Greg Bedard's - Boston Sports Journal

JimD

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I hope some outlet is smart enough to offer Sean McAdam a good gig - his work has been a highlight of BSJ's existence.

Reading between the lines, it sounds like Bedard is hoping to sell his interest in BSJ, for whatever that is worth these days. Skepticism about the site's continued viability is certainly warranted.
 

8slim

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I’ve been a subscriber since the beginning and feel like I’ve definitely gotten my $35/year worth. Once The Athletic became viable I couldn’t see how an independent operation like BSJ could survive.

Agree that McAdam’s work has been strong, hope he lands somewhere.
 

tmracht

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Yeah I got the 3 year early on so I'm good through next summer, but I also have an Athletic sub. It's great to have so many great options with fantastic writers on both platforms, but I am going to hesitate to renew my BSJ until I see where it's going, luckily I have an entire NFL season to see what happens.
 

8slim

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How many local newspapers have an NFL lead writer who doesn't also lead coverage of the hometown team? I have to think the LVRJ is fairly unique in that regard.
 

Van Everyman

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I just switched to a monthly plan ... my subscription was about to run out later this month and while $35 isn't that much, I'm not convinced it will be around (or that I'll want it) for another 7 months.
 

JCizzle

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I hope some outlet is smart enough to offer Sean McAdam a good gig - his work has been a highlight of BSJ's existence.

Reading between the lines, it sounds like Bedard is hoping to sell his interest in BSJ, for whatever that is worth these days. Skepticism about the site's continued viability is certainly warranted.
I would put Brian Robb in the same category, he's really good in my opinion.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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I wonder what this means for Miguel. He was doing the cap stuff before he ever got paid for it and it seems like a labor of love for him. But he's the most knowledgeable guy out there on the cap and some outfit would do well to try to grab him to be a league-focused capologist and not just a Patriots-specific one. I doubt the money is there for that though.
 

PedroKsBambino

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How many local newspapers have an NFL lead writer who doesn't also lead coverage of the hometown team? I have to think the LVRJ is fairly unique in that regard.
Globe used to have that, with a national football writer and a 'beat guy' (ditto for baseball). I'd guess some major papers may still; I just don't read any daily closely enough to know these days.
 

OurF'ingCity

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I wonder what this means for Miguel. He was doing the cap stuff before he ever got paid for it and it seems like a labor of love for him. But he's the most knowledgeable guy out there on the cap and some outfit would do well to try to grab him to be a league-focused capologist and not just a Patriots-specific one. I doubt the money is there for that though.
This is basically what Larry Coon (the NBA CBA FAQ guy) does with respect to the NBA. Then again even he has a day job at UC-Irvine so maybe that just proves your point.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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This is basically what Larry Coon (the NBA CBA FAQ guy) does with respect to the NBA. Then again even he has a day job at UC-Irvine so maybe that just proves your point.
It kind of feels like the general view on the NFL cap is that it's kind of make believe and that teams can do crazy things to avoid paying the tab, so that many fans don't really want to dig deep.

I kind of get that but just looking at Miguel's twitter and the followers he has and how active and high quality the discussion is there, I tend to think that a smart platform could do something.
 

Rusty13

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I’ve been a subscriber since the beginning and feel like I’ve definitely gotten my $35/year worth. Once The Athletic became viable I couldn’t see how an independent operation like BSJ could survive.

Agree that McAdam’s work has been strong, hope he lands somewhere.
McAdam is the one I worry about the most. It took him a while to get a new gig after Comcast let him go.
 

