Miklasz leaving Post-Dispatch

[Alan]

LoyalRam noting some but not all, of Bernie's warts:
I hear Colin Cowherd is interviewing for Bernie's job...:fighting:

As for the rest of your post, that's what my "whine like a 12 year old" comment addresses and not many would disagree with your take on that. Including me.

 

[Athos]

I think he's citing lack of academic abilities, educational opportunities and the fact that the league is 1/3 Dominican in support of his assertion that he doesn't buy that baseball is too complex.

Either way it does sound racist to me.

Not sure and with statements that are a little obscure like that, I'm giving the benefit of the doubt.

I mean, is the DR really all that great with educational institutions on the whole? I'm just asking. I'm not sure. But I wouldn't exactly call the country developed.

Just pulling this from the interwebs:

"Dominican Republic Preschool Enrollment is around 32%. The Dominican Republic's public investment in education is 2.3% of their gross domestic product, which ranks 122nd out of 132 countries. Around 85% of poor Dominican parents have never completed primary education."

I think he was just saying that individuals with limited formal education can understand baseball, meaning the game isn't complex.

Now, I think he's full of shit there as the same is more complex than people give it credit for.


Anyway, as for Bernie....I liked him several years ago, then one day he seemed to really lose and become a super negative nancy. Really whiny about everything. And his writing quality seemed to drop drastically.

So I stopped following him altogether.

Well, the PD in general except for Dave Matter.

 

[Rabid Ram]

On Cowherd I don't see the problem. He talked about quality of academic training, not intelligence. It seems the ESPN is reacting to a reaction rather than the actual content.

edit- It must also be said that it was a stupid thing to say. The "academic" training in baseball is at a very high level in the Dominican Republic and players from there are at no disadvantage in understanding the nuances of baseball.

What do you expect them to do when Disney is in charge

 

[dieterbrock]

Yeah, yet Stephen A. Smith is allowed to stay even after multiple freak ups.

Forget that, what Donald Trump has said is incredibly worse, and he wants to run for POTUS....

 

[RamzFanz]

First Schotty, now Bernie? Am I dreaming?

 

[HometownBoy]

WHO'S GONNA RUN THE PRESS BOX?! EVERYTHING'S GOING TO FALL TO PIECES.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Actually, Bernie had a three hour radio show on 101 espn and was working with the Post Dispatch simultaneously just a few years ago and stepped away from radio to focus on his work at the Post. As soon as I read the first few lines of the article, I figured he would be back. I actually enjoyed his show quite a bit and I'm glad he'll be back. I'm wondering how they're going to reshuffle the lineup now. Obviously one of the three daytime shows on 101 espn will be leaving, but I know it won't be the Fast Lane.

You may experience a different personality. Bernie was more positive in the past. Now he seems to hate the current leadership and owner.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I probably should just keep my mouth shut since I really don't have anything positive to say but here goes anyway. Can't say I'll miss him as I haven't visited the PD since joining here. For awhile I read his columns that were posted here but got tired of the negativity.

Have to disagree that Bernie was great with stats. Bernie routinely and selectively dredged up stats to support his opinion, whatever it may have been at any given moment.

IMO, all of the writers at the PD took the easy way when confronted with a Rams FO that likes to play their cards close to the vest, which they handled in a very personal manner instead of as professionals. Wouldn't miss any of them if they left. Don't miss their website and won't listen to any of their interviews, radio shows, etc.

I realize their job is to attract readers/listeners but I find most of their output disappointing and not worth the time it takes to read or listen to it.

Worth repeating. Well said.

 

[Stranger]

Cowherd

Cow Herd.... what a name.

 

[The Ripper]

You beat me to it, Loyal. It's gonna be a tough call between Wheeler's and Duncan and Stalter's show as I'm sure the network likes all three guys a lot. They had success with Bernie's show leading into the Fast Lane in the past, so I'm betting he will be in the Duncan/Stalter spot. They'll probably keep Wheeler's show and move Duncan and Stalter around. I know Duncan was with the Fast Lane before Bernie left, so that could be a possibility.

