Recent content by gridiron

Against my better judgment, I'll bite... I'm an NFL beat writer for one of the nation's larger papers. I make about $69K. I have about 15 years of experience. It's been a long road to get here, and I often hate the hours and unreasonable expectations of the job, but I realize I'm really fortunate.

Rather than rehash much of the same stuff that I've had to do -- dictating from payphones on rural roads, using the 7-Eleven phone, getting locked in stadiums -- I choose to appreciate just how amazing our capabilities are today. Consider: I covered a function last week that didn't really have...

If you want to hang out after hours and partake in some nightlife, Jacksonville Beach is very underrated. I don't remember the names of specific places, but it's not hard to find the bar district where there are many establishments from which to choose. Doubt you'll be disappointed.

Re: St. Pete cuts pay, people Mizzou, just to be factual, St. Pete absolutely has a writer in Gainesville.

This is really sad. She was very, very sweet. I used to hate to turn her down when she pitched stories because she was so nice (and persistent). If anyone can clarify how this happened, please tell. This is a shock. I just talked to her two weeks ago.

I must say, what's missing in this thread is an understanding of the INCREDIBLE amount of pressure on beat writers covering the major sports in particular (me!). If you play everything by the book, you'll be humiliated. I just feel like that's what it's come to. I'm not suggesting there's not...

As Michael Gee said on the previous page, how can anyone be upset that he took questions from the Washington Times and FOX but didn't solicit questions from NYT, Washington Post and others? That's laughable. If they're so in the tank for him, seems like taking their questions would have been...

Andy, I guess my timeline was off. My bad. I don't have any dog in this race so I have no reason to make this up. I heard the story some time ago and I know and like both individuals. That's the extent of my involvement here.

In Bullet's defense, if you work in South Florida or know people who do, you probably know his identity. And that's the EXACT version of the story as I heard a year ago when this occurred. Not defending or condemning his decision to post it, just saying he's not all that anonymous. I don't...

Moddy, I hear you. It's no way to live. That's for damn sure.

My understanding is that Shain is not a done deal. There will be some buyouts offered, I believe. If the desired number of takers isn't reached, then I think Shain (others, too?) might be let go. I'm fairly certain that's accurate.

He asked something about Tomlin's appreciation for Steelers fans or something like that. Let's just say it didn't make my story. And it was kind of amazing that there wasn't a collective gasp from all of us in the room. I think that's because everyone was dog tired from going to bed at 3 or 4...

The thing that has most impacted my feelings about getting out is money. For those, like me, who are at a big paper and making more than many of your colleagues, it's hard to maintain that salary if you change careers. I'm more than grateful for where I am in my career. But the state of the...

This is not at all a knock on the person who got this job. I know nothing about her. But I can tell you that Denver disregarded a handful of experienced and interested NFL reporters on this one. I'm pretty sure it had to do with what kind of $$ they were willing to offer. From all indications...

I'll second what Mizzou said. One of the best towns in which to be a sportswriter, in my opinion.