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New Anthony Parker Article, and some JL comments

tornado

tornado

New member
Another great article in the Gatehouse Media newspapers about Anthony Parker and some comments by Jim Les about his coaching staff, but it's not in the local PJ Star where you'd think this article should be. Hmmm....I think I am going to change my subscription and start getting the Springfield Journal Register.

http://www.sj-r.com/sections/sports/stories/117017.asp

Jim Les on Chuck Buescher:
"You're going to miss his experience. He was a guy . . . you can't replicate 38 years or 40 years of coaching and all the things that he's witnessed and gone through and experienced.

He just had a great level of wisdom about him because he had been through so much as a coach, as a mentor of young men. A lot of times, he was just a very calming voice on our staff.

The one thing I know I won't get back is I got to go to work every day with a friend. That's what made it special. Besides the contributions he gave to our staff and to our team, it was great to go to work every day with somebody who I enjoyed his company and enjoyed his friendship for many years prior to coaching. To be able to go to work with somebody like that I think was a unique experience."
 
Bravesguy said:
Anyone know why we don't see this stuff in the Journal Star?
Click to expand...

When there's only one game in town (PJS) and no competition to hold you accountable you can pretty well do as you please :roll:

I imagine when most of your employees got their degree elsewhere and get paid a paltry sum to report on a more prestigious university where the average recent grad will out-earn them in the first year, you will tend to get:

1) One-sided, negative articles, or
2) Little coverage at all (avoidance/spite)
 
I'm sure there are conspiracy theories abound, but my first thought would be that JL has been in Springfield at the FCA camp which is why the Springfield paper is running with this. There is NOTHING going on in Springfield sports-wise, so this is a story down there. Right now in Peoria, there's Chiefs baseball, and other local sporting events that quite frankly are probably more important at this time of the year. I think BU deserves all the good press it deserves, but I don't necessarily think that the Star needs to have a weekly puff piece on the Braves. While I know that there are some at the Star that don't care for BU, there are some pretty big BU backers there as well.
 
I just spoke today with an employee of the PJ Star.
He said that the company will be dealing with four different unions,
but expect significant changes/layoffs to be announced by this fall, as cost-cutting measures get implemented.

Note this--
Gatehouse has already put the Pekin Times building up for sale
http://www.pjstar.com/stories/061507/TRI_BDGNK5IU.006.php

And others know the cost cutting is coming.
http://peoriapundit.com/blogpeoria/2007/02/22/bad-news-gatehouse-media-may-buy-the-journal-star/
 
BradleyBrave said:
I think BU deserves all the good press it deserves, but I don't necessarily think that the Star needs to have a weekly puff piece on the Braves.
Click to expand...

IMO, I think there SHOULD be a weekly puff piece in the offseason and a DAILY puff piece during the season.

If people think changing the mascot to a squirrel will help sell more t-shirts... instead, why not just some more positive pub pieces (oopps, puff pieces).

Sorry - don't want to turn it into a squirrelly discussion. Marketing versus advertising when the bottom line is the quality of product.

I am just in favor of positive puff pieces... keep hammering home about the great University and team located in their back yard.
 
BradleyBrave said:
I'm sure there are conspiracy theories abound, but my first thought would be that JL has been in Springfield at the FCA camp which is why the Springfield paper is running with this. There is NOTHING going on in Springfield sports-wise, so this is a story down there. Right now in Peoria, there's Chiefs baseball, and other local sporting events that quite frankly are probably more important at this time of the year. I think BU deserves all the good press it deserves, but I don't necessarily think that the Star needs to have a weekly puff piece on the Braves. While I know that there are some at the Star that don't care for BU, there are some pretty big BU backers there as well.
Click to expand...

Thank you, BradleyBrave! I thought I was the only one smart enough to realize JL and AP were appearing in the SPRINGFIELD newspaper because they were in SPRINGFIELD!

Also, tornado, what made this a "great article?" Just because it mentioned JL and AP? Is that all it takes to please you these days?
 
Still-- I thrive on coverage of my favorite team, and it looks like I need to change my subscription to the SJR.
 
