I'll buy lunch and throw in a 20 dollar bill.Yeah, I know he did well on Jeopardy and wears sunglasses in the Press Box, but other than those sundries, what does he do?
Some would say he's nothing more than a Larry Baer mouthpiece. That's kind of drastic. True also.
Cynics would argue that Andy Baggarly is doing precisely what Comcast and the Giants want him to do: write fluffy pieces-- essentially booster club material and be nice. Of course it would be refreshing if Baggs were to provide his consumers some real, honest-to-goodness news, you know, Insider news that only Insiders have access to, but apparently dear old, loyal-to-the-core Andy didn't get the memo.
We don't begrudge the Bagster one bit but are nevertheless amused by those who still think he's out to provide cogent, insightful news about arguably the most popular sports franchise in the Bay Area after the SF 49ers.
We maintain that the Insider acumen at Comcast is merely a PR-enhancement for the local teams. Nothing, not a thing even remotely deemed controversial, will make it past the Comcast business model, not here nor in any other market where the company is in bed with its clients, the sports teams
that make up 99.999 percent of Comcast's programming, which is fine if not altogether transparent.
Nobody expects Woodward and Bernstein to infiltrate the studios and offices down there on Third Street. It is, after all, the toy department. But we would also crave something more pithy than updates on Angel Pagan's back and mindlessly innocuous live stand-up shots from the ballpark. We don't expect Deep Throat but we'd appreciate a heck of a lot more than some guy with a relentless smile and a dishonest toothy grin.
C'mon, Baggs, you can do it. We have the utmost confidence in you and besides, you have a major advantage too--you're not Henry Schulman.
CONTEST RULES:
Winner needs to provide proof of far-ranging Exclusive reported by Baggarly. Winner gets 20 bucks and lunch at Tommy's Joynt.
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Baggs and Amy G. - same difference / same questionable function. Still - I don't mind either of them.
ReplyDeleteWell, for one, he was the first to report that Melky Cabrera failed a PED test.
ReplyDeleteCabrera called him a liar. Then when nothing came from MLB Baggarly was forced to recant and apologize to Cabrera for 'not confirming the sources better' only to have the report and suspension be revealed 3 weeks later.
Baggarly still waiting for apology from Melky.
Baggarly broke Melky Cabrerra steroids story and was chastised for it, later apologized then it turned out to be true. He also broke the Pablo Sandoval arrest in Santa Cruz story.
ReplyDeleteThat speaks volumes of Baggarly's journalistic integrity.
Deletethe Giants are a marketing firm that happens to own a baseball team
ReplyDeleteAmen!
DeleteTotally agree. I feel like I'm rooting for a product like laundry detergent or car insurance rather than a sports team. Together (our team, your money) We're Giants!
DeleteAngel Pagan's back is the story of the moment.
ReplyDeleteYou want him to make stuff up or repeat old rumors like you do Rich?
The Cabrera (not so sure about the Sandoval arrest) story was a biggie and he scooped everyone by almost one month.
Both stories not exactly what I think the Giants would want him to report, no?
There is nothing "Insider" about his job, that's for sure. He didn't even travel with the team earlier this season. I'm not sure what that was all about. According to him, CSN didn't want to spend the money. That's ridiculous! CSN is raking in the cash. The Giants are their most profitable asset. And you're telling me they wont spend to have their team Insider travel with the team? Smells fishy. Baggarly must be having marital problems or something.
ReplyDeleteAs for Schulman, no doubt he was upset by not getting the CSN job. He's been covering the Giants for a lot longer that Baggalry. The problem is he's not as likeable or as telegenic as Baggalry. I've heard Radnich and Krueger take subtle shots at Henry every time he's on their show. Radnich had made references to Henry "touching himself" in his hotel room and staying up late to "get lucky." Radnich seems to despise single, middle-aged men -- Schulman said he's divorced.
"Has Andy Baggarly Ever Reported Anything of Substance About The Giants on Comcast?"
ReplyDeleteWe say Hell no!
He is too busy writing apologies in the Monkey News about a juiced Giant.
Bags, Steinmetz, and maiocco all were good reads before Comcast. Now they are just tools.
ReplyDeleteAgrreed. I enjoyed Baggs in his time with the Merc.
DeleteOn a related note, Radnich and Krueger were ripping on Baggs today, something about racism.
I don't think any person employed by that conglomorate is going to rock the boat at all, they're just happy to be cashing a pay check.
ReplyDeleteWow , what a bunch of ridiculous comments, but typical from people who know very little about what is really going on behind the scenes, because they've probably never had a full time job in radio or TV. For that matter, they don't really know what is happening in the real world either.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Comcast is cheap and cuts corners and hires kids practically out of college and makes them work long hours. What else is new?