Randy tweeted that Bernie was going to be on from 10 to 1

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

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.

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.

 

[DaveFan'51]

At this Time, I'd like a minute of silence, to "THANK GOD!!" and just say ....

" Too bad he'll still be in St. Louis!!"

 

[blue4]

You may experience a different personality. Bernie was more positive in the past. Now he seems to hate the current leadership and owner.

Judging that he is a St Louis resident and how his professional career has been based in St Louis can you really hold a dislike towards current ownership against him? He's a columnist, not a beat writer so he's under no obligation to not have an opinion or to hold that opinion back. Why on earth would he pretend to be happy about current ownership? I'm certainly not.

 

[Stranger]

First Schotty, now Bernie? Am I dreaming?

what about our media girl who bailed to Tampa Bay?

 

[dbrooks25]

Randy tweeted that Bernie was going to be on from 10 to 1

That makes sense, that's about where he was before, just an hour difference. He used to be 11 to 2.

 

[dbrooks25]

Judging that he is a St Louis resident and how his professional career has been based in St Louis can you really hold a dislike towards current ownership against him? He's a columnist, not a beat writer so he's under no obligation to not have an opinion or to hold that opinion back. Why on earth would he pretend to be happy about current ownership? I'm certainly not.

Also, Bernie was really defensive of ownership before he left the radio. Most here only know about him from his columns, but he always preached to St. Louis fans to have patience and defended Kroenke. I listened to his show almost everyday, and when he blasted people it was normally in response to something rude they said to him. I don't even recall him talking badly about those who agreed with him. In fact, he welcomed it. We all get something different from different people, so meh.

 

[dbrooks25]

This is true, and I like Chris Duncan a lot...But his replacement Brad Thompson(?), is sooo good. His sharp wit and self deprecating humor might require a greater role or a show for himself in the future....If I was to guess, it would be that Duncan and Stalter are axed, and one hour from the Fast Lane is given to Bernie M for his show.

I don't think Duncan is going anywhere, they'll find a place for him. The Fast Lane is the ride home show, and I don't think they're time will be shortened at all. Bernie leading into the Fast Lane is money for 101 espn.

 

[-X-]

No, there is no comparison IMO. To me, that's like saying there's no difference between the word ignorant and the word stupid. Ignorance is the lack of knowledge that would result from a lack of education while stupidity is the inability to use that knowledge even if you had it. Completely different. The word "complex" implies (correctly) that it requires a certain amount of intelligence to unravel the complexity. The fact that someone can't find France on a world map says nothing about their intelligence and everything about their ignorance (lack of education).

You see no difference between making a general statement that includes people of all stripes who disagree with him and saying EVEN Dominicans are smart enough to understand something? One of those statements is ridiculous and the other one is racist AND ridiculous. Nobody is giving a pass to Bernie for saying something racist because he never has.

We'll just have to disagree about this.

That's cool. To me, it's all about the nuances when you try to decipher someone's motives. Do I think Cowherd is racist and has the balls to SAY something racist knowing full well he's racist? Ehm, no. I think he just chose his words poorly, but I knew what he meant. He meant to imply that the Dominican Republic is not known for its academia.

And they're not.

In the end, I think we're all just a little too thin-skinned I guess. Everyone's words are put under a microscope now, and even the slightest slip of the tongue can cause you ruin. Like others have said in this thread already, such is the world in which we live.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Judging that he is a St Louis resident and how his professional career has been based in St Louis can you really hold a dislike towards current ownership against him? He's a columnist, not a beat writer so he's under no obligation to not have an opinion or to hold that opinion back. Why on earth would he pretend to be happy about current ownership? I'm certainly not.

I don't think he was negative toward solely Kroenke