Pittsburgh Trib-Review, Steelers Beat Writer

I was assuming he wouldn't want it. Though it's not nearly the travel grind the Pirates was, I thought the whole point of Rutter getting off the Pirates was to get away from beat writing at least for a while.

 

Yup. Bendel's moved on to Fox Sports Radio 970.

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/06200/706764-139.stm

And outofplace, Pittsburgh isn't football crazy -- it's certifiably insane (in a good way, of course).

 

Good point. A bit of an understatement on my part, there.

 

How can you hire anyone for this beat WITHOUT previous NFL beat experience? It's the Pittsburgh Steelers, for cryin' out loud, not the Arizona Cardinals. I think what this means is, "NFL beat experience is preferred, but don't expect to get paid anywhere near what the job is worth."

The Trib gave perhaps arguably the most intense NFL beat in the league to an inexperienced writer (though certifiably good guy) like Bendel after taking it away from the experienced pro, Jerry DiPaola. And even DiPaola, as good as he is, was routinely scooped by Bouchette.

I say the Trib hands it to Rutter or they get another newbie, underpay him by about $30,000 and watch him go down in flames.

 

Comparing the Trib-Review to the Post-Gazette as well as the two Seattle papers during Super Bowl week, they not only held their own, they had some days where their package of stories was presented better and the ideas were better.

Yeah, Bouchette is a bear to work against, but it's still a great beat and a great steppingstone beat.

 

Covering the Super Bowl champions in a football-crazy town is a steppingstone beat? A steppingstone to what, precisely? King of All Media? ???

 

A better-paying NFL beat gig. I've heard the Tribune-Review is way behind the majors in that regard.

 

A newspaper not owned by Richard Mellon Scaife. A newspaper that doesn't ban all photos of Al Gore from the front page in the days leading up to the election.

 

That newspaper has bigger problems than that.

 

You are correct, sir.

 

Anyone who thinks the Trib is even remotely in the same ballpark as the Post-Gazette obviuously doesn't look at the two papers and compare them that much.
From Steelers to Penguins to Pitt to the high schools, the Post-Gazette demolishes the Trib -- every day -- by an easy margin.

Go around the city of Pittsburgh, ask 100 schmoes walking around the street what is "THE" paper in town and 99.7 of them will say the Post-Gazette.

 

No one is saying that Junebug. You're once again letting your hate for the Trib cloud your judgment, which is making you sound very naive. This is an opportunity to be an NFL beat writer for the defending Super Bowl champions, and if you add up the circulation of all of the papers in Trib Total Media, then you have numbers comparable with the P-G. So next time Junebug, unless you have something meaningful to write please stop spewing non-relevant remarks.