Spring with Haudricourt & Witrado

[EbbaStClaire]

I think its time to acknowledge excellent reporting of Tom Haudricourt and Anthony Witrado. Today's article on Prince Fielder gives a nice insight into Prince's motivation and values. But this is just the latest fine article that has appeared in the last week. For those who hang their hat on statistical analysis the article on Gomez was very insightful. Many are quick to criticize them but I think praise is warranted for their current efforts.

[TooLiveBrew]

I thought the bit that Witrado had on Dillard's Harry Caray impression in the clubhouse was great -- exactly the kind of nugget the fans don't get to see first-hand.

 

I was critical of them for not getting a post on the blog about pitchers' workouts on the first day of ST, but since then they've definitely been providing a lot of content. With two reporters down there, I expect they'll be able to continue to provide a lot of stuff.

[pete]

JSonline pounds out a lot of quality copy. I was really surprised by the Witrado piece. I think his writing can be a bit clumsy at times and I thought it was well done. I do remember him on a radio show last year calling Prince a "punk" and saying that he thought the reason he went after Manny was because he was sort of a weakling. The logic seems off, but if I were a player and got trashed like that, I'd probably say "no thanks" to interview requests from that writer.

[Invader3K]

Yeah, I've been one of those who were critical of Anthony Witrado in the past, but it seems like he's stepped up his "game" as a writer in the past few months. Hopefully he continues this. I've always liked Haudricourt, personally, and continue to enjoy his work. I can also say that on the few occasions I've emailed Tom with a question, he has gotten back to me very promptly.

[pete]

Speaking of those guys, they are starting their radio gigs where they call in. I hope they make them available to listen to if folks miss them or are out of their radio market (or cough have a hard time with some of the radio hosts).

 

 

 

The one this morning TH talked about how the team is excited about Gomez and think he can improve at the plate and noted the age similarity between him and Schafer and Cain in suggesting that the guy should get some slack. That's my paraphrase so don't hang him for that.

[djoctagone]

I think its time to acknowledge excellent reporting of Tom Haudricourt and Anthony Witrado.

yes . . . but only their content that's been reviewed by their editor(s). unless js policy has changed in the past year, blogs are not reviewed by an editor.

[EbbaStClaire]

I find their blogs very interesting also.

[thebruce44]

Good content. I am amazed that they don't at least spell check their blog posts though.

[BrewCrewForever]

I like Haudricourt. Especially his call ins daily to the D-List on 540 AM. I can't stand Witrado. For most of my Brewers news I check out Adam McCalvy's Brew Beat blog.

[EbbaStClaire]

I continue to think Haudricourt & Witrado are doing a very good job keeping us well informed this spring. I believe the criticism that continually appears on the other thread is way overdone and I refuse to post on it.

[Principessa21]

I continue to think Haudricourt & Witrado are doing a very good job keeping us well informed this spring. I believe the criticism that continually appears on the other thread is way overdone and I refuse to post on it.

They're keeping us informed because they have access, like all beat writers. Personally, I find Haudricourt average.

[pete]

I think Tom H is excellent.

[jwill535]

They are beat writers for a baseball team, not novelists. As long as they report the news and break stories, I couldnt care less on how the write it.

[logan82]

Luckily we also have McCalvy covering the Brewers for us. He is very good. TH is ok and Witrado, well he should be gone.

[TooLiveBrew]

That's how I'd rank them too. The biggest disappointment I have with TH is that many times he doesn't provide anything that can't be readily found online and/or in the box score in ST. Witrado actually had some nice nuggets on the clubhouse interactions this spring (even though I agree that he should be gone).

[AJAY]

I have been mostly silent on this issue, but tonight I will chime in with my two-cents worth . . .

 

I think I would be okay with people having disagreements with sportswriters as long as the discussions were respectful, legitimate, focused on the substance of the topic, and not overly nit-picky in nature. But I just don't understand some of the personal insults and vitriol that some of the posters and bloggers have for guys like Witrado and / or others in similar roles. I feel like I missed something.

 

I feel bad that everytime a sportswriter makes a typo or gets a name mixed up, there is a long angry thread about it. It almost feels like with some sportswriters, people are just picking apart each and every word while deliberately looking for something to complain about. At times, I feel like this mindset reflects more badly on us than it does on the actual sportswriter who is being complained about.

 

I also don't agree when someone questions a writer's passion for his job, integrity, or timing on a story. I worry about people making strong assumptions without really knowing what the job entails and what the writers are really like. I believe that writers who work for media outlets are held to a higher standard and are more accountable to a professional ethics code and deadlines (compared to those who post blogs or write on fan forums). Therefore, the sportswriters may not be able to do all the things that we wish they could do all the time.

 

Finally, I also find the comparisons between Adam McCalvy and other media to be unfair because McCalvy is an insider and works for the team, so naturally he will have more access than someone who works for an outside newspaper.

 

I do recognize that some writers are better than others. But I just wish the criticism and discussion was less personal, less nit-picky, and more focused on the subject that is being discussed.

[JoeHova]

I agree with AJAY. I think Haudricourt and Witrado are fine. They've both grown on me. They aren't standouts but I don't think they're especially bad either. If you read the writers for a lot of teams you'll find many guys who are extremely contemptuous of the sport, players, and/or fans. Despite some sarcasm now and then from TH and AW, I don't get that vibe from them.

[Mass Haas]

I also find the comparisons between Adam McCalvy and other media to be unfair because McCalvy is an insider and works for the team, so naturally he will have more access than someone who works for an outside newspaper.

Actually, Adam works for MLB.com, not directly for the Brewers. He has often commented in so many words that he is free to pursue stories and leads as he wishes, with no influence from the team itself. While he has easy access to MLB's informational resources, he's basically a beat writer like Tom H.

 

 

[pete]

Working for the company that you report on versus being outside media changes the nature of your job. Regardless of whatever guidelines he has officially received, he is an MLB employee tasked with providing copy for the team website. By nature that's going to result in a different product at times than a news reporter tasked with covering the team.

[rluzinski]

I think McCalvy is heads and shoulders better than anything that comes out of JS.

[Nottso]

I personally am enjoying their coverage of ST very much. It seems as if they're providing us with much more information than in years past. Yes, much of it is "meaningless drivel" when it comes down to nuts and bolts baseball, but I'm one of those fans that likes the "drivel." IMHO, Tom is a better writer than Anthony, speaking only in terms of writing skills. If you were to give them the exact same set of facts, and have them each write about those facts, I believe Tom would provide a better story. I find Tom's writing to be more expressive, and more cohesive. Anthony's stuff can seem bland, and at times jumps around a lot. I open the blogs and don't look at the byline. I guess I just assume it will be a piece by Tom. If it's Anthony's work, I usually know it by the end of the first paragraph. Again, this is just my personal opinion.