Washington Times' Sports Coverage...Done?

by Patrick Reddington on Dec 2, 2009 9:21 PM EST

According to an article by Washington Post writer Howard Kurtz entitled, "Washington Times to cut staff to reach goals", which reports on the Washington Times' decision to lay off, "...at least 40 percent of its staff," Mr. Kurtz writes that the "Unification Church, will slash its coverage of local news, sports and features," as they attempt to refocus their efforts on what they believe are, in Mr. Kurtz's words, "...its core strengths: politics, national security, (and) investigative reporting," and while that may sound like the end of the Times' sports coverage, (and their coverage of the Nationals in particular)...well...it might...just be, as Mr. Kurtz writes that the company's president, "(Jonathan) Slevin would not confirm that the metro and sports sections would be dropped," but, "...he said coverage of the Washington Nationals or suburban governments would be 'of less interest, if any, to someone in Spokane.'"

Is one newspaper (and a whole lot of blogs) covering the Nationals enough?

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Incredible.

Find me another MLB sports town that has no writers assigned to their baseball team. Chico’s gone. If Zuck and Ben are gone, we’re down to Federal Baseball and Ladson. Ed may need to move to DC and get credentials.

by RoscoeNats on Dec 2, 2009 9:28 PM EST reply actions

+1 on getting Ed credentialed...

Im all for credentialing… I like the word – credential.

"I love, love, love John Lackey." -- Graysnail.

by Mezza on Dec 2, 2009 10:24 PM EST up reply actions

Blogs are the future.............credentialed blogs even better....

Mezza: ''Are we there yet?'' ...Roscoe: "In baseball hell? Yes we are."
— even without making a deal," Rizzo said."

by cat daddy3000 on Dec 2, 2009 10:38 PM EST up reply actions

Vote Ed 2012!

by John Quinn on Dec 2, 2009 11:02 PM EST up reply actions

CHIGLIAK Will Lead Us!!!!!

…out of the wilderness or the abyss or somesuch…

Mezza: ''Are we there yet?'' ...Roscoe: "In baseball hell? Yes we are."
— even without making a deal," Rizzo said."

by cat daddy3000 on Dec 3, 2009 12:06 AM EST up reply actions

(when he finds time after all his twittering with the ballplayers, that is…)

Mezza: ''Are we there yet?'' ...Roscoe: "In baseball hell? Yes we are."
— even without making a deal," Rizzo said."

by cat daddy3000 on Dec 3, 2009 12:10 AM EST up reply actions

I have a lot of movies to catch up since I did nothing but read/write baseball all summer...

OK, actually, I went and got myself all exhausted during the season and I keep falling asleep at the computer halfway through posts that I write these days and have to finish them during my lunch break the next day…

I can’t stop the twittering though…

Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."

by Patrick Reddington on Dec 3, 2009 12:14 AM EST up reply actions

You have to take breaks, for all of our sakes....

Not Chico-like, but take it easy!!!

Mezza: ''Are we there yet?'' ...Roscoe: "In baseball hell? Yes we are."
— even without making a deal," Rizzo said."

by cat daddy3000 on Dec 3, 2009 1:00 AM EST up reply actions

Did u see Bally and Lannan are making news?

Laughed out loud… im a Baly supporter…
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2009/12/twitter_race_lannan_vs_baleste.html

"I love, love, love John Lackey." -- Graysnail.

by Mezza on Dec 3, 2009 4:34 AM EST up reply actions

And that's Nats' News for the week ending Dec.5th.....!!!

Stan and the ebbing glow of his Sterno can face the long, Winter’s night…

Mezza: ''Are we there yet?'' ...Roscoe: "In baseball hell? Yes we are."
— even without making a deal," Rizzo said."

by cat daddy3000 on Dec 3, 2009 12:59 PM EST up reply actions

Interesting article about the Washington Times...

I didn’t realize they were in such bad shape. Not surprised, though. I work as a researcher in the print division of a media monitoring company and I’ve seen plenty of newspapers and magazines go downhill or go completely away in the last few years.

"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"--The Brain

by brook on Dec 2, 2009 9:43 PM EST reply actions

believe me...

we’re working on the credentialing issue. really.

Your voice of doom and gloom. Read more at natsnewsnetwork.blogspot.com

by Dave at District Sports Page on Dec 3, 2009 11:05 AM EST reply actions 1 recs

That's great news, Dave

Kasten: “Bloggers, here are your credentials…..Please now step this way into the Indoctrination Room and don your Ladson Filter Muzzle, now with remote compliance device by Tazer Industries, for a short training session…..”

Mezza: ''Are we there yet?'' ...Roscoe: "In baseball hell? Yes we are."
— even without making a deal," Rizzo said."

by cat daddy3000 on Dec 3, 2009 12:50 PM EST up reply actions

This post assumes the Times is a newspaper

I’m not familiar with their baseball coverage, but the Times’ content of which I am familiar does not qualify as “news.” (I mean, we all agree that “Reverend” Moon is a nutjob…don’t we?)

My town (Seattle) is down to a single dead tree paper, but we have the best online baseball resources in the country. USSMariner.com and Lookout Landing (here on SB Nation) are the best. Along with the Seattle Times’ very good coverage from Geoff Baker and Larry Stone I think most Mariners fans feel very well served.

Now’s the time for the Nats’ blogosphere to fill the void left by the dinosaur print media!

by short on Dec 3, 2009 2:01 PM EST reply actions

Living outside DC, I know little about the Times other than its coverage of the Nationals...

Ben Goessling and Mark Zuckerman were doing a great job with the Nationals beat, and if they are done it will be a big loss in my opinion, though I know others disagree…

I studiously avoided the political angle of the Times’ troubles like I do here as a general rule because I figure those fans living in DC, probably hear enough of that on a daily basis…and just want Nationals news…

I agree with your opinion of USSMariner and Lookout Landing too, and think as the Nationals develop the blogs will as well, there’s a tremendous opportunity here for everyone to step up their efforts and fill the void that will be left….

But here’s hoping Goessling, Zuckerman et al find a way to remain involved…

Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."

by Patrick Reddington on Dec 3, 2009 3:10 PM EST via mobile up reply actions