The Gray Eagle

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Maybe the Athletic should buy BSJ and fold it in to their coverage? They've really been investing heavily lately, and snapping up all or some of the BSJ staff might be a good move.
 

gingerbreadmann

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Maybe the Athletic should buy BSJ and fold it in to their coverage? They've really been investing heavily lately, and snapping up all or some of the BSJ staff might be a good move.
It almost makes too much sense. The Revs are one of the only MLS teams without dedicated coverage on The Athletic, and Sean Sweeney is by far the best Revs reporter I've ever encountered. His reporting on BSJ is directly responsible for me following the team this year. Conor Ryan is very impressive and would be a great add to their B's coverage (they seem to care a lot about hockey coverage in general). Robb would immediately be better than anyone they have doing the Celtics, and Miguel would fit their profile of adding writers who have unique numbers-based analysis and giving them freedom. McAdam, as alluded to, may be the odd one out. I hope the whole team gets to continue their work somewhere.
 

Montana Fan

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Or wait for them to fail and pick off the pieces for nothing.
Buying them at the right time gets you the subscribers though. I'm a BSJ subscriber who would happily migrate over to the Athletic with McAdam and Robb. You'd think they'd be able to quantify a solid offer based on costs, subs etc..
 

Rusty13

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Buying them at the right time gets you the subscribers though. I'm a BSJ subscriber who would happily migrate over to the Athletic with McAdam and Robb. You'd think they'd be able to quantify a solid offer based on costs, subs etc..
Yeah, there could be some value in trying to retain potentially up to thousands of BSJ subscribers who also don't subscribe to the Athletic. The problem for McAdam is that the Atheltic is already loaded with Sox/MLB writers. Jennings, Buck, Gammo and Drellich are all there now.
 

nattysez

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I've respected Bedard until now, but unless Sheldon Adelson has sold the paper, this is so ridiculous as to be offensive.

This one, at the end of the day, I had to accept mostly because of the leadership and newsroom at the RJ, and a local owner who believes and invests heavily in the product.
From Wikipedia:

When the paper was sold in 2015, it was initially unclear who the buyer was. The purchaser was a limited liability company, News + Media Capital Group LLC, and the only name listed on the documents was Michael Schroeder, a publisher of four small regional newspapers in Connecticut.[17] At a December 10 staff meeting informing the Review-Journal staff that the paper had been sold, Schroeder was introduced as the manager. He refused to say who the owners of News + Media were, saying that employees should "focus on [their] jobs...and don't worry about who [the owners] are."[18] Jason Taylor, the Review-Journal's publisher, said only that the ownership included "multiple owner/investors, that some are from Las Vegas, and that in face-to-face meetings he has been assured that the group will not meddle in the newspaper’s editorial content.”[17] There were widespread rumors that the primary buyer was Sheldon Adelson, and a week later three Review-Journal reporters confirmed that the purchase had been orchestrated by Adelson's son-in-law Patrick Dumont on Adelson's behalf.[19] A month before the new owner was revealed, three reporters at the newspaper received an assignment from corporate management: Spend two weeks monitoring the activity of three Clark County judges. One of the judges was District Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez, who was hearing a long-running wrongful termination lawsuit filed against Adelson and his company[20], a lawsuit alleging that Adelson's Macao casino, Sands Macao, was connected to the Chinese Triads[21].

In January a set of editorial principles were drawn up and publicized to ensure the newspaper's independence and to deal with possible conflicts of interest involving Adelson's ownership. In February Craig Moon, a veteran of the Gannett organization, was announced as the new publisher and promptly withdrew those principles from publication. He also began to personally review, edit, and sometimes kill stories about an Adelson-promoted proposal for the future Las Vegas Raiders football stadium.[22] In the months since, reporters say that stories about Adelson, and particularly about an ongoing lawsuit involving his business dealings in Macau, have been heavily edited by top management.[23]

The new ownership triggered numerous departures. On December 23 the paper's editor Mike Hengel stepped down in a "voluntary buyout".[24] Many reporters and editors left the newspaper citing "curtailed editorial freedom, murky business dealings and unethical managers."[25] Longtime columnist John L. Smith resigned after he was told he could no longer write anything about Adelson, a frequent focus of his reporting up till then.[25] Within six months, all three of the reporters who broke the story of Adelson's ownership had left the paper.[25]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas_Review-Journal#cite_note-leaving-25

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas_Review-Journal#Sheldon_Adelson_ownership
 

cshea

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The Athletic generally sticks to 2 writers per team for larger markets, and that’s where all the Boston teams are except the Revs I guess. Plus they have Buckley who does more general stuff across all the teams. I’m not sure they would have room to take on the BSJ guys without some departures.
 

