Sam Mellinger leaving KC Star for Royals

[swingline]

Columnist Sam Mellinger is leaving the Kansas City Star to become VP of communications for the Royals.

Here's Sam's column: https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/sam-mellinger/article256572056.html

And here's Vahe's column: https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/vahe-gregorian/article256584381.html

 

[exmediahack]

Sam is a great guy who has some extremely HUGE shoes to fill. Credit to The Star for bringing in a beat writer and moving him up (instead of a retread columnist from another city with no real feel on KC). Of course, doing that saved them money. (I know as a frequent "internal promotion").

He got to watch some of the city's best sports moments. Now he'll be in a spot that's, let's face it, much less of a focal point unless they get that 2010-2012 draft-level talent.

 

[WriteThinking]

Nowadays, this is a career arc with which practically everyone in sports journalism would be thrilled.

Sounds like it will be great for both sides.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

I'm old enough to remember when Jan Hubbard went from the NBA columnist at The Sporting News to NBA PR and when Frank Brown went from NHL columnist (I think? maybe he was Rangers beat writer) at the NY Daily News to NHL PR. Still, it's always a little weird to me when I see these moves. It's great for the people moving up and getting paid A LOT more, but it always gets me wondering about the nuances of such a move. Shouldn't writers/columnists not be on the short list for PR openings? I dunno.

 

[swingline]

Sam was at the Star since 2000. I'll miss his Chiefs columns and his Mellinger Minutes, and corresponding with him over the years on a wide variety of issues. But good for him.

I wonder if the Star will hire another columnist or just not fill that position.

 

[playthrough]

I'm old enough to remember when Jan Hubbard went from the NBA columnist at The Sporting News to NBA PR and when Frank Brown went from NHL columnist (I think? maybe he was Rangers beat writer) at the NY Daily News to NHL PR. Still, it's always a little weird to me when I see these moves. It's great for the people moving up and getting paid A LOT more, but it always gets me wondering about the nuances of such a move. Shouldn't writers/columnists not be on the short list for PR openings? I dunno.

From Mellinger's piece: This isn't the job sports columnists are supposed to take. Major League Baseball teams aren't supposed to want sports columnists for this job. Both those sentences are part of the appeal for me.

I think a lot of the Royals president for hiring him. If you care about how your team is covered but also treating the media fairly (as we know, not every front office guy does both), why wouldn't you hire a journalist that you know and respect?

 

[wicked]

I wonder if the Star will hire another columnist or just not fill that position.

What is Pos up to?

 

[swingline]

Books, Twitter, substack

 

[Alma]

What is Pos up to?

I had that thought too. Best role he was ever in.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

Books, Twitter, substack

Strange, strange career arc. Seems like a really nice guy who would work well with others, unlike many other columnists, yet he's burned thru a career's worth of stops in, what, 15 years, tops?

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

From Mellinger's piece: This isn't the job sports columnists are supposed to take. Major League Baseball teams aren't supposed to want sports columnists for this job. Both those sentences are part of the appeal for me.

I think a lot of the Royals president for hiring him. If you care about how your team is covered but also treating the media fairly (as we know, not every front office guy does both), why wouldn't you hire a journalist that you know and respect?

Very fair points, and the Royals definitely do things differently than most teams (especially the big market ones, which probably explains my bemusement, though Frank Brown jumped from writing to PR in NY). As a writer covering the visiting Royals, you always knew Mike Swanson would get you good access and some solo time with Ned Yost. Still waiting for the next PR guy to split up the pressers for the visiting manager. (Phillies might have done it w/Charlie Manuel) While there are no sure things--ask anyone who covered the pre-championship Nationals how awful things got once a former beat writer started running PR--this should definitely be good for the writers covering the Royals.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Strange, strange career arc. Seems like a really nice guy who would work well with others, unlike many other columnists, yet he's burned thru a career's worth of stops in, what, 15 years, tops?

Poz is a restless, curious soul. He was never meant to have one steady gig for any too long. Just the way he is, not a matter of "burning through" anything.