My Letter to Az Rep Sports Editor, Dave Lumia

[Skkorpion]

Mr. Lumia:

It’s the first Friday of the new NFL season and I drove 29 miles from Alpine, AZ to Springerville, AZ to buy the Arizona Republic newspaper so I could read your coverage of Arizona’s own NFL team, the Arizona Cardinals. Your paper usually does a big NFL section on Fridays and I look forward to it.

So, this morning, looking for Cardinals news, I got to read four NFL articles. One, a good one, by Kent Somers, discussed the Cardinals’ wide receivers.

The other three covered Jake Plummer, the Broncos QB, Aeneas Williams, a CB who plays for the Rams, and the third was a nasty commentary by Randy somebody-or-other on how painful it will be to watch the Cardinals/Lions game on TV.

Your obvious disdain for bringing us news on our local team is puzzling and leads me to believe you are confused about a number of things. I’ve taken it upon myself to help enlighten you and thus improve your woeful job performance.

1. Locals, who long ago tired of Jake Plummer’s erratic play, are just not interested in any more Plummer rehash. Yet you keep churning out the Plummer pieces, ad nauseam. I sincerely doubt that Dallas papers had an Emmitt Smith lead article today or that the Baltimore paper led with a sappy piece on losing Jeff Blake. Plummer is gone and you need to come to grips with that.

2. So Aeneas Williams was moved to safety by the Rams. The Cardinals play Detroit this week and don’t play the Rams until Sept. 28. Wouldn’t Detroit Lion secondary adjustments be more relevant to your readership?

3. Cardinals TV game ratings are usually pretty good. You might tell Randy this so he realizes his sarcasm just sounds bitter - unless that’s a job requirement, of course.

Your writers are a fairly competent group. Where you fail is in material selection and that’s your job, isn’t it? Perhaps you have a large Denver readership and Colorado sources of revenue of which I’m not aware?

Chances are, you will ignore these gentle hints and continue with your confused agenda. However, if I am given a chance, I will make a change – from the AZ Republic to the East Valley Tribune.

Sincerely,


Jim Skane
ASFN Publisher
Arizonasportsfans.com

 

[Renz]

Give 'em hell, Skkorp!

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Randy Bickley is a loser just like his brother.

 

[maddogkf]

Good job! Give 'em hell!

 

[kerouac9]

Great letter, Skkorp! If we all sent a letter like this, things would change. You should have CC'd the Editor-in-Chief while you were at it!

 

[Jttsaz]

Now you can start on the Daily Star and the Tucson Citizen! Give'em Hell brother!

 

[Mrospi]

I love it.... The truth hurts them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[CardAvenger]

I can't wait to hear this hack's reply.

 

[SunCityCarl]

WOW! Skorp after reading the AZ Republic I'd never known they even had a sports editor!! Great letter!!

 

[Brian in Mesa]

NICE.

 

[Redheart]

Solid Skorp!

I appreciate you taking action! I wish there was a way for me to add my name to your "petition".

By the way, I subscribe to the repulsive, but will be cancelling my subscription when it comes up for renewal. The Tribune should thank the republic for the new business.

 

[Stronso]

I have read somewhere, but I do not remember where, that the Repulsive sports writers loathe their editor.

Give'em hell Skkorp

 

[arthurracoon]

nice

 

[RLakin]

Originally posted by Skkorpion



So, this morning, looking for Cardinals news, I got to read four NFL articles. One, a good one, by Kent Somers, discussed the Cardinals’ wide receivers.

I'm glad you mentioned this. Kent Somers does a great job for the Republic. One of the few.
I too am tiring of the Jake Plummer angle. It was an amicable split and the constant rehash is causing a lot of local backlash directed at someone who, in my opinion, was a good soldier for the Cards organization. It was time for both parties to part ways and I think both organizations are all the better for it. Plummer's success in Denver will be an indictment of how good of a coach Mike Shanahan is, not how bad this organization is.
I wouldn't expect any response or change from the Republic, however. Keep in mind, this is a paper who made Matt Williams their personal Patrick Chavis, and didn't have the guts (like the New York Times) to admit it when they were proven wrong. Now we get beat stories (basically) written by Bob Brenly and constant fan bashing from Mike Myers who, by the way, had a semi-regular column in this same publication.
Of course, no local columnist has the guts nor ambition to fire back at Myers nor write a honest thing about Brenly or Williams. Instead, we'll continue to see and (if you feel up to it) read material about quarterbacks who led the Cardinals to the playoffs in 1998 and every year after, in interceptions.

 

[az1965]

Those articles in azcentral site this morning were pathetic. Thanks for taking solid action about it!

[AZ Republic]

 

[KingofCards]

I think we all should bombard them with emails.

 

[JeffGollin]

I'm glad you mentioned this. Kent Somers does a great job for the Republic.
Jim S says Kent and Darrell Urban of the EVT are rare in that they work hard to cover the Cardinals thoroughly.

I do have a bone to pick with Kent, however. I think he's a "cup 3/4 empty" guy when it comes to evaluating the Cards' chances.

Many national writers (many of whom are too lazy to do their own homework) key off anything that the local beat writers say. Since the writers in the other 31 cities tend to be homers, what the Cardinals end up with in the national media is 31 teams with glowing commentary and the Cards with overly pessimistic commentary.

Great letter, Jim.

 

[AndyO]

Great letter , Jim. Hopefully, someone at The Republic will actually take note of it.

 

[SuperPickle]

So... is this better?

"$12 million of space under cap gives team room to maneuver"

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/0906cardsnb0906.html

verses what the title really should have said:

"Bidwills prove again their lack of commitment to winning"

I could think of 100 negative (yet valid) things to say about the Bidwills in this story and only one positive - yet it's that one positive (and ridiculous) aspect ("room to maneuver") that gets the title.

Happy now?

I guess the first 50 years of futility weren't enough to convince you. Enjoy your 3 win season, suckers.

 

[JeffGollin]

Enjoy your 3 win season, suckers.
The word "your" is the tipoff. I don't know how to set up polls, but how would you define Superpickle?

- A Dallas Fan

- An bitter ASU stadium-issue guy

- A soccer devotee

- A fan of another NFL team with nothing better to do than troll the Cardinal site in an attempt to stir up trouble

 

[Mr.Dibbs]

We should bombard him with emails:

Well, quit talking and do it: I searched google, and I'm pretty sure this is it:

Fax: 602-444-8044.

[email protected].

 

[JasonKGME]

Originally posted by JeffGollin
Enjoy your 3 win season, suckers.
The word "your" is the tipoff. I don't know how to set up polls, but how would you define Superpickle?

- A Dallas Fan

- An bitter ASU stadium-issue guy

- A soccer devotee

- A fan of another NFL team with nothing better to do than troll the Cardinal site in an attempt to stir up trouble

forgot one Jeff:

- Another NEM clone!

 

[Rivercard]

Originally posted by JeffGollin
Enjoy your 3 win season, suckers.
The word "your" is the tipoff. I don't know how to set up polls, but how would you define Superpickle?

- A Dallas Fan

- An bitter ASU stadium-issue guy

- A soccer devotee

- A fan of another NFL team with nothing better to do than troll the Cardinal site in an attempt to stir up trouble

Jeff, I'm going to say he's a bitter ASU guy. Do I win a prize?

 

[TigToad]

ASU Vote

Originally posted by Rivercard
Jeff, I'm going to say he's a bitter ASU guy. Do I win a prize?

Yeah, thats how I was going to vote, too... darn, you get my prize.