Mike Reiss seems pissed off

[RobertWeathers]

The NFL official statement confirmed they were underinflated, and I am not saying that to say I believe they were underinflated, I am saying that to mean that it certainly was a newsworthy fact and not conjecture, opinion, etc. And I am not saying the league should defend the Pats, I am saying that their saying nothing, good or bad, is causing uncertainty that is unfair to the Pats. If the evidence is damning, then they should condemn the Pats, but at least it would lessen the uncertainty of having no idea what they are thinking.

Thats the thing that really bothered me about that presser from the NFL. It's how they framed it. "They were underinflated"....Thats a proclamation of believing that there was human intervention involved without completing it's investigation- hell, they stated that they just hired Renaissance so up to that point they did zippo. Amazing.

As psyched as I was after BB's presser I'm now getting PO'd again.

 

[billikens]

Thats the thing that really bothered me about that presser from the NFL. It's how they framed it. "They were underinflated"....Thats a proclamation of believing that there was human intervention involved without completing it's investigation- hell, they stated that they just hired Renaissance so up to that point they did zippo. Amazing.

As psyched as I was after BB's presser I'm now getting PO'd again.

I'm trying not getting PO'd, just relieved it appears we didn't cheat. The first day or two, I didn't know what to think. I think hiring Renaissance is good - it means that there is no obvious evidence of cheating (in other words, if there was video of the ball boy deflating balls under the towel, why would they need forensic experts?). So, if they are trying to reconstruct what happened as the Pats did, it means they are searching for an explanation that defies the evidence they have collected so far. Hopefully, their tests match the Pats tests.

 

[Tunescribe]

Yes, it's just the fan in you talking, since we still have pretty much no idea what's been accurate and 'fair'.

Trying to resist taking the bait ... Ugh ... Umph ... d%#*!@t! * sigh *

OK. You don't know much about journalism, Deus. You shouldn't pretend to suggest as much. I have a degree in it. I worked in newspapers for 25 years as reporter/editor/feature writer (including sports)/arts critic. I've been self-employed since as a magazine publisher/editor/writer.

I know what these folks are doing. It's a nasty ballgame these days driven by Internet/social media immediacy in pursuit of "clicks" and to be "first" in an information-saturated media marketplace.

Lack of information precludes accuracy, which SHOULD preclude judgement. Judgment sans supportive information is reckless and unfair. We've seen too much speculation and partial bits of unconfirmed information passed off by the media as conclusive bases for opinions (judgments) that are incredibly irresponsible. Pursuit of truth, and an ethical approach to fulfilling the public's right to know, is the job of unbiased, trained professionals who value basic journalistic principles. Pre-Internet, that was the rule vs. the exception. Sadly, that's no longer the climate we live in and the credibility of many news outlets no longer can be assumed. There remain a few reliable pros out there. It's now up to us to identify who they are (and aren't). This "deflategate" nonsense has outed many of the latter.

 

[buile]

We've seen too much speculation and partial bits of unconfirmed information passed off by the media as conclusive bases for opinions (judgments) that are incredibly irresponsible.

Clicks "Winner" 12.5 additional times.... I *expect* context and realistic information by the "media" to supplant unchecked offerings of agenda- and emotion-fueled conjecture. Very few in sports media offered as much... I'm VERY disgusted.

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

It is not the role of the media to parrot all things Patriots. It is not the role of the media to protect the Patriots from themselves, or from others. It is not wrong for columnists and commentators to give their opinion on issues, even when those opinions run contrary to what Patriots homers would prefer. As long as he'd done his due diligence, Mort wasn't wrong to release his story on the 11 under inflated balls. Reiss isn't wrong to say that the Patriots should be held accountable for wrongdoing.

And the Patriots haven't been cleared of anything, which is something many here seem not to realize.

The performance of one's job does not contain an implicit 'I'm not doing anything wrong'. It may be the world does work that way, however, it still doesn't make it right (and it never should).
That is a very innocuous way you frame Reiss considering even he admitted he had trouble with it. Hypothetical: The PatsFans website is hacked. Last person seen on the website is Deus. 95% of the hot air being bandied about is 'arrest Deus'. Someone then writes an article that says 'Deus Should be Punished For Hacking' (somewhere inside the story contains 'if he is guilty'). That my friend is not right (writers are savvy enough to know what his headline does/propagates versus the text contained within it).

Given the width and breadth of the reporting on this "scandal" (on a hugely massive scale), given it has been rarer than bigfoot sightings to see anyone suggesting this is not a scandal and contains no wrong, with this being an obvious huge story in itself, it takes some moxy to be calling out 'homerism' under these conditions.

