Unrealistic expectations of the business?

jg, in his defense, that's not what he was saying. He's saying that he won't turn out bitter because he's family-first.

 

Damn, why are you so worked up? This short piece of writing was an amazing, superbly-written, unbelievably-descriptive piece of literature. If that's how your sports stories read, you should be on the fast track to the New York Times. I'm dead serious.

 

That being the case, I stand corrected. I withdraw the comment, and apologize to House for having made it.

 

EE94, of you're 40, you're not just approaching ``too old to hire.'' You're there.

 

damn irish, i love seeing that kind of passion out of someone from news ... damn, i wished i would have worked with you when i was handing out assignments in a newsroom.

but, at the same time, i would have given anything to have had a news person just once call me at home at 4 a.m. and bitch about a source they were having a problem with while attempting to finish a feature or column. but that call -- or trip to a watering hole -- never happened with a news person. somehow, news folks are able to -- somehow -- leave their work 'issues' at the door.

at first, i was going to tell you by no means was i attempting to give you the implication sports folks were superior to news folks, but you know what? we are, only because of the passion we bring when we bring our A games.

 

Wow ... I'm becoming a belated fan.

One adjustment, and frankly, I want to know if you agree. The newsies DID have that kind of passion ... at 20, at 21, as college journalists. College news reporters could be as intense about the job as anyone I ever saw.

But for some reason, sports people seem to keep whatever it is -- I don't know, it isn't idealism, it's something else -- while those who go the news route seem to become vanilla, perhaps blase about their craft.

 

I hold no grudges.

 

I'm a part-timer and a year removed from college, so does that put me in the middle lane? And how dumb are my husband and I to consider buying a home near a paper that I work 30 hours a week?

 

i believe it's just plain passion for what we do shot. i think 90 percent of us here have exactly that, and even if we disagree with each other 99 percent of the time, we can all respect those 90 percenters for giving a damn all the time.

 

barber, a quick heads up ... i can be blunt at times and i will be now: yes and very. don't buy if you are serious about the profession and you're a part timer.

 

Here's the ugly truth about being a part-timer, BG.

Say a full-time opening comes up in your department. The sports editor has two choices. He can hire somebody new and pick up 40 man-hours a week. Or he can hire you, who's already working 30 hours a week, and he'll only gain 10 man-hours a week.

See the problem?

 

To which the people above the hiring editor say, Hire the part-timer ... we're only picking up 10 hours of salary.