The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Didn't Razor have a blog and press credentials when he lived in Norfolk?

(02-07-2020 04:29 PM)bench jockey Wrote:  The best thing ODU can do is be proactive and either ask Harry to go fulltime sports or bring Ed on board. But here's the thing, it has to be made clear to the writer and the public that this just be happy stuff. Credibility off at stake
I believe UVA did this several years ago with Jeff White and told him to cover the teams like the reporter he was in Richmond.

Sent from my SM-J320V using CSNbbs mobile app

I think that no matter their words, or even their intentions, there's always going to be an uncrossable line when it comes to critical coverage from one of their employees. It's one thing to write about the team going cold in the second half, it's another thing entirely to write about whether coaches should be on the hot seat. And even if the reporter *was* given free reign with no editorial interference, the fact of their employer will always call their credibility into question.

Bringing reporters like Jeff White and Harry Minium onboard an athletic department's communications department is done with an eye toward ensuring more consistent gameday and feature coverage in a time when quality options for that from the media are becoming scarcer in this post-newspaper world. They're not looking to fulfill in-house FOIA requests.

IMO Reese Becker is our best bet at this point. He's pulling double-duty doing HS sports for Hatfield and Rivals/VA Prep in addition to ODU. He's doing 'OK' for a young buck. He has ties to Underdog Dynasty and Fifth Quarter.

Not perfect, but he hasn't taken a buyout this week, either.

@ReeseBecker
@FQOldDominion

ODU basketball home game tonight. Once again, VP sports page ... crickets. Pitiful

(02-07-2020 03:34 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  The thing is they're not going to give anyone a press pass just because they want to ask questions. It's probably easier to get credentialed now than it was 10 or 20 years ago when there were more media outlets, but you still have to represent a newsgathering organization that has an audience. And no, this board isn't audience enough.

If you're serious about this, my best suggestion would be to latch on to an existing publication, but there aren't many options.

Southside Daily might be the most promising. It covers the region and has good corporate support, but to date they have no sports presence. Someone would have to sell them on the potential for expanded readership and ad sales based on adding ODU sports coverage. It's not out of the question but it would require a really good business case.

The Suffolk News-Herald is the other daily newspaper in the region, but they don't leave Suffolk, so they most likely wouldn't be interested. The rest of the existing pubs are too hyperlocal or too niche to even consider it (the African-American newspaper New Journal & Guide covered ODU basketball in the 90s but I don't think they've done sports in a long time).

You could start a sports blog, but unless you already have a relationship with the athletic department, you're probably not going to get credentialed until you prove your site's worth over months and perhaps years. They're not going to be in a hurry to give a press pass to a blog that has 50 views a day. There's a site that covers state women's basketball, Lady Swish, that's run by two former Pilot reporters, but I don't know if they get credentialed, and they're more established.

If you're serious about doing an ODU sports site, the best way to win the AD's interest and sow the seeds for football/basketball coverage is starting with the Olympic sports. Cover the stuff that only the Mace and Crown will pay attention to: field hockey, soccer, women's lacrosse, that sort of thing. Limit the football/basketball coverage to features on players and short writeups of the game from press releases to establish your interest. Don't do much commentary/analysis until you've proven your credibility; if this is just Joe ODU's Hot Ass Takes, you won't get far. Once you've established yourself as a legitimate news source, they'll be a lot more likely to get you on press row.

The other thing you have to consider is that you have to ask questions like a reporter and not a fan, and DEFINITELY not a frustrated fan. I presume most of you wouldn't go full message board in the post-game presser, but there's a decorum there and they won't hesitate to pull your credential and blacklist you and your site/publication if you lose your crap demanding to know why Green hasn't been benched or why JJ can't get consistent shooters into the program. You get more latitude if you're from an established publication, but you won't be and you'll have a very short leach accordingly.

I've never started my own publication (I know people who have; spoiler alert: they're all dead [the sites, not the people]), but I have reasonable sports journalism experience. I don't live down there and wouldn't probably have the time to do too much even if I did, but I can provide guidance and assistance if there's powder to be lit.

I have over a decade of past sportswriting experience (NFL, etc...) and a few New Jersey Press Association awards hanging on my wall. Perhaps I could lend a hand as well if needed.

