I don’t feel like I have done all my homework about the story about the Islanders blogger losing his credentials and it probably makes more sense to address it at my still-in-beta (that means ‘baby steps’) new blog Sports Police, yet since a few people asked me to weigh in I shall.
I don’t know much about Botta’s blog nor do I know much about the day-in day-out in Nassau. I also have never tried interacting with the Islanders.
I think it’s cool the Islanders have a bloggers box. I think we will see more and more teams have blogger boxes and/or blogger events.
I assume you read my blog because you find it some interesting mix of information/snark/commentary/community. It’s not what a beat reporter does nor should it be.
The Mets invited several bloggers to three or four events in 2010. I believe there will be more. They invited the same group to a conference call with David Howard. Very cool. I won’t be surprised if they invite us to another call with the new manager.
Do I feel entitled to any of that? Nope. Will I be mad if such a call doesn’t happen? Nope. I’m just a fan who types a lot.
If the Mets credentialed me I don’t even know what I’d do: Ask David Wright which cap he likes (while the beat writers death stare me)?
A bloggers box? Might make sense for events like Mets HOF day.
I’m thrilled to think Dave Howard will do a game with me. I assume I will come away liking the man and hopefully he will like me. Must he change his business plans because we watched a game? Of course not. Likewise, we might become best friends but I will still define obstructed differently. (and I do want to pay for the tickets. This is not about trying to get freebies.)
From what I have seen of the team I feel I know best I would have a hard time imagining the Mets getting mad at a blogger’s opinion. I have been one of the more critical bloggers, yet the organization invited me in and found in real life I am not kooky. Some things I like, sometimes I use words like dopey. I can already tell you what my “Bob Melvin Article” will be. It will be short. Nobody’s asking punches to be pulled.
I don’t know what’s going on in the Coliseum. In Flushing, I think things are only getting better.
I’d say regular press credentials should be limited to members of the media. They shouldn’t go to bloggers.
I’m not a hockey fan & I don’t pay attention to the Islanders. After reading the linked article, I wonder if Mr. Botta forgot the difference between being a member of the media and being a blogger.
Media members need to report the news. Maybe they get to have opinions if they have a column or blog. They don’t get to be the story unless things go horribly wrong. (I still think Adam Rubin should have been given a new beat after the Omar/Tony Bernazard thing last year.)
Bloggers can be fans & can put themselves in the story as much as they want… but they can’t expect to be treated like media.
It’s cool that some teams are offering bloggers more access, and I hope it continues – the blogger stories about their David Howard conference call on ticket plans were more in-depth than the media ones that I saw. But if bloggers want to be treated like full-fledged media, the need to remember that they have to act like media – they don’t get to be fans any more.
As i understand it, Botta _is_ media. Yes, there is a difference between being a blogger and being media, but the main difference is doing a job and being a fan. Botta is doing a job. He worked for the Isles for 20 years. He was their PR director. His blog is part of the SNY network.
The Isles are a flat out disaster. They are cheating to get above the salary floor, they are stagnated with the town getting anything done about a new facility. Supposedly they’re losing a ton of money as it is.
Also, as I understand it, they replaced Billy Jaffe as tv analyst (along side Howie) after MSG had already agreed to a 4 year deal with him. The reasoning, supposedly, was that he was _not positive enough_ in his analysis. Which, I admit I don’t watch all the games, but I always thought he was pretty positive, especially considering the team doesn’t win..roughly ever. Others echo that thought, but it does seem the Isles are basically coming down hard on anyone that dares criticise.
From Neil Best’s blog, to emphasize the point (blank) that Botta transcends the kind of blogging fans like us do:
Nobody covers the Islanders like Chris Botta (FWIW, there’s no Met equivalent, but given traditional media coverage, there doesn’t have to be). They’re lucky somebody cares enough to cover them as well as he does and that there are still people who care enough to read about them.
SB Nation’s Minnesota Wild blog, Hockey Wilderness, has a good take on it here.