Miklasz leaving Post-Dispatch

[FrankenRam]

I've been to the Dominican for an all-inclusive in Punta Cana. Driving through Hispaniola is like driving through a war zone, post-war. It's not necessarily a stretch to say (and back it up with reports) that the education system there is lacking. I really don't find that racist. It would be like saying West Virginia is behind in that regard. Sure, he may have gone too far to make his point, but that's what these guys do. Meanwhile Bernie gets a pass for saying his readers are "idiots"or are part of the 'low comprehension crowd' for having a different take than him on more than one occasion.

There are times when those comments are spot on.

 

[drasconis]

Well said.

The problem in this case, I guess, is the symbiotic relationship between business and morals. And it's a very slippery slope when it comes to regulating morals in the interest of good business; particularly when the business is the entertainment industry. Further when the entertainment industry employee's job is to BE controversial in order to lure viewers/listeners for the purpose of generating revenue (i.e. advertisers).

I think you're right though. Cowherd was a short-timer, so the decision was easy and makes ESPN look like they have strong moral convictions and a zero tolerance policy for verbal slip-ups. We all know they don't though. If Cowherd was at the top of his game, and the revenue stream as a result of his job was high, then a simple (albeit well-constructed) apology would have sufficed. I have no doubts about that. That's why ESPN should be very careful about how they manage these situations and where they draw the line. If they take this stance all the time, under any circumstance, then they're only gonna end up hurting themselves. They also run the risk of being accused of having double-standards if they let a bigger draw get away with the same thing in the future.

One has to wonder how ESPN would have reacted had he renewed his contract with them? Would they have down played it and said it was out of context...the funny thing here is that this actually worked in their favor, they got to make him into a "bad guy" at the about the time he was going to a competitor.

 

[fearsomefour]

X,
Where this is all headed is someplace America has already been. The other side of the political coin made a pretty scary and successful attempt to limit speech, conversation and personal rights with McCarthy-ism. Getting called into a hearing of your local "PC compliance board" is something that is not that outlandish considering where we are now. Things have not swung as far left as they were (far right) during the hearing days of the 1950s but, it doesn't seem too far off.
To me this was all accelerated post Columbine. That is something that I am relatively informed about as I had a relative that was very involved with what happened there as a student and was directly effected by it. The spin and misreporting of "facts" by the media, the cause that arose from it (bullying and zero tolerance") really accelerated the general cause we see playing out now....intolerance hiding behind the shield of tolerance. JFK brought MLK to the white house, a visionary brilliant man of character. Our current President brings Al Sharpton, a naked racist and bigot. This is how little character matters today.
I am still waiting for my restitution check from Great Britain by the way.

 

[-X-]

There are times when those comments are spot on.

Possibly.

But I recall him calling people idiots who said Spags was the reason the team was losing in 2011. He cited (with Balzer) the overwhelming amount of injuries as the main culprit, and enumerated all of them. Even went as far as to 'imitate' people who weren't objective in his eyes (i.e., making "Duhhh" sounds). Then no more than 2 weeks later he called people idiots for giving Spags a pass, citing (by himself) the record over a 2.5 year span. I recorded both radio broadcasts and married them into one soundbyte and played it for him on Twitter.

He blocked me.

 

[Mackeyser]

Bernie leaving the PD before the season?

Just another sign, Rams Brothers, that...

THIS IS OUR YEAR!!!

 

[Angry Ram]

Possibly.

But I recall him calling people idiots who said Spags was the reason the team was losing in 2011. He cited (with Balzer) the overwhelming amount of injuries as the main culprit, and enumerated all of them. Even went as far as to 'imitate' people who weren't objective in his eyes (i.e., making "Duhhh" sounds). Then no more than 2 weeks later he called people idiots for giving Spags a pass, citing (by himself) the record over a 2.5 year span. I recorded both radio broadcasts and married them into one soundbyte and played it for him on Twitter.

He blocked me.

Yup.

And then there was this.

"I am utterly baffled Snead's position Bradford is the Ram's locked in starter and BFF."

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_5dfe0c66-486a-58d9-89c2-e339db5183d5.html

"No, but the Rams need to publically come out and say they are committed to Sam Bradford."

