Randy Kennedy - Nick Sucker

[Ogre]

This is from Will Collier's blog, aka From The Bleachers:

Randy Kennedy: Nick Sucker

Last weekend, Gentry Estes of the Mobile Press-Register posted a short article about a recent Alabama scrimmage to the Register's "Bama Beat" blog. As you might guess from the title, Estes is the Register's Alabama beat writer, and in the post he discussed the frustration of being assigned to write about a scrimmage that he hadn't actually been allowed to watch, and about players and coaches he isn't able to interview:

For the second time in eight days, Alabama simulated game action at Bryant-Denny Stadium without the media (and general public) there to witness it. For the second time, Alabama issued statistics (Yeah, I've got 'em listed below) as to what supposedly transpired. For the second time, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban was the only one made available to offer his take (Tide players do not address reporters after scrimmages and Saban's assistant coaches, of course, never do).

It can be frustrating. Those of us who cover this team would love to offer the kind of detailed assessments available at basically every other major program. Is that currently an option at Alabama?

No.

It's not that I'm complaining. This operation is Saban's baby. He has had success with his approach in the past. He can (and does) do as he pleases. I'm OK with that, and knew it when I signed on last August.

But in the interest of fairness ... I would like to point out a few things before fans delve too far into statistics and stories about any of Alabama's spring or preseason scrimmages. ...

Without the media present, there is no objective vantage point to the coverage. First off, the information you're receiving is only what Alabama wants you to know. This is not an ideal situation for a journalist who values a balanced account, and it's worth disclosure and a warning to readers: Take it for what it's worth.

Also know that in-house scrimmages are often molded into whatever the coaches want them to be. As I predicted last week on Scott Griffin's radio show, Alabama's offense would fare much better the second time. Lo and behold, they did.

How did I know that? Because I've seen coaches tweak the format to help a struggling unit. The first-team offense is doing poorly? Put them against the third-string defense for a while and see how those numbers turn out. Did that happen here? I don't know. Since I didn't watch the scrimmage, I can't tell you the circumstances behind John Parker Wilson's apparent 200-yard performance or Roy Upchurch's supposed rushing resurgence.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to this: Scrimmages are glorified practices. Fans should digest them that way. They do not tell you much about an upcoming season. They are a hint, but far from the entire picture.

That's not a bad piece, as such things go. As somebody who writes about college football, I think that's pretty interesting stuff, but obviously others may not agree.

Well, scratch that. "Others," allegedly including the highest-paid employee of the state of Alabama, emphatically did not agree. You may have noticed that I didn't link to Estes's post. I didn't because I can't (or rather I couldn't; keep reading). The post inexplicably vanished from the al.com site the Register shares with several other newspapers, and only reappeared yesterday when Register columnist and all-around gadfly Paul Finebaum posted it to his own website.

Finebaum interviewed Register sports editor Randy Kennedy on Wednesday, and among other things asked why the rather mild criticism of Alabama Coach Nick "I am not going to be the Alabama coach" Saban had vanished from Estes's blog. Per a quote at the Capstone Report blog, Kennedy replied,

"We just decided it was more trouble than it was worth…this was not necessarily the battle he wanted to pick with the people who were supposed to be our customers."

Now, that's lame.

Take it from me, you've got to have thick skin if you're going to write about either Alabama or Auburn, and the Estes post didn't even register on the invective scale in that state. If anything, it was a pretty toned-down look at the growing undercurrent of dislike among state sportswriters who have to deal with Saban's trademark petulance.

Pulling such a milquetoast post over alleged public reaction would be bad enough, but according to Montgomery sports radio personality Doug Amos, as quoted from Finebaum's radio show today, the demand to spike Estes's post came from none other than "Flipper" himself. According to Amos, a source has told him that the article was yanked after Saban personally called Estes to complain (for the record, Estes is a Georgia graduate who, in his student days, wrote of being "Born and raised a die-hard Crimson Tide fan in Birmingham").

If accurate, that goes beyond lame. If that's true, Kennedy hung a young employee of his out to dry to mollify the hurt feelings of a spoiled-brat football coach who makes more in a month than he and Estes combined make in a year (heck, it's probably more than the entire Register sports staff makes in a year).

Even if it isn't--but given Saban's history of trying to intimidate the media, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it is--Kennedy should still be ashamed of himself. What kind of self-respecting journalist spikes an accurate article because his "customers" are complaining? That's the action a corporate flack, not a reporter. If Kennedy disagreed with Estes, he should have said so, either in a column or a blog post of his own, but going out and trying (unsuccessfully, as it turned out) to flush the column down the memory hole was an act of abject cowardice, and one that goes a long way towards discrediting the Register sports section as anything resembling responsible journalism.

