What's your beef with Myron Medcalf?

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BarnBoy

BarnBoy

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Ok, I am opening myself up to criticism here, but what is everyone's beef with M. Medcalf? Not a loaded question. As a casual reader of this forum, it is very apparent that multiple people don't think too highly of him. I don't read his stuff. Just curious:

Poor coverage of the team?

Clumsy or lazy journalism?

Inside joke on GH?

And, no... I am not Myron... or his friend... or anyone associated with him :)
 

Just read his columns for a while. You will understand, it is a little bit of everything. Rather inconsistent updates, incorrect facts, biased viewpoint, etc. He is no Reusse, but who is?
 

Myron's biggest problem is a lack of experience, IMO. He'll likely grow into the job -- I think he's become better over time. Another problem for him is that he replaced a pretty good and experienced beat reporter in Jeff Shelman.
 

centerofmn said:
Just read his columns for a while.
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Do you mean his blog? If so:
it is a little bit of everything. Rather inconsistent updates, incorrect facts, biased viewpoint, etc.
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It's a blog and I can overlook his "inconsistent updates" and "biased viewpoint" as it's a less formal means of reportage, IMO.

I think he should do a better job on fact-checking but I think he's improving in that category.

Bear in mind that most reporters haven't made the jump that Myron made and spent a bit more time in the trenches gaining experience. I can't blame Myron for jumping at the chance but I'll be the first to acknowledge that he's doing more "learning on the job" than was the case at the STrib previously.
 

Rick Mons said:
Do you mean his blog? If so:
It's a blog and I can overlook his "inconsistent updates" and "biased viewpoint" as it's a less formal means of reportage, IMO.
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Yeah, I was primarily referring to his blog, and I understand that it is not an actual column. That being said, it seems other journalists can still write a pretty professional, formal blog. His coverage has been better this year than in years past though.
 


How about his Top 25 voting record?
 

I've always been pretty pleased with MPM. Sure, it'd be nice to have a few more blog postings, but he has also incorporated live chats, and webcasts into the mix, which are a nice change of pace. Also, I've sent him a couple emails with inquiries about the team, and he has always replied back immediately. Greatly appreciated on this end.
 

Well for those who have a problem with him there will be more of him to love per this tweet last night..

My new weekly segment on KFAN starts today at 10:35 a.m. on the Paul Allen show. Check me out.
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BarnBoy = Blizzard = Myron
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I've got socks older than you sonny and quite a few years on Myron too. Lol. Ahhh, to be a young college student again though. Go back to your dorm or momma's basement.
 


Ive come to realize that many people on this board suffer from Journalist Envy, whether its Myron, Doogie, Sid, Souhan, etc.
 

He might grow into a good journalist but he's so far away from that point that it makes it difficult to call him a journalist.

My problems with Myron (aka BAMM)

1. Biased - read his posts and you'll know what I'm talking about
2. Holds a grudge - Got the Tubby stare because of questions he asked and followed that up with a week's worth of articles/posts that started seemingly every column and paragraph with the suspension issue
3. Fact checking is quite poor
4. Integrity - Makes sure everyone knows that a scoop was his (he's full of himself during his chats) but I know for certain he's gotten several pieces of information from this board and fails to ever mention that fact.
5. The "LW is transferring" fiasco
 



He's got passion. I try to ignore all his bias, he has given me no reason to trust his basketball knowledge or his feelings about prospect players or current. If he moved to Siberia tomorrow we wouldn't hear some of the Gophs updates quite as fast, for example; 'RS3 to play Saturdays', but we would still hear it well before the game.
 


rrjackIII said:
I don't like to jump all over a guy who seems to work hard at his job.

But I have to admit I don't believe I have seen this kind of in-depth coverage before:

"Damian Johnson, who scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds, demanded two cups of water when he got a short break midway through the second half. He played a team-high 31 minutes."
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That's impressive to you or pathetic? I'm not sure your angle, it could easily go either way.
 

9194Gophs said:
That's impressive to you or pathetic? I'm not sure your angle, it could easily go either way.
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Not too impressed but I would not say pathetic - that seems a bit too extreme.

Like Rick says I think he is learning on the job especially with the state of the newspaper business today. I don't mean to be so picky but that was just a line that I remember from reading the game story and it stuck with me as not too important to the story or to his point. If he wanted to make a point of this why not mention the size of the cups as well 8 ounce - 16 ounce? Sorry it just bugged me a little. I am counting on him getting better but perhaps just in time for him to take one of the next round of buyouts that will be offered by the Strib.
 

Or maybe because he revealed his entire journalistic philosophy in one tweet " GophersBBGuy Best line I've heard this week: "Controversy creates cash." Thanks, Easy E."
 

He was in way over his head for this job. That's the Strib's fault. Nevertheless, he's gone from terrible to below average. Yay for improvement I guess.

