On Velvet Ropes

Is interviewing players really like walking around an office building interviewing people at their desks?  How do you know this? Hanging out in a locker room is tedium? Your profile does not mention that you have ever covered a team to know what it is like to cover a team. These types of comments really validate Souhan's point about the people from afar commenting and trolling. 

>>>>>>>" So allow me to share my philosophy, which simplifies the choices considerably. You can either read people who reward your trust in them with thought-provoking, entertaining coverage of the Twins. Or you can rely on those who feel justified in regularly breaking that trust with incendiary garbage due to some fictitious self-important exclusivity."<<<<<

Or you can do both, and decide what is most plausible. There is no doubt that Access is not a synonym for accuracy. But it does allow a closer look, and this becomes the genesis of many an opinion column. I had no problem with Souhans original column. Nor do I have any doubt that his comments on Sanos weight were accurate. He has looked "bigger". Even his frame can't carry 285-290 over the long haul. Yes he can do it for a year or two, but its not a long term plan. There was nothing wrong, or insulting about the column. The oddity is that there are pages and pages of digital ink on this site and others, about homerism in the local media. They don't "tell it like it is". But when someone does they get blasted for issuing an opinion adverse to one of our sacred cows. Souhan has a point. Access is information. That does not mean that everyone who has access will use it in the same way, or with the same goals, or with the same effectiveness. But it gives them a step up on the rest. There are certainly things I am more familiar with, and have access to more resources to than does either Souhan or Ruesse. That's simple fact. For any of us to deny that out of petty jealousy is basically childish.

Souhan doesn't do enough real work to merit being included with "the old guard." What he does requires almost no effort.

I don't think a sportswriter in this down has ever deserved to be relegated to obscurity like Souhan. He's a total hack that does nothing but write provocative garbage with no real substance to get his name out there (think of it as f'd up marketing, he and paper must think his "edgyness" appeals to somebody). Anybody can walk the line of libel, like a rebellious teenager.

Then, he has the audacity to say that he is the authority and tries minimize others who aren't legit by his decree. The man in the high tower.

Honestly, this guy needs a knuckle-sandwich from somebody, and a reality check as to who he actually is.

In my opinion, the Strib should be embarrassed about this, and so should that unjustifiably pompous dancing monkey.

I believe that Souhan's problem is that he really is not very good at what he does. When confronted by those that read his material, he falls back on the victim card. Yes, having access is an important bit for being a newspaper columnist. Having that, should come with at least a modicum of self-awareness. He loses on that mark. I subscribe to the Strib (mostly for Russo's stuff -oh well). I enjoy the writers each to a varying degree. That does not make them above criticism. Souhan obviously does not agree with me on that point. His remarks that the Twins officials had no problem with his account, seemed like cry in the dark. Would this same Twins official like to see the various bloggers and their readers go away? Or, was Souhan just puffing his chest to get more clicks on his Strib click-o-meter?

For my part I have for three years or so considered Twins Daily and MLB's site as my primary sources for Twins news. While I do still consult the strib site and pioneer press I have become much more selective about the amount of time I have for them.

Go back to your bridge Souhan

I pity Souhan. That's the most fearful, bitter rant I've read outside of conspiracy blogs.

This is really disappointing.  I like having as many writers and opinions as we can get and this is truly a defensive rant.  Why, because he crossed that velvet rope and used racial and fat biases in his essay.  He gave us nothing new, no true insider view, he just took a path that was easy and now he is trying to tell us that the path was strewn with difficulty and danger.

Mr. Souhan, write about baseball.  When you criticize use information not generalizations.  There are many intelligent readers and there is this forum where many of us meet indirectly.  Join us, but do not scold us.  We only have your written word and when that fails - so do you. 

The only thing I learned from that column was something about "Glen Perkin's unannounced early retirement." What?

Gleeman's statistical analysis is far more insightful than locker room player interviews. How can anyone believe that access = quality? The worst part is, Souhan is getting more attention over this article than anything he's written this year. Yeah, it's bad attention, but those clicks and mentions still generate revenue.....

I found one Access in your column that didn't start with a capital A.

The only thing I learned from that column was something about "Glen Perkin's unannounced early retirement." What?

He's alleging Perkins has not taken care of himself in recent years.

Gleeman's statistical analysis is far more insightful than locker room player interviews. How can anyone believe that access = quality?

It's not that access = quality. It's that access = accountability. I.e. only saying things you'll say and then looking that person in the eye the next day.

You can be good without access and bad with it. Those aren't mutually exclusive. But the fundamental misunderstanding of the job from those who don't have it can be very, very frustrating.

So too can the idea that everyone is there to do the same job, which is why Souhan spelled it out the way he did. He certainly took some pot shots I didn't think were necessary, but his overall point that people should know who does what was 100 percent true.

It's not that access = quality. It's that access = accountability. I.e. only saying things you'll say and then looking that person in the eye the next day.

I'd love to see Souhan tell Sano to his face that he is fat.

Edit: I'd love to see Souhan imply to Sano that he is fat.

Columnists exist because of the dynamic in sports today that it's about WHO says something, not WHAT is said.

If I tweet something and LaVelle tweets it a half hour later, who do you think is going to get more retweets? 

In a perfect world, a story reported first no matter who reports it gets more love. But then again, having equity in a market isn't a bad thing either. 

I'd love to see Souhan tell Sano to his face that he is fat.

He was by Sano's locker when the Twins came back home. Sano never came out. 

And unless I'm misremembering, he didn't call him fat. That is a gross oversimplification. He said there's concern in the organization about him continuing to play at that weight.

Columnists exist because of the dynamic in sports today that it's about WHO says something, not WHAT is said.

 

If I tweet something and LaVelle tweets it a half hour later, who do you think is going to get more retweets? 

 

In a perfect world, a story reported first no matter who reports it gets more love. But then again, having equity in a market isn't a bad thing either.

The only* people who care about who broke the story are the authors themselves.

The only* people who care about who broke the story are the authors themselves.

In a vacuum that's true, but statistics say otherwise. 

That's a dig at Perkins. He's saying he is not working hard enough, not keeping himself in shape. Basically that he retired early, while still drawing a paycheck. 

Really not sure how I feel about that either. It's kind of an easy conclusion, because if Perkins never pitches effectively again, one can say "SEE!" when in fact it might be the shoulder issue all along.

Now with that said, it wasn't the only place I've ever heard someone say this. I wouldn't say it about Perkins because I don't have any evidence, but I highly doubt it's not something *somebody* told Souhan. 

I'm not putting any stock in it because it doesn't matter, since Perkins earned the contract and is probably underpaid for his career anyway.