Richard Justice is a horrible, horrible reporter.

[das]

...or columnist or whatever they call themselves these days.  That is all.

[Andyzipp]

Water is Wet.
Brittney is Trash.
Richard Justice is horrible.

[Kent's Moustache]

IMO, the "Pinwheel" nickname doesn't do him justice (no pun intended).

I move for a more appropriate nickname, such as "Little Dickie" Justice.  Something that truly captures his irrelevant and irritating place in the pantheon of modern sports journalism.

[mihoba]

From his latest.

I know how I'd feel if the Chronicle got rid of McClain and McTaggart. No one else on the staff speaks to me. Life without them would be a cold bowl of chili.

[JaneDoe]

...or columnist or whatever they call themselves these days.  That is all.

Your epiphany was a long time coming.

[geezerdonk]

I'll tell you what justice is. Justice is a knee in the gut from the floor on the chin at night sneaky with a knife brought up down on the magazine of a battleship sandbagged underhanded in the dark without a word of warning. Garroting. That's what justice is.

[Limey]

I'll tell you what justice is. Justice is a knee in the gut from the floor on the chin at night sneaky with a knife brought up down on the magazine of a battleship sandbagged underhanded in the dark without a word of warning. Garroting. That's what justice is.

Anyone else deeply disturbed by this post?  Accompanied, as it is, by a black helicopter avatar?

[Phil_in_CS]

Keep Little Dickie in mind when you hear a 'Science Reporter' or 'Financial Reporter'. They often know as little about their fields as he does about sports.

[Phil_in_CS]

Anyone else deeply disturbed by this post?  Accompanied, as it is, by a black helicopter avatar?

ITGS = Internet Tough Guy Syndrome

[Limey]

Keep Little Dickie in mind when you hear a 'Science Reporter' or 'Financial Reporter'. They often know as little about their fields as he does about sports.

I use this rule of thumb for any and all reporters, until they prove otherwise.  Just think of any subject on which you've done some study, and then think of any time you've seen it reported on by "the media".  For the most part, they summarise any topic to the point of absurdity, or are simply wrong.  If they are like this about subjects you understand, you have to question everything they say about subjects you don't.

ESPN, for example, knows shit about shit when it comes to the Astros.  Therefore, I presume that they know shit about shit for most teams.  It is a position that has yet to fail me.

[MusicMan]

Dick Justice is not a reporter.  He is as much a reporter as I am.

[Andyzipp]

Dick Justice is not a reporter.  He is as much a reporter as I am.

I get that it's semantics, but Dick doesn't claim to be a reporter.  He's a columnist.  He is paid to give his opinion and nothing more.  It'd be nice (and one would think a condition of employment) if he bothered to base his opinions on anything other than his bowel movements and tea leaves, but it is what it is.

[MusicMan]

I get that it's semantics, but Dick doesn't claim to be a reporter.  He's a columnist.  He is paid to give his opinion and nothing more.  It'd be nice (and one would think a condition of employment) if he bothered to base his opinions on anything other than his bowel movements and tea leaves, but it is what it is.

Agreed, although he does call himself a journalist, and even that's a stretch.

Remember some of the threads pissing and moaning about referring to "Hall of Famer Milo Hamilton"?  That's how I feel about "Richard Justice, reporter".

[HudsonHawk]

[quote author=MusicMan link=topic=104614.msg172964#msg172964
Remember some of the threads pissing and moaning about referring to "Hall of Famer Milo Hamilton"?  That's how I feel about "Richard Justice, reporter".
[/quote]

Well, except that the Hall of Fame goes out of its way to specfically state that Milo is NOT a Hall of Famer.  I'm not sure the Chron does as much with their "reporters" and "columnists".

[pravata]

I get that it's semantics, but Dick doesn't claim to be a reporter.  He's a columnist.  He is paid to give his opinion and nothing more.  It'd be nice (and one would think a condition of employment) if he bothered to base his opinions on anything other than his bowel movements and tea leaves, but it is what it is.