RedOctober3829

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The Athletic generally sticks to 2 writers per team for larger markets, and that’s where all the Boston teams are except the Revs I guess. Plus they have Buckley who does more general stuff across all the teams. I’m not sure they would have room to take on the BSJ guys without some departures.
McAdam would be a nice addition to 98.5 TSH. He could contribute across a bunch of shows and work with Mazz on the Baseball Reporters. Mazz and McAdam would be a nice tandem on that show.
 

John Marzano Olympic Hero

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McAdam would be a nice addition to 98.5 TSH. He could contribute across a bunch of shows and work with Mazz on the Baseball Reporters. Mazz and McAdam would be a nice tandem on that show.
Hopefully he could rekindle his feud with "Mr. Baseball" Mike Felger. That was probably one of the best moments on the old Big Show ever. Felger was practically in tears.
 

Patriot_Reign

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I've respected Bedard until now, but unless Sheldon Adelson has sold the paper, this is so ridiculous as to be offensive.



From Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas_Review-Journal#cite_note-leaving-25

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas_Review-Journal#Sheldon_Adelson_ownership
wow, that is quite the yikes. I know there have been rumours lately of Greg looking for a position as a talent advisor/ scout for the Pats etc which would further indicate a cash flow problem, but working for these people just compounds how desperate he is. That just sucks.
 

j-man

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wow, that is quite the yikes. I know there have been rumours lately of Greg looking for a position as a talent advisor/ scout for the Pats etc which would further indicate a cash flow problem, but working for these people just compounds how desperate he is. That just sucks.
when i was on twitter i talked to mr bedard a few times and he came off as a butthole at times but his knowalable was great
 

colinfleminglit.com

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Bedard is an overweening, talentless—and insecure—blowhard. Flusters easily. Needs to position himself a certain way. Loathes being pushed. Prefers obsequity. Also, lazy. When in doubt, prevaricates via obfuscation. Less interested in communication than possessing a fiefdom. If he’s ever had a second thought, it was, like his first, for himself.
 

BJBSJ

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Bedard is an overweening, talentless—and insecure—blowhard. Flusters easily. Needs to position himself a certain way. Loathes being pushed. Prefers obsequity. Also, lazy. When in doubt, prevaricates via obfuscation. Less interested in communication than possessing a fiefdom. If he’s ever had a second thought, it was, like his first, for himself.
Yes.

There were some rumblings that Bedard was trying to sell to the Athletic in the spring, at the same time he was trying to get a job in a pro personnel department, and he was turned away.
 

Koufax

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I haven't read Bedard since he wrote for the Globe, but back then he was the opposite of lazy. Has he changed?
 

IndustrialJustice

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Yes.

There were some rumblings that Bedard was trying to sell to the Athletic in the spring, at the same time he was trying to get a job in a pro personnel department, and he was turned away.
Where did you hear these rumblings? I never read that but I could have missed it.
 

Rook05

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I’ve admittedly been focused on Brian Robb’s excellent Celtics coverage, but this new Pats writer (Steve Viner) is tough to read. Take it down a notch, buddy.
 

8slim

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I’ve admittedly been focused on Brian Robb’s excellent Celtics coverage, but this new Pats writer (Steve Viner) is tough to read. Take it down a notch, buddy.
He’s awful. I recall another writer Bedard gave a shot to a month or so ago, and he was lousy too.

Bedard, Robb and McAdam are all excellent, and worth the $35 a year. But these new Pats writers are not good at all.
 

