Sullivan Ax Grinding

[Pimlach]

https://www.niagara-gazette.com/sports/sullivan-sabres-should-think-twice-about-re-signing-skinner/article_75d05ae6-8576-11e9-aab6-c71603b0f40f.html

 

Did the Pegula’s have something to do with Sullivan’s firing?   Being an out of town fan I could have missed it. I figure Sully got canned because he is not very good at getting breaking and insightful information.  He tends to instead drill over past known issues and  errors.  

Everything he says comes off to me as whining.   Take the Skinner signing.  Everyone knows these contracts, especially for a winger, are a slippery slope and a trade-off of cost versus potential production.   He mentions theses trade offs, but his article comes off like an attack on Skinner’s game, Boterill’s performance (ROR trade) , and the entire organization.  

Edited June 3, 2019 by Pimlach

[freester]

You can't handle the truth

[Lanny]

Quote

“As I understand it, The News lost $250,000 worth of business with the Pegulas at one point. I heard it was Sabres programs. It came to my attention at the time,” says Sullivan, referencing Kim and Terry Pegula, the owners of the Bills and Sabres. “I recall one specific major staff meeting, not just sports but the whole department, one of the advertising people joked in front of the whole room about Sully costing us that money. I think there was a general understanding that it as negative sports writing that caused the Pegulas to pull that.”

“When there are only two teams in town, and they’ve already pulled accounts for negative sports writing; when there are only two columnists, whether it’s overt or otherwise, there’s at least a subliminal desire on the part of the people running the sports department to lighten the touch,” added Sullivan. “It’s a business. The biggest business is right across the street.”

That business being Pegula Sports and Entertainment, which sits across the intersection from The Buffalo News.

https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2018/6/22/17488972/what-really-happened-buffalo-news-sports-2018-tim-graham-jerry-sullivan-bucky-gleason-john-vogl

[That Aud Smell]

I'm not sure whether Sullivan actually thinks the Pegulas had something to do with him being separated. I would not blame him for thinking they played a role, even if only silently and passively.

The economics and overall philosophy of TBN made Sullivan's (and others') separation inevitable. The former factor is widely known regarding legacy newspapers. As to the latter, TBN has charted a clear course to catering to the ~1% wealthy of WNY. This is most frequently seen in the absolute kid gloves treatment TBN gives to the developers feeding at the trough of public money and to the Governor's $800M RiverBend boondoggle.

I glossed that piece. And I don't entirely disagree with Sullivan taking some shots with the anticipated Skinner signing. I mean ... Sullivan's not all wrong in that article.

I tired of his shtick. But he's not a dummy. And he knows well the histories of the local franchises.

 

4 minutes ago, Lanny said:

https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2018/6/22/17488972/what-really-happened-buffalo-news-sports-2018-tim-graham-jerry-sullivan-bucky-gleason-john-vogl

Good find. I didn't realize it had been discussed so openly. 

 

[freester]

How can Sully be so critical of our beloved Sabres?   Well maybe its because we are the worst organization in the NHL since Chiarelli got canned in Edmonton.

[Pimlach]

3 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

I'm not sure whether Sullivan actually thinks the Pegulas had something to do with him being separated. I would not blame him for thinking they played a role, even if only silently and passively.

The economics and overall philosophy of TBN made Sullivan's (and others') separation inevitable. The former factor is widely known regarding legacy newspapers. As to the latter, TBN has charted a clear course to catering to the ~1% wealthy of WNY. This is most frequently seen in the absolute kid gloves treatment TBN gives to the developers feeding at the trough of public money and to the Governor's $800M RiverBend boondoggle.

I glossed that piece. And I don't entirely disagree with Sullivan taking some shots with the anticipated Skinner signing. I mean ... Sullivan's not all wrong in that article.

I tired of his shtick. But he's not a dummy. And he knows well the histories of the local franchises.

 

Good find. I didn't realize it had been discussed so openly. 

 

Yes, he is no dummy.  But even prior to PSE, he seemed to lack the ability to get the inside scoop on Buffalo sports.  Like he was not part of the inner circle for Buffalo Sports (Like Felser, Kelley, etc). 