Scouter said:
I was the only one smart enough to realize JL and AP were appearing in the SPRINGFIELD newspaper because they were in SPRINGFIELD!
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So the Journal Star isn't expected to cover anything in Springfield?
I think you just hammered home the whole point here very nicely! :lol: :lol:

Oh and PS- thanks for keeping threads about poker off the board
 
Not to argue, but Bradley basketball is the biggest sports item in Peoria. It is followed by more people and generates more interest than any other local sport. If there was a Dave Reynolds article today, for example, covering the new players who have arrived on campus for the summer session, I'd bet more people would read it than read any other article in today's sports section. People are starved for information about Bradley and the new players, which is why a site like this is so popular, even in the off season (how many millions of hits per month?).
Last summer, Dave did a series of articles covering summer basketball topics, and I enjoyed them a lot. Why none this summer? Are the reporters too busy? The coaches can finally talk freely about their recruits now that they have enrolled, so why hasn't the PJS gotten an interview with the coach about them or with the players themselves.
There are 2 new coaches on the staff, yet if there has been anyone from the PJ Star that has bothered to take a few minutes to interview Alvin Brooks, or Steve Merfeld, I must have missed it.
Does anyone care about some long-drive contest that the PJS devotes half their front sports page to today? And yesterday, the headline article in the sports section was about an old, washed up Riverman player, Jean-Guy Trudel who was signed by St. Louis and shipped to Peoria...big deal, is it hockey season?
My point is that if they can waste the time and resources on rather insignificant sports topics like these, why not report on Bradley basketball, which is bigger than any of these things. The PJS has access to things that the rest of us will never have, like the summer workouts and the new incoming recruits. And we are dying to hear some news about them. Does it take a press release from Bobby Parker (like it did with the schedule, when it was known for days prior to that) for the PJS to get off their butts and write something? Is there any wonder that newspapers like the PJ Star are losing readership? They are completely out of touch with their readership. They would rather write articles insulting the readers, than give them the news they want.
They would be smart to hire some of the people who run this site to produce regular reports. Just my opinion.
 
i dont chime in often mostly just read stuff
99% of all braves news is right here and right here only and there is no charge
thanks guys keep it up
 
Biff said:
Not to argue, but Bradley basketball is the biggest sports item in Peoria. It is followed by more people and generates more interest than any other local sport. If there was a Dave Reynolds article today, for example, covering the new players who have arrived on campus for the summer session, I'd bet more people would read it than read any other article in today's sports section. People are starved for information about Bradley and the new players, which is why a site like this is so popular, even in the off season (how many millions of hits per month?).
Last summer, Dave did a series of articles covering summer basketball topics, and I enjoyed them a lot. Why none this summer? Are the reporters too busy? The coaches can finally talk freely about their recruits now that they have enrolled, so why hasn't the PJS gotten an interview with the coach about them or with the players themselves.
There are 2 new coaches on the staff, yet if there has been anyone from the PJ Star that has bothered to take a few minutes to interview Alvin Brooks, or Steve Merfeld, I must have missed it.
Does anyone care about some long-drive contest that the PJS devotes half their front sports page to today? And yesterday, the headline article in the sports section was about an old, washed up Riverman player, Jean-Guy Trudel who was signed by St. Louis and shipped to Peoria...big deal, is it hockey season?
My point is that if they can waste the time and resources on rather insignificant sports topics like these, why not report on Bradley basketball, which is bigger than any of these things. The PJS has access to things that the rest of us will never have, like the summer workouts and the new incoming recruits. And we are dying to hear some news about them. Does it take a press release from Bobby Parker (like it did with the schedule, when it was known for days prior to that) for the PJS to get off their butts and write something? Is there any wonder that newspapers like the PJ Star are losing readership? They are completely out of touch with their readership. They would rather write articles insulting the readers, than give them the news they want.
They would be smart to hire some of the people who run this site to produce regular reports. Just my opinion.
Click to expand...

My nomination for Post of the Week! Well said, biff.
This has been the most eventful off-season I can ever remember at Bradley with all the player and coach turnover, yet the only news the paper has reported are just regurgitations of the Athletic Dept's press releases.
If it wasn't for this site and the inside-information we get here, just how little would we even know about? Thank you Bradleyfans!
 
Thanks for the nice comments.
I am amazed at the level of interest that Bradley basketball generates, even in the off-season.

The stats from the server have continued to show averages of over 3 million page-hits per month for May and it will exceed that in June as well, which is more than double the traffic of the same time last year. And it's not just a few obsessed Bradley fans like me. We log thousands of unique visitors to the BradleyFans site each day. I barely have time trying to answer all the PMs from fans desperate for more information about the team and recruiting.

