THE CHRONICLE HAS HIRED dreck sports columnist,
Mike Silver, a no-talent, retread with all the sports' news savvy of a diseased canary.
But that's not the news.
The
Chronicle has been begging, urging its senior writers and reporters to take buyout offers, including its sports staff. It urged star columnist,
Bruce Jenkins to leave and retire; Jenkins obliged and now writes a
Sunday column as a free-lancer so his compensation is on a per-column basis.
The Chronicle, in fact, has been on a mission the past few years to offer early retirements and BUY OUTS claiming, like most daily newspapers, it is LOSING vast sums of money and having to recreate a new business model on its website and mass-crappola, SFGate.
What despicable and mass-EGO asshole, Silver is robbing from Heasrt isn't known but whatever it is, is sure to PISS OFF the holdouts in sports like Scott Ostler and Ann Killion.
Silver used to have a decent gig at
Sports Illustrated and opine for such outfits as the
NFL Network --a cachet based more on theory because Silver kissed up to and cozied his way around some NFL players, but in reality, broke largely NOTHING and emerged as a certifiable
ASSHOLE --especially near his
Oakland/Piedmont Ave roots.
So all this is a puzzling move and another act of DESPERATION by the woeful SF Chronicle, which I guess is trying to become relevant again.
Tell that to Ostler and Jenkins.
The Chronicle has been a source of dreck for a long time, especially during the pandemic. They canonize the words of medical dictators, make anything to do with COVID-19 as the top news stories -- even though more reliable sources of news like the NY Times, don't give it a high priority and celebrate liberal causes. They are not neutral sources of information. Take a look at the people who cover the pro sports teams. They're all cheerleaders. Don't ever expect any criticisms of the local teams from these poison pens. And based on cutting high priced hacks, how can they justify hiring Silver? So glad I have an NY Times subscription.
ReplyDeleteThis is why newspapers are dying. They force out wise voices like Jenkins and cry poor, hiring inexperienced reporters to save money, and then splurge a few weeks later on a Silver. Very curious logic.
ReplyDeleteI called The Chronicle today and told them that if they wanted me to continue my subscription after 40 years, they would have to reduce the subscription price considerably. I told them “if you want me as a customer anymore and care about my loyalty, you’ll give me a 50% discount.” Amazingly, they complied. Guess they’d rather have me stay with them at a reduced rate than not at all. I told the customer service rep that my biggest complaint was that I like to read the Sporting Green but it rarely gives any scores or information about the previous days or nights games. I get nothing but features and then two days later I get an account of the game which is BS. They’ve been doing this since the new year. Maybe it’s because I live 20 miles north of the city and get the early addition, but that’s not an excuse. During the Warriors playoff run, we were getting no recaps of the games the next day. They always had a picture and printed: “ the game ended too late for our edition. For more than bro, go to Sf gate.com.” I am actually one of those people who still likes to read the paper, not have to go on line. .Now all I’m getting are features of the 49ers and Warriors and some commentary about the Giants plus things such as today’s long winded pieces from Anne Killion on women’s tennis , Which I hate to say, it’s not a very popular sport.
ReplyDeleteI am 9 miles from downtown SF and they want $320 for just the Sunday Paper. Bullshit.
DeleteWhat despicable and mass-EGO asshole, Silver is robbing from Heasrt isn't known but whatever it is, is sure to PISS OFF the holdouts in sports like Scott Ostler and Ann Killion.
DeleteI bet they can get away with short paying Ann.
You are absolutely right. I am going to call them and say the same thing you said. The Bay Area News Group has the scores the next day. The Sporting Green has seen better days.
DeleteScott Ostler is one of the best writers in America, no doubt about it. He combines intelligence, humor, facts, and words into a tasty Story dessert. They should feature him on every level: web, paper, rock, scissors. He is head and shoulders better than his competitors. Give him a big rai$e !!
ReplyDeleteOstler is a pompous ass, who would rather write about politics than sports.
DeleteOstler - I can't stand his full story columns or his small paragraph observations. His attempts at humor are a waste of time. I have given up reading his bs. Scott - Please retire the let the next writer come up and take your spot.
DeleteThe only reason why I subscribe to the Chronicle's online news site is for professional reasons. Otherwise, I wouldn't. This newspaper continues to go downhill unabated. The decision to hire Silver is one in a string of peculiar decisions made by a paper once known as "The Voice of the West." It's turned into a liberal sounding board. No impartiality. Their reporters troll social media to get their stories, especially the latest fear mongering on Covid-19. Lazy bastards. News flash: many other newspapers don't even have that as a top story anymore. Except for this POS. They're controlled by UCSF Medical Center. When Bob Wachter or Monica Ghandi calls, they drop everything and make them the center of attention. And then they run this story about a gentleman who got monkeypox thanks to attending NY Pride and having sex with strangers. Guess he wasn't around when they were handing out brains. But the Chronicle wants the readership to feel sorry for him and push for those vaccines. Who the hell is running the ship? What a freaking joke. Do everyone a favor: shutdown the paper. Let it die.
ReplyDeleteThe deadlines are so early to save money, that there is little game coverage. Thankfully, the Merc runs game coverage. I cannot take any more features on the Warriors’ salary issues or ranking the Niners’ draft picks. Junk filler.
ReplyDeleteI just go to Yahoo Sports. Even their coverage of Bay Area sports is a million times better than the Chronicle's.
