Steve Kelley, Not A Big Fan Of Blogs
We generally don’t link to Steve Kelley’s stuff, mainly because we don’t want you guys to be tempted to read it. But today, Steve decides to talk about the blogosphere.
I can almost hear the dissent building irrationally. Nerves beginning to fray. Cactus League questions lining up like hitters by the batting cage.
Bloggers blogging until their finger tips are as worn as base-stealer’s pants. Anxiety increasing before Felix Hernandez has thrown the season’s first pitch.
His intro paragraph is clear – bloggers are ready to freak out over spring training results.
Before Tuesday’s 10-3 win over Texas, the Mariners were 0-5 and a guy actually came up to me at breakfast Tuesday, shaking his head and telling me, in all seriousness, he thought Mariners manager Mike Hargrove was doing a lousy job this spring.
That comment got me imagining the kind of blogosphere nonsense that could build rapidly if the Mariners keep losing before the real games begin.
Guy in Arizona makes a dumb comment to Kelley during Spring Training? Why, he must be a blogger. And since that blogger is frustrated with the team, they must all be frustrated with the team. In fact, I bet I could guess exactly what they’re saying without even reading the blogs themselves!
I conjured a group of passionate, well-intentioned, if not quite well-informed, fans hunkered in some chat room, debating the Mariners’ slow start in the desert.
“There he goes again, mismanaging his bullpen,” ILuvGar types, beginning the debate. “What’s Hargrove thinking bringing in his closer in the sixth inning of Monday’s game against the Cubs? I know we were clinging to a 4-3 lead, but what’s J.J. Putz doing in there?
I love that Steve Kelley calls us “not quite well-informed”. Pot, meet kettle.
Also, for comparison with what Kelley expects us to write, here’s what I actually wrote about the team’s start the other day:
The team is beginning to build faith in a resurgent year by… losing every spring training game they play. They’re now 0-5 in games that don’t count. No, this doesn’t matter at all. No, you shouldn’t care. No, this isn’t evidence of Mike Hargrove’s inability to motivate his players. It means nothing. Really.
Similar, huh?
The rest of the column is similar drivel about make believe comments that you can’t imagine even an 8-year-old making.
It’s okay, Steve. We’re not the enemy. We’re not even that different than you. We watch the games, we write about what we see, and we use the best knowledge we know how to evaluate what goes on in front of us. We even use full paragraphs from time to time.
The term blogger doesn’t mean irrational idiot any more than staff columnist does.
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The web is full of horrible chatty rooms. What this guy doesn’t realize is that there are lots of wonderful bloggers out there. He is also missing the point that there is a difference between the authors and commentors.