Sophia smokescreen

[bulldogboy0733]

Last night was the final straw in the issue that has been obvious for some time. The brewers are using Sophia Minneart as a smokescreen. Last night after the game the only questions should have been about why in the heck are you pulling a guy who has a two hitter when he just threw 5 pitches in an inning. Why try to cover 6 outs when you only maybe have to cover 3. First question is exactly that. Counsell gives a empty response about he thought he did fine. Instead of the proper follow up that needed to take place like did he ask out?? Why Perdomo etc Sophia Minneart stops the questioning with a question about Adames swinging at the first pitch in the 10th inning. WHAT?? It was an obvious attempt as a Brewers employee to keep the media at bay for Counsell. It was so obvious in fact that we should as fans be outraged. In what way is it proper for a Brewers employee to ask questions of the team they work for after a game?? In most pressers Counsell takes about 8-10 questions. Somehow the employee is asking 4-5 of them every night. In what way does this benefit the fan who wants to know why the Titanic is sinking?? 

Now I do not blame Minneart for this. She is doing what she has been instructed to do by her employer. I can say for a fact that I would not like asking my boss tough questions after my company has a terrible day. So why put her in this position? Who does it help?? Well it definitely helps shield them from question from the real media by watering down every single presser with stuff like how ranchy were the seeds tonight Craig?? What did you do on your birthday?? Madness. We need answers. We need explanations and we are not going to get them from inside the house. I am not sure if this is allowed to happen with other major league teams?? Is Aaron Boone being grilled by a clubhouse kid?? What is this really about?? This team is being manage in a mickey mouse way that doesn't feel major league in any way. This is just another example. If Sophia has to be there with a recorder and a camera fine but she should not be asking questions. Period. It is a conflict of interest, and the lack of transparency is outrageous. Fans get what they put up with. We need to ask tougher questions. There is no reason that posters on this board are being asked tougher questions than the manager. 

[Jopal78]

10 minutes ago, bulldogboy0733 said:

Last night was the final straw in the issue that has been obvious for some time. The brewers are using Sophia Minneart as a smokescreen. Last night after the game the only questions should have been about why in the heck are you pulling a guy who has a two hitter when he just threw 5 pitches in an inning. Why try to cover 6 outs when you only maybe have to cover 3. First question is exactly that. Counsell gives a empty response about he thought he did fine. Instead of the proper follow up that needed to take place like did he ask out?? Why Perdomo etc Sophia Minneart stops the questioning with a question about Adames swinging at the first pitch in the 10th inning. WHAT?? It was an obvious attempt as a Brewers employee to keep the media at bay for Counsell. It was so obvious in fact that we should as fans be outraged. In what way is it proper for a Brewers employee to ask questions of the team they work for after a game?? In most pressers Counsell takes about 8-10 questions. Somehow the employee is asking 4-5 of them every night. In what way does this benefit the fan who wants to know why the Titanic is sinking?? 

Now I do not blame Minneart for this. She is doing what she has been instructed to do by her employer. I can say for a fact that I would not like asking my boss tough questions after my company has a terrible day. So why put her in this position? Who does it help?? Well it definitely helps shield them from question from the real media by watering down every single presser with stuff like how ranchy were the seeds tonight Craig?? What did you do on your birthday?? Madness. We need answers. We need explanations and we are not going to get them from inside the house. I am not sure if this is allowed to happen with other major league teams?? Is Aaron Boone being grilled by a clubhouse kid?? What is this really about?? This team is being manage in a mickey mouse way that doesn't feel major league in any way. This is just another example. If Sophia has to be there with a recorder and a camera fine but she should not be asking questions. Period. It is a conflict of interest, and the lack of transparency is outrageous. Fans get what they put up with. We need to ask tougher questions. There is no reason that posters on this board are being asked tougher questions than the manager. 

It’s a television show, if you don’t like it don’t  watch the games on Bally then, listen to the radio.
 

Sophia has a job as a “sideline reporter” because of the format of a baseball game as a TV program. She’s not a “reporter” in the classical sense. She’s ostensibly an actress. Producers set up her segments and she wears and ear piece so the producers can communicate and tell her what to do during the game. 
 

