Mike Harrington vs. Jr Sabres girl

[DaveSnuggerud]

Is it just me or is Mike Harrington one of the most negative media types ever? Someone on here once called him an "insufferable prick." I'm trying to stay positive with the state of this team and the rebuild but then I read a tweet from MH and it seems like the sky is falling. Is it time to unfollow him? Is there anything he is right about?

[Hoss]

I only follow like two of the local reporters. Any relevant material they have will get retweeted onto my timeline and the rest is muffled garbage for the most part... Attacking those with less knowledge and opportunity, snobbiness, yada yada..

 

I have a list created for Tweetdeck (desktop) and Tweetbot (phone) with all the sports reporters (both locally and nationally) that I can refer to during deadlines and free agency.

 

 

Luckily there is no local reporters or national reporters near the level of Mike Florio (Pro Football Talk) or Darren Rovell (ESPN). They anger me.

Edited March 4, 2016 by Hoss

[That Aud Smell]

Is it just me or is Mike Harrington one of the most negative media types ever? Someone on here once called him an "insufferable prick." I'm trying to stay positive with the state of this team and the rebuild but then I read a tweet from MH and it seems like the sky is falling. Is it time to unfollow him? Is there anything he is right about?

 

It is not just you. I cut ties with that guy a long time ago. I couldn't take it anymore. He was actively, actually making my life worse.

 

I should never have let his shtick hold such sway over me, but there was something about the combination of his unique brand of condescension, pervasive negativity, sh1tty Twitter presence, fetishistic love of baseball, and punchable chinless face that made me see red.

 

Oh, plus? I think he's a bad writer. Objectively.

[Stoner]

He's awesome. And, like he told the sniveling Pegula during an editorial board meeting on the day we met Terry, when the team wins the coverage will be positive, like it was in 05-06 and 06-07. It's really that simple. Terry was asking for positive coverage as a way to improve the team's performance, which was just about the stupidest thing I've ever heard and started the souring process.

[Eleven]

I don't think Harrington is deliberately negative at all.  He leaves that to Gleason and Sullivan.  And his column today was spot-on, with the exception of the gripe that Bylsma started Larsson against McDavid, as he should have.

[DaveSnuggerud]

I don't think Harrington is deliberately negative at all. He leaves that to Gleason and Sullivan. And his column today was spot-on, with the exception of the gripe that Bylsma started Larsson against McDavid, as he should have.

Ugh. Gleason, Sullivan, and Harrington. That's an triumvirate of grouchiness.

 

I can accept some level of negative coverage, including a healthy dose of cynicism, but it's a bit too much from Harrington IMO. I think the average Buffalonian is too negative/cynical and his type of coverage helps makes the general hockey/local sports culture an unbearable stew of anger, pessimism, and angst.

Whoops, left out "unparalleled" before triumvirate.

[beerme1]

I don't think Harrington is deliberately negative at all.  He leaves that to Gleason and Sullivan.  And his column today was spot-on, with the exception of the gripe that Bylsma started Larsson against McDavid, as he should have.

 

 

So Bylsma can play an O'Reilly with an O'Reilly just to get warm fuzzies but he cant put the matchup that every hockey fan in the world wanted to see. Got it.

[pi2000]

When the team is bad what do you want the reporters to say?   Ignore the fact they suck and praise them every chance they get?   I like that they call a spade a spade and don't sugarcoat everything just to appease the organization.    The media should hold them accountable and they do that.    I have no problem with any of them.

 

That said, when the team starts winning and makes a playoff run they'll have something positive to say.

[sabills]

I don't care that he rags on the team, its that he rags on the fans. I can root for my team how I want, you condescending ass.

[DaveSnuggerud]

When the team is bad what do you want the reporters to say? Ignore the fact they suck and praise them every chance they get? I like that they call a spade a spade and don't sugarcoat everything just to appease the organization. The media should hold them accountable and they do that. I have no problem with any of them.

 

That said, when the team starts winning and makes a playoff run they'll have something positive to say.

I agree that sportswriters should function as a provider of accountability for an organization but I'm not sure the current level of negativity is warranted. I'm looking for balance. What's going well? What's not going well? There is also a need for hope within the fan base, which is not a naive, baseless hope. Harrington struggles to provide this perspective. We're watching a very young team early in a rebuild, it seems that now is the time for hopeful patience. It's not like the mess of the 2010 team with vanek, stafford, Roy, which was going nowhere and we all knew it.

[That Aud Smell]

I don't care that he rags on the team, its that he rags on the fans. I can root for my team how I want, you condescending ass.

 

I think this is part of the reason why I feel the way I do about the guy.  

 

I agree that sportswriters should function as a provider of accountability for an organization but I'm not sure the current level of negativity is warranted. I'm looking for balance. What's going well? What's not going well? There is also a need for hope within the fan base, which is not a naive, baseless hope. Harrington struggles to provide this perspective. We're watching a very young team early in a rebuild, it seems that now is the time for hopeful patience. It's not like the mess of the 2010 team with vanek, stafford, Roy, which was going nowhere and we all knew it.

