Why the Blogs Will Win

by Rev Halofan on Jul 1, 2007 1:26 AM PDT in News Comment 32 comments

I have to laugh.

The mainstream media has the access to the players, they have the inside information, the great press box seats, the comped travel and lodging. They have paid staffs that fact-check their work.

But a screen shot from THIS LINK at the Orange County Register reveals that with this MASSIVE built-in advantage, the hometown media outlet of the Angels cannot even correctly spell the name of a popular player. At this moment in history, the only advantage the mainstream press has over the blogs is a professionalism that underscores the accuracy of their reporting. Folks, Chone Figgins is now playing his SIXTH season for the Angels. He is a popular player. This headline accident is just hackery at the OC Register. Remember when they rip the blogs, they are just as prone to incompetency and currently on a bigger stage.

Professionals are professionals first, fans second or not at all. Fans who blog are not professionals, however, we get it right. We have higher standards and a community to whom we are accountable. Oh, and we can also spell FIGGINS correctly.

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what a disgrace

way to go, randy youngman... way to misspell chone's last name.

I miss Erstad...

by the chawaiian on Jul 1, 2007 2:03 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

OC Register

As a long time reader of the O.C. Register, I feel Register covers life behind the Orange Curtain far better than the LA Times. However with that being said, I believe the Editors of Register are among the worst in the nation. There are errors in almost every section on a regular basis. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if one day Ziggy's name is misspelled.

by sunshine thermometer on Jul 1, 2007 2:39 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Fire the copy editor.

Newpapers are like the long shoreman union. Once a means of progress, they are now an impediment.

by melvintoast on Jul 1, 2007 7:57 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Too busy Pickin' his ass & Grinnin

to bother with such small details, like spell checking and actually going to games.

by LosAngel on Jul 1, 2007 9:26 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Eff the Register

Go back and try and find the article from Figgy's 6 for 6 night. It's the most blasé generic piece of crap I'd ever read with the excitement level of a Jose Mota. The photo they used to recap the night was a shot of Carrasco's botched tag at the plate. Unbelievable...

They should just focus on fluffing the Dodgers some more.

Get well soon Kotch.

by ReggieBullits on Jul 1, 2007 10:29 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

The word is

"incompetence".

Ervin Santana To AAA! (But only for road games.)

by scareduck on Jul 1, 2007 10:58 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Too busy to type 300 words

But OC got jobbed on the All-Star Game! He better be on the list to vote in as the final player!

by anaheimisnotla on Jul 1, 2007 3:17 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I have the same problem

with the Riverside PE. They always have the Angels burried in the back somewhere. While the Dodgers, Red Sox fan, or high school football is on the front. Although ESPN is starting to see the west coast light. I have noticed west coast teams getting their props lately.

Stay on the damn bag!!

by higdog on Jul 1, 2007 3:29 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Their hand is forced...

its where all the good teams are playing...and they are probably kicking and screaming through all the coverage...

What? Figgins is playing better? Well, I still don't like him.

by gorams77 on Jul 1, 2007 4:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dude, not but 15 minutes ago

ESPN/Gammons gave the Angels some well-deserved praise.

I mean, considering we own the best record in baseball, it's less than completely surprising.

by shiftyeyedgoat on Jul 1, 2007 4:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Tomorrow's Headline....

Napoly and Lackee combine to hold of the O's....

A's and Dodgers suck....

by Crapper John MD on Jul 1, 2007 3:48 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Maybe our schools

should start teaching English again.

by wumbug on Jul 1, 2007 4:00 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Que!

Stay on the damn bag!!

by higdog on Jul 1, 2007 4:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

...they rip on blogs?

by shiftyeyedgoat on Jul 1, 2007 4:06 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

subtly ignore them

if a story breaks on a blog, the papers just say "a blog reports" whereas f it is a rival paper or a tv netwrok they say "Espn reports that..." or "Accoriding to the NY Times..." but they never put a link to a blog with better analysis than them...

by Rev Halofan on Jul 1, 2007 4:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I can see the merit in that...

These here intarnets aren't exactly the shining beacon of truth especially in the darker corners of the web.

Also, you have to pass the litany of tests that only come with consistency and time to become a reputable newspaper -- see LA Times, Wallstreet Journal, etc. Bloggers simply have the bane of proving each and every blogger is not completely full of shit.

Sucks to those of you who are actually telling the truth, huh?

by shiftyeyedgoat on Jul 1, 2007 4:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

reputable newspaper = also full of shit

and hates competition.

by Rev Halofan on Jul 1, 2007 4:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The difference is the transparency.

