Maese and ESPN - is idea stolen?

Maese in baltimore sun writes today about taking time off from watching ESPN

could have sworn that Kawakami wrote almost word for word the same thing a couple of years ago.

am i wrong?

 

Dude, if we legislated on different takes on a same idea, almost everyone would be in journalism jail.

 

i think ideas like that are in the public domain.

look at it this way -- how many stories have you seen over the years in which a reporter spends days on his couch watching college football bowl games and writes about it?

 

Haven't read Maese's piece, but that's really not that revolutionary an idea to write about. Certainly nothing two people couldn't come up with independently. Next time somebody writes about firing a coach will you think they ripped off Mariotti?

 

Kawakami did write about it. Two years ago. I think it's OK for someone else to write about it. As someone mentioned, it's part of the public domain. Kind of like good headlines. You see one, you might apt to use it yourself some day.

A sampling from Kawakami:

I'd estimate I watch about 75 to 90 minutes of ESPN programming a day, either as background noise or to catch up on things by tuning in to ``SportsCenter.'' And Bad ESPN is everywhere.
Over those 75 minutes, ESPN is a TV obstacle course: Whoops, watch out, blatant self-promotion, turn to CNN! Get back in time for the update on the Los Angeles Lakers' break-up. Oh no, it's an ESPYs replay, turn off the TV right now!!!

ESPN had two main NBA analysts last season -- thoughtful, knowledgeable veteran NBA reporter David Aldridge and the infamous Screamin' A. Smith. Guess which one they just let go? Hint: It wasn't the guy who actually makes sense and doesn't harm your ears.

 

Or maybe Maese is Kawakami.

I played a lot of Clue growing up.

 

Then perhaps you should get one.

(Sorry, lobbed softball. Had to take advantage. Nothing personal.)

 

I'm not in favor of borrowing an idea so specific.
I'm even less in favor of borrowing an idea so lame.

 

wha?????????????

 

This is a so-called Studlius Maximus who works in a big eastern city with a good sports culture and lots of stories to be mined, and he writes about his TV watching habits.

 

Jesus, people need to get a grip...

There aren't that many truly original ideas out there... To suggest that Maese stole or borrowed anything from Kawakami is just idiotic.

Did he plagiarize anything?

No... Then shut the fuck up.

Here's a newsflash... The column Joe Posnanski wrote about the retarded kid who was allowed to run for a touchdown ran first in a really small paper. Pos likely heard about it and wrote a column that wound up in BASW. If memory serves, Reilly wrote the column after Pos did...

Did anyone do anything wrong? Of course not...

 

Maese did nothing wrong, he just wrote a useless bullshit column. Who gives a carp whether he's stopped watching ESPN.

Looks like Maese and Cowley should share a total bullshit writing award for the day.