Nearly every MLB team’s broadcast has a pretty girl who dishes out some fun facts during the game and asks softball questions of the players and manager before and after the game. This is because there  are probably drawers and drawers of market research to show it helps ratings asking those softball questions and getting doused with Gatorade. 

 

[bulldogboy0733]

28 minutes ago, Jopal78 said:

It’s a television show, if you don’t like it don’t  watch the games on Bally then, listen to the radio.
 

Sophia has a job as a “sideline reporter” because of the format of a baseball game as a TV program. She’s not a “reporter” in the classical sense. She’s ostensibly an actress. Producers set up her segments and she wears and ear piece so the producers can communicate and tell her what to do during the game. 
 

Nearly every MLB team’s broadcast has a pretty girl who dishes out some fun facts during the game and asks softball questions of the players and manager before and after the game. This is because there  are probably drawers and drawers of market research to show it helps ratings asking those softball questions and getting doused with Gatorade. 

 

This has nothing to do with my point. She is not a member of the media. Why is she pretending to be one by asking the manager questions after the game?? I don't care if I watch the game or not. We all should be getting answers from the media as to why he did what he did. That is exactly what I am speaking to. She is fine in game. Your point is totally irrelevant to the issue of screening for Counsell. If the team employee is asking 50 percent of the questions postgame the fans are being shortchanged. Period.

[Jopal78]

11 minutes ago, bulldogboy0733 said:

This has nothing to do with my point. She is not a member of the media. Why is she pretending to be one by asking the manager questions after the game?? I don't care if I watch the game or not. We all should be getting answers from the media as to why he did what he did. That is exactly what I am speaking to. She is fine in game. Your point is totally irrelevant to the issue of screening for Counsell. If the team employee is asking 50 percent of the questions postgame the fans are being shortchanged. Period.

I guess you’re missing the point. You’re watching a TV show owned and produced by the Brewers. On what planet are they going to intentionally have someone make their product look bad? 
 

Sophia has a role to provide mostly useless information, I just don’t see where the vitriol comes from. 

[jay87shot]

It bothers me more when the announcers appear to be blowing smoke up you know where. Last night at one point they were praising Rowdy's defense. They were really laying it on, saying he makes nice throws to second and picks the ball well. Every first-baseman can do that in the bigs, anyone can catch a throw from an IF. He is not athletic enough with his range and stretches, Keston is 4 or 5 inches shorter and a far superior defensive firstbasman dispite playing the limitedly the past 2 years, Rowdy has don it his whole career.

[bulldogboy0733]

17 minutes ago, Jopal78 said:

I guess you’re missing the point. You’re watching a TV show owned and produced by the Brewers. On what planet are they going to intentionally have someone make their product look bad? 
 

Sophia has a role to provide mostly useless information, I just don’t see where the vitriol comes from. 

My point is this is not about a tv program it really is about information. If the President has a news conference and a cabinet secretary asks 5 of the 10 questions do you think the public is best served by that? I just don't see why she is asking questions at all. Before the game for her puff pieces cool. After game it should be non biased media members who are working for an independent service. If Counsell doesn't like the direction of the questions so he can pick on Sophia to change the subject it is not in the best interest of the fans getting the info they deserve. She has a role for sure and she is good in game but she is being stretched into a role that is not a good one for her or us.

[BruisedCrew]

19 minutes ago, jay87shot said:

It bothers me more when the announcers appear to be blowing smoke up you know where. Last night at one point they were praising Rowdy's defense. They were really laying it on, saying he makes nice throws to second and picks the ball well. Every first-baseman can do that in the bigs, anyone can catch a throw from an IF. He is not athletic enough with his range and stretches, Keston is 4 or 5 inches shorter and a far superior defensive firstbasman dispite playing the limitedly the past 2 years, Rowdy has don it his whole career.

Tellez is not a great MLB first baseman, but I strongly disagree that Hiura is far superior defensively. There were several plays during the few games that Tellez missed that would prove that Hiura is clearly inferior.

 

[Jopal78]

29 minutes ago, bulldogboy0733 said:

My point is this is not about a tv program it really is about information. If the President has a news conference and a cabinet secretary asks 5 of the 10 questions do you think the public is best served by that? I just don't see why she is asking questions at all. Before the game for her puff pieces cool. After game it should be non biased media members who are working for an independent service. If Counsell doesn't like the direction of the questions so he can pick on Sophia to change the subject it is not in the best interest of the fans getting the info they deserve. She has a role for sure and she is good in game but she is being stretched into a role that is not a good one for her or us.