[Stoner]

4 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Yes, he is no dummy.  But even prior to PSE, he seemed to lack the ability to get the inside scoop on Buffalo sports.  Like he was not part of the inner circle for Buffalo Sports (Like Felser, Kelley, etc). 

Columnists don't typically do that. He wasn't a beat reporter.

[Weave]

10 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Columnists don't typically do that. He wasn't a beat reporter.

Yeah, this is a weird criticism of Sullivan.  He was an opinion columnist, not a reporter.

[dudacek]

With all due respect guys, the above is *****.

The best columnists are extremely well-connected and/or able to get people to open up. Yes, they share their insight and their opinion, but their insight is shaped by their connections and their knowledge. They don’t just sit in their armchair, read the news and start bloviating. The hear things and they know things that we don’t. At least they should, if they are good at their jobs.

The medium may have changed, but McKenzie is a columnist, Friedman is a columnist.

I haven’t read Sullivan for a long time, but his flaw as a columnist was that he rarely offered anything more than his opinion.

[Pimlach]

10 hours ago, freester said:

How can Sully be so critical of our beloved Sabres?   Well maybe its because we are the worst organization in the NHL since Chiarelli got canned in Edmonton.

I’m not asking that question.  The Sabres Organization has been poorly run for a long time.  He can be critical, so can anyone.    I’m asking why, after years of exile, he continues to pop up with articles that grind away at old and obvious issues.  

The links provided go a long way to answering the question.  

Edited June 4, 2019 by Pimlach

[OhMyDahlin]

Josh Allen could turn into Tom Brady and Jack Eichel could turn into Wayne Gretzky, and Sullivan would still find a way to complain about how they got those players.

"Well, they traded up for Allen and tanked for Eichel, it doesn't matter how good they are."

[That Aud Smell]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

Like he was not part of the inner circle for Buffalo Sports (Like Felser, Kelley, etc). 

I don't think he ever had it in him to create the connections that those guys did.

1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:

Columnists don't typically do that. He wasn't a beat reporter.

1 hour ago, Weave said:

Yeah, this is a weird criticism of Sullivan.  He was an opinion columnist, not a reporter.

I'll disagree with this.

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

The best columnists are extremely well-connected and/or able to get people to open up. Yes, they share their insight and their opinion, but their insight is shaped by their connections and their knowledge. They don’t just sit in their armchair, read the news and start bloviating. The hear things and they know things that we don’t. At least they should, if they are good at their jobs.

The medium may have changed, but McKenzie is a columnist, Friedman is a columnist.

I haven’t read Sullivan for a long time, but his flaw as a columnist was that he rarely offered anything more than his opinion.

And agree with this.

Also, re this : Sullivan's alter ego - the fictional guy at the bar (Rex?) - was an accurate reflection of who and what Sullivan was and what he was comfortable being.

 

Edited June 3, 2019 by That Aud Smell

[Peter]

2 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Everything he says comes off to me as whining.  

 

You have captured Sully in one sentence.  I could not have said it better.

[Neo]

Sully has his style, his strengths and his weaknesses.   As to the body of work, I've appreciated it over the twenty plus years.  He's sort of like a medicine.   I know there are aspects of the read that will burn going down, but I definitely want the cure!  So, bottoms up.

Now, as to the Skinner comments.   I'm not a Cap-O-Logist.    I have a little heartburn going $9 million for 8.

[That Aud Smell]

25 minutes ago, Neo said:

Sully has his style, his strengths and his weaknesses.   As to the body of work, I've appreciated it over the twenty plus years.  He's sort of like a medicine.   I know there are aspects of the read that will burn going down, but I definitely want the cure!  So, bottoms up.

Now, as to the Skinner comments.   I'm not a Cap-O-Logist.    I have a little heartburn going $9 million for 8.

Fair.

Sullivan also made a fair point in the context of that article -- saying that Carolina had managed to succeed without Skinner by getting balanced scoring. So, does Buffalo absolutely *need* Skinner as a LW1? Essentially no matter the cost?

Another thought on Sullivan: Sometimes coaches move on because their shtick wore thin with the players.

