Great. There goes another piece of the puzzle. Maybe the more I write it the more it becomes reality; "Biedrins, Wright, Randolph, Ellis, Bellinelli."
Again, more TK trash. Sure, it might pan out, but from a journalistic standpoint, this column is unfounded and just him stirring the pot. Why is he so big on Ellis being traded? There's no way the Warriors are going to deal him...at least not this season.
If what Randolph had was fire, he'd be working on the holes in his game, and playing within his limits when he gets PT, instead of whining and crying and doing what he wants to. Kurz is playing ahead of him because he's doing just that. I love how he throws the Acie low comment in there, then gives no backing whatsoever. Sure, it may be true, but PROVE it. Also, I highly doubt Nelly would be looking to move Monta for scraps right now. The premise to every argument Kawakami makes is false, then he basis his position on that false premise. We get it Tim, you hate Nelly.... how about focusing your OPINIONS on Cohan, the true source of all of the problems in Warriorville.
Because Kawakami is no better than a World Weekly News writer. Just because he has a voice and a platform, doesn't mean it's worth listening to.
Take it for what its worth, his opinion. Fail to understand how people get riled up about what someone's opinion is, just ignore if you don't want to believe it.
It's not that, Phil. I read his stuff and appreciate his work, but I am critical of it. I think it's poor journalism. I think I have a right to be critical being having an English degree and doing *some* work in sports journalism. But more importantly, I am a sports fan.
I get riled up because he "reports" incidents as fact, yet he never backs it up. Take a look at Janny Hu, her articles are backed by reference. Not only that, Kawakami's given a platform to spit unproven BS. Be a man and get people to go on the record before printing junk.
To Kawakami's credit, though, this is a blog he's writing. It's about the same as what fans are doing here on sports boards. It's not a formal essay or an article for Sports Illustrated. It's not even a newspaper column. It's just a web log -- a fancy forum thread. It doesn't mean he shouldn't use references, but he's not the only one writing blogs in this style.
So he should get a free pass to write crap? He's paid to do this. He is supposed to be a professional writer.
I didn't say he should get a free pass to write crap. You said and I said that this is not a column, it's just a blog. I'm just pointing out that, by nature, blogs are a type of informal journalism -- I mean, would you ever cite a blog in one of your college English papers? I should hope not, because IMO a good professor would scoff at the notion -- blogs are not usually a source of statistics, hard-facts or well-supported arguments. They're a place for people to share their opinions, founded or unfounded, with the public. Many "professional" writers who also write blogs use informal abbreviations, broken syntax and even ignore punctuation! all of which would make an editor's stomach churn. But, for the most part, they're not even edited. Because they're just blogs. I'm not saying Kawakami's a good sports writer. Although, personally, I don't mind a bit of his drama, because I also don't mind using my critical filter to sift through his writing and take it for what it is. You don't have to agree with it all. Or disagree with it all, for that matter. Some of the things he has to say are thought-provoking, albeit a bit dramatic, and some of the things he has to say are totally false, almost to the point of a used car salesman trying to sell you a 1971 Ford Pinto with two flat tires and calling it an Escalade. That's just my opinion. But that's not the point. My point is that, if you go to a blog looking for a well-edited essay with references, works cited, named sources and arguments supported with pie charts and statistic-tables, you're probably looking in the wrong place. In blogs you'll usually find casual opinions with little to no supporting evidence. In the case of Kawakami, you may often find complete nonsense, written only to stir the pot, as mentioned above. But it's not really journalism. It's just a blog. Am I even trying to make an argument here? Not really. I'm not saying you're wrong for thinking what he wrote is crap. You're entitled to your opinion! In fact, I don't necessarily disagree with your opinion. In fact, what I'm really saying is that your opinions in this thread are just as valid as Kawakami's opinions in his blog. To me, you're both equally qualified to speak your opinions on the Warriors. Now, articles published in the newspaper are a different story. They are published professional works, edited by a professional editor and printed as a credible media source. But even there, it depends on the type of publication and the type of entry -- an opinion columnist can spew off a dozen incendiary accusations at a political figure, for example, without a shred of supporting evidence. Is it crap? Yes. Will they lose their job over it? Not always. And, with Kawakami, much like Skip Bayliss used to do, you'll find many unsubstantiated claims in his printed works, too, often for the sake of drama. That's poor journalism, no question. Fabricating drama, cooking up feuds between players, digging for dirt on the coaches -- hey, these guys need something to write about and it's just a question of moral integrity -- who will go deeper to come up with something juicy to write? Maybe Kawakami should write for the Enquirer? When it happens in a magazine, a newspaper, or a book such as Canseco's "Juiced," which supposedly falsified claims (*no reference provided), it's totally poor journalism. And Kawakami has been guilty of that in the past. But in this case we're just talking about a blog. It's just one guy talking his opinions on the internet, just like I am doing now. He's not a news anchor, here. He's not reporting anything. He's just typing opinions which we are free to take or leave. I wouldn't blame you if you chose to leave them.
