First off, it stood out becase it was really green. Plus, like the paper, it was home to really good writers and columnists like the just-retired Bruce Jenkins, Scott Ostler, Glenn Dickey, Lowell Cohn, and Ann Killion. Let's not forget Art Spander.
Jenkins will be a Sunday contributor and both Ostler and Killion remain at the Green but the Chronicle (and Hearst, which owns the paper) has pretty much messed with the Sportins Green, marginalizing it down thinner than ever (like most of the print edition) and vastly downsizing its worth. The Chron dramatically shortened deadlines so anything, any sporting event results past 7PM will no longer have any print coverage. It's a big-time downer especially if you're a NBA, MLB fan because your box scores, a sports-section staple, won't be published in the print edition. This is further proof the printed newspaper is dying fast and furious.
But there's other issues too. The Sunday edition of the Green used to be a really fine page of Ostler's musings and baseball, football and NBA writing from Jenkins to John Shea (on baseball) and now it's pretty much a wasteland. It's also thinner and Ostler's column is more barren than ever. Unless you're a Chronicle subscriber, the paper's sports columinists can't be read on SFGate. Bummer.
Again, this new '22 reality is not just a Chronicle phenomena, it's a national trend. It's the new world of digital chip taking over the world of analog paper. The Chronicle tried its best but has pretty much resigned itself to digital. And now the Sporting Green seems to have joined Hell's kitchen.
Bummer.
It is disgusting the Comicle cannot now even report on games starting in the late afternoon until two days later. And I will miss Jenkins from his regular schedule.
ReplyDeleteThe NYT had the final score of the Georgia-Alabama national championship on its front page this morning. The Chronicle could do no better than give us the halftime score on the front of the Sporting Green. Truly pathetic.
ReplyDeleteSports...who cares? The country is falling apart, and all you care about is infantile games?
ReplyDeleteGilbert, do you listen to music? Go to the park? Go to plays, movies, concerts? You could make the same "who cares" comment about those things too. Sports is an entertaining diversion for many (even if you don't find it interesting). Sports is no less valid a diversion than any other interest. We can't worry about the serious issues 24/7.
DeleteNo segment is more infantile than the "important" "powers-that-be" pooh-bahs who are responsible for our country's/world's fractured and declining status. Their self-serving, rat-fucking, uber-corrupt, unconscionable antics represent the worst forms of game-playing. Those disturbing facts create the need for sanity-saving diversions.
DeleteAwwwww, Gilbert, what's wrong? Got bullied by the popular sports jocks in school. Rich's thing wasn't on sports as a whole. I would understand your argument if your BFF Biden were to give 50% of the national budget to Sports Franchises, but Rich reporting on all things about the media will not affect the status of our country's well being. You bitching about sports being discussed while our country falling apart is like standing in front of a 10 foot wave and hoping to not get wet.
DeleteGreg B. Exactly.
DeleteGilbert would a date with George Takei help?
Delete(inside baseball for those that watch Friars Club Roasts) Google it
If dating George was a sport, it would be Gilbert's favorite. Ohhhh MYYYYY.
DeleteI stopped reading Ostler when he started writing about politics instead of sports. He always fancied himself as the Herb Caen
ReplyDeleteof the Green, but no one could match Jenkins' mastery of the three dot journalism.
I enjoyed Dave Newhouse's sports column for the East Bay Today. Reach for the peach.
ReplyDeleteAnn Killion is a hack!
ReplyDeleteFor some reason Killion is under the misguided impression that EVERY Giants fan is a liberal democrat and thinks accordingly. She gets a bit obnoxious at times. I agree with the posters who think the Green has gotten way too political.
DeleteCouple of thoughts...Tom Stienstra the outdoor writer always had a full page on Sunday. Miss that...
ReplyDeleteTampa Bay finally got their team and now nobody goes to the games there...
The Chronicle was never a respected paper. When I was taking an introductory journalism class in college in the '80s, I remember the professor making fun of the Chronicle, and this was at a school many states away. And let's not forget the Ben Bradlee dig in, "All the President's Men". The Chronicle's bad reputation is long-held and wide-ranging.
ReplyDeleteI canceled my subscription to the Chronicle a few months ago. There's hardly any actual news, anymore. It's almost all extreme woke opinion (I consider myself a left-of-center, but not nutty far-left), features, and food and restaurant reviews. You go to the Chronicle website, and it will have the same stories posted for weeks, if not months.
My daughter uses it to line his pet rabbits cage
ReplyDeleteThat's the best use of the dribble spewed out by no talent hacks like Susan Slusser
DeleteYou think the Comical/SFGate 'editors' give a shit about local sports? They couldn't care less. They're all a bunch of transplant millennials focused entirely on playing grabass with each other as they all try their hardest to become Instagram 'influencers.' It's beyond pathetic. Besides, who needs sports coverage when they have a dedicated 'burrito' editor?
ReplyDeleteThe obits section always seems up to date.
ReplyDeleteMy top 3 were Lowell, Glenn and Ira Miller. Have not read the Chron in years.
ReplyDeleteAnn Killion? lolz She's been coasting for awhile now. Mostly woke crap. She was decent at the Merc. Now, not even close. Wind and cheesing it.
ReplyDeleteI still have a print subscription, only for the sake of tradition. I just like having the paper paper every day. This morning it took me literally less than ten minutes to read the entire thing. The subscription is incredibly expensive and I'm not sure how much longer I can stick with it. I've tried reading the "paper" online and I'll never get used to that.
ReplyDeleteTree killer. And tradition went out the window when Hearst took over the paper. Bravo to the deYoung family. They got out when the getting was good. Give it up. Get with the crowd. Deal with the online version. You can take the money you save and go buy a Starbucks.
DeleteNo. I hate Starbucks and hate the crowd. By getting the print paper I'll actually read it. If it lives on my computer I'll ignore it with the rest of my email. And do you honestly think they still make newsprint out of trees? Maybe you're the one who needs to get with the times, kiddo.
DeleteThe green paper was a nice, welcome thing except that the photos sucked.
ReplyDeleteOn a slightly different subject I saw Ryan Yamamoto for the first time since his return to KPIX the other day, and thought about all your comments about cosmetic clerks at the Fresno Macys. So what's he do? Sell overpriced men's watches? Ugh. He'll move the needle all right...in the opposite direction.
ReplyDeleteIn the world of watches or horology as the sophisticated call it, Yamamota would be selling Timex at Penneys not the Patek Philippe boutique. Bland. Bland. Bland.
Delete@8:84
ReplyDelete"...canceled my subscription to the Chronicle a few months ago...It's almost all extreme woke opinion"
Unless you consider endless pages of COVID hysteria "woke opinion," it's unclear whether you're actually referring to the Chronicle.
Unfortunately, the only reason why I still subscribe to the Comical is I need to know how the Bay Area continues to disintegrate on a daily basis. I don't need the hard copy as that's out-of-date as soon as the printing plates are created. Coverage is sub-standard. I think all they do is grab news releases or get spoon-fed stories from PR people. Frankly, I'd prefer the Comical that was lampooned in "All the President's Men" compared to the rag that it is now.
ReplyDeleteSporting Green was always found in the men's room stalls at the factory. It had two uses.
ReplyDeleteChronicle Sunday edition datebook pink,sports Green,cooking section,then a magazine ! Color Comics and full business section with stock listing for the week high low. All for .50
ReplyDeleteKillion is useless. Her faux outrage on everything is a tired act. Her sensitivity when called out for her inaccurate reporting is hilarious.
ReplyDeleteJenkins is beyond his prime. His reluctance to move past the 60s and 70s is pathetic. Time for both to move on.