On occasion he pretends to have inside knowledge and flaunts his professional status to fend off criticism.  He wants it both ways. 

[pravata]

[quote author=MusicMan link=topic=104614.msg172964#msg172964
Remember some of the threads pissing and moaning about referring to "Hall of Famer Milo Hamilton"?  That's how I feel about "Richard Justice, reporter".


Well, except that the Hall of Fame goes out of its way to specfically state that Milo is NOT a Hall of Famer.  I'm not sure the Chron does as much with their "reporters" and "columnists".

But then neither do the Astros, or Milo. 

[Taras Bulba]

Garroting, money shots (courtesy of fredia), and Dick Justice.  Another Monday morning in the TZ.

[Andyzipp]

Agreed, although he does call himself a journalist, and even that's a stretch.

Remember some of the threads pissing and moaning about referring to "Hall of Famer Milo Hamilton"?  That's how I feel about "Richard Justice, reporter".

I have a BS in Journalism.  I wrote a couple of features for my college newspaper.  I was amazed at how easy that job was.  You would get assigned to talk to someone, football player, coach, volleyball star, whatever.  You looked them up in the media guide to do some research (this was pre-interwebs), found some salient points, interviewed them about those points, and wrote a story.

I was even more amazed at how many of my peers never bothered to do even the simplest checks on someone prior to talking to them.

[Houston]

I have a BS in Journalism.  I wrote a couple of features for my college newspaper.  I was amazed at how easy that job was.  You would get assigned to talk to someone, football player, coach, volleyball star, whatever.  You looked them up in the media guide to do some research (this was pre-interwebs), found some salient points, interviewed them about those points, and wrote a story.

I was even more amazed at how many of my peers never bothered to do even the simplest checks on someone prior to talking to them.

Andy, you and I come from the same background and probably saw a lot of the same things in J-school. I dismiss those things as youthful exuberance. What bothers me is when seasoned, supposedly mature writers pine to become part of the story, rather than being content to find the story and tell us about it in a readable and compelling way.

[HudsonHawk]

What bothers me is when seasoned, supposedly mature writers pine to become part of the story, rather than being content to find the story and tell us about it in a readable and compelling way.

Maybe they read too much Hunter S. Thompson. 

[MusicMan]

I have a BS in Journalism. 

Therein lies the problem.  Pinwheel just has BS.

[pravata]

Andy, you and I come from the same background and probably saw a lot of the same things in J-school. I dismiss those things as youthful exuberance. What bothers me is when seasoned, supposedly mature writers pine to become part of the story, rather than being content to find the story and tell us about it in a readable and compelling way.

I think the most recent example of a Chron reporter stepping out of bounds is Ortiz posting a quote from Patton right after he was traded.  He threw the quote up on the website and created a real problem in Baltimore for the 22 year old kid.  Later Patton explained he had just woke up and was trying to digest the news.  Ortiz took advantage of the situation to go with a sensationalistic quote.  He later removed the original squib and changed the quote in the subsequent story. 

[Andyzipp]

Andy, you and I come from the same background and probably saw a lot of the same things in J-school. I dismiss those things as youthful exuberance. What bothers me is when seasoned, supposedly mature writers pine to become part of the story, rather than being content to find the story and tell us about it in a readable and compelling way.

I think far too many of them have never grown out of it.

[JackAstro]

Agreed, although he does call himself a journalist, and even that's a stretch.

Not at all, he does keep a regular journal.

Dear Diary,

Spoke with Polly today over a distinctive Earl Grey. You will not BELIEVE who the Astros are shopping now. Hint: it's two players, they're the cornerstones of the franchise, and it wouldn't make any sense at all if it happened. I was shocked, but when has Polly ever been wrong?? Also, she mentioned how strong and smart I am. Just wait until I tell everyone!!!!!!! (smilies redacted - Ed.)

[BlownRanger]

I use this rule of thumb for any and all reporters, until they prove otherwise.  Just think of any subject on which you've done some study, and then think of any time you've seen it reported on by "the media".  For the most part, they summarise any topic to the point of absurdity, or are simply wrong.  If they are like this about subjects you understand, you have to question everything they say about subjects you don't.

