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posterformerlyknownasthedoctor · 04-17-2010 01:19 AM

I know, the last bit about his relationship with mullins bothers me, and will some of you, but it's still a very nice article..........

Zaatini finds home, family at ETSU

(ASun tournament finals later this AM in DeLand.........)

~~PittsburghBucs~~ · 04-17-2010 09:04 AM

(04-17-2010 01:19 AM)posterformerlyknownasthedoctor Wrote: I know, the last bit about his relationship with mullins bothers me, and will some of you, but it's still a very nice article..........

Zaatini finds home, family at ETSU

(ASun tournament finals later this AM in DeLand.........)

That article asks us to believe a lot.

Like the idea that other schools were trying to recruit Zaatini "behind my [Mullins] back" when he was playing.

Isn't that against NCAA rules? Who are the tennis programs that went on probation for this violation?

I'm not saying it's not possible, but that's quite the matzah ball out there.

Can we have some sort of elaboration, please?

If that was in a newspaper and not etsubucs.com, any competent editor would call the writer into his office and ask him to get some evidence of that claim.

Otherwise, it would be edited out.

posterformerlyknownasthedoctor · 04-17-2010 10:25 AM

Actually, I pretty much agree. That jumped out at me, too.......
But it's actually a little bit unclear as to whether or not it was happening as a player. It reads like that, but not definitively.
"On and Off" *could* mean "off" the first 12 years, and "on" since he's returned as a coach. It certainly should have been worded differently........

BTW, ETSU won the doubles point............and the singles are underway......

posterformerlyknownasthedoctor · 04-17-2010 11:34 AM

Won #6 singles; only need to win two of the other 5. However, we're trailing in most of the second sets, after winning the first in 4 of 6 singles matches........

posterformerlyknownasthedoctor · 04-17-2010 12:03 PM

Dang this is going to be close...........
Stetson has now won two singles matches, evening it up at 2-2.
Sander may win his match, but it's going to come down to some third sets.......

posterformerlyknownasthedoctor · 04-17-2010 12:28 PM

BUCS win! ..........in an absolute nail-biter......

Daniel Isaza pulled it out in the third set at #4. And since Grega was losing in the third set at #1, we would have otherwise probably lost.....

Congratulations Bucs!!!!!!!!

Women begin play soon............

LetsgoBucs · 04-17-2010 01:15 PM

Actually recruiting players at other schools, while against the rules, is pretty common in most sports. In a sport like tennis, where the recruiting is international and mostly based on connections and personal relationships coaches have with contacts overseas, there is a lot of shady stuff going on. I don't know any details, but a player of Yaser's caliber playing at a school like ETSU would probably have been contacted regularly by bigger programs trying to lure him away.

~~PittsburghBucs~~ · 04-17-2010 01:32 PM

Fine. But don't you see how the story is incomplete without examples, and instead just self-serving?

I almost wonder if since this story was written internally and the tennis team really isn't doing anything they haven't done before why the timing of an "Our Coach is Great" article with the athletic director going on and on how loyal Zaatini is.

Could it be an internal message? The sort of message that says "Okay, Bartow. If you want a contract extension and a raise you'd better not be taking these calls from UNC-W or explore your options with ASU or wherever."

RodShaw2 · 04-17-2010 01:37 PM

No message, just a nice fluff piece about Yaser before the A-Sun championship.

posterformerlyknownasthedoctor · 04-17-2010 02:58 PM

Looking bad for the women..........lost the doubles point, and dropped the first set on three of the singles matches so far.......

posterformerlyknownasthedoctor · 04-17-2010 03:33 PM

They're battling.............
We're now down 2-0, looks like we're going to lose another singles, but all of the others may go to a third set - which we would need to win ALL of.............

posterformerlyknownasthedoctor · 04-17-2010 03:58 PM

All four remaining matches are close in the third set. Not much chance we can win them all..................

posterformerlyknownasthedoctor · 04-17-2010 04:16 PM

BUCS lose................
The score will show 4-1, but it was MUCH closer than that..........
For example, #1 doubles went 9-7.........and the last two unfinished singles matches were about dead even in the third........

Congrats on a great season, and Congrats to UNF!!

LetsgoBucs · 04-18-2010 11:32 AM

(04-17-2010 01:32 PM)PittsburghBucs Wrote: Fine. But don't you see how the story is incomplete without examples, and instead just self-serving?

I almost wonder if since this story was written internally and the tennis team really isn't doing anything they haven't done before why the timing of an "Our Coach is Great" article with the athletic director going on and on how loyal Zaatini is.

Could it be an internal message? The sort of message that says "Okay, Bartow. If you want a contract extension and a raise you'd better not be taking these calls from UNC-W or explore your options with ASU or wherever."

