Jenny Dell "interviews" Will Middlebrooks long time

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

Chad, per usual, gives a great, thoughtful response.

I hate slippery slope arguments, but what if Jackie Mac started dating Brad Stephens? Or if it was Amelie when she was on the beat?

Where is the line where it's "okay"?

Amelie and Jenny get their checks from the same guy.

 

[AbbyNoho]

Amelie is a reporter and Jenny isn't.  There's your line. 

 

[NortheasternPJ]

Amelie is a reporter and Jenny isn't.  There's your line. 

Jenny's title is In Game Reporter according it her own website.

I know what you're getting at but that just shows the gray area.

 

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

Exactly. Why is the Globe a legit news source on the Sox and not NESN? They're literally owned by the same people.

Jackie works for espn and cnnse now - is she a "reporter" still?

I'm surprised more people don't think Jenny should be let go. It's a conflict of interest. How much screen time a player gets can directly affect future earnings in a number of ways. Who's Jenny going to default to when she needs a stand-up? What happens when Will is the obvious guy to interview after the game? Do they smooch first (which would be hilarious, actually)?

I don't actually think it's some kind of huge deal, but for NESN to basically shrug is surprising to me.

 

[mabrowndog]

Looks like Heidi may be off the market.
http://Instagram.com/p/isCyOQuw4b/

 
That's Mike Wickham, recently-dismissed Director of Baseball Operations for the Marlins. Congrats to them both.

 

[Judge Mental13]

I'm surprised more people don't think Jenny should be let go. It's a conflict of interest. How much screen time a player gets can directly affect future earnings in a number of ways.

 
I'm pretty sure Dell isn't gonna interview WMB after a game where he struck out 4 times, (which is like....84% of his games or so) so I wouldn't worry too much about this

 

[Reverend]

I'm pretty sure Dell isn't gonna interview WMB after a game where he struck out 4 times, (which is like....84% of his games or so) so I wouldn't worry too much about this

"Well, they pitched me tough especially with the off-speed stuff, but hopefully I won't strike out again tonight; I'll be looking for something low and inside."

 

[the1andonly3003]

at least she can tell him that he had a nice inning

 

[Cesar Crespo]

Maybe they can do a reality tv show about their relationship and play it after sox games.

 

[timlinin8th]

The real effect that it has is on actual female journalists who have to deal with the perception that they'll all date the players to .. I don't know, get ahead or something. I know a lot of female reporters who are very bothered about this, and they should be.

I like the heavy insinuation here that Dell is not, in fact, a journalist. Ha

 

[Judge Mental13]

I thought the implication was she was not an actual female.

 

[Van Everyman]

Completely agree with Chad: I think Jenny does this job better than anyone NESN has employed to date – but completely agree this is inappropriate, just as I thought the rumored relationship between Heidi and Tek was. She should go.

 

[Rasputin]

Completely agree with Chad: I think Jenny does this job better than anyone NESN has employed to date but completely agree this is inappropriate, just as I thought the rumored relationship between Heidi and Tek was. She should go.

How is that even possible? She's terrible at all the parts of the job that aren't looking pretty.

 

[LMontro]

How is that even possible? She's terrible at all the parts of the job that aren't looking pretty.

 
Totally agree.  She is pretty wooden when it comes to the actual job.   

 

[Cellar-Door]

How is that even possible? She's terrible at all the parts of the job that aren't looking pretty.

And she isn't even as good at looking pretty as Jaime and Heidi.

 

[Reardon's Beard]

She's definitely not guilty.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

Dell is eye candy first, a mic stand second, and a "reporter" third. Her work can be generously described as fluff. I don't mean that as a slight on Dell. She's probably capable of more. They just don't ask/let her do more.

 

[joe dokes]

All this hand wringing is a joke right? She's a sideline reporter. She's not an investigative reporter and she's not doling out financial advice. Who gives a shit who she's dating when she tells me about the sushi bar at Safeco or interviews a fan on her 98th birthday?

 
Certainly as long as the word 'reporter' is in there, Finn is right. Women who have or are trying to achieve success as actual 'reporters' are probably pissed. Whether she should be called a "reporter"  is a nice question. but I'm not sure it matters.  What happens when WMB goes 0-17 and is benched, or is dealing wth an injury that she knows somethign about. I know she's not supposed to be Seymour Hersh, but is her job as house organ so fluffy that there is no responsibility to do anything but regurgitate what the team throws at her? (the answer is probably yes.)
 
Both Dan Roche and Tom Caron were better at this job than Dell is. And perhaps recognizing the stupidity/futility of the job, they did other things. She can barely read cue cards, and when she isn't, like when she's talking about the weather, she sounds like she is.
 
Maybe its best to think of her as an arm of the PR dept. (Although, in a different context) if Remy retires, and he was replaced by a member of the PR department, we might raise an eyebrow.

 

I hate slippery slope arguments, but what if Jackie Mac started dating Brad Stephens? Or if it was Amelie when she was on the beat?
 
