PJStar-BU squabble

[tornado]

I have heard from a reliable source that much of what Eminian claimed in the column was simply not true...
..his spin -- his version and the BU people declined to join in the mudfight...
but of course now that it's out there, Bradley will apologize and hope this dies...
but this was a planned hit piece all along - this was resentment on the part of the PJS going way back (they clearly admit it goes back to Jan 29) and they chose this timing for maximum impact.
Eminian & Vlahos don't cover Bradley basketball and if those things were said to Dave Reynolds, then why didn't Dave say so?
Why did Eminian & Vlahos take on the role of attack dog or hockey hit-man-goon?

..and you have to ask why would they pull out some supposed quote from four years ago -
"Wardle....said "We're going to be good someday and I'll remember who my friends were."
..which I seriously doubt Brian Wardle ever said ..- I think they just made this up.

...They have such a memory that they recall Wardle saying that in a private conversation four years ago?
...or, as I suspect, this has been about revenge and hit piece all along...they just wanted to wait for the timing to have maximum impact.
And how can you believe what Eminian is saying when he rattles off naggy-wife type bitching like:
"Shame on you Bradley University" ... "the university disgraced itself" ... "a disservice to Journal Star readers" .. "You're not Duke or Kentucky" ..."pure pettiness..."
This was a planned hit piece and shows the pettiness of Eminian, DR and the rest of them..

[bigjimmy]

This got exactly what the Journal Star wanted, free publicity. Why do you think they waited until now to do their hit piece on the program. Like I said before this was a fight that BU wasn't going to win and I think Bradley was able to get their point across. They realized fairly quickly that fighting with the press was a no lose situation hence the public apology and establishing real clear guidelines in how to deal with the press. The next step belongs to Coach Wardle since he's the #1 face of Bradley men's basketball. All he'd have to say is that he echo's Dr. Roberts and the athletic department's statements. He could even apologize to Dave for any "misunderstandings" and hope they can have a better working relationship moving forward. Doing this will quickly kill this story and make Bradley look like the "bigger man" here. I know a lot of people on here have issues with the Journal Star and I'm not a fan of it either having dropped my subscription a few years ago. I'm just trying to explain, from a former member of the media's perspective, the how, when, where and why of this story. What the Journal Star did here and has done over the years is to make themselves a part of the story which is something you just don't do. The story is the men's basketball team. Can we please get back to that Journal Star?

[tornado]

agreed - the Journal Star is all about the Journal Star --
did you notice how many times they made a point of mentioning "Sportswriter of the Year" and multiple awards
as if a bunch of newspaper people giving themselves awards really means much to anyone......
I guess if they give out enough awards then everyone gets one...

Makes me wonder if the dentist I go to attends meeting where they give out Dentist of the Year awards
..or maybe the guy who picks up my trash Monday mornings has ever won "Trash Collector of the Year"...?

[Dub]

For those of you who’ve had exposure to the journal star sports writers and their output on Bradley hoops through the years... look at the body of work and consider its level of professionalism, balance, etc as a whole.

Now think about the what you’ve personally experienced regarding the body of work of Chris Reynolds, Brian Wardle, Bradley’s staff, etc. and consider the professionalism there.

in my experience there is NO comparison. I wasn’t there and don’t know what actually went down, but the history of bias against Bradley should make you pause before you make your judgment.

[it's boogie time]

but this was a planned hit piece all along - this was resentment on the part of the PJS going way back (they clearly admit it goes back to Jan 29) and they chose this timing for maximum impact.

You're burying the lead here. The PJ Star knew Bradley was going to win the Valley tournament back in January.

[tornado]

they asked for an apology - and they got one...actually two - from Roberts and from the Athletic Dept.

but.. never satisfied - Vlahos - who doesn't even write about sports - now files another piece of garbage hit piece-- fully expected with their lack of class...
Dave Reynolds - however - to his credit writes a decent column and says he's past it - good for him

btw - don't ask for links - I am never again linking to pjs

[PhiAlphaBoy]

Gee sorry T. I thought the link was self explanatory.
Here's what some the national reaction looks like:

https://awfulannouncing.com/ncaa/bradley-university-limits-mens-basketball-access-to-beat-writer-because-he-doesnt-promote-the-bradley-brand.html

https://deadspin.com/bradley-university-reduced-a-beat-writers-access-to-the-1833347002

I will weigh in a little. First

I confess my bias. I have been a journalist for more than 30 years.

This was a bad idea by the University. It never works out well. All it does is make Bradley look small and petty.
Like the PJS or not, this was not a good move.

