Ombudsman gets pwned by Salguero

You gotta love Armando Salguero. The Herald's Ombudsman, Edward Schumacher-Matos took him to task for using strike through in a blog post to imply that Jason Taylor lied told the truth when he said he'd be happy to be a Dolphin again in 2008. But Armando shrugged off the criticism and had this to say in a subsequent blog post:

Philadelphia's Lito Sheppard, Marques Colston in New Orleans, Jeremy Shockey with the Giants, Osi Umenyiora with the Giants. All are crying (look ombudsman, I'm doing it again) unhappy about their contracts or work situations. All have missed at least portions of this offseason's team activities.

Classic.

Ombudsman takes Sports columnist to task - UPDATED

The Herald's Ombudsman, Edward Schumacher-Matos, has finally penned a column in which he actually takes a side. Unfortunately for him it's about an inconsequential subject and he is wrong. Now don't get me wrong, I like sports and I think the sports page is probably the most viable section of the Herald these days but having the ombudsman pontificate about what a sports columnist wrote on his blog strikes me as being Neroesque at this point in time.

The blog post in question is about Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor and was written by Armando Salguero. Even in his set-up Schumacher-Matos shows his lack of knowledge of the sports world:

Coming off a successful stint on Dancing with the Stars, the handsome and well-spoken Taylor says he wants to play pro football for only one more year before going into the movies...

Through his agent, he told the Dolphins in January that he wanted to be traded so that he might have a chance in his last declared year of playing football to join a team with a better championship shot.

This is the real issue with Jason Taylor in a nutshell. Taylor is under contract to play for the Dolphins. Though players often ask for trades, they NEVER make their intentions to retire public when they do so. If the Dolphins are to get something of value in return for Taylor, the team he is traded to would want more than a 1-year rent-a-player. By stating that he only wants to play one more year Taylor has virtually guaranteed that he will not, in fact, be traded. He undermined his trade value.

But the problem with Schumacher-Matos' analysis is how he comes down on Salguero for using strike-through to imply that Jason Taylor lied when he said he'd be happy to be a Dolphin during the 2008 season. Strike-through is a technique that is often used by bloggers to indicate what's really going on while paying lip service to the official line from the subject of the post. For example:

Herald to lay off hundreds of workers down-size.

Bloggers of all stripes use this technique. It's a device that works as a wink to the audience. It means "you and I know what's really going on here."

The problem is that Schumacher-Matos wants Salguero to live by the rules of the newspaper even when he's blogging. And that brings us to the fundamental questions that I have been asking for a couple of years: what's the purpose of the Herald's blogs? What are the guidelines that the Herald's bloggers must live by? Schumacher says:

I agree with at least one blog participant who called the ''lies'' technique a cheap shot. Striking it out but leaving the word all but accuses Taylor of lying, and clearly insinuates that Salguero thinks he is.

Yeah. That's the whole point. Schumacher-Matos goes on to talk about Salguero's sources and whether they are solid or not. To me that's besides the point. It's Salguero's opinion that Taylor is lying when he says he'd happily play for the Dolphins this year. Salguero, unlike Schumacher-Matos, has been on the Dolphins beat for many years and has I'm sure had many conversations with Jason Taylor. He knows him. He doesn't need to have a source to form an opinion about Taylor's thought process.

After all of this, I can't get my mind around the fact that the Ombudsman would waste his time on this. I'd rather have him take a look at how the Herald's columnists like Ana Menendez, Carl Hiaasen and dating back to Jack Kofoed have consistently put forward an anti-Cuban exile position with the paper publishing very little to balance those opinions.

UPDATE: In response to a commenter at his blog, Salguero had this to say about the Ombudsman and his opinions:

My sports editor read the ombudsman column to me and after he did, I asked, "Did he spell my name correctly?" That is as much thought as I have given his opinion. I have thick skin and a deep conviction that my coverage on JT has been fair, balanced and accurate. That is the reason I continue to speak with BOTH sides about the issue and they continue to speak with me.

Le Batard leaving Herald

Bob Norman reported about a week ago that Herald Sports columnist Dan Le Batard is leaving the paper on a one year leave of absence as of May 15.

Read the internal Herald memo here.

Herald Censors its company man

The Miami Herald's star sports columnist, Dan Le Batard penned a column entitled "Dolphins' Cameron unlucky to the end" about the Miami Dolphins head coach, Cam Cameron, who was recently fired. It was posted to Herald.Com on the 3rd of January and contained the following paragraph:

And you'll have a hard time finding a leader anywhere in sports who was as unlucky this year as Cameron. Six three-point losses. Zach Thomas and Trent Green and Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams all injured in ridiculous ways so that he was eventually starting a United Nations huddle of a Mormon quarterback, Mexican receiver, Somoan fullback and some guy named Lekekekkkkerkker. And now Parcells happens to him.