No, I don't see it as incomplete. I think you have trouble differentiating between sports journalism and being in sports information at a college/university. An SID's job is to tell the truth, but always spin it as possible in favor of the school. Simple as that. Different role than a beat writer or a sports columnist.

Rod is right, it's a puff piece about Yaser before the ASun championships. Nothing more. No conspiracy or internal message.

~~PittsburghBucs~~ · 04-18-2010 11:39 AM

An SID's job is to tell the truth, but always spin it as possible in favor of the school.

I know what the job is.

However, I also find that when attempting to spin, an SID comes out worse than if he had just reported the game without it.

I mean, do you really want to read "ETSU loses to Kentucky by 29, but they tried hard! Stayed competitive in the second half! Happy Days are here again!"

Sadly, that was the attitude taken by not paid employees, but by a number of so-called fans on here who seem to accept mediocrity and the spin ETSU gives us.

posterformerlyknownasthedoctor · 04-18-2010 11:56 AM

(04-18-2010 11:32 AM)LetsgoBucs Wrote:
(04-17-2010 01:32 PM)PittsburghBucs Wrote: Fine. But don't you see how the story is incomplete without examples, and instead just self-serving?

I almost wonder if since this story was written internally and the tennis team really isn't doing anything they haven't done before why the timing of an "Our Coach is Great" article with the athletic director going on and on how loyal Zaatini is.

Could it be an internal message? The sort of message that says "Okay, Bartow. If you want a contract extension and a raise you'd better not be taking these calls from UNC-W or explore your options with ASU or wherever."

No, I don't see it as incomplete. I think you have trouble differentiating between sports journalism and being in sports information at a college/university. An SID's job is to tell the truth, but always spin it as possible in favor of the school. Simple as that. Different role than a beat writer or a sports columnist.

Rod is right, it's a puff piece about Yaser before the ASun championships. Nothing more. No conspiracy or internal message.

I agree with Rod, but disagree with your description of an SID's job, LetsgoBucs. One can be truthful, and maybe paint it *ever* so slightly favorably, but NOT "as possible" (assuming you mean as *much* as possible, which may be too much of an assumption). An SID should NOT spin to the point of being misleading. One can be truthful, and convey the main message with an *ever* so slight slant, but NOT be misleading. It's a line that different folks would draw in different places, but the ETSU SIDs, going back to Cathey, even, have done a fair amount of misleading from time to time. And as I've made the point before, when DeChellis went to interview at Penn St., and Mike was (to hear him say it in code) unaware of that, then HE (White) should have publicly corrected himself, thus throwing the blame on Eddie D., OR......he could have put the heat on Eddie D. to take the blame for the misinformation. The public needed to know the truth on that matter. (And still does, for that matter..........)

Another example which I used back on the old board are the blurbs about how the then-new women's golf team was doing in a tournament. Many times the release would say something like, "The ETSU women's golf team was standing in 6th place after the second round in the Carpet Classic.........." -- without even saying who was leading the tournament!!!!! There is no way around that being plain ol' wrong. Fortunately, I don't think that happens exactly that way, anymore. However, the track teams' results ARE still like that. We'll get a news release stating something like "the track team won 4 events in the Charlotte Invitational", without a hint as to who "won" the whole meet, or how those performances fit into the context of the whole meet. That is simply wrong. If you're going to give results of a tournament, or a meet, or whatever, GIVE IT ALL! "THE WHOLE TRUTH! Failure to do so loses credibility for the SID and that branch of the athletic administration. Period.

Here's the current release on the Charlotte Invitational:

Charlotte Invitational propaganda

Not a single thing stating whether or not team points were kept, or any bit of information about other teams, or overall results. That makes that piece PURE propaganda, and an embarrassment. Mike, I call on you to do a better job of that for the USC Upstate. If you're going to put that up on a site purporting to give some "news", then how about some full disclosure?? Please?
It's simply meaningless without context. Can't you see that?

RodShaw2 · 04-18-2010 12:03 PM

(04-18-2010 11:39 AM)PittsburghBucs Wrote: An SID's job is to tell the truth, but always spin it as possible in favor of the school.

Would this be a good example of how a SID release should be done? Pitt lost but they describe every run Pitts scored in detail,
They summed up 10 of Penn State's runs in 2 sentences.

Quote:Penn State took over the game in the bottom of the inning, however, with five runs crossing the plate. They added five more in the bottom of the eighth to solidify their win

In fact they didn't mention one Penn State player by name, not even the winning pitcher. I really don't think the article is that bad but you know if ETSU had done this for one of thier games you would be blasting them for glorifying a lose.

Quote:April 13, 2010
PITTSBURGH - Pitt's 24th-ranked baseball team (22-9) went on the road and fell 14-8 at Penn State in a midweek contest.