 

Good post.

 

I'll add: If he were just an Eeyore about things, I am confident I wouldn't feel about him the way I do. There's other stuff at play, though. Stuff that deserves a swift slap to the side of the head.

[Eleven]

So Bylsma can play an O'Reilly with an O'Reilly just to get warm fuzzies but he cant put the matchup that every hockey fan in the world wanted to see. Got it.

 

He started Eichel in Boston for the warm and fuzzies.

 

Look, I wouldn't have complained a bit if he started Eichel on March 1, but starting his best defensive forward against their best offensive one is standard operating procedure.

 

There are plenty of legitimate reasons to complain about Hot Daniel.  Employing a tried-and-true strategy to try to win a hockey game isn't one of them.

[pastajoe]

When the team is bad what do you want the reporters to say?   Ignore the fact they suck and praise them every chance they get?   I like that they call a spade a spade and don't sugarcoat everything just to appease the organization.    The media should hold them accountable and they do that.    I have no problem with any of them.

 

That said, when the team starts winning and makes a playoff run they'll have something positive to say.

 

I agree, the teams haven't given the press much to be positive about, especially the Bills.  They shouldn't be cheerleaders.  I am tired of Harrington still being snarky about the Sabres tanking last year.  He thinks they should have made quick changes to make the team competitive instead of tanking to get Eichel, and he won't let it go.  But that's what teams like the Bills do to perpetually be mediocre.  The fans bought into the tank, so give it a rest.

[beerme1]

He started Eichel in Boston for the warm and fuzzies.

 

Look, I wouldn't have complained a bit if he started Eichel on March 1, but starting his best defensive forward against their best offensive one is standard operating procedure.

 

There are plenty of legitimate reasons to complain about Hot Daniel.  Employing a tried-and-true strategy to try to win a hockey game isn't one of them.

 

Alright alright.

I went Tuesday and couldn't believe he did that but it was more a wtf feeling and rather than bitching about it.

But then I heard everyone complain about it all day Wednesday and while you may be right that he should have started his defensive guys against McDavid, that is to say he's oblivious to the back drop.

 

Wonder if O'Reilly was playing what he does?

I don't give a crap about the matchup he was looking for. I doubt the third line center starts the game at home.  

Even today people, including ex players are ripping him about it. Rant off.

There are as you point out plenty of reasons harp on him.  

[TrueBlueGED]

My biggest beef with Harrington: he doesn't know how to disagree without being disagreeable. Or maybe he's just not interested in doing so.

[Weave]

My biggest beef with Harrington: he doesn't know how to disagree without being disagreeable. Or maybe he's just not interested in doing so.

 

That is the only issue I have with him, and frankly, I don't have the emotional budget to let my blood pressure get up about it at all.  Good lord, someone on the internet that can't disagree with civility. All of us may as well turn off our devices if that is a real complaint.

[TrueBlueGED]

That is the only issue I have with him, and frankly, I don't have the emotional budget to let my blood pressure get up about it at all. Good lord, someone on the internet that can't disagree with civility. All of us may as well turn off our devices if that is a real complaint.

Eh, I don't think it's too much to ask of a professional journalist.

[Weave]

Eh, I don't think it's too much to ask of a professional journalist.

 

If I were his employer, I'd care.  and I'd expect more professionalism.  As JAG on the interwebs?  Yeah, blends in with the crowd.  *yawn*

[That Aud Smell]

Eh, I don't think it's too much to ask of a professional journalist.

 

You're quite right, it isn't. But why would this be asked of Harrington?

 

HEY-OH.

[TrueBlueGED]

If I were his employer, I'd care. and I'd expect more professionalism. As JAG on the interwebs? Yeah, blends in with the crowd. *yawn*

No, you're right.

You're quite right, it isn't. But why would this be asked of Harrington?

 

HEY-OH.

Snap, son.

[thewookie1]

I don't care that he rags on the team, its that he rags on the fans. I can root for my team how I want, you condescending ass.

 

My thoughts as well, I'm all for critical thinking and cynical opinions when "a team" calls for it. But when you go after the paying customers, then you really are crossing the line of journalism into self-righteous BS.  

[Hoss]

Maybe we could turn this into a media thread?

 

This may explain why there's a ton of leaky info and improper info out there...

 

2000 in America: 65,900 reporters, 128,600 PR people

2015 in America: 46,500 reporters, 208,000 PR people

(per @BLS_gov data)

[...]

PR people get paid more, too.

[Hoss]

PR people get paid more, too.

A recent story by a local television news station proved that.

[SwampD]

Maybe we could turn this into a media thread?

 

This may explain why there's a ton of leaky info and improper info out there...

 

2000 in America: 65,900 reporters, 128,600 PR people

2015 in America: 46,500 reporters, 208,000 PR people

(per @BLS_gov data)

What that tells me is that messages are being more centrally delivered and then it takes more people to sugarcoat those sh!tty messages.