Unfortunately all of their affiliates in all of the rest of the country do the same thing. As a matter of fact, that's the current model for most of American businesses these days, and that's why we don't have much of a middle class anymore. Big companies who have enjoyed this era of deregulation have consolidated their assets and are making obscene profits, while treating their workers like cheap parts to be replaced when they wear out.
Meanwhile, the public is also getting shortchanged; lousy service, products that wear out more quickly, and the public doesn't seem to care...like sheep, they just accept it. and keep buying the crap they don't really need from these venal companies and then they complain about how "the politicians are screwing them," when most of them don't even bother to learn the issues that are effecting this country. What percentage of Americans even vote anymore? 50 percent? 40?
And the 'kids' out of college who take these jobs don't know any different, they have zero historical prospective on what has happened in the business world and this country for that matter. They're just happy to have a job, and I guess you can't really blame them. They didn't create this mess that we're in.
America in the 21st century is going in the toilet slowly but steadily, but that's okay...let's just keep watching reality TV, listening to the know-it-all loud mouths on radio, (in sports or newstalk), and then ripping everyone. Party on America! Your country is falling apart, but who cares, as long as the beer is cold and the chicks are hot!
I'm really tired of people deciding how much money a company should make in profits.....if you don't like the product, don't buy it. If you're an employee and feel underpaid.........sack up and move on.
DeleteYou done? Good, because after all that, Rich is right about Baggs, CSN, and the whole "Insider" nonsense.
Delete>The problem is he's not as likeable or as telegenic as Baggalry.
ReplyDeleteNo he's more objective, which is a no-no at Comcast. :p
Comcast sports net Bay Area is owned in part by Baseball partners LLC....the corporation that is comprised of the giants owners and owns the Giants. That's the idea, own a channel, and own a commodity that provides content on that channel. So, the "wrap arounds" before, during, and after the game are one long commercial.
ReplyDeleteAfter the cheap shot attack piece he wrote about Larry Krueger a month or so ago, I'm amazed he still appears on KNBR.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree that CSN's multiple "Insider" labels are laughable, Baggs did a good article just last week after interviewing Dave Righetti about Lincecum and Cain. Not only did we learn that it is Righetti's practice not to do interviews after a No-Hitter/Perfect Game so as not to steal the limelight from the pitcher himself, we also learned about a small but significant change in Cain's hand position when he is in the stretch.
ReplyDeleteMistake No. 1: Giving this big mouthed bazoo any credit for credibility. That also goes for any mouthpiece on Comcast.
ReplyDeleteMistake No. 2: Watching the blowhards do sports on Comcast. Everything is fine to them. It doesn't matter if their teams are imploding. No one will speak the truth.
Mistake No. 3: Being taken in by these blowhards on Comcast. Attention lemmings: they're going to tell you what they think you want to know, not what you should know. Have a mind of your own people.
Mistake No. 4: Also believing everything on their web site is gospel too.
beat writers report what they are told
ReplyDeletethey dont dig....they try not to give too much opinion
if they do, they are no longer beat writers and no one in the clubhouse will talk to them
baggs is good at what he does
i personally think alex Pavlovic at the merc, works harder then baggs ever did and does....but thats just my opinion
but there is no point in bashing on a beat writer
If you are going to throw around blame make sure you are throwing it in the right direction. Pull tape of KNBR and CSN prior to the arrival of 95.7 the Game. You would be hard pressed to find mention of *insiders*. You know what you will find? You will find lots of mentions of "beat writers" because that is what they are. 95.7 the Game are the a-holes who started referring to them as *insiders* in order to make it look like 95.7 coverage was better. It is SOP for Jason Barrett. Rather than quality sports talk personalities, he has employed carnival barkers spewing hyperbole. The fact that contest winners get air time on this station should tell you how low the bar has been set. You know what you do when you have nothing to say? You employ various distractions such as manufactured conflicts or unoriginal routines. Aside from game broadcasts, there is zero reason to listen to this fraudulent imitation of sports talk? Stick with the national broadcasts. They are national for a reason.
ReplyDeleteSorry that the Bay Media's most famous Kiwi has krapped out. I had no problem with Baggs when he was with the Merc, either. Really don't follow CSN's broadcasts, namely because it can sound awfully oppressed. And as stated before, even the Giants fans among my family and friends can't stand Amy G.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that most of the Giants' public voices are Baer's mouthpieces. Too bad this same amount of loyalty may end up being the reason that the team won't make any moves to improve the center field depth needed to offset Pagan's endless injuries (Blanco is useless yet unfortunately untradeable). More health, more depth, better home pitching by MadBum, and better run support for Cain might produce a better Giants product for viewers to offset the non-perspective reporting. Otherwise, a certain NL rival might beat them out again (and I'm definitely not talking about the Brewers or Cardinals; Hint: That rival's lefty ace is trying to become Koufax Jr while also surpassing Drysdale & Hershiser).
How I long for the free speech baseball broadcasts of yesteryear and yesterdecade!