Another Blog Bites the Dust?

Seems people are blogging themselves to death. No, this is not the English teacher in me speaking metaphorically about my students' on-line activities or the journalist in me reporting sarcastically. People are literally dropping dead over the constant demand for content. Check out the New York Times story here.

The Deep End of the Pool

The NCAA Tournament is underway -- Day 2 of Round 1 is today -- and offices everywhere are filled with the sounds of would-be bracket bosses crumpling their selection sheets while Judy from Accounting laughs all the way to the bank because she made her picks based on which school's color schemes she liked the best. Every year at this time I hear the same question, again and again: Do you want to be in a pool? The answer, year after year since 1997, has been a resounding "No."

Let me explain. At Columbia University School of Journalism in the spring semester of 1998, my Sports Writing professor, Sandy Padwe, expressly forbade his students from any gambling of any kind while we were covering sports in his class. This included everything, even fantasy leagues. He kept tabs on us. Little did we know he was saving us. It just so happened the Feds raided a ring right off campus that spring and a number of students were nabbed, but none of Sandy's sportwriters.

Ever since then, having covered professional sports, I just can't bring myself to gamble. Not even to stick a quarter in a slot machine. I guess I just don't get it. I'd rather save the little money that I have.

The last time I did enter a pool was March of my senior year at Providence College. The Friars made the tournament that year and were the last team eliminated from the Elite Eight, falling to eventual champion Arizona. The Providence men's team I covered for "The Cowl" at the time -- Sandy hadn't educated me in ethics yet -- also happened to be the only one of my Final Four picks that didn't pan out. Karma, perhaps?

Belated Blog on the Tri-State Trifecta

Boy, I've been delinquent in my blogging responsibilities! I would be remiss if I did not -- like every media outlet out there -- mention a certain former governor who made headlines recently. That got me thinking: does anybody realize that in the space of less than four years the governors of the three tri-states have all resigned in disgrace? New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer became the latest to join Connecticut Gov. John Rowland and New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey to bow out. The number of other governors to step aside in that time? Zero.
If I am the governor of Delaware, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania or Rhode Island, I would be on my best behavior.

Long Time, No Blog

Guess I've just been at a loss for something to say -- hey, it happens -- but I'm overdue for a blog. We'll go with some quick hits:

1. New Jersey's hand-free law was elevated to a primary offense yesterday, March 1. I don't know about you, but I see a lot of people talking on cell phones on the roads, most of them in enormous gas-guzzling SUVs with no one but the driver in the vehicle, who is attempting -- poorly -- to execute a left turn. Interestingly, text messaging behind the wheel is now a primary offense as well. I, myself, am guilty of this. Most of the time I'm recording memos on my BlackBerry at a traffic light. There goes that.

2. Speaking of tickets, New Jersey is now in the midst of a so-called ticket "blitz." Beginning last week, police have been issued quotas, speed limits in some areas have been reduced and fines have been more than doubled.
Thankfully, I do not take the New Jersey Parkway to work. Obey those posted speed limits out there as cops have even been told not to issue warnings.

3. Moving away from the cars and cell phones, did you hear about the middle school in Readington Township where 29 eighth graders were given two days detention for having paid for their lunches entirely in pennies because they felt they had too little time to eat?
While I can appreciate the protest, seems they never made their feelings about the shortened lunch known before the prank, which resulted in frustrated lunch ladies -- you don't EVER want to be on their bad side -- and several students not getting to eat Thurs., Feb. 29.
According to school administrators, this was the first they'd heard of the students being unhappy about the lunch period. As a teacher with a cafeteria duty this year and many times in the past over my six-year career, I have to side with the administration here. I think it was disrespectful, first off, for students to overwhelm the lunch staff in such a way. It's not their fault the lunch period got trimmed. Secondly, how short-sighted were these students to do this and deny classmates and friends the opportunity to eat that day? And they confessed to having coordinated the whole thing over their cell phones (sorry, couldn't get away from that topic).
Well, until next time, keep your hands where we can see them.

Would You go to Jail to Protect a Source?

Well, that's exactly what Toni Locy, a reporter for USA Today, faces unless she tells a judge who told her an Army scientist was a suspect in the still-unsolved 2001 anthrax case, which took place shortly after Sept. 11.
Check out the story below, vote in the poll and discuss.
Judge Holds Reporter in Contempt in Anthrax Case

Here Come the Provisional Driver's Decals!

