Being a pro athlete in the Atlanta market is about the easiest gig around. We're a big enough city to have many of the financial / endorsement opportunities without the brow beating local media.
In fact, I would argue that pro sports coverage in this town is the land of soft pitches and cuddles compared to big boy markets. Only in Atlanta can guys like Pete Babcock and Billy Knight run the Hawks into the ground for 12 and 6 years respectively without media leading the charge to run them out of town.
If you really want to see the difference between how the Atlanta media covers sports and how it happens in markets with aggressive sports columnists, check out today's column in the LA Times about Andruw "Tubbo" Jones. It's a blistering piece in which Jones shows his true colors, and the writer shows why jocks hate journalists.
I'm not pointing to this piece as the standard bearer for quality journalism or columns. However, there's a happy middle ground between what we get from the AJC in terms of columnists like Bradley, Moore and Schultz vs. a brutal piece like the one linked above.
It's also hard for me to read a piece like the one in the LA Times linked above and take Buzz Bissinger serious when he applauds the dignity of the print media and abuses the tone of bloggers.
Bottom line for Atlanta Pro Athletes: You have it REALLY easy.
PWD
ht - UGA77 (dawgpost)
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18 comments:
Nice attitude Andruw. Sounds like the good life and money have finally defeated his spirit to compete. Another stupid, spoiled athlete.
Next.
TJ Simers would rip his own mother. The day after she went 3 for 5.
I'd say Simers comes off worse than Andruw. Is he a member of the paparazzi?
What a ridiculous article.
This is not the first time this hack took shots at Andruw. The first time in Andruw defense he took the abuse and answered the way Andruw would any other time. But the second time he answered the guys stupid questions the same way anyone else would. It goes to show the difference and just how well the media treats the athletes in this town. I mean I am sure Moore and his elk would love to have Vick back.
anon at 1:32....I have a good friend who is a minister at the church Andruw attended while here in Atlanta he is not a stupid, spoiled athlete. I am sure a few years ago anon you were wearing your number 25 jersey out at the Ted. How quickly people change.
On another note D.O.B over at the AJC does a great job with his coverage and said this writer was none for taking cheap shots.
Simers actually sounds like he's trying to piss Andruw off and make him out to look like the bad guy.
My guess is Andruw's never seen ANYTHING like this and because he's having a down year (and one helluva down year at that), his attitude is "whatever you say, that's what I am. I'm not going to say I'm playing great ball when I'm obviously not. I'm not going to let the fans get to me because it'll only make what I'm trying to get through worse."
Simers needs an ass kicking. Badly.
or known
I get it - "Big Boy Media Market" is a pun. Haha.
I've always been a huge Andruw Jones fan. Huge. I think he's one of the greatest centerfielders of all-time.
But, the dude is more stubborn than a mule. He flails at the ball, and refuses to hit anything towards the right-centerfield gap. Until he starts driving the ball the other way, he'll underachieve his way out of the game.
In fact, right now, I'm pretty sure I could get him out throwing half-ass sliders down and away with a noodle for an arm. At least, it seems that's what everyone else is doing.
"I have a good friend who is a minister at the church Andruw attended while here in Atlanta he is not a stupid, spoiled athlete. I am sure a few years ago anon you were wearing your number 25 jersey out at the Ted. How quickly people change.
"
LOL - you are funny.
Anyway, Andruw gave up a couple of years ago. He is fat, slow and couldnt care less. You can see it in his body language.
I maintain that Andruw Jones's career went into decline the day they bulldozed the Gold Club.
Perhaps it's the crushing depression of the lack of willing participants in the Curaco Sammich that has Andruw trying to eat away the pain for the last 7 years...
Andrew's attitude is no different than most Braves' fans...he doesn't care. When was the last time either showed up for a playoff series? "Druw" is one of the reasons I'm not as fanatical about the Braves anymore. How many World Series did the Braves win with Andrew? Answer: Zero. It wasn't completely his fault. Most of the other big name Braves didn't seem to care either. I particularly hated that stupid "business-like attitude" the Braves had that got them beat in the playoffs every year. I'm not defending this journalist. He's the type that likes to kick ant beds just to see what happens. I feel bad for Torre, though. He's starting to realize what kind of guy Andrew is. Remember the time Bobby Cox pulled Andrew in the middle of an inning for slacking on a pop-up? I know he wanted to do that several other times but couldn't afford to.
I was @ Turner Field the day Cox pulled Andruw for not giving effort in the field, leading to a dropped ball that he normally would get to.
This was in 2002. He hasn't given a crap for a very long time.
I cheered for him because he played for my favorite team but it's been pretty obvious that he's been coasting by primarily on reputation for the better part of his career.
The U2 of baseball, as it were.
LOL at the rest of you whining softies, to me, that's QUALITY journalism right there. It's ripping a guy who flat out deserves it (unlike the NE yankee media who often to it to those who don't deserve such treatment) all the while giving the larda$$ an opportunity to make himself look better or say something else. But Druw just kept digging himself deeper, and of course TJ was eating it up, already crafting the article in his mind as they were speaking I'm sure... yeah, the weight loss competition thing smacks of self serving and smarmy, but is the overall point wrong that Andruw is in THE WORST shape of his life, while sporting the fattest contract of his life? Meanwhile the suckazz AJC only knows how to write race baiting columns or obvious flames from the headlines attacking Richt and such a couple times, just hurting for page reads since their subscriptions are at an all-time low and nobody paid when they tried that little idea for a few weeks online a couple years back. Why on earth any of you anon's were so appalled at this is beyond me, AJ deserved a worse column than this much sooner IYAM, you reap what you sow. It's such a shame he doesn't care about the game anymore or listen to those trying to help him... but if he doesn't care, as he's made quite clear ever since his 50 HR year, and yet again in this article... why should we?? Outside of Kolb or something the fans around here are usually too lame, timid and stupid to turn on players [OMG why are we booing Heatley :'(] but that's the sign of a real sports town. Andruw is straight stealing money, and has been for quite sometime. IMO the only thing wrong with that article was that it wasn't harsh enough, especially after the umpteen "I don't care" comments... yeah Druw, we get it, it's obvious to anyone who's looked at your batting average the last few years. Or your gut. Coulda been one of the all-time greats! To hell with em.
Has this guy watched Andruw the past few years? The Dodgers should have known what they were getting. A good defensive player with Rob Deer's offensive skills.
John Kincaid from 680 ripped him the last few years for being fat coming into spring training as well.
Andruw Jones would rather go back to the Gold Club for hummers than hit the cage and learn how to hit a baseball. God Awful. Get on the bus Andruw.
The happy medium is Joe Posnanski. Former writer for the Augusta Chronicle and now with the Kansas City Star and publisher of his own great blog.
I speak from experience when I say Simers is a bit of a tool. We all call him TJ Slimers out here in LA, because that's pretty much his MO from a piece perspective.
That said, his point about Drue is well taken. He's fat, lazy, and out of shape. I'm glad Andruw doesn't care - because Torre's not going to keep his lazy ass around for much longer with that sort of attitude, and we have much better younger players to take his place.
In J. Schultz's defense, it's certainly not for a lack of effort that he doesn't come off as legitimately "Big Boy." However, his attempts just come off as smug and smarmy and to top it off, he just not nearly as funny as he likes to think he is. At least he can actually write, though. T. Moore on the other hand...
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