For being a graduate of a Minnesota school (I don't know if he grew up here) he seems to have almost no personal knowledge of Gopher basketball prior to 2007. He does seem to hold grudges or go out of his way to appear 'unbiased' (read critical). In general he interjects way too much opinion into all of his coverge for a beat writer. He's also prone to disapear for months at at time during the offseason. I know the college basketballl offseason is not like the NFL, etc. but updating your blog every couple of weeks doesn't take that much effort.
 

Blizzard said:
I've got socks older than you sonny and quite a few years on Myron too. Lol. Ahhh, to be a young college student again though. Go back to your dorm or momma's basement.
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Do you miss Minnesota State, Myron? I mean blizzard?
 

I agree with this

Pewterschmidt said:
He might grow into a good journalist but he's so far away from that point that it makes it difficult to call him a journalist.

My problems with Myron (aka BAMM)

1. Biased - read his posts and you'll know what I'm talking about
2. Holds a grudge - Got the Tubby stare because of questions he asked and followed that up with a week's worth of articles/posts that started seemingly every column and paragraph with the suspension issue
3. Fact checking is quite poor
4. Integrity - Makes sure everyone knows that a scoop was his (he's full of himself during his chats) but I know for certain he's gotten several pieces of information from this board and fails to ever mention that fact.
5. The "LW is transferring" fiasco
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Other than just plain not having very good writing skills, I have a problem with his biases. I thought I remember seeing somewhere that he was from Madison or Milwaukee? I think for a beat writer, the incoherent articles he submits are pretty negative in nature.

My best example is this: I had always thought his spewings were pretty negative and critical of Tubby and the program. THEN, in the article written about the first regular season game (and second also I believe), he made reference to the suspended players in FOUR of the first SIX paragraphs of the GAME RECAP. Ummm...... WHY?

Leave the opinions for the COLUMNISTS, not the BEAT WRITERS.

Lastly, what's with the going by first name, middle initial, last name? What the hell is up with that? I could see if it's a very popular name and it's helpful to distinguish yourself, I have one of the most popular names in the continental US so I usually sign my name with my middle initial. But I don't think there's a lot of Myron Medcalf's running around out there.

To borrow a term from golf, he has a problem with LOFT (Lack of F'n Talent).
 

"Lastly, what's with the going by first name, middle initial, last name? What the hell is up with that?"......Man, you got me rolling with that! Oh that's funny.
 

My problems with him are that he doesn't know squat about Gopher hoops history and that his basketball IQ seems to be very low. Remember when he said Tubby was going to use Nolen as a combo guard earlier this year???!

I will give him one thing. He's done a decent job covering the suspensions this year.
 

ChemEGopher said:
I will give him one thing. He's done a decent job covering the suspensions this year.
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Yep, MM sure covered the 'blank' out of that... I don't want to hear anything more on Trevor until there is a trial verdict or the case is officially dropped.
 

Hahaha one of the more ridiculous lines I've ever come across in an article. I can't believe he actually wrote that.

I also like this line, "The excessive passing and anxiety followed a series of shots that clanked, banged and clinked off the cylinder, botching their chances for an upset." Clanked, banged, and clinked huh? That was a nice touch. Maybe I'm interpreting that wrong, but shouldn't it have said the excessive passing and anxiety were followed by a series of shots...? The way he has it, it sounds as if the passing came after the shots.

I also liked this... "A chaotic contest of anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-worse"


rrjackIII said:
I don't like to jump all over a guy who seems to work hard at his job.

But I have to admit I don't believe I have seen this kind of in-depth coverage before:

"Damian Johnson, who scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds, demanded two cups of water when he got a short break midway through the second half. He played a team-high 31 minutes."

(emphasis mine)

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/80748047.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUjc8LDyiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUr
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I like it when he drops his experience as a two-sport athlete at least once a month into his work.
 

akgopher said:
I like it when he drops his experience as a two-sport athlete at least once a month into his work.
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Two-sport? What is the other sport, tiddlywinks? He didn't play college basketball. MM may have been on the football team, no idea if he started or even played... guess it doesn't really matter.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
To borrow a term from golf, he has a problem with LOFT (Lack of F'n Talent).
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This basically sums it up. I have no idea what Gopherlady does for a living (hopefully she makes more then most newspaper folks these days) but the Strib could hire her and she would do 10 times better. When the free fan website produces vastly superior content then the major metro newspaper, you've done a poor job hiring the right person.
 

rrjackIII said:
Not too impressed but I would not say pathetic - that seems a bit too extreme.

Like Rick says I think he is learning on the job especially with the state of the newspaper business today. I don't mean to be so picky but that was just a line that I remember from reading the game story and it stuck with me as not too important to the story or to his point. If he wanted to make a point of this why not mention the size of the cups as well 8 ounce - 16 ounce? Sorry it just bugged me a little. I am counting on him getting better but perhaps just in time for him to take one of the next round of buyouts that will be offered by the Strib.
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The bit about the water might have carried more interest if he had followed it up with a line about how 31 minutes was 9 more Johnson's average...Although, I'm pretty sure players reload on liquids no matter how few minutes they're on the court.
 

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