 

[juny]

You can tell Reiss lost control of his blog when that big phony bill nye shows up on it

 

[obgod3]

???? He hasn't done his "job" in years. He's Will McDonough without the colorful background -- he's a completely unobjective shill for whoever feeds him info. (And woe be unto you if you cut him off -- seven years later and still frequently whines that BB won't talk to him anymore). Not to mention how he's always been a smug, sanctimonious prig (very Buck-like in that regard).

We will just disagree, I think most of his stuff is well thought out, people don't like what he has to say that for sure but not because it is inaccurate, normally. He is completely off the rails on this one for sure. He does give credit to the Pats when it's due, but I could care less about him whining about BB not talking to him.

 

[SVN]

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/boston/chat/_/id/51566

Carl (Roanoke, VA)


Mike, although many would say the Patriots don't deserve the benefit of the doubt, I've been very disappointed that many people with a national platform -- former players and media alike -- have been quick to judge the Patriots on DeflateGate. Your thoughts on this?

Mike
(1:09 PM)


Carl, I'll start by talking about myself because I don't think anyone should be taking anyone else to task before making sure their own house is in order. These are some thoughts I've shared on the issue: http://www.mikereiss.net/media-coverage-on-underinflated-footballs/

Mike
(1:13 PM)


I'll add a few more thoughts in this chat. I think it stinks. If anyone has ever felt piled-on before, and a target of something that they deem unfair, we know how helpless of a feeling that can be. You just ask whoever is doing it to be fair and balanced, and let the process play out. But this has been an absolute avalanche in many circles and the general lack of personal empathy stands out to me. Words like "jealousy" and "nasty" come to the forefront of my thoughts when I recap how this whole thing has gone down.


Shimon [via mobile]


Mike! Not to beat this to death or absolute deflation, but all of these former players ripping Brady and the Pats apart are going to look foolish when this is over. Trent Dilfer had the courage to admit he was wrong after the KC blowout when he said the pats weren't good anymore. Do you think any of these guys will apologize?

Mike
(1:31 PM)


Shimon, some might, but here's the bottom line: It doesn't matter because the damage has already been done. Opinions are already formed/shaped. Reputations have been damaged and legacies potentially affected. It's like the correction to a mistake in a newspaper story (I had plenty of those) -- everyone remembers the story, not the correction. This is part of why the whole situation just stinks from my view. I'm not sparing the Patriots accountability; if they were found to manipulate the footballs, they should face a penalty. But the fact it has gotten to this point -- without any hard-core evidence -- is just crazy and makes me question the direction and leadership of the league office.

Peter (TX)


Mike, what was wrong with Irsay's twit? Seems harmless (assuming "arouse" was a typo).

Mike
(1:59 PM)


An NFL owner fanning the flames of an investigation directed at a team that just beat his club, at a time when the NFL's investigation is springing leaks left and right and the league is struggling to get its house in order, strikes me as an act of petty jealousy. Especially given what the person himself had just been through personally. Weak.

 

[Oswlek]

The funny thing is the SCIENTISTS that support Belichick are actually scientists. Nye is a television personality who passes himself off as a scientist. He has less education than most high school science teachers.

Even when he worked for Boeing he was more of an actor for training videos than creating anything.

And he is a Seattle native and Seahawks fan.

Bill Nye is a very smart guy. Sometimes scientists just disagree. The guy from ESPN Sports Science - who stated emphatically that the deflated ball offers no competitive advantage - also said that he wasn't able to find a natural explanation for the amount of PSI drop.

I couldn't care less how explainable it is, as long as people put the "offense" in its proper perspective. Even if NE did everything everyone is accusing them of, it is still has a trivial impact on the game. Does anyone think that anyone would ever let it down if Bill had tripped a player on the field as Mike Tomlin did?

 

[hwc]

I can't believe how hard people have been on Mike Reiss.

Be careful about this kind of litmus test, the person after him may not be near his quality.

Won't matter to me. I refuse to read or watch ESPN, so I couldn't care less who they have covering the Pats.

 

[condon84]

I don't go to ESPN the website and will only tune in to the channel if there is an actual game that I want to watch. Once in a while there might be a 30 for 30 piece that is interesting, but other than that, why would anyone watch or listen to that awful channel?

They were dead to me after 2007.

 

[BradyManny]

Bill Nye is a very smart guy. Sometimes scientists just disagree. The guy from ESPN Sports Science - who stated emphatically that the deflated ball offers no competitive advantage - also said that he wasn't able to find a natural explanation for the amount of PSI drop.

Bill Nye is a very smart guy, but I'm not sure I'd call him a scientist.

 

[Jlaff]

Bill Nye is a very smart guy, but I'm not sure I'd call him a scientist.

"Very smart" in the field of general high school science? I'd cede he might have that field mastered. Seems to display a severe lack of logical reasoning though (could have benefited from some post-secondary philosophy options IMO, or something that touches on "logic").