 

 
Not sure its a slippery slope argument, but if Jackie Mac had started to date, say Rick Carlisle, back when she was covering the Celtics for the Glob, I'm about 99% sure she'd have been moved to a different beat. And as far as we know, maybe that's why Amalie moved from baseball to not-baseball (or whatever it was she moved from).

 

[Van Everyman]

Also, is Chad implying anything here?

I believe they put a policy against dating players into place when Hazel Mae was here

 

[Judge Mental13]

And Ricky Davis

 

[Judge Mental13]

AT THE SAME TIME

 

[soxfan121]

her job as house organ so fluffy 

 
Fluffer for the House Organ is a potentially awesome screen and/or band name.

 

[Comfortably Lomb]

Jenny's title is In Game Reporter according it her own website.

I know what you're getting at but that just shows the gray area.

 
Does anyone actually think she is a reporter? She is just an extension of the Red Sox PR department. What she chooses to put on her business cards and resume is another matter.

 

[Chad Finn]

Also, is Chad implying anything here?

 
Not implying anything specifically. She spoke to the Herald once and basically said she could date players (or anyone) she wants to. NESN put in a policy soon afterward, I believe.

 

[Buffalo Head]

I guess Tina was the only one who got the memo.

 

[Dirty Sanchez Forever]

If nothing else it put's the Globe's serial whining over the Patriots outfitting their preseason announcers in team logo'd shirts into proper perspective.

 

[Montana Fan]

Check out the gif of Erin Andrews in this link. This is how a real sideline reporter gets it done.

http://thebiglead.com/2014/01/05/curt-menefee-asked-erin-andrews-a-very-strange-question-about-her-tongue/

 

[the1andonly3003]

I guess Tina was the only one who got the memo.

Wasn't Tina married already by the time she was with NESN...she seems the most professional of any of the sideline reporters

 

[CaptainLaddie]

AT THE SAME TIME

 

you really fucked this up, Christian.
 
AT THE SAME DAMN TIME

 

[ForKeeps]

I get the people that are saying there's nothing "officially" wrong with this or whatever and it's not like she's a White House reporter, but at the same time it does kinda look bad, or at least awkward, and would be a non-stop punchline for people so it's understandable why NESN would frown on it.

 

[ForKeeps]

Let's say someone starts up a phony sex tape rumor in the middle of the season (which they could do even if they weren't dating but this would give it legs). Do you think that's something the Red Sox want to have to deal with?

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

The guys on the Sox I know would love to see a sex tape of Jenny Dell.
 
Next question?

 

[joe dokes]

Wasn't Tina married already by the time she was with NESN...she seems the most professional of any of the sideline reporters

 
That's also why she left for NYC. I think her husband had a serious job and I recall reading about lots of long-distance commuting. I think she had more professional experience than Dell and Watney combined before taking the NESN gig. And she was a few years older than them, so the bantering with Remy and Orsillo rarely took on that creepy air that's made us all cringe since.

 

[Billy Jo Robidoux]

Both Dan Roche and Tom Caron were better at this job than Dell is. And perhaps recognizing the stupidity/futility of the job, they did other things.

 
Quick aside.  I'm pretty sure I witnessed the moment Tom Caron decided he'd had enough.  I was sitting in the bleachers during a Sox-Yankees game back in 2001 or thereabouts.  TC and the camera guy came to my section to do the "Citizens Bank Not Your Typical Fan" segment.  It must have been the 8th inning, and half the crowd was drunk and belligerent.  Suddenly both Sox fans and Yankee fans alike started pelting TC with peanuts, mustard packs, and god knows what else while he was trying to do his interview.  It was glorious.

 

[Rusty13]

 
Quick aside.  I'm pretty sure I witnessed the moment Tom Caron decided he'd had enough.  I was sitting in the bleachers during a Sox-Yankees game back in 2001 or thereabouts.  TC and the camera guy came to my section to do the "Citizens Bank Not Your Typical Fan" segment.  It must have been the 8th inning, and half the crowd was drunk and belligerent.  Suddenly both Sox fans and Yankee fans alike started pelting TC with peanuts, mustard packs, and god knows what else while he was trying to do his interview.  It was glorious.

 
Oh man.  Too bad you don't have a video or pic of this. 

 

[Judge Mental13]

 
you really fucked this up, Christian.
 
AT THE SAME DAMN TIME

 
I have it on good authority that during the act Buckets was wearing Gucci and Tito was wearing Bally........

 

[Merkle's Boner]

Everyone is focused on NESN's POV.  I wonder how the Sox feel about it from Will's standpoint, particularly during his slump.  Obviously he can date whomever he wants but the fact that she's a public figure I'm sure led to some griping along the lines of him focusing too much on his hot piece of ass and not enough on his game.  I know for a fact that he was asked to discontinue all of his charitable activities until after the season.

 

[EvilEmpire]

Beyond just the overall professionalism issue, there is always a chance with any relationship that things will end badly.  Might be awkward if WMB dumps her and she still needs to be bubbly/perky or whatever.  Or if Dell dumps him, he doesn't take it very well, and that someone contributes to what he does on the field.
 