Again, why would the Brewers televise anyone who is going to intentionally make their product look bad by asking critical questions? Would you watch a TV show where someone says during the broadcast, “this show sure sucks doesn’t it”? You should know this. 

Perhaps instead of “Sophia Smokescreen”  write a letter to the editor of the Journal Sentinel about how poor their Brewers coverage has become since Haudricourt left. However, McCalvy and the TV crew are never going to bite the hand that feeds them. 

[KeithStone53151]

From what I've heard, if Sophia/McCalvy/etc ask the proper difficult questions...it tarnishes the relationship and it's hard to get good information later down the line. They are also much less likely to get called on to ask a question in the post-game conferences. I believe Haudricourt hinted at this once before. Haudricourt always was able to get an interview from Stearns shortly after trades that gave a lot of good information, and nobody wants to risk that type of relationship. And frankly, I understand it from Sophia's perspective as it's a big risk to ask questions that might tarnish your relationship with someone and not get called on to ask questions in the post game conferences or elsewhere anymore. It shows how soft Counsell is though, man up and take ownership for your decisions...and answer to the people paying your salary and supporting you. Nobody should have to kiss the ring to continue to be at the table.

[KeithStone53151]

4 minutes ago, Jopal78 said:

Again, why would the Brewers televise anyone who is going to intentionally make their product look bad by asking critical questions? Would you watch a TV show where someone says during the broadcast, “this show sure sucks doesn’t it”? You should know this. 

Perhaps instead of “Sophia Smokescreen”  write a letter to the editor of the Journal Sentinel about how poor their Brewers coverage has become since Haudricourt left. However, McCalvy and the TV crew are never going to bite the hand that feeds them. 

Oh come on what a ridiculous response. Asking follow-up questions, somewhat pointed...is a far cry from "this show sucks". Many people probably want(and frankly deserve) the answers to some more pointed questions. Those questions wouldn't make the broadcast look bad, just the individuals answering the questions that should have to own up to their decisions.

[bulldogboy0733]

15 minutes ago, Jopal78 said:

Again, why would the Brewers televise anyone who is going to intentionally make their product look bad by asking critical questions? Would you watch a TV show where someone says during the broadcast, “this show sure sucks doesn’t it”? You should know this. 

Perhaps instead of “Sophia Smokescreen”  write a letter to the editor of the Journal Sentinel about how poor their Brewers coverage has become since Haudricourt left. However, McCalvy and the TV crew are never going to bite the hand that feeds them. 

I cannot even believe this response. Intentionally making their product look bad?? By asking the manager why you pulled your starter?? By staying away from topics like what did you get for your birthday after a boneheaded decision?? I don't really know what to say. It appears that you and me are just coming from two different places as it relates to the role of the media. I see it as a tool to get fans information. You appear to think they should be in on the joke and entertain. When things go great it probably doesn't matter. When it goes like this year has gone it does. Again not her fault she is in a bad position that's why the Brewers should do the right thing and say we are not going to put you in with the other media after the game. Give her Counsell one on one for five minutes after everyone leaves if they want the company line. 

[SeaBass]

I think the fallacy is that fans believe they deserve answers to hard questions. But maybe that's just me. It's a game. It's entertainment. And for the most part answers are given and yes fans are expected to read between the lines.

Sure if there is some larger, real world information along the lines of a Daniel Snyder fiasco then yes, that's absolutely something that demands answers.

Edited September 7, 2022 by SeaBass
Removed sentence fragment.

[KeithStone53151]

16 minutes ago, SeaBass said:

I think the fallacy is that fans believe they deserve answers to hard questions. But maybe that's just me. It's a game. It's entertainment. And for the most part answers are given and yes fans are expected to read between the lines.

Sure if there is some larger, real world information along the lines of a Daniel Snyder fiasco then yes, that's absolutely something that demands answers.

If you want to alienate your fans, yes please keep sending Counsell out there to make boneheaded decisions that cost us games and ask him why he's so handsome in the post game.

