Armando Costas Takes Swipe At Bloggers
By Brian Miller
Udated and Corrected
O.k. most of us know the “blogger” comments made by long time sports announcer Bob Costas a couple years ago. Something to the effect that bloggers are ruining sports because they have no accountability, or something like that. A comment that ironically, I tend to agree with. More on that in a minute. Today however, the great Armando “Costas” Salguero has evidently taken exception to the blogging community and called us all out. I’m sorry...is “Mando” a journalist or a blogger?
If you run over to the Miami Herald, the 3rd best paper in Miami for Miami Dolphins news behind the great Sun-Sentinel and the Palm Beach Post, you will read this:
"Occassionally my job is to play fireman, putting out fires started by rumor-mongers or amateur bloggers posing as reporters with sources that are neither accurate nor credible."
First, I am not a journalist. I am an ex-fireman, a paramedic, and a stay home dad. Yet, I can write an article just as articulate and factual as he can. It may not be as eloquent, but the point isn’t lost. In fact, the best part about “blogging” a rumor is when I can credit the thing back to Mando. Because more often than not, he is wrong. Which means his sources are not accurate and that in turn leads to a cred issue.
See what I find funny is this. The blogosphere does not have the access that guys like this do. We are not invited to weekly press conferences. We don’t get decent seats for training camp with access to the players. No, we actually have to research information, make phone calls, send out Emails, and in order to maintain even a modest following…take accountability for our actions and our opinions. Not to mention that what we post as being a fact. Sorry but “real journalism” doesn’t start with walking into a training center and sticking a recorder in some dudes face.
Bob Costas is one of my favorite sports reporters. A consumate proffessional who in my opinion has done his time. That’s why when he says that bloggers have no accountability I don’t take offense to that. Why? Because he is right. There are no governing bodies that that threaten to sue me or the site for slander. Profootballtalk.com goes over the top on just about everything the write with little fear of retribution. Other sites are more abrasive and downright insulting. It’s a black eye on something that many others are diligently working to change.
In Miami, the Dolphins are the pro sports team. At 1-15 they take second place to no one. Salguero has a pretty cake gig. He gets to “blog” on a largely distributed paper. He gets an immediate audience because for most fans, the only real news is news that appears on a major source. I myself don’t believe anything until I see it on ESPN, NFL.com, or even at times in a newspaper. The difference between guys like Armando Salguero and other more credible writers (not talking about myself here) outside of the normal “journalist” field, is that he likely gets paid very well.
Mando will likely someday follow in the footsteps of another south Florida “journalist” who decided to bail and run to yahoo sports. Because as we all know, Yahoo is THE sports news source in the world. No it’s all about money.
Sorry Mr. Salguero. Your sources are not that much better than mine. See when I land a player interview it’s because I did the leg work to get it. I take some pride in that. I don’t need to waste my time asking the stupid question that we all know won’t get answered. You do that to look good to your readers. I don’t because I want to respect the person who granted me that access.
What I find funny is that he rarely comes right out and says “the Dolphins WILL do this”. Instead, he skirts the point and sets himself up to cover his rear and either result will make him look right. I personaly like this quote from his most recent blog:
"The Dolphins are looking for more after this draft. A team source tells me the club would like to sign two or three college free agents that are more than just training camp bodies, but would actually have legitimate chances of making the team.The club is looking high and low for such players.And that’s where the names Vincent and Victor Anderson come into play. Both are under-the-radar players who have the feel of college free agents with the chance to make a team. Both worked out in front of six teams at the Missouri Western Pro Day."
A team source told you that? What’s really funny is that I can quote the same sentence without the “team source”. Why…because I’m not stupid and that is the same thing they did last year. Funny, doesn’t 31 other teams sign undrafted free agents as well? Guess I need a “team source” to confirm that.
I also see that two names are mentioned in that “blog”. What is not specified is whether or not a team source named them specifically or is that the authors conjecture? 6 teams were at the kids’ pro-day…was Miami one of those 6? (Correction: Apparently Mando put a line under that statement in his blog that said ‘Miami was one of those teams’ I don’t remember that this morning…maybe he added it in later) See…a real journalist…or for that matter, a real blogger would have made sure his readers knew what he meant.
It’s no secret that I have very little tolerance for “Mando”. I would much rather base my opinions and my reputation on guys with the name Hyde, Kelly, and Fialkov. Guys who actually do research their opinions and their facts. Journalists. If you do read the Miami Herald…which I do…I suggest scrolling the Dolphins page just a bit for another “real” journalist. Jeff Darlington. At least you know your getting something other than the ego.
Sorry Mando, the only fires your putting out are the ones coming out your ears when your wrong, and the rest of the “Professional” bloggers are right.
By the way Armando…the word “occassionally” is spelled with one “S”. Journalists!
UPDATE: The information that Armando put in his “blog” was reported yesterday by Chicago-Sun Times writer Brad Biggs…who wrote about this in his “BLOG”. BTW…whoever that idiot was that said I didn’t credit Mando…go over there and ask why Armando tried to pass his drivel off as his own when he obviously took it from Biggs. Journalists! You can read what Biggs wrote here.