BTW, just so it's clear, Ben Golliver has as much or more credibility with me than anyone covering the Blazers.
Interesting piece of Nate Bishop history, many moons ago the Blazers didn't have much of an online presence. Mary (can't remember her last name) approached me and said that she would love to figure something out where I would travel with and cover the team for the Blazers' website. Unfortunately Mary, and much of the Blazers communication staff, were let go before anything could be worked out. So, basically, I could have been doing what Casey is currently doing. It was ultimately why I quit writing because I had worked for two years to make connections in the Blazers front office and in an instant they were gone. At that time the internet had very little credibility (this was before Blazers Edge) and I didn't want to start from scratch with a new communications department. Thus ended my career in sports writing. Got tired of working for peanuts and I needed to figure something else out. Who knows what would have happened if I had stuck it out. I will say that the reason why Ben went the route of negative nancy is probably because he wanted to gain credibility with the local media. Myself and the others at Hoopsworld refused to write the negative bullshit that the Oregonian was pushing and we were shunned because of it. I once wrote an article slamming the Oregonian and other local talking heads and I actually received appreciative emails from Kevin Pritchard (before he was GM) and other members of the front office. Of course, the guys from the Big O wanted nothing to do with me after that. Fuck em I say. We were one of only two websites that were credentialed with the Blazers in the early 2000's and I feel like we paved the way for the guys at BE and other online media in Portland. Sometimes I miss going to the games and talking to the guys, but it's such a tough business and it's difficult to make a living doing it. I think I enjoy sports more now, just as a fan, than I did as a writer. It really takes all the fun out of it.
Dwight was actually always cool to me. So was Kerry Eggers. Both nice guys. I don't always agree with Dwight, but he was cool to me so I can't hate on the guy.
I've always very much enjoyed working with Ben. He helped me out a lot when I was putting on the M&G events. He's good people on top of all that.
Dwight used to be really cool. We used to trade emails back and forth about the Blazers when he worked for the Trib. When he went on his own he learned he could get more hits on his blog by posting negative and outrageous things.
Pretty sure he learned that move long ago at the Big O. Edit- Actually, I'm pretty sure he invented that move at the Big O. He was Canzano long before Canzano.
I don't think we ever talked, but I saw you in the media room. I think the first time we talked was when you messaged me about the whole Greg Oden/24 Hour Fitness thing.
I like Gollivers tweets not a fan of his articles about the Blazers. He has done some good ones about the NBA but his "Doom and Gloom" scenario that always comes up with the Blazers is old and over used by the media in Oregon in general.
Correct. He pretends to be jaded and negative. That post is the good... ...the bad... And the ugly. This site's mods like Golliver because he networks at the meet and greets.
I never really cared for Ben in the first place so I'm not tired of him. I became tired of Dave a long time ago though. If BE has something really worth reading It'll usually be linked to over here so I rarely check out their site anymore.