[bulldogboy0733]

16 minutes ago, SeaBass said:

I think the fallacy is that fans believe they deserve answers to hard questions. But maybe that's just me. It's a game. It's entertainment. And for the most part answers are given and yes fans are expected to read between the lines.

Sure if there is some larger, real world information along the lines of a Daniel Snyder fiasco then yes, that's absolutely something that demands answers.

This is why the Brewers are who they are. They know most Brewers fan have zero interest in holding them accountable to win. They are just happy to have something to do a few nights a year with the family. They might as well be Tundra Lodge Resort.

[Jopal78]

41 minutes ago, bulldogboy0733 said:

I cannot even believe this response. Intentionally making their product look bad?? By asking the manager why you pulled your starter?? By staying away from topics like what did you get for your birthday after a boneheaded decision?? I don't really know what to say. It appears that you and me are just coming from two different places as it relates to the role of the media. I see it as a tool to get fans information. You appear to think they should be in on the joke and entertain. When things go great it probably doesn't matter. When it goes like this year has gone it does. Again not her fault she is in a bad position that's why the Brewers should do the right thing and say we are not going to put you in with the other media after the game. Give her Counsell one on one for five minutes after everyone leaves if they want the company line. 

Are you watching a new telecast, or are you watching a baseball telecast produced by the Milwaukee Brewers?

In fact, you're watching a baseball telecast produced by the Milwaukee Brewers baseball club. The Brewers like to sell ads to be shown during their telecast. The prices they can charge for the ads are driven by the number of people watching the telecast. These are facts.  

Therefore, they want to put their players, managers, etc. in the best possible light, so their viewers remain interested in the product.

It really has nothing to do with giving fans the unvarnished truth. It's about getting people to watch and stay watching, which is indisputably easier to do when you create a narrative that the players, manager etc. are all likeable and doing their best. 

It would defy logic then, that they would make as part of their telecast someone asking questions highlighting the manager is a bonehead, or a player made mistakes that cost them the game, etc. etc. Unfortunately, the newspaper and magazine media where you normally can get that truth is drying up and especially in Milwaukee. 

[folly412]

Two things can be true:

1.  Post-game press conferences are places for run of the mill sound bytes.  They are rarely, if ever going to be a place to find answers to difficult questions or "challenges" to the manager.
2. Milwaukee media have never been ones to press the manager, and most questions are particularly non-confrontational and un-insightful.  I cringe each of the many times they have asked the "question", "Craig, how about [insert player who had a good game]?"

[SeaBass]

37 minutes ago, KeithStone53151 said:

If you want to alienate your fans, yes please keep sending Counsell out there to make boneheaded decisions that cost us games and ask him why he's so handsome in the post game.

I don't have control over the lineups or pitching decisions. I can be as angry as I want, and it's not like I haven't been angry because of course I have, but at the end of the day my anger doesn't matter.

Fans speak with their money by spending it or withholding from spending it. So in that respect sure, some answers are "deserved" but it's not like Sophia asking questions is the same as if Counsell was under oath in front of a grand jury. He's going to answer how ever he feels like it and two games from now (and likely less) nobody is going to still be dwelling on it.

[DuWayne Steurer]

A reporter (Like Sophia) asking the manager "why did you do XYZ when you could have/should have done ABC?" doesn't change anything.  It's not going to make a manager rethink a strategy in a later game, it's not going to make the outcome different, and the thing that happened, happened.

The people that Counsell is truly accountable to, Stearns, Arnold, and Attanasio, are the ones that will surely ask those actual tough questions. At least they should be. If they're not, they're not doing their jobs. 

The other side of that is, I feel like there's no answer Counsell could have given that would have been satisfactory anyways. He's going to say something like "We liked Luis there in the 8th in that situation with the spot in the order they had coming up" or "We liked where Brandon was at with his pitch count" or "with the guys we had available today, we were comfortable with ....." etc etc etc, and people would find a way to say any or all of the answers he provides are wrong. 

People have already decided it was a bad decision, because Perdomo got shelled, so why does it matter if Sophia asks the question? To soothe and salve hurt feelings? Accountability to the fans? He isn't accountable to the fans. He's accountable to his boss. 