DeleteI hope the Chronicle is out of business by 2023
ReplyDeleteWhy?.... I think they will stick around a little while longer hopefully
DeleteSame here.
DeleteJenkins is a complete joke. Nothing interesting at all. He’s the worst out of all the “ sports writers “
ReplyDeletePeter Felch
KCBS
But he's best buddies with Marty Lurie and calls in on Saturday or Sundays to complain about the Giants, how the organization is a mess and how the Dodgers are the greatest thing since sliced bread. Time Marty & Bruce retire. They're like the new Oscar & Felix.
DeleteI took a journalism class at an out-of-state university in the '80s, and remember the professor mentioning the low regard that the Chronicle was held in among newspaper professionals. I cancelled my subscription last year, as it's unreadable now. Most of its articles are about food and real estate. Even its supposedly serious news articles comes off more as opinion pieces.
ReplyDeleteI too hope the Chronicle goes out of business. Right now I read it at the contra costa county libraries website online for free so I don't waste my money.
DeleteGuys...and gals...it's not just the Chron. Papers all across the country ain't what they used to be--even everyone's beloved NYTimes (and my LA Times). Print media...and printed material in general (yeah, I'm directing this at "bookstore guy/gal") are going to be irrelevant soon--if they aren't already in many cases. Everything is now electronic. And why shouldn't it be? I laugh when people say "I like to actually HOLD something when I read" or "I like to physically browse for books amid shelves upon shelves of books." Um, I like to hold my iPhone or iPad when I read my daily "newspapers." And I love to browse on Chrome or Firefox for "books" that I can buy--and then read on my iPhone or iPad.
ReplyDeleteMy diseased canary wanted me to thank you for mentioning her in your blog, Rich.
ReplyDeleteSilver’s initial column is a bit of a meandering mess today.
ReplyDeleteThe Chron is a joke. This morning, the Trump raid story ran on page A8, four paragraphs at the bottom of the page. The top P1 story in the Chronicle was a press release about a DA candidate "officially running," followed by a puff piece on Japanese jazz.
ReplyDeleteMike Silver is a nice catch for the Sporting Green. While he is heavily skewed to football, he is a local guy and writes a good column. I will take Bruce Jenkins any way I can get him. His Sunday columns are a real treat. Ostler and Killion are top notch and fun to read. Jenkins on Sunday, Killion, Ostler and now Silver, make the Sporting Green an excellent read everyday of the week.
ReplyDeleteChronicle has always been about the columnists. Fortunately, they still have decent ones left in sports. Enjoy reading them, and glad I can still get someone to actually put a paper on my driveway each morning (what a luxury).
DeleteLOL Killion hasn't written a decent column in years Ostler still complains about Kaepernick.. top notch LOL
DeleteThe Chron used to offer Fri-Sat-Sun delivery, which was a good deal, and let you read the rest of the week online.
ReplyDeleteBut I was never a big Bruce Jenkins' fan, because he was such a curmudgeon. Every spring, he would complain that the American League did not play real baseball, because the pitchers didn't bat (This was when, say Greg Maddux was batting .063)
The peak was when he complained about the pattern the A's mowers cut into the Diamond.
Yeah, Jenkins was/is a recycled act. Lots of oldies references to Bernard King, Gus Johnson, JoJo White, Sandy Koufax. Not sure he ventured outside his living room often to attend sporting events or interview anyone. It all seems so tired and insulated.
ReplyDeleteSilver is the least likeable Cal Guy you might ever have the misfortune of bumping in to.
ReplyDeleteSilver will be the first to tell you.. "I went to Cal Berkeley. I know Adam Duritz of Counting Crows. That rocket scientist dropped out of Cal 2 credits short of a degree. Good for him!" Also Silver will tell you he is good friends with another nobody in Bay Area Sports, Roxy Bernstein. Is he even still considered a sports broadcaster or member of the media?
ReplyDeleteUm, dude works for ESPN.
DeleteSchmucks! Silver sounds dopey on the air, too.
ReplyDeleteDo people actually buy a “newspaper” anymore ? …..and complain about the sports coverage? …..do you not own a phone ? ….there are 100’s of free sports sites …..and im 50 years old ….I remember reading the “sporting green” every morning …..from Tom Stienstras fishing report to all the results from GGF and Bay Meadows ….but yeah I have a phone now …..loved watching Sam Spear (RIP) with the racing recap on ch 26 ….”Goodniiiiiiggghht everybody “
ReplyDeleteRoxy Bernstein. Like Bob Fitzgerald, he was born on third base. Daddy paved the way for his career by buying him anything he wanted and now he thinks he’s entitled to any job he applies for. Knows his stuff and works hard and is certainly more listenable than Fitz, but that’s not saying much. As bland as vanilla.
ReplyDeleteYep known to a fact that he's another "Daddy's boy" who got everything handed to him on a silver platter. Roxy told Bob Agnew he'd be running KNBR one day or he'd be watching o'l Bernstein on Fox or CBS doing NFL play by play. How'd that workout?
DeleteBruce Jenkins was literally the only reason we used to subscribe to the Chron. We finally stopped the subscription bc it was so damn expensive.
ReplyDeleteSo Mike Silver's first Chronicle article about how Jimmy G allegedly ghost the 49ers for weeks after signing his $137.5 million dollar contract in 2019. However Silver classically uses the tired "unnamed 49ers coach". Name your source Silver or don't write the article. Why are you trying to devalue the player? Moron! No one likes you Mike
ReplyDelete