It was the perfect storm.
Take a significant part of the SF Giants' PR machine, (KNBR) and get major pub via an assortment of truly bizarre and outrageous comments coming from the GM, Brian Sabean. Then, of course, being that the radio station is more like the pimp to its hooker, milk the shit out of the story and reap the publicity.
Don't think for a moment that Sabean's comments were spontaneous. They were calculated and planned. Sabean has been waiting for his monthly radio show with Ralph Barbieri and Tom Tolbert to vent, and vent he did.
As usual, KNBR began promoting the comments virtually the entire day after eliciting national attention from ESPN to SI. Does a radio station have the right to promote its content. Sure, no problem with that, but that's not the point here.
Sabean's Godfatherish verbal assaults on Scott Cousins brought out the very basics of how the Giants media partners, KNBR, and Comcast capitulate to the organization, fronted by Larry Baer and company.
Did you see any real coverage from the so-called "sports leader?" No, all they did was congratulate themselves and play sound bites for a couple of days. (They're good at doing that.) The talk-show boys knew they had a goody and played it front and center. The fact the the afternoon "stars" failed miserably to challenge Sabean on the air speaks volumes. It took a next-day segment with Merc blogger, Tim Kawakami, to finally make some sense out of the clueless wonders at 55 Hawthorne. Go figure.
And where was Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area? Asleep at the wheel, naturally. Their reportoire? A lame, mundane, and truly shitfest sham called "Chronicle Live" with frauds like Killion and Bruce showing mock displeasure. No wonder nobody but a few local media schleps and a masochistic media blogger watches the show.
Would it have killed the Comcast tools to try to at least get a quick hit from Sabean? Did anybody from the newsroom tell the alleged reporters and "Insiders" to attempt a comment from some of the Giants' players? Was Barbieri so in love with himself that he failed miserably to go after "Sabs." Maybe he was recovering from his slopfest with Baer just a few days earlier, I guess that Ameci's pizza will do that to you.
All of this points to a theme. The Giants, god love 'em are World Series champs. They own the town. They have TOTAL control over their media underlings, including knibber and Comcast too. KNBR, via Cumulus, its corporate owner, owns 5% of the team. The radio GM supposedly got a ring. It's one big happy family. Yippee-cahoy-i-a.
Except when a truly big story breaks through the white lines and the machine is left in charge to provide some levity and coverage and is exposed like the TOOLS they are. Talk about transparency.
Thank God for Scott Ostler and Tim Kawakami. Props to John Shea. Hell, even a shout out to Bruce Jenkins who, finally, called out the Giants for their amazing lack of damage control. They deserved proper scolding.
This indeed is a different era. A new world. The business of sports and the local adulation society showed their true colors the past 72 hours. Nothing surprises me anymore. Am I a poor fucking soul who has the audacity to get in the faces of lizards and superficial cowards? Damn right. No one else has the balls.
They're too busy getting ready for an appearance on a truly innocuous sports cable show that 14 people watch. Hope the hot dogs and popcorn are warm in the press box today, tools. All of you. Shame on you.
*Follow me on Twitter
A good journalist checks his sources. As posted earlier,feel free to Listen to damon's show on 1050 Friday afternoon. I didn't see what happened on Comcast Friday night since I refuse to watch that dog-and-pony show. Sports personalities go on that show to get some pub, but anything critical of Comcast clientele gets talked over and I wish more sports people avoided that show like Kawakami. But for you Rich to at least acknowledge Bruce's efforts on Friday after ragging on him the last 6 months is being disingenous...I'm ready for your predictable soapbox blog in about 12 hours!
ReplyDeleteI dont have the same high opinionn of Tim Kawakmi..his love fest of unending articles on 73 year old Jerry West are strangely cultish. His last article Rich-read it,you notice he actually puts words in West's mouth that he wants to trade Monta Ellis..Kawakami quotes West on one topic then writes about Ellis as if West said that..only the reader has to notice no quotation marks,that was the writer talking,not West.
ReplyDeleteHis new love of Alex Smith-to make Harbaugh happy you think? are bizarre. Tim Kawakami's Billy Beane "rips"..are more like a limp slap on the wrist. Beane,no doubt is one of Tim's " I wish I was him" type people.
Tim's writings and behavior make me wonder if he plain lied about Comcast trying to muzzle him. It could be he's just a prima dona. If their is one thing he cant handle it's criticism. And that blog of his is like it's written by a robot..as the man never, EVER, (as he likes to say) acknowledges a comment or answer a question unless its some mundane correction...otherwise a cold as ice prima donna on paper-or monitor.
Bruce did an amazing job on his Friday show. He seemingly had everyone completely pissed off and amazed that he, Bruce, would be making such comments.
ReplyDeleteI think it is time you acknowledge him for standing up to KNBR and the GIANTS.
Re KNBR, to a man, every radio personality (don't know about Brooks and Fitzgerald-don't listen) was critical of Sabean's remarks. They talked about it so much (driven most likely by callers) that it bordered on over-kill.
ReplyDeleteRich, I know that you hate KNBR and everything (read SF) that they do, but why come out and criticize them on this when it is clear that you only heard some promos and none of the content of the shows?
Your reflexive and weirdly personal hatred of KNBR/Comcast Live is making it harder to take any of your analysis seriously.
ReplyDeleteBruce was in prime early-2010 form on Friday, completely tearing into Sabean and the Giants. And the Chronicle Live show broke free from the usual Giants love-fest with Lowell Cohn and even Greg Papa going against the actions of the GM. Both Bruce and Comcast Live were doing EXACTLY what you've been telling them to do for the last few months.
Did you even watch/listen before you went on this rant?
Gotta agree with comments....Damon crucified Sabean. check the podcast. damon is right on. If it was a better player that blew up posey, sabean would've kept his mouth shut.
ReplyDeleteWOW!!! Six posts on this controversial issue! You are really knocking it out of the park with your HUGE following, RICH!
ReplyDelete