Rick Reilly leaves Sports Illustrated - now confirmed by NYT

Just guessing from the extremely short length....looks like maybe TBL emailed a bunch of questions, and RR answered a few?

And wow, a Kirstie Alley fat joke right off the bat....lame.

 

That's what I'm figuring, 21, but wouldn't you be obligated to say, "We asked Reilly in an e-mail about an alleged incident at LSU, and he [denied/confirmed/sidestepped] it."

 

Or, perhaps, Reilly only agreed to the interview with the caveat that the subject wouldn't be broached.

 

Obligated, no, but it would have looked a lot better than no mention at all. Maybe TBL will explain.

If you were Reilly, would you say 'Don't ask me this'....knowing TBL could turn around and report it? Doesn't seem likely.

 

I don't think he would.

Nonetheless, an impressive get by TBL, presuming it was Reilly and not some intern reading/responding to his e-mail account.

 

That's exactly what I was thinking. In the same way that our view of sports is different from the general public (we've seen behind the curtain at the puppet show, so to speak), we also bring a different perspective to sports writing (different puppet show, same side of the curtain). Most people, I think, view the events in their own vocational fields with a jaundiced eye, and we're no different in that regard.

 

Hopefully TBL will explain.

But I kind of doubt he will.

 

That's what happens when you check your brains at the door.

 

I don't think it's an insult, but I do think that's why newspapers and many mags are losing readers -- somewhere we stopped believing that readers are our intellectual equals. And you know what? I've worked some places where, by and large, our readers were smarter, better educated and by most of society's measures more successful than we are.

I'm not trying to call you a snob. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a knee-jerk reaction of surprise every time I met somebody who not only reads a newspaper but reads it with some care and has something intelligent to say about it. But I do not think it's possible to desecrate SI to the point that it would appeal to the people it apparently wants to appeal to, and in the process it becomes less stimulating to people who might be interested.

As for RR, he's freaking 18 months older than I am, for crissakes, and I started reading him when he was with The Denver Post. He's going to qualify for AARP membership in less than four months. I really don't understand why any of the SI or ESPN honchos would believe he has some strong connection with younger readers, unless they think he has that William S. Burroughs ability to charm maladjusted people a generation behind him.

 

If this doesn't make you vomit, you must be a very sick person indeed:

: : :

 

Ok, here is our question: Did you ask Reilly about the LSU incident you "reported" or was this just Interent fellatio?