So, Randy Kennedy, this is your big day. You are now the latest recipient of the FTB Nick Sucker Award.

Wear it in shame.

Link

[Buzz Killington]

That's impressive Randy, you are the first multiple winner.

B-U-K-K-A-K-E

[stewiegriffin]

I don't know who's the bigger pussy, Kennedy for taking it down or the fucking ego-midget for having it taken down.  All part of the "process" I suppose. I would love to see one of these media girly-men actually smart ass back at the little fuck head during a press conference.

[El Guapo]

I don't know who's the bigger pussy, Kennedy for taking it down or the fucking ego-midget for having it taken down.  All part of the "process" I suppose. I would love to see one of these media girly-men actually smart ass back at the little fuck head during a press conference.

I heard that no one from Alabama even talked to them about taking it down. I doubt even if they did call Randy, or whoever it was, Nick Saban wasn't the one to do it. Do any of you honestly believe that he would go looking for, or read any of this stuff? If you do, you are a moron. Any coach that goes looking for this junk is asking for more tacked on the job than normal.

[Snaggletiger]

Doug Amos, big Bama homer and long time sportscaster says Saban absolutely was the one who made the call.  I'm with Stewie about these pussy newspaper wimps.  Just once, I'd like to hear one of them call his ass out.

Hey Coach, why is it that you feel the need to be an asshole every time you step behind the podium?  Were you beaten up a lot on the playground at school?  Are you bitter about never growing taller than a fuckin' fire hydrant?  Does standing up there on that podium make you feel powerful?

Hey Coach, just answer a simple question like every other Coach in the nation.  We know you don't like being here and quite frankly, we don't like you much either.  You're gettin' paid $4 miilion a year.  The least you could do is tell us who your back up tailback is.  Little bitch.

[stewiegriffin]

I heard that no one from Alabama even talked to them about taking it down. I doubt even if they did call Randy, or whoever it was, Nick Saban wasn't the one to do it. Do any of you honestly believe that he would go looking for, or read any of this stuff? If you do, you are a moron. Any coach that goes looking for this junk is asking for more tacked on the job than normal.

No I don't think that the almighy "SABAN" would climb downf off of the pedestal to read the internet,  I'm sure he has a nick sucking eunuch (mal) do that for him and I'm sure another nick sucking eunuch called and said " the almighty SABAN demands you take down the blogg or be smitten you evildoer,  How dare you speak against the Crimson SABANS?"
 You're a moron if you DON"T believe it. what suprises me is that finebaum had the balls to put it up.
By the way how does it feel not knowing what's going on with spring "process".  Do you like it? Hows about no player interviews?

[El Guapo]

By the way how does it feel not knowing what's going on with spring "process".  Do you like it? Hows about no player interviews?

I heard JPW on JOX today. It was a replay from not too long ago. Honestly, I don't mind it when not a lot of info is given. I will see all I need to from August to January. But then again, I have classes with quite a few of the players, and I am friends with some, so I still hear about things that some do not. Granted, it's nothing ground breaking, but still tid-bits none the less.

[AWK]

I heard JPW on JOX today. It was a replay from not too long ago. Honestly, I don't mind it when not a lot of info is given. I will see all I need to from August to January. But then again, I have classes with quite a few of the players, and I am friends with some, so I still hear about things that some do not. Granted, it's nothing ground breaking, but still tid-bits none the less.

So, Are those community service classes as fun as they are talked up to be?

[Saniflush]

So, Are those community service classes as fun as they are talked up to be?

I'm not really sure that picking up garbage on the side of the road constitutes "classes".

[AWK]

I'm not really sure that picking up garbage on the side of the road constitutes "classes".

Instead of leaving the bar and hitting up Waffle House, in Tuscaloosa it is customary to just start picking up trash on the side of the road.

[El Guapo]

Instead of leaving the bar and hitting up Waffle House, in Tuscaloosa it is customary to just start picking up trash on the side of the road.

I read in some article where the seniors voted to ban any bar visits to the strip. 'Bout time they did that, and let's hope (Alabama Fans) that they listen! I'm just ready for some damn football to start!!! 

[Pell City Tiger]

I'm not really sure that picking up garbage on the side of the road constitutes "classes".

At UAT it does! It's a 6 credit junior level class. Liberal Arts class, I believe.

[AWK]

I read in some article where the seniors voted to ban any bar visits to the strip. 'Bout time they did that, and let's hope (Alabama Fans) that they listen! I'm just ready for some damn football to start!!! 

You and me both buddy.