(02-07-2020 06:34 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(02-07-2020 04:29 PM)bench jockey Wrote:  The best thing ODU can do is be proactive and either ask Harry to go fulltime sports or bring Ed on board. But here's the thing, it has to be made clear to the writer and the public that this just be happy stuff. Credibility off at stake
I believe UVA did this several years ago with Jeff White and told him to cover the teams like the reporter he was in Richmond.

Sent from my SM-J320V using CSNbbs mobile app

I think that no matter their words, or even their intentions, there's always going to be an uncrossable line when it comes to critical coverage from one of their employees. It's one thing to write about the team going cold in the second half, it's another thing entirely to write about whether coaches should be on the hot seat. And even if the reporter *was* given free reign with no editorial interference, the fact of their employer will always call their credibility into question.

Bringing reporters like Jeff White and Harry Minium onboard an athletic department's communications department is done with an eye toward ensuring more consistent gameday and feature coverage in a time when quality options for that from the media are becoming scarcer in this post-newspaper world. They're not looking to fulfill in-house FOIA requests.

Harry was the FOIA king; maybe Ed filed 1 or 2 but it isn't like anyone has dug underground on the ODU program in years. All I'm saying is if they lost to UNC by 50 don't write the SID-type story about how it was close for 3 minutes.

(02-08-2020 12:42 PM)Avl1 Wrote:  ODU basketball home game tonight. Once again, VP sports page ... crickets. Pitiful

You really don't ******* get it, do you. Jesus.

(02-08-2020 03:41 PM)bench jockey Wrote:  

(02-07-2020 06:34 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(02-07-2020 04:29 PM)bench jockey Wrote:  The best thing ODU can do is be proactive and either ask Harry to go fulltime sports or bring Ed on board. But here's the thing, it has to be made clear to the writer and the public that this just be happy stuff. Credibility off at stake
I believe UVA did this several years ago with Jeff White and told him to cover the teams like the reporter he was in Richmond.

Sent from my SM-J320V using CSNbbs mobile app

I think that no matter their words, or even their intentions, there's always going to be an uncrossable line when it comes to critical coverage from one of their employees. It's one thing to write about the team going cold in the second half, it's another thing entirely to write about whether coaches should be on the hot seat. And even if the reporter *was* given free reign with no editorial interference, the fact of their employer will always call their credibility into question.

Bringing reporters like Jeff White and Harry Minium onboard an athletic department's communications department is done with an eye toward ensuring more consistent gameday and feature coverage in a time when quality options for that from the media are becoming scarcer in this post-newspaper world. They're not looking to fulfill in-house FOIA requests.

Harry was the FOIA king; maybe Ed filed 1 or 2 but it isn't like anyone has dug underground on the ODU program in years. All I'm saying is if they lost to UNC by 50 don't write the SID-type story about how it was close for 3 minutes.

Harry had more to sink his teeth into with the establishment of the football program and its subsequent move to FBS. Plus he came from the Norfolk City Council beat, so he was used to fighting for scraps of information.

As to your other point, I think Harry does his game writeups with more balance and thoughtfulness than "ODU played hard but somehow the Tar Heels won by 60." But you're still writing with your employer in mind, so all of the invective we might use on the board and even a lot of the dubiousness and critical take from the Pilot reporter would be no-go. At the end of the day it's still going to be closer to Bruce Rader than Pilot-era Harry or prime Molinaro.

Thanks man.

Not familiar with him but glad it’s not Matthew the food writer!

Hey, I like Matthew, the food writer!

(02-12-2020 06:59 AM)ODUCoach Wrote:  Hey, I like Matthew, the food writer!

He's a talented writer and his honest takes are pretty refreshing.

(02-12-2020 06:59 AM)ODUCoach Wrote:  Hey, I like Matthew, the food writer!

I love that guy. He’s maybe one of the best writer over there . I wouldn’t have been surprised if they added sports to his heat though! Maybe he could have written about the limp bacon at the basketball breakfasts!

(02-08-2020 03:53 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(02-08-2020 03:41 PM)bench jockey Wrote:  

(02-07-2020 06:34 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(02-07-2020 04:29 PM)bench jockey Wrote:  The best thing ODU can do is be proactive and either ask Harry to go fulltime sports or bring Ed on board. But here's the thing, it has to be made clear to the writer and the public that this just be happy stuff. Credibility off at stake
I believe UVA did this several years ago with Jeff White and told him to cover the teams like the reporter he was in Richmond.

