On Velvet Ropes

Like it or not, this is how a team says it publicly. They aren't going to send a "Miguel Sano is overweight" press release.

Correct... this isn't a Twins thing... 

People aren't always willing to get on the record about things... I very often will have things told to me and I'll ask them if it's ok to report that, and many times they'll say, "Sure, as long as no one could tell that it's from me." Obviously some of those things are bigger than others, but as long as you're confident in your sources and have a trust there, I'll go public with it... usually on twitter, of course. 

This happens in every market, at every level, in every sport... Souhan is doing nothing that wouldn't happen by columnists everywhere else in the country. 

Seth, I like to think of myself as an educated person. I have 2 college degrees and 7 years of college. I have written most of my life. I enjoy reading. I have had 7 of my poems published. I won the Southern Prize for Literature in 1995 for my poem, "The Flak Jacket". Two of my closest friends are professors of creative writing...one at Appalachian State University (Pirates' fan) and one at Harvard (Red Sox fan). My son (Cardinals fan) is a minister, but he has a journalism degree from UNC and wrote sports for the university paper, The Daily Tar Heel. We all enjoy communicating about the writer's craft and we frequently share well written articles about baseball and life. Seth, I chose to read your writing daily. I appreciate your writing skills, but more than that, I like your personality, which is displayed in your writing. I quit reading Souhan several years ago because he always wrote with an ax to grind...his writing contained little happiness and joy. I believe Souhan feels it is his duty to criticize. For some reason, he feels he could better do the jobs of those whom he criticizes. Point of proof is his article criticizing sports writers who are not employed by Sports Illustrated or one of the soon to be extinct, daily newspapers. I guess if one watches baseball so he can criticize and be an arm chair quarterback, then one appreciates Souhan. That ain't me. I appreciate the timeless beauty of the game, the humanness of the players and the coming of spring when I read that the truck in snowy Minneapolis is being loaded with baseball bats, uniforms and catchers' masks, ready for its annual journey south to Ft. Myers.  Seth, you understand that same type of beauty, the humanness of a minor leaguer struggling to keep playing, the "art"  of writing. You write faithfully, beautifully and with feeling, while Souhan criticizes the manner in which the equipment was loaded onto the truck. 

First... thank you very much for a kind message. It's nice to hear, and I hope people tend to see my more positive-leaning thoughts, or more laid back approach. I am certain there are times when I'll rant and lean the other way, but i choose not to dwell on those things and seek out more positive things to share with people.

Second... Like you, I choose who I read based on certain things as well. I enjoy a variety. I can read human interest stories, and I can read some (not much) overly analytical stuff. I can read positive, and I can read negative. I just want a fair message. I was going to say Fair and Accurate, but sometimes the Accurate can be based on what I think is accurate, but I don't mind when others disagree with what I think in their opinion. I enjoy reading other opinions. I certainly don't claim to have all the answers, and when it comes to baseball, I believe there are very few absolutes. 

Third... I don't necessarily disagree with you about Souhan's writing. It often leans critical, and that's not always bad. I disagreed, mainly with the timing, of Souhan's original Sano article. I was OK with the second, and not just because he mentioned Brandon and I. There were also parts of it I didn't like. Telling people what to do or think rarely comes over well, and I didn't like the shot at Perkins. But the next day (or maybe 2 days later), he wrote a really good column on football, watching the NFL and it's dangerous nature, understanding the CTE/concussion concerns and yet watching it all the time. So, I do think that Nick was write in his article on local writers in pointing out that Souhan can be a good writer as well.

Fourth... I do find some irony is some bloggers and other writers writing or talking about Souhan's article on bloggers calling him out... When some of those bloggers (and tweeters and such) are constantly calling out Souhan... l or other writers, or other bloggers. I do think that it cuts both ways... If we are willing to criticize other writers or those with public forums, then we need to be ready and OK with taking it back when it comes back... That's just the nature of putting yourself out there.