Hey, guess what: Manny arrived at the Sox spring training site in Ft. Myers. Here’s proof.
And here’s proof that Boston is, without a doubt, the city most in need of some perspective of the relative importance of baseball. Since this morning, the Globe and the Herald have combined for 12, count em, 12 blog posts on the situation down in Florida.
Here are a rundown of the Globe’s entries:
Manny’s Here
Ramirez Ready for Work
Manny in the Cages
“10 bucks for a haircut”
Q&A with Manny’s agent
Q&A transcript
Manny vs. Dice K
Dice-K’s session
Manic Monday
And the Herald’s:
Manny’s in the Fort
Manny’s agent, not Manny, speaks
Dice-K update
Contrast that to the three dailies in New York. The Times* insofar as I can tell, doesn’t have a Yankees blog. The Daily News has posted eight Yankees blog entries in the past week, and that’s a week that’s included Mo’s talk of leaving New York, the Bernie Williams situation, and the A-Rod/Jeter clearing of the air. The two Post blogs total 11 entries in the past week: seven in Joel Sherman’s spring training diary and another four in the tabloid’s catch-all Bombers blog.
It’s a suffocating situation. Just ask David Wells, who recently told the Globe’s Nick Cafardo:
“‘It was the worst. You go to a mall with your kids and you have people always wanting to take pictures. They should call it ‘Picturetown’ not ‘Beantown.’ … Listen, I know the people are Red Sox-friendly. They love the Red Sox. I understand that. They have to understand that when we’re not at the ballpark, we’re not subject to autographs and pictures and we need to be able to enjoy ourselves. I don’t think they see that and don’t get it.’
New York, where Wells spent four seasons, ‘is a cakewalk compared to Boston,’ he said. “But you know what? Boston is a great town. When I was playing against them, it was great coming in. Great stuff in that town. Great restaurants and nightlife. Historical stuff.
‘But you have to be able to deal with it. That’s why Manny [Ramírez] is always a little loopy — because he can’t do stuff. If you want to be subject to that kind of stuff, God bless you. But as you get older, you want to relax.’”
Relax? As a member of the Red Sox? Dude…get a grip.
* And, as reader TPIRman points out…I’m wrong about the lack of a Times baseball blog. (Shoot, it’s not like I’ve written a book about the Times or anything.) “Bats,” the Times blog, has two-dozen posts up from the past week; that covers the Mets, the Yankees, and the rest of MLB (including everything from Ichiro to Bonds). And, naturally, there are three posts dedicated to the Red Sox included in there.
“The Times insofar as I can tell, doesn’t have a Yankees blog.”
Bats, the New York Times baseball blog.
I have to agree with Wells. Actually, it’s kind of embarrassing that Boston is so provincial in its obsession with local sports teams. The recent, annual Manny controversy is a good example of a minor issue blown out of proportion by the media to feed this beast that is Red Sox Nation.
I once saw a local sports talk show where a writer asked, “What player WOULDN’T want to come play for the Red Sox? You get treated like a rock star and you’re an instant celebrity,” as if every human who happens to be blessed with the ability to hit, catch, or throw a baseball would naturally want to have their privacy invaded and answer the same exact questions over and over, day after day. Ask Nomar how he feels about it. Read the transcript on boston.com of the press badgering Manny’s agent with questions. These guys were treating Manny’s spring training absence like it was the next Watergate. Who the hell cares? You’re covering a baseball team!
In New York there are thousands of things going on each day that are more important than the Yankees or Mets game. There is also a diverse, international population that did not necessarily grow up following the local sports teams. Movie stars walk down the same streets as hot dog vendors, so why would anyone fall out of their chair when David Wells is eating at a restaurant? The Red Sox and Patriots are all a lot of Bostonians have and that’s reflected in the intensity of the media coverage and the intrusive fan worship. I wouldn’t like “Johnny from Burger King” pestering me during MY Whopper either.
I think this discussion is confusing a few different facets of what it is like to play in Boston. These facets may feed into each other, but they are distinct in important ways.
At this time, the Boston media does seem to revel in the minutiae, as if more facts equals more insight. In regards to the excessive blogging production, I would chalk it up to not being familiar with the medium. (Patriot beat writers seem to have a better understanding of how to produce an effective blog.) On the other hand, Shank doesn’t need to write a column a day in Spring Training (and obviously can’t write a meaningful one).
Another issue is the day to day pressure. New York’s sports media is a completely different beast than Boston’s. There are about double the number of news outlets covering the Yankees and Mets on a daily basis. Plus, Yankees beat writers and columnists are competing with the Mets beat along with each other.
The last issue is what Wells has noted repeatedly; Red Sox fans are not able to give players their space. Not having the temptation myself, I find it disappointing that fans would bother players and their families out on the town.
Things have been ramped up in the last five years. I have no connection to the media so I cannot gauge how the first and third factors feed into each other. Fan interest in everything Red Sox is clearly up, but I am not certain that the media is responding in the manner that fans care about.
We’d all like the pink hats to go away, but that’s the price of winning a World Series.
And, yes, there does seem to be a Dead Anna Nicole, Bald Britney feel to the Sox camp coverage this year. It clearly is over the top.
Yeah, no question that coverage is over the top. Although personally, as a fan sitting at the comfort of my desk buzzing through the websites, I can’t see why I should complain at the wealth of free information, even if a big chunk of it is useless. I think it’s up to me to use my own filters to evaluate what’s good and what isn’t. As you say, Seth, we have to keep our perspective on the importance of baseball. In that regard I can’t deny that the Sox are important to me because they provide entertainment and I need entertainment. Where I draw the line is with something like the questions that were put to Manny’s agent Genske, like the one referring to Manny as his meal ticket. That’s the type of antagonism that really puts the media in a bad light.
That interview of Genske was a disgrace. Shank couldn’t stop harping on the end of last season even after the agent said he wouldn’t comment. Then some jerk kept referring to Manny as a child.
I like a lot of info, too. But it doesn’t have to be meaningless. Look at Reiss’ Pieces for a good example of how it can be done.