Pitt catcher and reigning Big East Player of the Week Cory Brownsten was 3-for-5 on the night with a run scored and a run batted in. Corey Baker suffered his first loss of the season (7-1), pitching 1.1 innings, giving up three runs on three hits in relief.

In the first, Pitt put one base runner on, but could not score. In the bottom of the inning, Penn State took advantage of their opportunity advancing their runner to third and bringing him home on a groundout double play, taking the 1-0 lead.

Both teams remained scoreless in the second. In the top of the third, Pitt tied up the game on a Kevan Smith sacrifice fly to center field that brought home Danny Lopez from third.

Pitt was kept off the board again in the top of the fourth. The Nittany Lions took the 2-1 lead on a leadoff homer to center field. Pitt pitcher Alex Caravella retired the next three Penn State batters to hold the home team's lead to 2-1.

In the fifth, Smith (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) again made the difference for the Panthers contributing a double to right center, which drove in two Pitt runs to take the 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Penn State's lone run came in off an error by the pitcher, scoring the run from third and tying up the game at 3-3.

Frank Mercurio (Mercerville, N.Y./Mercer CC) hit a two-out double to left center for the Panthers, setting up Zach Duggan's RBI single through the left side. An error by the shortstop brought home Duggan (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) from second to give Pitt the 5-3 lead. Penn State added another run in the bottom of the inning to cut the score to 5-4 after six.

Pitt looked to pull away in the top of the seventh with a three-run output. Brownsten singled to drive in the first run and went on to score Pitt's third run while Mercurio singled, bringing home Travis Whitmore. The Panthers took the 8-4 lead.

Penn State took over the game in the bottom of the inning, however, with five runs crossing the plate. They added five more in the bottom of the eighth to solidify their win. Errors and inconsistent pitching put the Panthers in a hole in which they could not get out as the Nittany Lions took the 14-8 victory.

Pitt was held scoreless in the eighth and ninth and left four on base through those two innings.

The Panthers will host Duquesne Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Trees Field. Pitt will then travel to Villanova for a three-game weekend series.

posterformerlyknownasthedoctor · 04-18-2010 12:17 PM

Yes, that article *is* that bad. No excuse for that degree of slant......
ANY argument along the lines of "everybody else does it" is not sufficient. An SID may not be the equivalent of a "reporter", but they should give pretty good lip service to being factual and fair-handed.
Not mentioning the winning pitcher is inexcusable.....

I know I'm getting worked up about this, but it's just emblematic of the problem with the things that come out of that building. If one doesn't have their honesty, integrity, and credibility, then why bother?

~~PittsburghBucs~~ · 04-18-2010 12:24 PM

It would be because giving Penn State any credit for anything is a mortal sin.

Whoever wrote that should be fired immediately for not investigating the fix.

Now, if it was another opponent, sure. That's appalling.

However, I never said Pitt's press releases were perfection. In fact, when I covered Pitt baseball, one of the reasons my coverage was so popular with fans, coaches, and parents alike was that it was colorful and told the story from both sides.

posterformerlyknownasthedoctor · 11-25-2011 08:18 PM

I'm not really sure where to put this post, but I think I'm gonna append it here on this thread. It's pure coincidence that it dovetails with the other current thread about spin, referring to Belmont's spin after their game against Memphis. Anyway, here it is:

"Some of the finest players in ETSU men’s tennis history got together last weekend to reminisce and get to know each other better. The group of 13 was recognized at halftime of the Troy State basketball game.

Yaser Zaatini, now the director of tennis at the university, was a two-time All-American in the early 1990s and still stands as the most decorated player in the program’s history. He said he was honored just to be out there with the former Bucs.

“I know some of them personally, and I know something about all of them,” said Zaatini. “The most amazing thing of all is the quality of success that little group has had since they left ETSU. I’m blown away by what they’ve achieved.”

The group included Gustavo Gomez, Ricky Hernandez, Diego Iglesias, Enrique Olivares, Marcos Pablovich, Oscar Posada, Kenneth Roft, Armen Safarian, Moises Sorrano, Larry Stamm and Juan Yanuzzi. They were joined by assistant coaches Ricky Rojas and Travis Sandlant, and athletic director Dave Mullins, who was the head tennis coach when many of the players were at ETSU.

“It was amazing to see the connection of generations,” said Zaatini. “The stories we shared … there was a lot of good and some bad that’s now funny. I think we all feel such a gratefulness for what coach Mullins has done for the program and us personally. He’s been a father figure to a lot of us.”

*** Here's the link for the whole article:

nice part of article on tennis alumni reunion

Threaded Mode \| Linear Mode nice article on Yaser
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