Patriot_Reign

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Apparently Bedard is no longer involved with the Las Vegas publication. Last article was Jan 12th, and his name has been scrubbed from the website. Also didn't travel to Miami for the SB.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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Apparently Bedard is no longer involved with the Las Vegas publication. Last article was Jan 12th, and his name has been scrubbed from the website. Also didn't travel to Miami for the SB.
That sure didn't last long. When he was in Boston I had heard he was difficult to work with; I wonder what's going on with the Vegas thing.
 

E5 Yaz

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That Raiders beat job in Vegas is jinxed. First Don Banks, now Bedard
 

BJBSJ

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The newsroom at LVRJ confirmed today that Bedard no longer works there. 3 months. Not a good look.
 

BJBSJ

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Why would the Athletic buy it? There’s going to be a lot of subscriber overlap and they’ve already effectively stunted the growth of BSJ. Stranger things have happened but it’s just a matter of time at this point.
 

Andy Merchant

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Well, maybe the big announcement is that his work cafeteria is getting a soft serve ice cream machine. Guess we'll just need to wait and see.
 

NickEsasky

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Looks like something got taken down. What happened?
 

Van Everyman

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It was Doug Kyed pointing out that Bedard was crapping all over other reporters for reporting on free agent rumors during silly season—going way down the rabbit hole calling Jeff Darlington a mouthpiece for Brady’s handlers—while then reporting on a bunch of rumors about Patriots players himself.

Bedard isn’t without talent. But he is thin skinned to a fault and clearly some other football writers aren’t his biggest fans.
 

nattysez

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Looks like something got taken down. What happened?
Kyed posted a screenshot from what I assume is an article by Bedard in BSJ today wherein Bedard said (in only slightly nicer language) that Darlington is too unquestioning of his sources and is getting played like a fiddle by Brady's camp. He also said (again, more or less) that the combine is a sea of misinformation and some people rush to publish anything.

Edit - what VE said.
 

Zedia

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BrotherMouzone

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Bedard fucking sucks. He sucks on the radio. He's extremely thin-skinned. He's a smug know-it-all without having anything to back it up.
 

Van Everyman

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In fairness, Howe has called out Volin before for reporting from his couch during camp.

Assuming Greg doesn’t hunt me down as well, here’s the relevant part of the BSJ piece:

You have ESPN’s Jeff Darlington basically as the point man for Team Brady saying it’s more probable than not Brady is playing elsewhere next season and that the quarterback is telling other people this. Karen Guregian of the Herald says it’s not looking good. There are various other reports that the Patriots are looking to rebuild and that Brady won’t be back with the Patriots.

There are a couple of factors why I wouldn’t panic quite yet over these Brady reports, and some of it has to do with Darlington — someone I worked beside at the Palm Beach Post and against on the Dolphins beat.

There are a couple of things you need to know about Darlington that provides some needed context to all this. No. 1, Jeff is an excellent reporter and one of the best Big Story reporters I’ve been around. When we worked together at the Palm Beach Post, a Dolphins player went AWOL from the team. Jeff tracked him down and interviewed the player in his apartment. It was a great piece of reporting. He does that kind of outside-the-box thinking, and also looks down the road and identifies the big story and how he’s going to report on that.

Jeff has done that in this case. He has obviously cozied up to those essential people who are part of Team Brady — likely his handlers — and finagled it so he’s sort of their mouthpiece. It’s easier for a national reporter to do that because Brady and his team knows if he does that with a local reporter, then he risks pissing off the rest of the beat. It often works this way with big-name players. They respect the local reporters so they don’t want to single one out. That’s why they turn to a national reporter or two, plus ESPN is the biggest megaphone so you can get the message out in one fell swoop.

That being said, Darlington has one weakness — or at least he used to — that could do himself a disservice in this story: he goes all-in with his sources to the point where he could be used and not really know it. I’m not saying that’s happening here — I’m sure Jeff is being told these things by Team Brady — but Team Brady has its own agenda and they wouldn’t clue Jeff in on that. Every reporter runs that risk.