Apparently Le Batard made a similar quip on ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption" where he often guest hosts. It drew some attention to the column and also complaints. The Herald promptly edited the item to read as follows:

And you'll have a hard time finding a leader anywhere in sports who was as unlucky this year as Cameron. Six three-point losses. Zach Thomas and Trent Green and Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams all injured in ridiculous ways. And now Parcells happens to him.

The original copy would have disappeared into the ether if not for the Google cache. See image below:

Click to enlarge

Not known at this point is whether the printed edition included the Mormon, Mexican and Samoan joke. Dan should know by now that the only minority group that is fair game is the Cuban exile community. He is a company man, after all.

Dan Le Batard, Company Man

Was reading through the transcript of a recent online Q&A with Dan Le Batard, the Herald sports columnist did and thought this exchange was interesting:

Q: Hey dan, is there any way you can get the Tuna hired as the Herald's Sports Editor? You can stay. But dude, those other guys? Can you feel the peolple's pain? Of course you can, and don't pretend you wouldn't clean house over their if given the chance. Question: Would you???

Mr. Pat., miami, florida 12/31/07

A: i'd be gone faster than randy mueller if the swaggering tuna was running our place......i'd put up our staff against any in the country with similar resources, and i'd tell you the truth on that if i thought we were flailing....we do a very good job with some serious limitations.....we're not as strong as we were a decade ago but nobody in this sick business is....the kc star is the only sports section i can think of as good as ours in our circulation range

Dan Le Batard 12/31/07

A couple of things to note, the Kansas City Star which Le Batard mentions is also a McClatchy newspaper. Also Le Batard recognizes the fact that the newspaper business in deep trouble. I think his sentiments are commendable but people don't grade their newspapers on a curve based on circulation and they also don't care what the limitations are. The Herald has a bunch of kids writing and editing the sports section. Kids, because they are cheap. At some point the circulation troubles of the paper are also contributed to by the lack of quality in the paper.

Atonement for the Herald?

A couple of weeks ago I posted about the Herald's one sided summary of the Belen/Columbus Football Game. Subsequently the Herald published two articles that were more favorable to Belen.

TROPICAL PARK
Miami-Dade private schools are heated rivals
Posted on Thu, Aug. 30, 2007
BY JOSE PAGLIERY
jpagliery@MiamiHerald.com

For the third year in a row, Belen Jesuit Preparatory School students were grinding their teeth as the referee blew the whistle, ending their football team's 13-12 Friday night defeat.

Christopher Columbus High School had done it to them again.

''We're used to winning. If we lose, I'll never hear the end of it,'' said Jesse Menocal, whose son plays defensive end for Columbus.

The Sweetwater police officer looks forward to having his son's team win every year, fuel to a fire burning between him and his twin brother Iggy Menocal -- also a Sweetwater cop. Iggy's son goes to Belen so trash talk at work is inevitable. At home, it's relentless.

''They tell me they have better athletes. Well, ours are smarter,'' Iggy responded, sitting on the opposite end of the field.

''The people who can't hack it at Belen go to Columbus,'' Iggy added.

Incendiary remarks have been flung from side-to-side for years, part of an unending rivalry between both schools. As some Miami-Dade private schoolchildren grow up, they are split two ways: Belen or Columbus. Many times, the question boils down to academics or sports. Belen, known for its superiority in academics, has yet to win a football game against Columbus, recognized for its well-funded and championship-winning athletics department.

''It's been going on since as long as I can remember,'' said Danny Gomez, a Belen graduate. 'Our joke is: Belen's dropouts have been supplying Columbus' students for 70 years.''

The Gomez family is another one torn by the clash. His younger brother, Nick, sat with his fellow students at Columbus during the game while Danny and their father sat with Belen.

''I'm not allowed to go over there,'' Nick shouted, when asked to visit his family on the other side, adding a joke, ``I'll get shot!''

Later in the game, Nemesio Gomez acknowledged his son's fears.

''We get along great,'' Nemesio said. ``Except for tonight.''

Nemesio, a 1977 Belen graduate, hoped his old school would win, if only to avoid his youngest son's taunts.

''We have the determination to win. They don't. We're Columbus Explorers,'' yelled Miguel Guiardinu, sporting a 14-inch-tall blue Mohawk.

But while Columbus has beaten its rival by two or more touchdowns before, Friday's sold out game before about 4,000 fans came shockingly close, 13-12, after two touchdowns, Belen's failed field goals and Columbus' missed two-point conversion.

''It's close,'' Mark Barquin, Belen's athletic director, whispered with 38 seconds left in the game.

It was close enough to make the Explorers uneasy for the first time. Almost two quarters went by with the Wolverines leading the game by five.

''They weren't expecting this. David and Goliath, trust me,'' said Carlos Bravo, a Belen chemistry teacher.

''It was a great game,'' responded Chris McKeon, Columbus' athletic director. ``I guess they look at it that way because they haven't beaten us at football, but they have to be proud of their team. It's easier to be proud in victory than in defeat.''

To Belen's disappointment, the Explorers will have it easier -- for at least another year.