Congratulations KilkerB! How does it feel to be one of the only intelligent voices of reason on this thread? You and Professor Ollie seem to understand the gravity of Bradley's miscalculation. I'm thankful that President Roberts finally chimed in. Unfortunately the damage had already been done to Bradley's reputation on the national scene.

[tornado]

but PhiAlpha
you are basing your conclusions on info that is exclusively coming from the PJS and not even from Dave Reynolds -
but from people who really don't even write sports at PJS and who WERE NOT THERE when those things were said!
....just disgruntled people who have an axe to grind...

You are free to believe as you wish, but what if... what if the info they claimed about things Wardle supposedly said in a meeting with Dave Reynolds in 2015 or what they said in a meeting back in January - just maybe what they say is NOT accurate.
And the guy telling us what was said in those meetings was NOT even there - so how does he know?? Just hearsay and we're supposed to trust the PJS for that after all they have lied about over the years?
I have reason to believe that is the case...that their version is not accurate

[Tommy]

Wow! Bad press from Awful Announcing and Deadspin! BU is toast now!

[PhiAlphaBoy]

but PhiAlpha
you are basing your conclusions on info that is exclusively coming from the PJS and not even from Dave Reynolds -
but from people who really don't even write sports at PJS and who WERE NOT THERE when those things were said!
....just disgruntled people who have an axe to grind...

You are free to believe as you wish, but what if... what if the info they claimed about things Wardle supposedly said in a meeting with Dave Reynolds in 2015 or what they said in a meeting back in January - just maybe what they say is NOT accurate.
And the guy telling us what was said in those meetings was NOT even there - so how does he know?? Just hearsay and we're supposed to trust the PJS for that after all they have lied about over the years?
I have reason to believe that is the case...that their version is not accurate

Regardless, you don't ban the press. We've been witness to how that's now played out nationally on twitter, Facebook, sports talk radio, college basketball talking heads, Charley Steiner, et. al. Bradley and their PR/Crisis Management REALLY dropped the ball here at the worst possible time. It didn't have to play out like this.

And for the record, I love Bradley-- President Roberts, Dr. Reynolds, Coach Wardle-- but they screwed this up big time!

[wily coyote]

Gee sorry T. I thought the link was self explanatory.
Here's what some the national reaction looks like:

https://awfulannouncing.com/ncaa/bradley-university-limits-mens-basketball-access-to-beat-writer-because-he-doesnt-promote-the-bradley-brand.html

https://deadspin.com/bradley-university-reduced-a-beat-writers-access-to-the-1833347002

I will weigh in a little. First

I confess my bias. I have been a journalist for more than 30 years.

This was a bad idea by the University. It never works out well. All it does is make Bradley look small and petty.
Like the PJS or not, this was not a good move.

Probably the most sensible post i've seen on this subject. Had to laugh at the post that said it wasn't a big deal. Sure ended up one and the Prez stepped up to try to put out a fire that became out of control and put us in a bad spotlight. My only thought about all the people complaining about so few posts. Hello hard to post when the objects don't allow you to.

[MacabreMob]

I want to first say, I like Dave Reynolds and think he is a class act. However, I don't feel the same toward the PJS.

This press and all this conversation is plain and simple - crap.

(to paraphrase T Gowdy)

"... (the media) is supposed to provide oversight. That's why you have special liberties and that's why you have special protection....

I am not surprised the PJS called this a disgrace.
I am not surprised the PJS said 'what were they thinking'.
I am not surprised the PJS said the slights happened a long time ago.

I'm just surprised how man people bought it."

Shame on you PJS.

From the original article...
"a disservice to Journal Star readers — who are Bradley basketball fans"
"Nothing written about BU merits an upturned middle finger at the media, and by proxy, the team’s fanbase."

No PJS - the PJS is not the fanbase and the Bradley basketball fans do not depend on reading what the PJS writes.

Shame on you PJS.

From the original article...
"Bradley head coach Brian Wardle and his media relations staff, apparently uber thin-skinned, hijacked the university’s reputation and undermined what should be a feel-good weekend as BU heads toward the NCAA Selection Sunday with an automatic berth in hand."

No PJS - the PJS and it's staff, apparently uber thin-skinned, hijacked Bradley's reputation and undermined this feel good weekend (YES - for the fanbase, it is STILL a feel good weekend) as Bradley heads toward the NCAA Selection Sunday with auto bid in hand.

Shame on you PJS.

[PhiAlphaBoy]

Bernstein: "Spoiled Baby" Brian Wardle Ruins Bradley's Big Day

https://670thescore.radio.com/bernst...eoria-reporter

[tornado]

OMG the guy is a complete idiot!!! He drags out those old false reports from back at Green Bay...
and READ the attendance statistics he throws out--
he must have attended the Kirk Wessler school of honesty in reporting!!

