or the minor league intern coverage?

 

That sucks, I interned there and it was a great program. I know the pay had increased last year, why not just cut it back or make there be some sort of rent/living stipend?

 

Smart strategy. Hire talented, well known, well connected writers to start in order to drive up traffic to your site and steal it away from other sites. When the site has been established and traffic steady, dump those higher paid writers and replace them with cheaper alternatives.

Those at ESPN.com should take note. A few years from now ...

 

I've never understood why they take on the expense of travel when they have people in every MLB city.

Now, more than ever, there are qualified stringers who could pick up any extra work that's needed.

 

Because it's pretty damn difficult to be cover a beat just doing home games.