Nats beat writer asks blog readers to send him to spring training

I'd listen to spup.

 

Or what?

 

Well, considering VJ used the term "we" when talking about the mass layoffs at The Washington Times last month, I'm guessing he's not from a Redskins Message Board.

But that's just a guess. :

 

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but how is this resourceful reporter any different than say Gannett Blog. Jim also takes donations. Have never heard criticism of him. Damn, any negativity towards this cat smacks of jealousy. I wish I'd have thought of doing something similar. And he may not want to angle for a "real" job. There's something very empowering in this whole concept. I hope he kicks butt and becomes an inspiration for many out of work writers.

 

giving money to haiti will generate more economic activity and jobs - for americans and haitians - than giving money to zuckerman. haitian relief money will fund a kind of Marshall Plan - development, construction, infrastructure - that will create thousands of jobs. in essential fields. sportswriting is not an essential field - a sportswriter covering the Nats does not have much of a multiplier effect, beyond motels and restaurants. rebuilding haiti will have a huge multiplier effect on all sorts of industries. not to mention the compassion it brings to broken people. hey, zuckerman is one of the three or four best Nats writers in history, but he's not broken or homeless.

 

Meanwhile, the Miami Herald is no longer taking donations. Good thing Jeb Bush never gave them money to cover his campaign!

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local-beat/All-84969267.html

Oh, apparently no one knew they were accepting donations? Because if someone did, where's the outrage?

 

Aw crap, now I have to send my money to Chile instead of to more unemployed baseball writers.

 

i'm thinking of blogging about spring training from chile so send me your money

 

Ah, nothing tickles the funny bone quite like a natural disaster, does it?

 

It's about providing something people value enough to pay for. Anything else is pointless debate. Judean People's Front, or People's Front of Judea?? We'd better all get this through our heads: The world we knew when we started in this business doesn't exist anymore. The McDonald's example is not analogous. I can't think of anything after the 1800s and before the Internet age that is analogous, but especially start-up businesses. There are so many things about this situation that don't apply to others one might try to use as analogies, and all you'd get would be clever word games that don't cut to the quick.

Cutting to the quick: Give people something they value, and they'll pay for it. The rest is a waste of energy and time.

 

I don't have an issue with it. But I did have an issue with something that happened in my city, with one of the three dailies whose employees are in lockout

(They have been for a year - idiots - basically refusing to work without the 10% annual increases they got every year when times were good, or back off from their slack four-day work weeks in this economy or – God forbid - do work online).

The locked-out employees started a web site where they cover stuff (mostly the hockey people still want to get into games free), and when the Haiti disaster hit, they begged for donations to send someone to cover it (large Haitian population in my city).

I don't know why, but that seems different to me, somehow. I thought it was highly unprofessional and extremely lame.

Thoughts?