And:

Belen is an Ivy League pipeline
Posted on Sat, Sep. 01, 2007
Belen Jesuit's football team has become a pipeline for talent to some of the best Ivy League colleges in recent years.

The Wolverines have five players playing for Ivy League teams with three more potential players on this year's squad.

Pete Pidermann, a versatile threat during his career at Belen, is a sophomore at Dartmouth.

Linebacker Fernando Aran and free safety Carlos Roque are each sophomores at Princeton.

Former quarterback/running back Gio Christodoulou is a freshman at Yale University.

Linebacker Greg Fontela is a freshman at Columbia.

The Wolverines have also had two players graduate from Ivy League schools.

Former quarterback Joaquin Sanchez graduated from Harvard, and Chris Gueits graduated from Princeton.

''We're really proud of the accomplishments our former players have had being able to play for some of the most prestigious schools in the country,'' Belen coach Rich Stuart said.

Stuart said senior free safety Anthony DiBlasi, senior linebacker Diego Fernandez-Soto and senior cornerback Nick Herrera have all drawn interest from Ivy League schools like Dartmouth and Cornell.

Belen, which played Naples Gulf Coast on Friday, went toe-to-toe with one of the county's best Class 6A teams last week before losing 13-12 to Columbus.

Belen also beat defending District 14-6A champion Coral Gables 28-0 in the spring.

Perhaps some influential Belen alumni gave the Herald an earful. I know that father Willie Garcia Tuñon S.J. was furious about the original game summary.

By the way the Herald had correct several errors in the first piece linked above:

A story on the Belen/Columbus exhibition football game in the Aug. 30 editions of Neighbors contained several errors
Posted on Thu, Sep. 06, 2007

• A story on the Belen/Columbus exhibition football game in the Aug. 30 editions of Neighbors contained several errors. The schools were incorrectly characterized; they are private schools. The athletic director at Belen Jesuit is Carlos Barquin. A Belen student, Sebastian Juncadella, was misidentified in a photograph. Also, the Columbus team's name was listed incorrectly. They are the Explorers.

h/t: Robert

Linda welcome back to your personal purgatory

South Florida, without a doubt, has to be the capital of malcontents that live in a place they don't want to be. Of course there are certain bloggers that are "stuck" here. But it seems that Miami is some sort of journalistic purgatory too. Debbie Cenziper wins the Pulitzer prize and her chair is cold by the time she actually receives the award because she moved on to the Washington Post. For those unfortunate underachieving souls who don't have a Pulitzer to their credit, The Miami Herald just may be the place for them to prove that there is truth in the Peter Principle.

The latest example is Linda Robertson, the Herald Sports columnist who was away for a year doing a fellowship at the University of just got whipped by a Division 1AA school (did anyone notice she was gone?).

In any case, I guess her mentors in Ann Arbor taught her not to hide her true feelings as her first column back is loaded with snipes and left handed compliments at/for our home town.

Robert at 26th Parallel sums it up best:

Linda Robertson after a year in Michigan: still obnoxious.

One sided sports reporting

This was the capsule that the Herald web site published about the game between Christopher Columbus and Belen Jesuit last night:

Columbus 13, Belen 12: If Columbus fans were wondering if Jakhari Gore had another standout season in him, Friday evening's performance versus neighborhood rival Belen showed them just that.

Gore ran for 146 yards on seven carries and scored two touchdowns to lead the Explorers against the Wolverines in front of 7,000 fans at Tropical Park Stadium.

''We have a good thing going with Gore and [Jaren] Jones,'' Columbus coach Chris Merritt said. ``Over the spring, we implemented a successful two-back system from Wake Forrest and it showed tonight.''

Jones, a senior, had 92 yards on nine carries while senior transfer quarterback Dan Parker added 55 yards in the air to a variety of Explorer receivers.

The Explorers' defense also shined behind senior linebacker Derrick Crumpton, who complied 10 tackles and a crucial fourth quarter sack.

Full disclosure, I'm a Belen alumnus which is the only reason I was interested in seeing the Herald's coverage. But if you read those four paragraphs not one Belen player is mentioned by name, nothing about Belen scored or Belen's statistics.

As a bit of background, both Belen and Columbus are all-boys Catholic schools. The schools have produced many influential and successful alumni. But Belen is a much smaller school known more for academics than sports. This game was only the 3rd meeting of these schools on the gridiron ever. This series was established in 2005 and has been a huge success in raising money for both schools. Columbus won the first meeting in 2005 by a score of 21-7. They won going away in 2006, 28-0.

In short, Belen is huge a underdog anytime these two schools meet in football. Which is why it's unbelievable to me to see a capsule of the game that doesn't describe how David almost beat Goliath. With about two minutes to go in the game Belen stopped Columbus on 4th and goal and took control of the ball on their own 1 yard line. Belen then marched to about mid field before they were finally stopped and the game ended. The game could not have been closer. A one point loss against a team with a much bigger reputation and several state championships in a higher division and the Herald doesn't think any of that is worth mentioning. I shouldn't be surprised to see the Herald miss the most intriguing angle to the story, but I am.