[IKnowPhysics]

5 hours ago, Lanny said:

https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2018/6/22/17488972/what-really-happened-buffalo-news-sports-2018-tim-graham-jerry-sullivan-bucky-gleason-john-vogl

Quote

“[My meeting] only took about 12 minutes,” Sullivan told Buffalo Rumblings. “It was pretty upsetting, and I started to leave. Mike Connelly led into the big news with a three-pronged discussion about what we needed in the sports department to be better. The message at the end was that my voice had become tired, and he didn’t use the words ‘bad for business,’ but that was clearly the message.”

[Stoner]

If Jerry didn't have any or many connections, consider: back in the day, Kelley and Felser flew with the team if I'm not mistaken; they were hardly shills, but the relationship between "reporter" and team was much more familiar and comfortable than it is now; and as for the Pegula era, I highly doubt anyone on Terry's payroll was going to risk being Jerry's go to guy, not after the owner made it clean on Day Fricken One he felt the Buffalo News was contributing to the team's on-ice performance. (Hot take, Terrence.)

[Taro T]

22 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

If Jerry didn't have any or many connections, consider: back in the day, Kelley and Felser flew with the team if I'm not mistaken; they were hardly shills, but the relationship between "reporter" and team was much more familiar and comfortable than it is now; and as for the Pegula era, I highly doubt anyone on Terry's payroll was going to risk being Jerry's go to guy, not after the owner made it clean on Day Fricken One he felt the Buffalo News was contributing to the team's on-ice performance. (Hot take, Terrence.)

Horsefeathers.

The mustachioed one who shall remain nameless was a 2 bit crank as far back as the late '80's when Felser & the great Kelley were still plying their craft the proper way.

Loved the column before the '90 season claiming the Bills would stink because they'd never move beyond being the "bickering Bills."  Had his head up his bippy then & never bothered to remove it in the following 3 decades.

[PerreaultForever]

Sure he has an ax to grind, BUT he's not wrong. $9 million +  for Skinner will hurt this team down the road. 

[7+6=13]

2 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

Fair.

Sullivan also made a fair point in the context of that article -- saying that Carolina had managed to succeed without Skinner by getting balanced scoring. So, does Buffalo absolutely *need* Skinner as a LW1? Essentially no matter the cost?

Another thought on Sullivan: Sometimes coaches move on because their shtick wore thin with the players.

I actually agree with what your saying about balanced scoring.  However I'd replace Skinner with Reinhart in that discussion and get my balanced scoring from his potential money.  

[Kruppstahl]

7 hours ago, freester said:

How can Sully be so critical of our beloved Sabres?   Well maybe its because we are the worst organization in the NHL since Chiarelli got canned in Edmonton.

Yeah but a lot of Buffalo sports fans don't want to hear that, so they create villains and then beat them to death over and over and over.  

Jerry Sullivan is one of them.

 

 

[Stoner]

22 minutes ago, Kruppstahl said:

Yeah but a lot of Buffalo sports fans don't want to hear that, so they create villains and then beat them to death over and over and over.  

Jerry Sullivan is one of them.

It's not any more complicated than this.

[dudacek]

4 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

It's not any more complicated than this:

He only tells me things I already know, presented in the worst possible light, unrelentingly.

Why anyone would want to expose themselves to that kind of toxicity on a regular basis is beyond me.

[dudacek]

8 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

It's not any more complicated than this.

To expand, I have trouble with the idea that because I don’t want to read Sullivan, I’m some sort of cheerleader.

I’ve been reading @PASabreFan for years, Frequently disagree with him. But I like reading his stuff. Partly because he’s funny and a good writer, but mostly because he see things in people and situations that I might miss. His different opinions enrich my understanding and improve my perspective.

Sullivan’s rarely do.

 

Or maybe it’s no more complicated than this:

33 minutes ago, Kruppstahl said:

Yeah but a lot of Buffalo sports fans want someone to create villains and then beat them to death over and over and over.  Jerry Sullivan is there for them.

 

 

 

[Neo]

13 minutes ago, dudacek said:

He only tells me things I already know, presented in the worst possible light, unrelentingly.

Why anyone would want to expose themselves to that kind of toxicity on a regular basis is beyond me.

My heavens ... your last sentence ....  and here we are on a Sabres blog!   Oh, why, indeed!