Yes, absolutely, it’s a gaffe for the ages. Dean Singleton asking Barack Obama about the threat posed by “Obama” bin Laden. Read about it here; … or see it here. That’s a whopper, you bet, from your MediaNews CEO. But the real news out of the E&P story (the first link, above)? What really caught […]

[Read more →]

I wish I had thought of this first, because the more I think about it the more I’m convinced the author has the right idea: The “modern” Olympic games should be ended. This op-ed piece, by Buzz Bissinger, appeared in the New York Times on Sunday. He makes a compelling case that the Olympics we […]

[Read more →]

We like to think the Dodgers and Giants compare, but they don’t. Not over the past 20 years. This Bombers-BoSox stuff is so crazy, fans are trying to put hexes on each other. If you didn’t see this story about the construction worker leaving behind a Red Sox jersey in the foundation of the new […]

[Read more →]

I covered the 1980 Masters for Gannett News Service. First golf tournament I ever covered, and I started with the biggest. True story. Kind of a sad story, too, because the experience largely was wasted on me. Think of all the sports writers out there who could die happy if they got to cover the […]

[Read more →]

Yes, I know. Nobody is interested in anybody else’s fantasy teams. Not even teams in your own league. Fantasy teams are like family photos. NOBODY CARES except the people in the pictures. OK, I take that back: Fantasy teams are worse than family photos because not even other members of your family care about your […]

[Read more →]

The Lakers went up 30 in the second quarter, saw New Orleans close within a point with 3:57 to play … but hung on to defeat the Hornets 107-104 and clinch the Pacific Division — probably securing the MVP award for Kobe Bryant, in the process. They also moved within a half-game of New Orleans […]

[Read more →]

A designer for the San Jose Mercury News, one of the struggling newspapers in Dean Singleton’s Northern California pod … has put together a moving photo gallery of images from the Merc newsroom. Martin Gee’s photos are mostly about what is NOT there … which makes them haunting. Well, sad, too. To go to the […]

[Read more →]

The L.A. News Group is sending no one to the Beijing Olympics, barring some late change of heart. Meaning that the MediaNews-owned ring of suburban dailies has gone from three reporters at both the Sydney and Athens games (of 2000 and 2004) … to two at the Torino winter games (2006) … to zero at […]

[Read more →]

Jim Long may be the toughest, most resourceful and most relentlessly enthusiastic journalist I’ve ever met. Particularly when we take into account the hand nature dealt him. My history with Jim Long began when a woman named Joyce Miller, adviser for the Eisenhower High School paper, said she had a wonderful candidate for a part-time […]

[Read more →]

I held the 54th pick of the 2008 Sun Baseball League (fantasy) draft. I already had A-Rod, Tulowitzki, Prince Fielder, and Papelbon. I wanted a slugger … and an outfielder. Already off the OF board: Matt Holliday (the No. 5 pick), Manny Ramirez (13), Ben Braun (17), Carl Crawford (18), Alfonso Soriano (20), Carlos Beltran […]

[Read more →]