It's all fun and games until work is impacted.  Same is true for a lot of jobs.

 

[Merkle's Boner]

Beyond just the overall professionalism issue, there is always a chance with any relationship that things will end badly.  Might be awkward if WMB dumps her and she still needs to be bubbly/perky or whatever.  Or if Dell dumps him, he doesn't take it very well, and that someone contributes to what he does on the field.
 
It's all fun and games until work is impacted.  Same is true for a lot of jobs.

Exactly.  And one more reason to move (one of them) off their current beat.  

 

[berniecarbo1]

Could this be what was going on all year in the Sox Clubhouse?? It worked with the Bulls, remember?
 
 
 
http://www.starpulse.com/Movies/Bull_Durham/Great_Film_Moments/

 

[templeUsox]

Could this be what was going on all year in the Sox Clubhouse?? It worked with the Bulls, remember?
 
 
 
http://www.starpulse.com/Movies/Bull_Durham/Great_Film_Moments/

I really thought this was going to be a link about Michael Jordan and Ahmad Rashad.

 

[joe dokes]

Jenny's title is In Game Reporter according it her own website.

 

I missed this. If *she* thinks of herself as a reporter, then *she* should not want to 'cover' the Sox. There are some uncomfortable implications there (NESN telling her that she not really a reporter or "we really have nothing else for you at this network"), but at some level, it's up to her.

 

[JimBoSox9]

And there it is.  If she's OK with it, and he's OK with it, and John Henry is OK with it, I have an awful hard time remembering why I ought to give a damn.  We're talking guys hitting balls with sticks here.

 

[joe dokes]

And there it is.  If she's OK with it, and he's OK with it, and John Henry is OK with it, I have an awful hard time remembering why I ought to give a damn.  We're talking guys hitting balls with sticks here.

 
I only care because it raises the possibility from zero to something-more-than-zero that she will no longer be on the broadcasts sounding as though every single thing she said is written on a card that was placed in front of her one one-thousandth of a second before she went on the air.
 
Danger, Will Middlebrooks, danger . . .
 

 

[mauf]

Transparency is more important than independence when it comes to journalism. Perhaps it would be better if John Henry didn't own the Globe, but 90% of the potential issues are avoided by having his ownership be public knowledge. If you actually think journalistic standards apply to sportswriters, the Dell/WMB thing shouldn't bother you as much as Will McDonough's old habit of fluffing his friends (Harrington, Parcells) and bashing their enemies. 
 
If I ran NESN, I'd have bigger fish to fry than replacing Dell over this, even though I think she's little better than replacement level. To the extent there's a conflict of interest here, it's cured by disclosure. 

 

[NortheasternPJ]

Transparency is more important than independence when it comes to journalism. Perhaps it would be better if John Henry didn't own the Globe, but 90% of the potential issues are avoided by having his ownership be public knowledge. If you actually think journalistic standards apply to sportswriters, the Dell/WMB thing shouldn't bother you as much as Will McDonough's old habit of fluffing his friends (Harrington, Parcells) and bashing their enemies. 
 
If I ran NESN, I'd have bigger fish to fry than replacing Dell over this, even though I think she's little better than replacement level. To the extent there's a conflict of interest here, it's cured by disclosure. 

I agree about bigger fish to fry at NESN. The entire network is a disaster outside of game broadcasts. And even the game broadcasts have issues.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

I agree about bigger fish to fry at NESN. The entire network is a disaster outside of game broadcasts. And even the game broadcasts have issues.

 
Like Jenny Dell.
 
I don't mean this whole relationship with Middlebrooks thing, just her role (and Heidi before her and Tina before her).  It's 99% useless fluff that often takes attention away from the action on the field.  They could do without it and not miss a beat.

 

[LeoCarrillo]

At least Jenny's acting on her feelings. Joe Buck's manlove for Michael Wacha and the mainstream, old-fart journo legions to lather, rinse, repeat on the ball bag of CI are at least as suspect in terms of journalistic objectivity.

That's only a half joke actually. If you've ever been at a locker postgame and seen the crescent of awed manboys holding out their digital recorders and nodding obsequiously, it's pretty obvious that for every Edes there are 10 dweebs who'd do the job for free plus press-box snacks.

At least jenny might get pissed at Middlebrooks if he pulls a late one. That's probably the biggest uh-oh here for NESN and the Sox -- the same as every workplace romance -- how dysfunctional will it be if it goes on the rocks?

 

[ForKeeps]

http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/kirk-minihane/2014/01/14/time-jenny-dell-nesn-relationship-end
 
I wonder if Kirk thinks it's a coincidence or just lack of competency that Dell, who is as close to the team if not closer than any reporter in the country, has never once broken a story. Ditto for Heidi, Tina, Hazel Mae, etc. Put two and two together, Kirk.

 

[thurin68]

The comments after the story alone make this a must read