Who do you think is the Cubs best beat reporter?
by drodd on Mar 12, 2010 3:30 PM CST
Email
PrintI would have to go with Bruce Miles over at the Daily Herald. He seems to be the only reporter that embraces the blogosphere and actually joins in and replies to people's comments on his blog.
Bruce Levine seems to get hot rumors before other reporters do but he doesn't spend all his time on the Cubs. I guess I just like reporters named Bruce.
Who is your favorite, Paul Sullivan, Phil Rogers, Gordon Wittenmyer, Bruce Miles, or Carrie Muskat?
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.
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Miles
Sullivan has his moments, but his snarkiness gets to be too much, particularly in his Ask Paul columns.
Muskat isn’t great, but isn’t as bad as many make her out to be.
Phil Rogers is just hanging on. Gotta fill those column inches.
Wittenmyer is OK, but Miles is the cream of the crop. He understands the job is to disseminate information about the current team, not get wrapped up in history unless it specifically applies to the story.
I think I speak for everyone here when I say, "Wait, what the hell are you talking about?"
Thanks for the compliment.
All the writers do a good job, but I like Bruce, as he seems in touch with fans, and also new statistics.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Bruce does a nice job
Carrie brings only the obvious to the table. Rarely do you hear an original thought from her that does not sound like something the Cubs brass wants her to say.
Frankly,
given BCB’s structuring of its editorial content, at this point I’d honestly have to say Al.
by Damen Jackson on Mar 12, 2010 4:19 PM CST reply actions 4 recs
You're welcome...
I still think your commentary at times is just south of batshit, but you certainly do the Cubs justice with your coverage.
As an aside, I was thinking about you while I was up at Northwestern last week. You ever think about just having the Cubs grant you post-game access to the interview room? I know why you’re trying not to be granted more, but it might be a nice compromise.
by Damen Jackson on Mar 12, 2010 4:32 PM CST up reply actions
since you mentioned interview room access ...
I think Al’s lack of clubhouse and locker room access puts him in a different category than the beat writers. That’s no knock on Al, but comparing him with Paul Sullivan et. al, to me, is apples and oranges.
Al is like a really good columnist/editor, who relies (again, due to no fault of his) on the reporting of beat writers. What would BCB look like if Al (and the rest of us) couldn’t link to the work of Sullivan, Gordo, Miles, etc.?
I have a background as a print reporter, so I’m a little old-fashioned about this. Just my two cents.
I'm going to disagree...
But I can appreciate your opinion. I think once BCB 1) paired up with a major media outlet, and 2) publicly gained access to members of the Cubs organization, you probably had to take those distinctions off the table.
But to answer your question, I think he’d break down and get a press pass, which I’m certain the Cubs would grant at this point.
by Damen Jackson on Mar 12, 2010 4:41 PM CST up reply actions
The major media outlet being SBNation?
Maybe I’m wrong here, but has the pairing change the site that much?
I was referring to the Yahoo...
marketing deal, actually.
by Damen Jackson on Mar 12, 2010 4:48 PM CST up reply actions
The Yahoo deal has helped get SBN sites much wider distribution.
My posts are now also being picked up by Google News. Go ahead and look.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
The interviews with the Cubs brass ...
certainly put Al closer to the beat writers — and give him a helluva lot more street cred than many, many bloggers.
Regarding credentials...
… the only thing that would give me would be player quotes — which often seem dull.
I can listen to Lou’s postgame comments on the radio driving home and use them in recaps, which I did many times last year.
Yes, I would say I’m more of a columnist (commentator), since my own opinions are a large part of what I write, more than just the basic facts of the game — which you all know anyway.
Glad that you like it, even though, Damen, you think my comments are sometimes “just south of batshit”.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
comments made with respect, Al.
I don’t always agree with you either (put Baker in the OF in spring training!), but I very much enjoy your work.
I appreciate that.
You and I have had disagreements, but I appreciate the way you approach the discussions we have with facts to back up your assertions and make your points in an articulate way.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I'm not all that well versed on their pitching staff ...
but I think K-Rod is hurt, so that would seem to free a spot. Let me put it this way, I think Calero is well worth a conditional $850K salary.
From what I can tell, he hasn’t pitched yet this spring, though …
Um-hm.
Wonder why. Could be those injury concerns are quite real, and a good reason for the Cubs NOT to sign him.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
again ...
I don’t see how a non-guaranteed deal could have hurt ANYTHING.
I guess the bottom line is...
… the Cubs apparently didn’t like the medical reports and thus, didn’t feel they should bother. If he has yet to throw in a game, maybe that turns out to be the right call.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Point taken with respect...
… since you and I have met, sat together at games, and discussed many things about this team.