It would be nice to have the staff and resources of a major daily newspaper to track down news, instead of reporting it only when a press release shows up in the email box. I actually think the PJS does a nice job with their Bradley coverage, but the interest is there for more coverage than we have been getting. Maybe discussions like this will convince them.
 
Average Joe said:
Oh and PS- thanks for keeping threads about poker off the board
Click to expand...


One of the top poker players who was in the WSOP is Jason Newburger, who played baseball at Bradley and claims to be an assistant baseball coach at Bradley.
http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cach...ll+coach+at+Bradley"&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us
http://www.pokerplayermagazine.co.uk/pokerlife/pokernews/2431/2007_world_series_of_poker.html
http://www.pokerpages.com/players/profiles/64192/jason-newburger.htm
http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/players/playerprofile.asp?playerID=4460

However, that's certainly news to people at Bradley, as he is not listed anywhere as being on the coaching staff.
http://www.bubraves.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3400&KEY=&SPID=1506&SPSID=19413
http://www.bubraves.com/ViewArticle...06&DB_OEM_ID=3400&ATCLID=264322&Q_SEASON=2005
 
Bravesguy said:
One of the top poker players who was in the WSOP is Jason Newburger, who played baseball at Bradley and claims to be an assistant baseball coach at Bradley.

However, that's certainly news to people at Bradley, as he is not listed anywhere as being on the coaching staff.
Click to expand...

Call his bluff; i.e. all in!
 
It takes some initiative!

It takes some initiative!

Biff - great post! If the PJS sports writers are only 'part time' then I give them a base on balls but if they are 'full time' they really don't show much initiative. Or maybe they're time is split writing obits and reading this message board!
 
Biff said:
Not to argue, but Bradley basketball is the biggest sports item in Peoria. It is followed by more people and generates more interest than any other local sport. If there was a Dave Reynolds article today, for example, covering the new players who have arrived on campus for the summer session, I'd bet more people would read it than read any other article in today's sports section. People are starved for information about Bradley and the new players, which is why a site like this is so popular, even in the off season (how many millions of hits per month?).
Last summer, Dave did a series of articles covering summer basketball topics, and I enjoyed them a lot. Why none this summer? Are the reporters too busy? The coaches can finally talk freely about their recruits now that they have enrolled, so why hasn't the PJS gotten an interview with the coach about them or with the players themselves.
There are 2 new coaches on the staff, yet if there has been anyone from the PJ Star that has bothered to take a few minutes to interview Alvin Brooks, or Steve Merfeld, I must have missed it.
Does anyone care about some long-drive contest that the PJS devotes half their front sports page to today? And yesterday, the headline article in the sports section was about an old, washed up Riverman player, Jean-Guy Trudel who was signed by St. Louis and shipped to Peoria...big deal, is it hockey season?
My point is that if they can waste the time and resources on rather insignificant sports topics like these, why not report on Bradley basketball, which is bigger than any of these things. The PJS has access to things that the rest of us will never have, like the summer workouts and the new incoming recruits. And we are dying to hear some news about them. Does it take a press release from Bobby Parker (like it did with the schedule, when it was known for days prior to that) for the PJS to get off their butts and write something? Is there any wonder that newspapers like the PJ Star are losing readership? They are completely out of touch with their readership. They would rather write articles insulting the readers, than give them the news they want.
They would be smart to hire some of the people who run this site to produce regular reports. Just my opinion.
Click to expand...


Biff-- just re-read your post....excellent.
Maybe somewhere on the full page or two of Nascar news they could find some space to do a report similar to what Lee Hall is doing.
 
great posts and have enjoyed reading all of them. I am one that reads more then writes but if you want to know anything about BU BB you have to get it here. Then we see an article by KW saying how great it was growing up around the fieldhouse and how lucky he was getting to meet all of these coaches and all the people & players he has met and all the great games he got to go to. I guess since they are not at the filedhouse anymore that maybe they are not as great as they once were. As head of the sports dept. one would think that he would be pushing for these type of articles about BU and the upcoming season as it is the #1 thing playing in, not only P-town but all of Central Illinois.
Keep up the great work on the board and we will all know a lot about BU BB
 
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