The Bastard on PTI

Frankly, I summarily dismiss the second-hand "Herald people can't stand DLB" bullshit on sight. It's just not credible. It's deplorable, really.

Hate his ethics. Hate his apologist style. Hate his on-air persona. Envy him for his money, his girls, his friends.

But can we agree to withhold judgment on his personal character until we've (1) worked with him, or (2) gotten to know him? (I've done both. No, I'm not Ricky.) An awkward exchange at the ballpark and/or getting a curious phone call from his girlfriend don't cut it. Sorry.

The facts? While not everyone supports his methods, Herald people love Dan the person and Dan the colleague. He trusts editors to improve his copy and doesn't ask for a phone call unless major restructuring is in order. He solicits feedback like an overeager intern and takes criticism in stride. He has been known to treat deskers to ridiculously expensive meals (such as Joe's Stone Crab) after major projects, among other gestures of appreciation. He plays pick-up basketball with them. He has never shielded editors -- or the public -- from conflicts of interest he readily admits exist.

You might never guess it by listening to him on the air, but he's a pretty grounded, reasonable and likable fellow. Ever stop to think that maybe this has something to do with why he's able to gain the confidence of so many sources and athletes?

So, can we? Can we at least agree that one should be prepared to present some actual, you know, evidence that a guy is a prick before we anoint him one? Can we agree that assumptions and rumors don't qualify?

Me? I think Dan's too close to some of his sources. I disagree with a lot of what he writes. I think he often defends the indefensible.

In fact, I'd be quite tempted to dislike the guy if he even remotely resembled the repugnant person so many people on this board presume he is.

That is all.

 

Almost a clean getaway, Bobby.

Otherwise, very solid.

 

jones, your story accused lebatard of burning a great source, a chain-weed-smoking, crazy@$$ source.... did you call lebatard and get his side of the story? ricky does not strike me as an unimpeachable source.... given these set of circumstances, i can understand lebatard's motives. your story could potentially damage his ability to develop high-profile sources. he deserved a chance to be heard on this issue. ethically, in my opinion, you owed it to dan to track him down and hear him out.

i don't see dan burning a source this way....it would be the equivalent of me burning jeff george back when jeff george mattered.... lebatard doesn't need to break the ricky retiring story. he doesn't need it.

 

Mr Whitlock, Mr Jones,

Mr W anticpates me. I was late coming to this thread and about three pages ago I was wondering--my recollection of Mr J's Esquire story now as foggy as RW's beach-side tent--if Mr J called on, spoke to and/or quoted Mr LB. I'd think you'd have to.

If you did, maybe Mr LB coulda/shoulda asked you directly. If he talked to you, does he have the right to ask you to talk to him afterward? Not that you have to and certainly not that you have to offer up your draft for review. But it does seem like a case of turn-about-is-fair-play ... if that were the case. I showed you mine, you show me yours ... uh, well, bad analogy.

YHS, etc

 

i haven't been around miami that long so i don't know anything about boog's past. i just disagree strongly that he's absorbing DLB's arrogance.

i think most of us have incredibly low standards for how we judge sports talk radio and boog is by far the best host on that station. i agree with LJB -- the way he treats the idiot meathead callers is impressive. he clearly gets frustrated when a couple segments go by and all you hear are the meatheads. that's when you might say he gets cocky -- but to me, it's justified, because he's saying that he has no tolerance for that crap. (and no, i'm not boog, for chrissakes. ;D)

i probably also like boog becuase i'm a baseball guy first and of course that's his strength.

 

Boog has definitely become more arrogant.

He is extremely condescending when met with even informed dissent.

Was not that way in the least in his WQAM days.

Not in the least.

Joe Rose, on the other hand, he gets paid plenty of scratch, and he is very respectful with people (and he takes on Le Batard's BS takes).

 

ok. so maybe on a scale of 0 to 100 he was a 0 and now he's in the 20s or 30s. DLB, otoh, is on the high 90s -- at least on his radio show.

 

I didn't mean to imply that they are on the same level.

Granted.

They do agree on seemingly every issue, but I still like Boog's depth of knowledge.

Anyone know whatever happened to Chris Moore?

 

What you said there rings much more true for the lesser known writers coming up. Most people here, before Jones shared his story, probably already had an opinion about DLB. And he's thrived in spite of that.

I'm pretty sure DLB can survive this, too.

 

Ya think?

 

All right, I hope this is the last post for me here, but who knows.

Not sure what you guys want me to say. This was a thread about Dan, people posting their opinions of him. I posted my only story about him, because I saw a good chance to vent something that's bothered me for a while. I took it.

Other people have good things to say about Dan. That's great. I'd like to think people would come to my defense, too, if I'd treated them as well as Dan seems to have treated them.

My dealings with him were not as positive. These were direct; they were not rumored.

Neither were Ricky's last experiences with him. If Dan didn't burn that particular source, JW, tell me why Jason Cole was suddenly writing the Ricky Williams stories for the Herald? Dan's side of it is that Ricky asked him to hold the story, and Dan refused to (although he did hold it overnight, and he has held Ricky stories before, some of them seemingly forever). Ricky said emphatically that this was not the case. Nobody knows the truth except them.

I never said that Dan wasn't a good writer. He is very good. I never said he was an evil person. I've already said that I don't hate anybody I've never met. If Dan wants to go for drinks sometime, I'd be happy to join him. I think I've shown that I'm someone who likes to hug it out, bitches. But I stand by my belief that he played dirty pool with Esquire -- for motivations that I've already conceded are unknown to everyone but him.

I don't give a shit about any of this fucking stud business. I never compared Dan to anybody.

I will, say, however, that I find something curious... If Dan is here, why hasn't he posted on this thread or PM'd me to tell me that I'm wrong? I'd be happy to hear him out. I'd be happy to hear his side of the Esquire incident.

Till then, my breath is held.

 

I'll just say this much regarding the topic. Anyone - Dan LeBatard, Whitlock, Jones included - who doesn't mind and sometimes relishes being a lightning rod in this industry has respect in my book.