Always respect your opinions even if I disagree with them, and your photography is outstanding.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
If ever a post needed to be green
There goes one over the fence...a Tru-Link fence.
by truelinkfence on Mar 12, 2010 6:29 PM CST up reply actions
agreed 110%
Sunday Feb 28 at 7 PM CST free webcast of the live taping of The Austin Variety Show www.austinvarietyshow.com/
I like both Bruces
(Lee and Willis of course)
Check out the Video Blog I host: WebSmart TV
by digitalbenjamin on Mar 12, 2010 4:21 PM CST reply actions
I say Al too since this IS the only place I get my news
" It’s spring fever - you don’t know what it is you want, but it fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so. "--Mark Twain
I'd say Bruce Levine from ESPN 1000.
I think Miles is pretty good, but he gets a little extra love because he occasionally chimes in around here. Gordo might be the most interesting to read, but his stuff can come out of left field. Sullivan’s fine, Muskat is boring and pretty inconsequential.
Phil Rogers is really the worst, though.
Actually'
I’ve picked up a modicum of respect for Phil Rogers of late. His Spring Training coverage (covering baseball at large) is worlds better than the junk he flings around on the Cubs. Seems like when he tones down the nonsense, you find there is actually a real writer in there.
Just my two cents.
by Damen Jackson on Mar 12, 2010 4:34 PM CST up reply actions
Rogers is a good writer.
But his opinions and methods — as Damen might say — are at times “just south of batshit”.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
i don't think anyone working in Chicago sports these days
is an actual good writer be he or she a beat reporter or columnist. Rick Telander has written some nice longer form stuff, but his columns are pretty bad. There is no one at any paper in Chicago whose writing I look forward to reading – no one now even on the level of a Bob Verdi who is fine but far from great. Long gone are the days of the Red Smiths and Grantland Rices when the best writing in the paper was in the sports section.
Of course, there’s no good writing anywhere else in Chicago’s two dailies either.
Sports writers/columnists...
…have gone downhill in Chicago for the last 15-20 years – big time. This may be common around the country as well, but it can be painful to read some of the stuff they put out.
The biggest issue to me is knowledge. For as long as some of these folks have followed the sport, many appear to have acquired no feel at all for what is going on and what is important.
Regarding Verdi, I believe he is the best writer/reporter/ etc. the city has seen in a long time. Some guys can write well, but they have no insight or logical thoughts – Verdi is the complete package.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
I like David Haugh
Although recently he used a tacky Lindsay Lohan reference, which really bummed me out. I suppose that’s part of falling into the trap of being a columnist. Eventually the good ones go the way of the buffalo.
Maybe that's the Rick Riley
“I can’t go three paragraphs without mentioning a supermodel, someone involved in a sex scandal or supposed ‘loose woman’” school of journalism.
And you’re right, MPH73, Verdi is better than I gave him credit for. Certainly none now are close.
And look at the other parts of the paper. Mike Royko, who was flat out great in the 60s, 70s and into the 80s but declined some toward the end (who wouldn’t doing all of those columns) was a zillion light years better than John Kass. Gary Wills used to have a column in the Sun Times at the same time Royko did for Godssakes. Nothing close to those days now.
There's one Chicago news columnist I really enjoy.
Neil Steinberg. He’s an outstanding writer and always has a way of cutting through BS.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I had only read Steinberg a handful of times
so I just went and read five of his columns. You’re right, Al. He’s good. I’ll make him a regular stop. Thanks for the tip.
He's also not actually a beat reporter, either
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Mar 13, 2010 9:41 AM CST up reply actions
I'll give Carrie credit for timely and informative tweets.
She gets the info out fast and it’s almost always accurate.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Well, she essentially works for the team, no?
I mean… she isn’t permitted to write anything negative or questioning of the team… so she likely gets heads up on stuff.
I may be wrong… and I’m not “bashing” her… a job is a job… but I have to believe she gets a head start.
She works for MLB.com.
The articles she writes have this disclaimer on them:
Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
That would imply she can write what she wants. If I see her in Arizona, I’ll ask.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Interesting.
I can certainly admit I’ve never read the disclaimer.
Her work – as well as that on the other mlb sites – always struck me as very, very “pro team”.
Essentially, her articles always struck me as essentially coming from the absolute most optimistic of BCBers. That’s not “bad”… I just take everything she writes with a giant grain of salt considering where she works.
As one further point of clarification...
I knew she wrote for mlb.com and not directly the Cubs… but on this platform, I view the two as fairly interchangeable. MLB wants what is best for the Cubs (i.e., no negative press) as well as its other club entities.
About the closest she came to “calling anyone out” was with “that player”. You could feel the frustration with him in her writing, IMO.
I may have said this before...
…but I think Carrie has been doing a much better job this spring. She seems to be writing more (both on her blog and on cubs.com itself), sticking to reporting (rather than analysis, where she often embarasses herself) and has been keeping up with Twitter. Of the five options noted above, I’d rank her second behind Bruce Miles at this point. Or maybe third behind Bruce Levine, who I’ve warmed up to a bit lately.
Carrie's tweets are timely and informative.
Very helpful for getting info out fast.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Not even close...
…its Bruce by a big big margin.
Chicago is not blessed with a lot of depth in this area, and a few are really bad.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
FWIW on the poll....