You know who the source is when it's a blogger. Bloggers don't say "according to a source familiar with the Angels" as if it was some substantial person. I'm a source familiar with the Angels. Bloggers may be full of shit but they're not wrapping it up like a taco.

And this litany of tests? What tests are you referring to? Do you get your newspaper license revoked when you quote the Onion as a source?

by melvintoast on Jul 1, 2007 5:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The tests are

consistency and time.

The longer a source has a history of being correct, the more it is respected and trusted by its readers.

There's a reason why nobody trusts what's written in the National Enquirer.

by shiftyeyedgoat on Jul 1, 2007 5:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

ha ha ha ha

NY TImes had to admit during the OJ trial and the Clinton/Lewinsky affair that the Enquirer ahd better reporting than any other paper.

Mainstream bitches are used to being alone among the elite, no competition, no dissension.

by Rev Halofan on Jul 1, 2007 5:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

ha, and how many of us trust the NY times?

I had an Urban dictionary entry about the NYT back in 2003 (it's since been deleted), when they posted that story completely plagiarized from another newspaper.

In essence I would say every liar is lying about lies in the news. Trust nothing, believe no one, always have a grain of salt handy from whatever source you're given.

by shiftyeyedgoat on Jul 1, 2007 5:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's a load.

I don't want to make categorical statements but I've been quoted in respected trusted newspapers and I've read articles in respected trusted newspapers about events in which I was a participant.

The quotes are often edited in a way that is misleading and the facts of the events reported on are often wrong. Even basic facts are muffed.

Who checks for correctness. Can you tell me how often the LA times has screwed up? What's the relative correctness between the LA times and the Daily News?

Furthermore, when they do screw up, is the screw-up headlined or is it hidden on page G15?

by melvintoast on Jul 1, 2007 5:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I would say, completely by observation

that politics are generally going to have opinion forcefully inserted, regardless of topic or writer (AP/Reuters included). Sports are cut and dry in recaps, but are loaded with the opining of biased fans when dissected.

So, the point? Newspapers are generally going to tend to be more correct because their audience will only stay with them if they're given factual information, or the most factual information.

Bloggers have a different audience; the immediate, the rumor, the discussion, the careful dissection, and etc. are more important to the blogosphere than mere facts.

How many of us would continue to read HH if it didn't have a decidedly Angels' slant? If it had no slant? If an A's fan wrote it? If a Dodger fan could learn to read and write and then blog about us?

Exactly.

by shiftyeyedgoat on Jul 1, 2007 6:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Huh?

I get most of my news from blogs.

by melvintoast on Jul 1, 2007 6:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

uh huh..

I personally opt for more.. reliable sources.

drudgereport, yahoonews, etc.

by shiftyeyedgoat on Jul 1, 2007 6:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Drudge is a newspaper?

by melvintoast on Jul 1, 2007 8:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

newsite

synonymous with newspaper in this instance.

by shiftyeyedgoat on Jul 1, 2007 10:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

except newspapers

are terrified of providing links to stories they cannot frame within their corporate synergistic PC pablum for the masses....

by Rev Halofan on Jul 1, 2007 10:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Blog vs Pro Media

It is so tiresome reading media editorials (i.e. stephan a.), opinions. Those guys don't know any more than die hard fans. You get the best editorials and opinions on blogs. However, for concise, too the point, historical and statistical reporting, a good media man still has their importance. And this is where there expetise should lie. For instance Lyle Spencer recently reported:

"Figgins has been afire, setting a club record for hits in a month: 51 and counting entering Saturday night's June finale against the Orioles."

and

"The Angels have gone first to third on singles 60 times, more than any club in the Majors. Their .292 average leads both leagues, and they were hitting .325 for June entering its final day, led by Figgins' .459 June average and Orlando Cabrera's .377."

His article is loaded with well researched information. I need this.

by constantine on Jul 2, 2007 12:37 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah but for every Lyle Spencer

there's a dozen skip bayless's. Listen to Dave Denholm on Angel talk yesterday. He doesn't know basic facts about the Angels.

by melvintoast on Jul 2, 2007 8:59 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

if i were to post a diary saying

A-Rod was traded to the Angels today for Ervin Santana, Erick Aybar, Chone Figgins and Shea Hillenbrand the first thing you would ask for would be a "source". If there was an ESPN MLB.com, LA Times or OCR link, you would believe me, but if I posted a link to Rob's 6-4-2 blog, or Angelswin.com you probably wouldn't. At least I wouldn't

john RIP samo

by angels4adam on Jul 2, 2007 7:30 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs