Messages

16

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Countdown to 2016 FB Season!

« on: August 13, 2016, 01:40:50 AM »

Guys, here are some of the YSU football camp stories that haven't been written.

8-13: http://www.vindy.com/news/2016/aug/13/ysu-qbs-penguin-receivers-catching-on-la/?newswatch

8-10: http://www.vindy.com/news/2016/aug/10/college-football-ysus-offense-makes-soli/?newswatch

8-7: http://www.vindy.com/news/2016/aug/07/college-football-battle-for-qb-job-still/?newswatch

8-6: http://www.vindy.com/news/2016/aug/06/ysu-offense-trying-to-catch-up-with-vete/?newswatch

8-5: http://www.vindy.com/news/2016/aug/05/ysus-offensive-line-depth-looks-improved/?newswatch

8-5: http://www.vindy.com/news/2016/aug/05/ysu-notebook-more-from-stambaugh-stadium/?newswatch

8-4: http://www.vindy.com/news/2016/aug/04/ysu-begins-practice-today-at-stambaugh/?newswatch

Yes, the days of a reporter staffing every practice are gone. Our YSU guy also does other things, even if some of you aren't interested in them. Those other stories must be done because other people will want to read them.

We're happy to be at as many practices as we can realistically attend, factoring in the other stuff that is on our YSU guy's plate. It's nice to be able to report on the team up close. Remember, as recently as two years ago, YSU's then-coach wanted no part of having practices covered. I'll leave it to you guys to figure out why that was.

But to my larger point, clearly there has been plenty of YSU camp coverage in print. For those of you who don't like newsprint on your fingers, the coverage clearly is also online and there is more on Twitter at https://twitter.com/CgroveVindy.

I don't like message-board drama, but I just can't allow an anonymous troll to outright lie that there have been no YSU football stories done. I hope it really didn't take a list of stories for most of you to realize that the post in question was complete bunk.

Be sure to catch the next story we won't write after Saturday's scrimmage.

17

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Countdown to 2016 FB Season!

« on: August 12, 2016, 09:27:46 PM »

Not even 1 article written about practice so far in the vindy.... Shame.

Are you kidding?

18

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Frat Party Gone Awry

« on: February 25, 2016, 08:18:33 PM »

I'm going the way of several of our favorites on this blog:
1. I predicted this in preseason.  Aren't I the great forecaster!  I AM GREAT!!
2. This is all the fault of the good old boy network.
3. The is all Slocum's fault.  Fire him NOW
4. This is all Montogmery's fault.  Fire HIM NOW!
5. NO no, this is all Strollo's fault Fire HIM NOW!!
Sometimes a kid makes a bad decision and this is going to hurt him FAR MORE than it will YSU football.

Funny!

You won't be laughing when it gets swept under the rug by our incompetent Marketing Dept. 

But thankfully the Vindy never puts YSU on the front of the Sports section 

Yeah, that never happens.

19

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Re: 2016 Recruting

« on: December 18, 2015, 09:02:49 PM »

I do not dispute his facts & I like what he has done so far. I guess my point is that I read that story as having a negative spin to it ...this is just as bad as cheer-leading. For example, he could have mentioned (as i believe you or he did already in an earlier article) that we had to battle so many injuries. Heck we had 4 different guys give us snaps this year. I must have missed the mention of Zak Kennedy, etc. .  I did see him mention of a tweet (which is really just a thing for me). Tweets belong here on the board, not in a paper. Also mentioning Pelini went 5-6 is fair game, mentioning he missed the play-offs is sliding a bit more negative (as the point is obvious), but I understand that casual readers may not know this. However, to then move on and give us a month-by-month breakdown in the next paragraph yet, was going too far.

Look I understand a few things about writing and how newspaper stories usually do not even resemble actual writing. The idea is to be factual and quick. However, let's look at editing for a second ...count the number of items in that article that are negative & put them on the left side of a page. Then do the same for the positive YSU/Pelini comments made and place them on the right. In this article, I think the right side of your paper would be empty ...then so should the left side. Many editors used to demand this.

Again I have no stake in this, but any beat writer needs to establish themselves as a fan of the teams they cover.

No, a beat writer absolutely does not HAVE to be a fan. Most editors will tell you that's the last thing they want. Can someone who is a fan write objectively about a team he covers? Sure. It happens every day in probably every press box in America. But it is not a prerequisite and it should not be obvious in stories that the writer is a fan. It doesn't work that way in journalism.

That said, yes, it's better for everyone when the teams we cover win. More people will want to read about winning teams and it helps the relationships go better if all our questions aren't about why the team didn't win. See: Cleveland Browns. A reporter can want the team to win for all of those reasons, but he can't cheer for the team. That's why I won't wear a YSU hat/shirt to a game. Or OSU garb to an OSU game. Or Browns stuff to a Browns game. Even the appearance of cheering in the press box or in your coverage is unforgivable.

Also, I will argue until I die that facts are not positive or negative. They're simply facts. Someone's perception of them can be positive or negative, but that's different. Further, we didn't need to mention Zak Kennedy in an eight-inch story about Bo Pelini calling those UK rumors ridiculous. The story was not about any individual players. But how YSU did overall in Pelini's first season was, and is, relevant.

And to be fair, if those rumors weren't already out there and being tweeted and retweeted locally, there would be no need to follow up on them with Pelini to either confirm or deny their veracity. That's one of the things I dislike about social media, but that's how it is today and we adjust accordingly.

20

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Re: 2016 Recruting

« on: December 18, 2015, 05:20:34 PM »

Wilaj is just a bit too negative in the article. Never too early to be nice a peak interest, especially when we are out recruiting.

?? He just stated the facts.

Agreed, but they were stated very negativeky ...with anything positive removed. You and I both no thgis DC job was never even considered. Also, there were positives that occurred and also extenuating circumstances to 2015. There are also updates ...staff, early recruiting, etc.. Look, there are really two types of fans reading the vindicator ...those that are indifferent and those that care (we are the latter). You are not going to lose a fan that is already indifferent to the program ...just hope the team wins and that fan shows up at some games. With Wilaj being relatively new, he needs to demonstrate his enthusiasm for the Guins. Otherwise he will never catch the real fan. You cannot claim you care about the school when the first real thing we read is negatively presented. In short, if you are covering a beat, you better show some compassion, along with your knowledge.

All due respect, IAA Fan, your perception about what Steve Wilaj's job should be is wrong. Ytownchief22 was right — all factual. Steve is not supposed to be a cheerleader any more than Joe Scalzo or Pete Mollica were supposed to be. They were not.

Did you miss Steve's end-of-season report? I thought he was very fair about the season as a whole.

21

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Vindicator YSU beat writer

« on: October 09, 2015, 07:42:20 AM »

Replace Joe? That would be almost as thankless a job as following JT.

But seriously, I'm plenty busy in my role. Couldn't do what I need to do and cover the beat the way it should be covered.

22

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Vindicator YSU beat writer

« on: October 08, 2015, 03:23:40 PM »

Now that Joe Scalzo has left The Vindicator, does anyone know if the paper plans on replacing him with another YSU "beat writer?"  There has been nothing new written in the paper in a few weeks and last weeks article appeared to be from the South Dakota newspaper.

Nothing new in a few weeks? That's incorrect. Joe Scalzo's last day was last Friday and he wrote right up to the end. Steve Wilaj joined us officially Monday and had a story in Wednesday from Tuesday's presser.

Yes, The Argus-Leader was kind enough to help fill a one-game gap between Joe and Steve and Mick Garry's story was a good one. With Joe gone, getting on a plane last weekend wasn't an option for me or Tom Williams. The sports section does not spontaneously generate itself. Most YSU fans, I'm sure, can understand the situation. Many thanks to The Argus-Leader for the help.

Mick's story, by the way, was far better than the piece the Lincoln, Neb., AP guy filed from Vermillion, where he led with grown men from Nebraska traveling to USD to heckle Bo Pelini. Disappointed AP would give these people such a forum.

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YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: YSU @ South Dakota: 10/03 3 pm

« on: September 28, 2015, 08:56:59 PM »

Bo has coached in the NFL, SEC, Big 12, and Big 10. I really doubt that with his experience he is going to have issues figuring out the MVC

he had issues stopping RMU from running the ball. you left out the part where he got FIRED from all those jobs as well

Never let facts get in the way of a good story.

24

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: The Defense Also Let Us Down...

« on: September 09, 2015, 08:36:25 PM »

Ed,
We appreciate your good work and ask only that you keep it up.  I can't imagine every agreeing with everything someone else says or writes, (good grief, I don't always agree with what I say and write!) but I never question your motives.  In the end, that's what matters, integrity; you have it, and I respect you for it!
Thanks
Don

Thank you, sir! Right back at you.

So Ed what is your opinion of the team from what you saw?

What I saw essentially consists of numbers I crunched from my perch at 107 Vindicator Square (I rarely get out much) and from talking to Joe Scalzo, but I like the fact that YSU put 37 points on an ACC team on the road with its starting running back missing most of the game. The defense showed some big-play capabilities and the kicking game looks solid with Kennedy.

I think Pelini would agree that the defense isn't clearly not yet where he wants it to be, but this team is coming. It's early, but I think it's playoffs-or-bust. But then again, I thought that before the Pitt game. I think the Penguins will be playing in December.

25

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: The Defense Also Let Us Down...