Sent from my SM-J320V using CSNbbs mobile app

I think that no matter their words, or even their intentions, there's always going to be an uncrossable line when it comes to critical coverage from one of their employees. It's one thing to write about the team going cold in the second half, it's another thing entirely to write about whether coaches should be on the hot seat. And even if the reporter *was* given free reign with no editorial interference, the fact of their employer will always call their credibility into question.

Bringing reporters like Jeff White and Harry Minium onboard an athletic department's communications department is done with an eye toward ensuring more consistent gameday and feature coverage in a time when quality options for that from the media are becoming scarcer in this post-newspaper world. They're not looking to fulfill in-house FOIA requests.

Harry was the FOIA king; maybe Ed filed 1 or 2 but it isn't like anyone has dug underground on the ODU program in years. All I'm saying is if they lost to UNC by 50 don't write the SID-type story about how it was close for 3 minutes.

Harry had more to sink his teeth into with the establishment of the football program and its subsequent move to FBS. Plus he came from the Norfolk City Council beat, so he was used to fighting for scraps of information.

As to your other point, I think Harry does his game writeups with more balance and thoughtfulness than "ODU played hard but somehow the Tar Heels won by 60." But you're still writing with your employer in mind, so all of the invective we might use on the board and even a lot of the dubiousness and critical take from the Pilot reporter would be no-go. At the end of the day it's still going to be closer to Bruce Rader than Pilot-era Harry or prime Molinaro.

He actually had little to do with the establishment of the football program. Ducibella and Walzer handled that, followed by Radford.

The new bball beat reporters first new piece is up.

(02-12-2020 10:49 AM)bench jockey Wrote:  

(02-08-2020 03:53 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(02-08-2020 03:41 PM)bench jockey Wrote:  

(02-07-2020 06:34 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(02-07-2020 04:29 PM)bench jockey Wrote:  The best thing ODU can do is be proactive and either ask Harry to go fulltime sports or bring Ed on board. But here's the thing, it has to be made clear to the writer and the public that this just be happy stuff. Credibility off at stake
I believe UVA did this several years ago with Jeff White and told him to cover the teams like the reporter he was in Richmond.

Sent from my SM-J320V using CSNbbs mobile app

I think that no matter their words, or even their intentions, there's always going to be an uncrossable line when it comes to critical coverage from one of their employees. It's one thing to write about the team going cold in the second half, it's another thing entirely to write about whether coaches should be on the hot seat. And even if the reporter *was* given free reign with no editorial interference, the fact of their employer will always call their credibility into question.

Bringing reporters like Jeff White and Harry Minium onboard an athletic department's communications department is done with an eye toward ensuring more consistent gameday and feature coverage in a time when quality options for that from the media are becoming scarcer in this post-newspaper world. They're not looking to fulfill in-house FOIA requests.

Harry was the FOIA king; maybe Ed filed 1 or 2 but it isn't like anyone has dug underground on the ODU program in years. All I'm saying is if they lost to UNC by 50 don't write the SID-type story about how it was close for 3 minutes.

Harry had more to sink his teeth into with the establishment of the football program and its subsequent move to FBS. Plus he came from the Norfolk City Council beat, so he was used to fighting for scraps of information.

As to your other point, I think Harry does his game writeups with more balance and thoughtfulness than "ODU played hard but somehow the Tar Heels won by 60." But you're still writing with your employer in mind, so all of the invective we might use on the board and even a lot of the dubiousness and critical take from the Pilot reporter would be no-go. At the end of the day it's still going to be closer to Bruce Rader than Pilot-era Harry or prime Molinaro.

He actually had little to do with the establishment of the football program. Ducibella and Walzer handled that, followed by Radford.

Crap, I blanked out on Rich and Phil and Duce. That is true. Harry was there for the FBS/CUSA transition, as I recall. I know he pissed off some people in the ODU admin and here because he FOIA'd the Vandy buy-game contract.

(02-12-2020 11:14 AM)ODUDrunkard13 Wrote:  The new bball beat reporters first new piece is up.

I believe David Hall was assigned to ODU a few years back. He then picked up Norfolk State. He's an experienced writer. looking forward to his coverage.

Dave Johnson went the Minium route and is now working for W&M.

(02-13-2020 11:07 PM)devyanks90 Wrote:  Dave Johnson went the Minium route and is now working for W&M.

Wonder if he has Duce's old job?

No, Nate Tidwell has Duce's old job. DJ is strictly sports.