… Rogers isn’t really a beat writer. He’s a columnist.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Ah, guess I should have read ahead before commenting
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Mar 13, 2010 9:42 AM CST up reply actions
Columnists should give you insight...
…and go beyond the basic reporting the beat writers do. The problem with Rogers, is he rarely has a coherent thought, and his content makes you wonder if he saw his first baseball game last week.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
by MPH73 on Mar 16, 2010 12:06 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Miles
Bruce Miles by a longshot, just like the poll shows. I wonder if anything or anybody else at the Daily Herald has anything to do with it, or is Miles just more with it.
Sarah Spain
No contest.
"You’re playing a baseball game. You’re not playing Tiddlywinks. There is competition, for God’s sake."— Lou Piniella
Heh heh heh.
I don’t know who she is, where she came from, what she represents, anything about here…
… but i follow her on twitter just to see her photo pop up a couple of times a day.
WORTH IT.
Dum spiro spero... | Follow me on twitter or else: @andrewjstone.
by AndrewJStone on Mar 16, 2010 2:30 PM CDT up reply actions
"If you say Carrie Muskat you lose a testicle."
"There's more to life than profits...like, you know, slurpees and stuff." ~Randy Marsh
by Goodie1969 on Mar 12, 2010 7:35 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
easily bruce miles for me
it isn’t just the information. It’s his willingness to go on different blogs and interact with the fans. It’s his own blog. He separates sports reporting and sports opinion with the use of his blogs. It’s his interaction with fans through email. There’s been numerous a times when Bruce has provided me answers that no one else could. In short, he does what a beat writer should do, and he does it better.
by toonsterwu on Mar 12, 2010 9:26 PM CST reply actions 4 recs
thanks
i’m a big fan of bruce miles. I’ve lived in various places and I can honestly say that I believe him to be one of the best beat writers out there, in any sport. He’s fan friendly and accessible, while doing his job.
He also makes a conscious effort to keep up with stats...
…in contrast to Rogers, who only recently seems to have discovered Bill James. And Sullivan who will very rarely drop some random “OBPS” into one of his articles.
Bruce is Miles above the rest
Bruce “gets it”. To me he’s a lot like Len Kasper in that he’s able to discuss the history and traditions of the Cubs while still offering (and often advocating) new perspectives. The use of sabermetrics, for instance. I don’t recall Bruce ever being inflammatory in any of his columns or on his blogs, and I certainly don’t recall him ever grandstanding and making it all about himself.
I agree with others who voted for Al, if Al were a columnist. I mean, he got to interview Kenney and Ricketts! It’s a testament to the professional quality of this blog, and that professionalism starts at the top.
Question: does George Castle still write for the NW Indiana Times?
Re: George Castle
I believe so, but they don’t cover the team on a daily basis any more, from what I understand.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
BTW
We should find out the 4 people who voted for Phil Rogers, strap them into dentist’s chairs, pry their eyelids open with toothpicks and force them to watch a non-stop rotation of Ed, Mr 3000, Summer Catch & Rookie of the Year for at least a year or until their heads explode.
I reject your reality and substitute my own.
by WayneCampbell08 on Mar 14, 2010 1:10 PM CDT reply actions
I think I'd rank them like this:
1. Bruce Miles (best overall)
2. Carrie Muskat (most frequent updater of team/organizational goings on)
3. Bruce Levine (don’t always agree with his take on things but appreciate his inside info)
4. Gordo (I suppose I should thank him for introducing me to Twitter)
5. Phil Rogers (often very annoying but I find he has a “befuddled uncle” charm to him as well)
6. Paul Sullivan (complete crap unless he’s just passing along rote info)
I've recused myself from this thread
I’ve stayed away from this one, for obvious reasons, until somebody put the results on my own Daily Herald blog. Thanks for the support. Know that I hold my friendly competitors in the highest regard.
Honesty compels me to say,
that you are just plain good……..End of story.
Hey Lou, we're long overdue.
by deadcatbounce on Mar 15, 2010 9:41 PM CDT up reply actions
Best of all
You voted for yourself.
"On offense, your most precious possessions are your 27 outs" - Earl Weaver
by RiskyBusiness on Mar 15, 2010 10:56 PM CDT up reply actions
Shhh! Don't tell anyone else
Actually, I would have cast a write-in vote for the late, great Jerome Holtzman. We’re allowed to do those things in Chicago. Jerome was a valued mentor.
by Bruce Miles on Mar 16, 2010 7:40 AM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Just mentioning his name gets you recommended
"On offense, your most precious possessions are your 27 outs" - Earl Weaver
by RiskyBusiness on Mar 16, 2010 8:52 AM CDT up reply actions
Enjoyed your article in the "Cubs 2010 Annual".
Being one of those people that gets most of their information here, I confess I’ve only read a handful of your articles when people post them. But seeing how you’ve obviously walked away with the major award, I look forward to reading more of your work in the future.
"Chicago Cubs baseball is on the air."-Pat Hughes
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