ESPN, for example, knows shit about shit when it comes to the Astros.  Therefore, I presume that they know shit about shit for most teams.  It is a position that has yet to fail me.

Limey's last paragraph is extremely pertinent to the whole Justice saga.  Anyone who has heard him interviewed on the national stage (he's becoming a fixture on XM's MLB Homeplate channel) knows that Dickie desperately wants to be considered a "national" baseball expert.  I believe he would kill to gain entry into ESPN's exclusive Gammons/Olney/Stark/Kurkjian fraternity, and will gladly wave the flag for any ignorant, uninformed theory those gentlemen might put forth about the Astros.

[mihoba]

I think the most recent example of a Chron reporter stepping out of bounds is Ortiz posting a quote from Patton right after he was traded.  He threw the quote up on the website and created a real problem in Baltimore for the 22 year old kid.  Later Patton explained he had just woke up and was trying to digest the news.  Ortiz took advantage of the situation to go with a sensationalistic quote.  He later removed the original squib and changed the quote in the subsequent story. 

Even his colleague at the Baltimore Sun didn't appreciate that one. Still, he refused to expose Ortiz as the culprit. Of course, you were on the him from the beginning.

Despicable.

[BatGirl]

IMO, the "Pinwheel" nickname doesn't do him justice (no pun intended).

I move for a more appropriate nickname, such as "Little Dickie" Justice.  Something that truly captures his irrelevant and irritating place in the pantheon of modern sports journalism.

second!

what if pinwheel naturally morphs into something along the lines of:

dickpin. pindick?

[pravata]

Limey's last paragraph is extremely pertinent to the whole Justice saga.  Anyone who has heard him interviewed on the national stage (he's becoming a fixture on XM's MLB Homeplate channel) knows that Dickie desperately wants to be considered a "national" baseball expert.  I believe he would kill to gain entry into ESPN's exclusive Gammons/Olney/Stark/Kurkjian fraternity, and will gladly wave the flag for any ignorant, uninformed theory those gentlemen might put forth about the Astros.

Gammons is the holy grail.  Paid to make stuff up that has no chance of being true and have absolutely no accountability.

[pravata]

second!

what if pinwheel naturally morphs into something along the lines of:

dickpin. pindick?

A pinwheel is a folded piece of paper attached to a dowel with a pin.  It moves when the wind blows.  It's cheap, contrived, and attracts the attention of the dim and bored.

[davek]

second!

what if pinwheel naturally morphs into something along the lines of:

dickpin. pindick?

I'm thinking a man of Justice's inestimable talent (at least in his own mind) deserves only one title...

"The Dick"...

[JaneDoe]

A pinwheel is a folded piece of paper attached to a dowel with a pin.  It moves when the wind blows.  It's cheap, contrived, and attracts the attention of the dim and bored.

LOL.  Perfect.

[Ron Brand]

I'll tell you what justice is. Justice is a knee in the gut from the floor on the chin at night sneaky with a knife brought up down on the magazine of a battleship sandbagged underhanded in the dark without a word of warning. Garroting. That's what justice is.

Nice play, Colonel.  What the hell kind of a name is Yossarian?

[geezerdonk]

What the hell kind of a name is Yossarian?

It's Yossarian's name.

[Ron Brand]

It's Yossarian's name.

Popinjay, is your father a millionaire, or a member of the Senate?

Oh, we could do this for a while.  I need to get another copy of that book.

[ybbodeus]

IMO, the "Pinwheel" nickname doesn't do him justice (no pun intended).

I move for a more appropriate nickname, such as "Little Dickie" Justice.  Something that truly captures his irrelevant and irritating place in the pantheon of modern sports journalism.

what would that make Bohls?  Little bitty somethin'?

[Arky Vaughan]

what would that make Bohls?  Little bitty somethin'?

Clitoris.

[Limey]

Clitoris.

Clitoris?

[Andyzipp]

Clitoris?

Mulva.