An Interesting Career Move

[Lester Bangs]

I don't know what the Wild are thinking, but I can tell you that the silver spoon stuff is crap. Snow is bright, aggressive and talented. He interned for the Globe, cut his teeth in Minnesota and was asked back to Boston. The Globe has undergone a youth movement in recent years. They hired Shira Springer to cover the Celtics in much the same manner.
I've heard that he'll only make $40-50,000 in his new job. It's not like he's becoming the GM. He's going to be a cross-checker of contracts and statistics, things like that. It's not brain surgery but it's a good way for him to break into the business. He has little to lose. He's good enough that if it doesn't work out he can easily move back to writing.
That said, there are people in the Fenway press box who aren't shedding any tears. He can be a bit brash and arrogant, although he's never been nasty to anyone, and I'm sure there's the age thing that rubs some people the wrong way.
One more thing: about this business of immediately removing him from the beat? Am I missing something? Where's the conflict? It's not like he accepted a job at the Herald. He's moving to an entirely different job in an entirely different setting.
OK, one more thing: Amalie Benjamin is in no way ready to take over that beat.

You've hit on the problem a lot of people have with guys like Snow and Benjamin ... that the best writers are not always on the best beats. I am certain Snow (and Benjamin, too) is fine, but there are plenty more with more experience who are, yeah, probably better, at least at this point in their careers. That people who have put in their time, expanded their Rolodex and have seen much, much more than these two don't get called up for these jobs rankles some to no end. And they have a point. Been there myself.

But life ain't fair and anybody who expects it to be should go head on back to pre-school, where I know for a fact my kid got the same amount of crackers today as the girl next to him and they all got along famously. Bottom line ... if you have game, you'll get a shot someplace and make your mark. If you do not, you won't and you can come here to shirt on the lucky bastards who didn't have to pay their dues to get ahead, which is a lot like being pissed at your asshole brother-in-law for winning the lottery. Therapeutic, but pointless, and makes you look bitter and sad.