He cites the current attendance then compares to numbers from eight years ago and claims that the decline in attendance is due to Wardle!!
Holy Cow - is this guy the king of idiots - apparently he's never bothered to actually check how the attendance dropped over that span and that
99% of the attendance drop is squarely on Joanne Glasser, Mike Cross and Geno Ford!!
But then what does anyone expect from a Chicago guy - who probably doesn't even know where Bradley is.

nobody is spoiled more than the Chicago sports guys - and largely that goes for all of the media who have caused their own
crisis of unpopularity and low ratings with their spoiled behavior....

but since I really don't even know this Bernstein guy - I googled some facts...
-his show was just said to have a whopping 17.9% DECLINE in ratings -
-and there's an entire sub-forum on one Chicago sports message board about Bernstein's show with multiple threads talking about how bad they are


I think we ought to just let this whole topic die...
personally I am glad we have a staff with guts to take the fight to them instead of letting them get away with those cheap shots
...I mean...like the press coverage couldn't get any worse that it's been...

[Da Coach]

What a complete garbage piece by a totally ignorant bozo.
The writer, who is known for his off-the-handle and ignorant misdirected tirades, resorts to the lowest level of unethical journalistic practices by using an "anonymous" source who has absolutely no connection to Bradley, and no knowledge about this incident with the newspaper to take shots at Coach Wardle. Plus, this "anonymous" source admittedly has not had any contact with Wardle for decades and clearly has an axe to grind. Yet, somehow the writer gives him a forum to spew nonsense about him. This is the kind of crap usually seen in psychotic rants by irrational bloggers like the Unibomber, and not by someone pretending to be a journalist.

Then the writer drags out the old issue at Green Bay, but conveniently manages to ignore and not even mention the fact that an in-depth, independent investigation done by outside investigators cleared Coach Wardle of the allegations made by sour-grapes spewing ex-players
https://www.si.com/basketball/2013/0...y-brian-wardle
https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/tick...ed-abuse/60965

Note that the independent investigation “concluded that a good deal of what was alleged did not occur as it was stated in the complaints...”. But doing actual research to obtain the truth before reporting about it is something Mr. Bernstein never bothered considering. Again, the absolute definition of the worst kind of journalism.

And just to prove it wasn't an innocent mistake, Bernstein ignorantly throws in a comment about "seeing attendance decline" because of Coach Wardle. But, again, anyone with an IQ above single digits knows it was because of the destruction caused by Geno Ford, Joanne Glasser, and Mike Cross. Wardle was brought in to save this sinking ship, and he's done a great job. The falling attendance is not in any way due to Coach Wardle, despite that ludicrous suggestion.

Plus, the entire article is based 100% on the second-hand unverified claims made by the PJ Star, and makes ZERO attempt to get Bradley's side of the story. Thus Bernstein has completed the impossible task of violating every major rule of journalism in one short piece of garbage....
1) Using a single anonymous source who clearly has an axe to grind and who has no connection to Bradley or to the current situation, and hasn't known Wardle for decades
2) Basing the entire article on the 2nd and 3rd hand unverified opinions of one side (the PJ Star column by Dave Eminian was labelled by the PJ Star as "OPINION")
3) Dragging out completely irrelevant issues (the Green Bay story) and distorting and lying about it to try to make his case
4) Throwing in completely unrelated facts and deceptively trying to connect them to the current story as cause and effect (the attendance drop)

Congratulations to Dan Bernstein. His article should be used by every journalism professor in the country as an example of the absolute worst kind of journalism.

Plus Bernstein is really bad at math. He claims-
They also are seeing attendance decline. The average crowd at Carver Arena for the four years before Wardle arrived was 7,313, despite the team's struggles. From 2015 to now, the average has dropped to 5,716 even with competitive improvement.

Here are the official NCAA attendance numbers. The average for the 4 years before Wardle arrived is actually 6,633, not 7,313 as Bernstein claims. The attendance under Wardle has remained relatively constant despite the horrendous shape the basketball program was in when he arrived.

2019........16..86,871..5,429
2018 .......15..85,489..5,699
2017 #96 15 82,318 5,487
2016 #91 15 89,299 5,953
2015 #94 16 91,614 5,726
2014 #74 17 112,335 6,608
2013 #79 18 118,024 6,557
2012 #68 16 122,245 7,640
2011 #56 16 135,148 8,447
2010 #52 15 140,079 9,339