« on: September 09, 2015, 08:02:16 PM »

Ed,
We appreciate your good work and ask only that you keep it up.  I can't imagine every agreeing with everything someone else says or writes, (good grief, I don't always agree with what I say and write!) but I never question your motives.  In the end, that's what matters, integrity; you have it, and I respect you for it!
Thanks
Don

Thank you, sir! Right back at you.

26

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: The Defense Also Let Us Down...

« on: September 08, 2015, 03:23:22 PM »

No idea what you're talking about. At no time I can remember in 20 years has a YSU football game story been played inside vs. anything else, high school football or otherwise. Now, of course, I haven't worked here that entire time, but I'd be shocked if it ever happened.

As for preview stories, they're commonly played on the front on Saturdays, but yes, high school football is the dominant package on those days because the game are on Friday night. Live stories, live photos. Lots of local interest. That's how it has always been. I'm not sure why you can't grasp that.

Unless it's a YSU playoff game preview in November or December (and there have been precious few of those since 2000), prep football is going to be the main package on Saturday's sports front pages in the fall. On Sunday, it's YSU and OSU. On Monday, it's the NFL.

It's really quite simple.

Ed,

I understand that that is the way it is, and I have said this before.  85% of people in Ytown haven't graduated from college and they are like this guy:

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=napoleon%20dynamite%20uncle%20rico%20football&qs=n&form=QBVR&pq=napoleon%20dynamite%20uncle%20rico%20football&sc=2-37&sp=-1&sk=#view=detail&mid=8AB73CC70E392F670A2E8AB73CC70E392F670A2E

So I understand that you have to sell papers based on the level of education and interests of your primary audience.  However, I will say that if you were to pick any other area city or town with a college campus that is competitive in football, the #1 thing on the newspaper sports section would the football team and it would be rare if HS dominated Friday or Saturday.  That is all I am saying.

In Columbus and Ann Arbor and other Power 5 towns, sure. Those are bigger cities than Youngstown and there are far more high schools than even we have here. We cover 44 in three counties. Double that number in metro Columbus or some similar city, and yes, you'll find that the population there is not as connected to the local high schools the way people are here.

But I'd be willing to bet that the demographics in most FCS towns are not unlike Youngstown, with prep sports far more popular than you see in Big Ten cities. I'd also be willing to bet that the coverage YSU football gets from the various media here compares very favorably to other FCS schools. I also think that the dearth of playoff appearances since Jim Tressel last coached here probably also played a role in coverage philosophies, fan interest and the popularity of prep sports.

When Bo Pelini gets the Penguins back to the playoffs — and I suspect he will — I think you'll see things change on all fronts. But even without the playoff appearances, we've always covered YSU's games as the No. 1 event on Saturdays in the fall here, because they are just that. In most cases, the Penguins enjoyed top billing over OSU, as they should here during the regular season.

27

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: The Defense Also Let Us Down...

« on: September 08, 2015, 02:10:18 PM »

Ed, I'd take some of these guys with a grain of salt.  If you get a complaint from 1-AA or many of the other highly respected and thoughtful bloggers then maybe, but some of the crackpots like FB93 are just that, and worthy of being ignored.

You're right, of course. I just don't like what I believe to be bad information being put out there as the gospel. I just thought I ought to try to correct that and, in the process, let anyone with a question know a little about the process and what goes into it every week.

But you're right. You just can't have a discussion with some people.

28

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: The Defense Also Let Us Down...

« on: September 08, 2015, 01:55:23 PM »

No idea what you're talking about. At no time I can remember in 20 years has a YSU football game story been played inside vs. anything else, high school football or otherwise. Now, of course, I haven't worked here that entire time, but I'd be shocked if it ever happened.

As for preview stories, they're commonly played on the front on Saturdays, but yes, high school football is the dominant package on those days because the game are on Friday night. Live stories, live photos. Lots of local interest. That's how it has always been. I'm not sure why you can't grasp that.

Unless it's a YSU playoff game preview in November or December (and there have been precious few of those since 2000), prep football is going to be the main package on Saturday's sports front pages in the fall. On Sunday, it's YSU and OSU. On Monday, it's the NFL.

It's really quite simple.

29

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: The Defense Also Let Us Down...

« on: September 08, 2015, 12:15:33 AM »

Go tell the Vindicator to make YSU front page under all circumstances.  Voice your concerns of how YSU plays second fiddle to HS sports.

When has a YSU football game ever not been on the front page?

Not sure someone from out of town should be guessing as to the placement of the Vindy.com articles on the actual paper copy of the Vindicator 

I may not live in Youngstown, but I'm here almost every day.

30

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: The Defense Also Let Us Down...

« on: September 07, 2015, 10:28:45 PM »

Go tell the Vindicator to make YSU front page under all circumstances.  Voice your concerns of how YSU plays second fiddle to HS sports.

When has a YSU football game ever not been on the front page?