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...tml_9f06d1a8-3be8-548a-b243-5b8a27adfc96.html

Seriously...

Also, @Username posted this way back when...



He's not leaving the STL area tho, and I can bet on the radio there will be a gold mine. Might as well go ahead and rename 101.1 ESPN to "The Fan."

 

[Merlin]

Good riddance. I don't mind wit or sarcasm with a sportswriter, even prefer them, but to be petty and childish should be beneath them. Bernie routinely lowered himself in association and it hurt his voice as a writer IMO.

He'll be better as a talk show host. That is a better calling for him I think.

 

[Faceplant]

Was it a joke?

Yes.

He did no harm?

That is correct.

 

[Faceplant]

Change what image? They aren't stupid. They just don't have resources. They're a poor country. What have the people of the DR done to deserve being called stupid by a jackass like Cowherd?

But see, he didn't say that and to state that he did in this case is fallacy. Look, I agree with a lot of what you say with regards to people treating each other with respect and decency, obviously. The problem I have is with the current trend of media fueled backlash against anything and everything considered "offensive" by that New Moral Order that @-X- made reference to. The Opinion Police are out in force nowadays, and that is not good for anyone.

 

[CodeMonkey]

 

[jrry32]

But see, he didn't say that and to state that he did in this case is fallacy. Look, I agree with a lot of what you say with regards to people treating each other with respect and decency, obviously. The problem I have is with the current trend of media fueled backlash against anything and everything considered "offensive" by that New Moral Order that @-X- made reference to. The Opinion Police are out in force nowadays, and that is not good for anyone.

Yes, he did say that. It's not a fallacy. You don't have to expressly use the word "stupid" to get that point across. And it means the exact same thing.

 

[-X-]

Yes, he did say that. It's not a fallacy. You don't have to expressly use the word "stupid" to get that point across. And it means the exact same thing.

I'm just curious as to why someone would get worked up over something so relatively benign. He said the area as a whole is not really known for its academic abilities.

So?

Why would anyone need to rush to their defense over that? If the tables were turned and some radio dude from another Country took a shot at our crime rate or literacy, should we rush out and file a class action suit against him in response?

Jeez. Whatever happened to brushing shit off?

 

[Rmfnlt]

Now here's a guy that I'm more than happy to never hear from again:
http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/...-espn-air-comments-dominican-republic-players
Colin Cowherd no longer on ESPN air after comments about
Dominicans
Radio host Colin Cowherd no longer will appear on ESPN following comments he made questioning the intelligence of Dominican Republic players related to baseball one day earlier, the company said in a statement Friday.

"Colin Cowherd's comments over the past two days do not reflect the values of ESPN or our employees," ESPN said in a statement. "Colin will no longer appear on ESPN."

Cowherd issued an apology later Friday via Twitter.

Colin Cowherd: I did not intend to offend anyone w my comments. I realize my choice of words was poor and not reflective of who I am. I am sorry.

Cowherd had said Thursday that he didn't believe baseball was complex, saying a third of the sport was from the Dominican Republic, which had "not been known, in my lifetime, as having, you know, world-class academic abilities.''

Major League Baseball on Friday said Cowherd owes Dominican players an apology for the remarks, and the MLB Players Association also condemned his comments.

Earlier Friday, Cowherd addressed his remarks from Thursday during The Herd.

"I could've made the point without using one country, and there's all sorts of smart people from the Dominican Republic," Cowherd said. "I could've said a third of baseball's talent is being furnished from countries with economic hardships, therefore educational hurdles. For the record, I used the Dominican Republic because they've furnished baseball with so many great players."

Cowherd on Friday also cited reports and statistics to back up what he said about the country's ranking when it comes to primary education.

"I understand that when you mention a specific country, they get offended," Cowherd said. "I get it. I do. And for that, I feel bad. I do. But I have four reports in front of me ... where there are discussions of major deficiencies in the education sector at all levels. ... It wasn't a shot at them. It was data. Five, seven years ago I talked about the same subject. Was I clunky? Perhaps. Did people not like my tone? I get it. Sometimes my tone stinks.