Counsell's been a very mediocre manager this year. Maybe even subpar. If, in the small chance he gets fired, he's earned it, with just not adapting to the new rule-set the league has adopted, and not adapting his strategies to the lower tier pitchers and players he's had to work with, and just not being quick enough to know when his guys need bailing out. I won't argue against that. But he doesn't owe an explanation to the fanbase of what he's doing, because no matter what he says, it's going to be "wrong" to some subset.

[NBBrewFan]

18 minutes ago, DuWayne Steurer said:

The other side of that is, I feel like there's no answer Counsell could have given that would have been satisfactory anyways. He's going to say something like "We liked Luis there in the 8th in that situation with the spot in the order they had coming up" or "We liked where Brandon was at with his pitch count" or "with the guys we had available today, we were comfortable with ....." etc etc etc, and people would find a way to say any or all of the answers he provides are wrong. 

People have already decided it was a bad decision, because Perdomo got shelled, so why does it matter if Sophia asks the question? To soothe and salve hurt feelings? Accountability to the fans? He isn't accountable to the fans. He's accountable to his boss. 

Bottom line is the players didn't get the job done.  Leading 6-1 with 6 outs remaining isn't a difficult job.  They have to keep a pitcher in for 3 batters and the Brewers rarely/never have someone warming up in case the reliever implodes.  I am 99% confident that Perdomo for the 8th and Strzelecki for the 9th was the plan.  I am not even sure they got Strzelecki up early, but they likely only had a short time to get him ready.  So Perdomo had to pitch to the 4th batter because a replacement wasn't ready.  Ultimately both relievers needed to do a better job.  Rogers is not a lockdown closer, he has enough meh in his stuff that there will be games (is this now the 3rd time he's pulled a Hader?) when it doesn't play well, especially at mile high elevation. 

  
No manager is going to second guess them self to the media.  It's not in their M.O. and no team wants a manager that second guesses themselves often or even at all. Asking them about a decision just leads to negative outcomes and teams will do what they need to to reduce that from happening.

[bjkrautk]

The irony of this topic to me is that the post-game show reaction by Tim Dillard (of all people) was surprisingly negative on pulling Woodruff from the game, and how Woody should have been allowed to pitch an additional inning because it was September and the game mattered more.

[timpep]

1 hour ago, DuWayne Steurer said:

 

People have already decided it was a bad decision, because Perdomo got shelled....... 

 

I'm guessing most people decided it was a bad decision as soon as woodruff was pulled.

[Jim French Stepstool]

I think a lot of managers would pull a pitcher after 7 innings with a five run lead. And they probably wouldn't go to one of their prime late-inning guys either, unless someone was dormant for a few days & needed work. No argument that it obviously blew up in his face last night, but let's not fool ourselves into thinking CC is on some island somewhere in making that decision.

Bulldogboy, I think your anger should be directed at all the people in the room not named Sophia Minnaert who don't ask the questions you would like to hear asked after the game. If those people then get shunned/ignored in the future for asking those questions (which is what I think would happen), then get mad at Counsell or the Brewers for not calling on them. I don't waste my time getting mad at Sophia; I've learned a long time ago to ignore the frivolous nonsense she dispenses. I've watched enough other games to know pretty much every team has a Mic-Holder in Charge of Fluff. You could make the argument she doesn't belong in the room post-game, but fat chance of that.

Trying to remember the last time a Brewer player actually blew up at a reporter. I might be missing an incident but I go all the way back to BJ Surhoff. Don't remember who the reporter was. That illustrates a point someone made earlier. You just don't get that stuff in Milwaukee. As entertaining as it might be to see it, this ain't Philadelphia.

[phnxcrew]

I’d like to volunteer to be the one asking Craig why he’s so handsome or where he gets his mani/pedis.  It’s past time management allows large hairy men to flirt with the manager, get with the times mark a! ?

[bucks2281]

I don’t think the problem is Sophia, it’s the rest of the Milwaukee media who is either too lazy to ask probing, interesting questions (or afraid of losing access). 

[AKCheesehead]

34 minutes ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

Trying to remember the last time a Brewer player actually blew up at a reporter. I might be missing an incident but I go all the way back to BJ Surhoff. Don't remember who the reporter was. That illustrates a point someone made earlier. You just don't get that stuff in Milwaukee. As entertaining as it might be to see it, this ain't Philadelphia.

The one that comes to mind is when Garner wanted to fight the White Sox TV guys Hawk Harrelson and Paciorek.