We knew the committee investigating the sharp rise of fatalities and serious accidents amongst provisional drivers was going to be suggesting some kind of scarlet letter for students to strap to their cars.
Behold!

Messrs. Clemens and McNamee Go to Washington

As a former full-time Sportswriter, it's probably fitting that my first regular blog entry touch upon the steroid-related circus that unfolded its tent flaps in our nation's capital today. No longer a former full-time Sports scribe, I can unequivocally state up front I am no fan of Roger Clemens, both for his New York Yankees' association as well as for the fact that he is a mockery of a human being. Having been around him professionally with both the Toronto Blue Jays and the Yanks, I always knew him to be the loud-n-proud Texan that he styles himself as -- cocky and self-absorbed by his many regimens -- but I had no idea as to the true extent of these flaws until today.
Yes, today on national television from the packed Rayburn Room I got to visit repeatedly while a student in D.C., the Rocket showed just how far he'd go in order to maintain his innocence of performance enhancement by nonchalantly rolling over his wife and mother of his four boys -- all of whose names begin with the letter 'K' (get it?) -- by explaining former teammate and surely soon-to-be former pal Andy Pettitte "misremembered" an earlier conversation the pair had years earlier about steroids and Human Growth Hormone.
According to Pettitte's sworn testimony, which was so convincing in the eyes of the committee members they let him off the hook from today's three-ring spectacular, Clemens told Pettitte he had used steroids and HGH in the late 1990s, which makes sense given Clemens went from washed up in Boston in 1996 to winning two consecutive Cy Young Awards with the Toronto Blue Jays in '97 and '98. Anyway, when Pettitte and Clemens have a conversation years later in the wake of this entire performance-enhancing dreck and Pettitte asks Clemens what he would ever say if a reporter asked him a question about taking steroids, the Rocket dropped a bomb by giving up his Rock-ette. Clemens corrected Pettitte who, apparently, confused his fellow Texan pitcher with the petite blonde. I knew the guy had issues. I sat and watched as he flew into a full-blown 'roid rage during Game 2 of the 2000 World Series when Mike Piazza's sawed-off bat was slung back at him skee-ball style from the pitcher's mound and the Rocket vapor-locked. But who among us figured the guy is so desperate to exonerate himself that he would sell out his spouse. She must really love him. I'm not so sure he feels the same way. With Valentine's Day tomorrow, wonder what his flower bill will be like.
On the other side, Brian McNamee did anything but come off as credible or like the sad clown he thinks he is in all of this. His history is littered with lies, all of which he rationalizes in the name of keeping others out of trouble. In 2001, he lied to police in Florida about details in the sexual assault of an unconscious woman. During the Mitchell investigation, he was asked to tell federal agents everything he knew, which he admitted today he did not. He has repeatedly attempted to capitalize on this whole sad affair, citing his sick son or this or that. He's no angel. One congressman even referred to him as a drug dealer, which slowly settled into his psyche upon realizing he had procured illegal substances at the behest of pro athletes. There's nothing unusual about McNamee though. There are three of him in every professional locker room in this country. My beloved New York Mets had one who sang for the Mitchell Report in Kirk Radomski. They are garden-variety hangers-on of no particular import except for the dirt they squirrel away about others.
Conventional wisdom says to look to the guy with more to lose by lying. Clemens would, seemingly, stand to see everything he has "worked" his entire career to build collapse while McNamee was only threatened with the prospect of perjury and possible jail time. But a conscience should keep a supposedly-devoted husband from sacrificing his wife on the altar of public opinion.
Obviously you've got to possess a soul before you can lose it.

My first blog

Welcome to my blog! I'm so happy to have you. Here I will share my take on all things Journalism, connecting them, of course, to the blogs of my student reporters from the finest high school newspaper in the country, the Wall (N.J.) High School Crimson Courier.

I have to admit, this blogging things is new to me. Having been a reporter covering primarily Sports in my first career, I am familiar with the concept as well as somewhat technologically savvy, but it's going to take me some time to get my style under me in this new format. We'll all be learning at the same time.

One thing I'm going to experiment with and solicit input about is going to be the sign-off from my blog. There have been so many good ones, particularly in TV Journalism and, having been in print the majority of my career, I was always envious of that. Since the web is really the nexus of Print and TV Journalism, I want to incorporate one and see what sticks. Feel free to let me know and make suggestions, comments, faces, etc. :)

That's all for now. I'll catch you on the flip side.