"I think when you host a radio show, just like Jon Stewart hosts a show, I think sometimes I bring up stuff ... that makes people cringe. I'm not saying there's not intelligent, educated people from the Dominican Republic. I cringe at the data, too."

Major League Baseball issued its statement after Cowherd's show aired Friday.

"Major League Baseball condemns the remarks made by Colin Cowherd, which were inappropriate, offensive and completely inconsistent with the values of our game," it said. "Mr. Cowherd owes our players of Dominican origin, and Dominican people generally, an apology."

Tony Clark, executive director of the MLBPA, also issued a statement in which he took issue with Cowherd's response Friday to his original comments.

"As a veteran of 15 MLB seasons, I can assure you that our sport is infinitely more complex than some in the media would have you believe," Clark said. "To suggest otherwise is ignorant, and to make an ignorant point by denigrating the intelligence of our Dominican members was not 'clunky' -- it was offensive.

"These recent comments are particularly disappointing when viewed against the backdrop of the important work being done to celebrate and improve the cultural diversity of our game. Baseball's partners and stakeholders should help such efforts, not undermine them."

There were 83 Dominican players on Opening Day rosters this year, representing about 10 percent of all players in the majors.

The flap stems from Cowherd's comments on Thursday, which were made while debating whether it was difficult for a front-office executive to take over managerial duties -- using current Miami Marlins general manager/manager Dan Jennings as an example.

"It's baseball," Cowherd said Thursday. "You don't think a general manager can manage? Like it's impossible? The game is too complex? I've never bought into that, 'Baseball's just too complex.' Really? A third of the sport is from the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic has not been known in my lifetime as having world-class academic abilities. A lot of those kids come from rough backgrounds and have not had opportunities academically that other kids from other countries have.

"Baseball is like any sport. It's mostly instincts. A sports writer who covers baseball could go up to Tony La Russa and have a real baseball argument, and Tony would listen and it would seem reasonable. There's not a single NFL writer in the country who could diagram a play for Bill Belichick. You know, we get caught up in this whole 'thinking-man's game.' Is it in the same family? Most people could do it. It's not being a concert pianist. It's in the same family."

Cowherd's comments drew the attention of Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista, a native of the Dominican Republic who asked Cowherd via Twitter for further clarification concerning his remarks on Thursday.

Jose Bautista: Dear Mr. @ESPN_Colin before i rip you a new one i would like for you to explain what u meant to say about baseball and dominicans, please

Cowherd, who had been with ESPN for 12 years, announced earlier this week that he's leaving the company for another business opportunity.

And yeah, his words WERE reflective of who he is.

In this day and age of 24 hour channels (sports, news, etc.) this stuff is bound to happen (and does) regularly. You can't sit in front of a mike Monday-Friday for four... five hours and eventually not say something stupid. The odds are stacked against you unless you're some sort of PC-gifted person who thinks before every word is uttered.

Not defending Cowherd... initially, I really liked the guy. But, as he became more pospular, it was clear to me he started believing he was more than he really was... just another talking head on ESPN filling hours in a day. Stopped listening a year or so ago.

There have been other hosts get the boot for certain comments... and there will be more... just too much time to try to fill for a person not to eventually say something their emp0loyer doesn't like. Especially the PC, image conscious ESPN.

 

[drasconis]

Yes, he did say that. It's not a fallacy. You don't have to expressly use the word "stupid" to get that point across. And it means the exact same thing.

No he didn't...you and others are reading into what he said (note this doesn't make it a fallacy - you are correct). You yourself said earlier that it was "implied" which unto itself means that it wasn't expressly said. now maybe you and others are being fair in what you are reading into it, but maybe you and others are blowing something out of proportion by reading something not said into his statement. What is interesting is how he isn't given the benefit of the doubt on it (this isn't a court so doing so is fine, yours and other choice).