Have to keep in mind that his standard audience is children who are mostly incapable and/or lacking the propensity to challenge anything he says.

 

[Deus Irae]

I think we have a pretty good idea about what's accurate and fair. I don't know why you think we don't.

Because I think with my head, not my heart.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Definitely need to read Reiss's chat today. Lots of strong words. Like this for example:

...here's the bottom line: It doesn't matter because the damage has already been done. Opinions are already formed/shaped. Reputations have been damaged and legacies potentially affected. It's like the correction to a mistake in a newspaper story (I had plenty of those) -- everyone remembers the story, not the correction. This is part of why the whole situation just stinks from my view. I'm not sparing the Patriots accountability; if they were found to manipulate the footballs, they should face a penalty. But the fact it has gotten to this point -- without any hard-core evidence -- is just crazy and makes me question the direction and leadership of the league office.

Or this shot at ESPN (I at least read it as him taking a shot at them) in response to someone asking what ESPN's sourcing policy is:

I think that's a better question for an ombudsman than the Patriots reporter. I hope they tackle it, because I'd like to think this could be a good learning experience for all of us, me included. I'm not perfect either.

 

[holyredeemer]

Reiss is trying to remind us that he is but a small cog in the too vast wheel of "The Worldwide Leader," better known to those with brains as BSPN. That's why anyone who bothered going to his BSPN Boston site in the past week (I stopped around last Thursday) didn't see too much of Mike himself. Rather, we repeatedly saw the names Mark Brunell, Trey Wingo (who is that guy?), Jerome Bettis, and Brian Dawkins: one former Jet backup quarterback who obviously has personal bankruptcy issues so he needs to make a name for himself, and two former obviously vindictive players (a Steeler/an Eagle) with personal axes to grind against the Patriots because BB and Tommy have annihilated them in the past decade and a half. And who the hell is Trey Wingo?

Now that the tables have turned after BB's masterful presser yesterday afternoon, people like Reiss are running for cover, trying to backtrack on the strength of their own prior reputations, because personally they didn't like what was going on, yet were obligated to take the company line, in this case BSPN, in this witch hunt targeting the Patriots this past week. But you can't have it both ways!

Mike, I feel your pain. But when you threw your lot in with this large sports organization, you sacrificed at least a part of your own integrity. You left your local gig (Reiss's Pieces) to collect money from BSPN. And in so doing you ceded some of your own integrity to that of this massive agenda-driven conglomerate. We all have to feed our families. But, Mike, you made your choices, so live with the consequences. Reiss's basic dilemma is that he obviously is having difficulties judging his own personal integrity versus corporate demand. His website showed the bad fruit of his decision making in this regard during the past week. Mike was obviously compelled (as last week unfortunately demonstrated) to make the latter choice, so don't look for sympathy now that this Deflategate issue is justifiably going away. You made your bed, Mike.

"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" -- Mark 8:36

A bit dramatic, dontcha think? I commend him for coming out and at least aknowledging what's going on. He doesnt owe you, or I anything. He could keep his mouth shut, play nice and give his employer what they want. Do you know whats going on behind the scenes? Do you know what promises were made by ESPN to how he could run his blog? I know I dont. I wasnt there. Cut the guy some slack for having some ambition and going to the highest bidder. Mr. Reiss is one helluva reporter and I hope he sticks writing for our team and doesn't bail to someone else.

 

[CISGS]

Props to Reiss. I've always loved his work.

 

[pork3]

Because I think with my head, not my heart.

Which head are we talking about here?
Because if you're thinking with that head, that would definitely help to explain some of your comments in the past.

-Jamman.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Flips Irsay the metaphorical bird, too.

An NFL owner fanning the flames of an investigation directed at a team that just beat his club, at a time when the NFL's investigation is springing leaks left and right and the league is struggling to get its house in order, strikes me as an act of petty jealousy. Especially given what the person himself had just been through personally. Weak.

(in reference to Irsay's tweets)

 

[PatsDeb]

http://www.mikereiss.net/media-coverage-on-underinflated-footballs/

This was a very challenging week for many – from those directly involved with the Patriots, to those covering the team, to those with a passionate interest in the team.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it on many levels – the ferocity in which news spread, the venom with which some opinion was delivered, the obvious agendas of some and how those were promoted, the nastiness of Twitter at times — and in a moment of reflection this is a thought that is important for me to share:

There was a time when a reader could go to a certain place on the Web and know they were getting my take on the Patriots. The name of the blog actually included my last name, which further reinforced the personal aspect of it.

That personal feel (without the name) continued for a short period of time during a time of professional transition in 2009, but it’s important to me that followers know that has no longer been the case for a few years now.

My work now appears as part of a more general feed that pulls in stories and opinions (some that trend quite negative) from various sources within the company.​

We were wondering what happened to you, Mike!