 

[Rmfnlt]

Thanks for posting. I actually WILL miss Colin Cowherd. His shows were always interesting. He often had unique perspectives that made me reconsider my stance. Sure he was a sensationalist and was purposely polarizing. He would flip flop on topics. I hated him at times and loved him at others. I think he did his job very well. I may feel different if I were Dominican but I had no problem with his 'Baseball' comments. I played and didn't think it was too hard to grasp, especially compared to football. I also know that many poor countries cannot afford a strong educational system. Big Deal. He spoke the truth. However in this day and age it is no longer permitted to speak the truth. It is actually offensive. Just like when that guy (Limbaugh?) said that slave owners purposely bred the biggest, strongest, most athletic slaves to make a better workforce in future years. That was historical fact. The truth. They actually did that. Why would someone get uppity if he said the truth? I don't get it. Maybe Cowherd had a bit too much opinion in his words but that is always what made him so popular. ESPN will miss him.

Bernie on the other hand, tried to be a Cowherd but just sounded like a jaded coward.

Bernie was just like Cowherd..... just a tad less outrageous. But very, very similar.

 

[Rmfnlt]

Thank you jrry. That's what I wanted to say but couldn't. My emotions were probably keeping me from having a clear head.

You have emotions?

I always likened you to a ...

 

[Rmfnlt]

There's a silver lining to this for all ROD posters that we should all keep in mind, especially because this is a thread about Bernie. Bernie's articles have been one of the few bones of contention amongst our brothers here at the ROD and it's not going to be a problem in the future for good or bad.:banana::rockon::cheers:

You're all going to find out that Bernie was the glue that kept ROD together!!

 

[Alan]

Rmfnlt noting the pattern:
In this day and age of 24 hour channels (sports, news, etc.) this stuff is bound to happen (and does) regularly. You can't sit in front of a mike Monday-Friday for four... five hours and eventually not say something stupid. The odds are stacked against you unless you're some sort of PC-gifted person who thinks before every word is uttered.

Not defending Cowherd... initially, I really liked the guy. But, as he became more pospular, it was clear to me he started believing he was more than he really was... just another talking head on ESPN filling hours in a day. Stopped listening a year or so ago.

There have been other hosts get the boot for certain comments... and there will be more... just too much time to try to fill for a person not to eventually say something their emp0loyer doesn't like. Especially the PC, image conscious ESPN.

I agree with all of that. What I'd add, which goes to why I think he is a racist, is that being forced to fill that time often, if not always, leads to people saying what they really believe. Spouting BS requires a certain amount of time beforehand to come up with it even if your name is Robin Williams. I harken back to the comment Brent Musburger made when he saw the girlfriend of Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron. Nothing every straight male wasn't thinking too. He didn't have time to be PC, he just said what he was really thinking.

I can't read minds of course and he might not have racist attitudes but until I get credible proof that he isn't, I'll have to go with what he actually said. His mea culpa of "Was I clunky? Perhaps. Did people not like my tone? I get it. Sometimes my tone stinks." while ignoring the actual racist part of his comment shows that he knew he made a mistake but either doesn't understand which part of his comment was racist or he's relying on misdirection with his "truth" to try and confuse the issue. Either way...

 

[Rmfnlt]

I agree with all of that. What I'd add, which goes to why I think he is a racist, is that being forced to fill that time often, if not always, leads to people saying what rhey really believe. Spouting BS requires a certain amount of time beforehand to come up with it even if your name is Robin Williams. I harken back to the comment Brent Musburger made when he saw the girlfriend of Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron. Nothing every straight male wasn't thinking too. He didn't have time to be PC. he just said what he was really thinking.

I can't read minds of course and he might not have racist attitudes but until I get credible proof that he isn't, I'll have to go with what he actually said. His mea culpa of "Was I clunky? Perhaps. Did people not like my tone? I get it. Sometimes my tone stinks." while ignoring the actual racist part of his comment shows that he knew he made a mistake but either doesn't understand which part of his comment was racist or he's relying on misdirection with his "truth" to try and confuse the issue. Either way...

I had this exact thought in my mind but, as age would have it, it left like a train in the night.

Yes... with all this time to fill, sooner or later, an announcer is going to "let his/her slip show"

 

[Alan]

Rmfnlt not seeing what it takes to get under my thick hide:
You have emotions?

I always likened you to a ...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_moAVIjNtE4