The Continuing Death of Newspapers Hits Home

So I'm a week behind on this, but after picking up a Sunday edition of the Ann Arbor News yesterday, I remembered that I hadn't written anything about the paper shutting down as of July. Considering that I'm both an Ann Arbor resident who loves (or used to love) newspapers, that felt like an oversight.

What was surprising about the news was how surprising it still felt when it was actually announced. Anyone reading this who's picked up a copy of the A2 News lately saw this coming. That newspaper is but a shell of what it once was, the paper most of us grew up with and developed an affection for. And the decline has been steady for years.

The local arts coverage disappeared almost a decade ago. Reading syndicated film reviews in a town that supposedly covets quality cinema was incredibly disheartening. The paper also used to run music reviews and columns from writers that had a feel for what readers were listening to. They actually went to concerts and interviewed performers before they came to town. But those articles have been gone for a long time, too.

Even the sports page - which with the University of Michigan athletic program to cover would seemingly be the backbone of the newspaper - had dwindled to a near pamphlet over the past couple of years, with less than a handful of full-time reporters on staff. And this was a sports department that provided a springboard to national talents such as Jason Whitlock and Jeffri Chadiha.

The Michigan ice hockey team - a perennial national power in its sport - didn't warrant a beat reporter for road games. The baseball team, which had a notable run of success the past 2-3 seasons was barely noticed. Football still drew significant coverage, but the number of reporters covering games had clearly been cut, opening the door for the bigger Detroit papers to swoop in and beat them to stories.

Even the paper's top sports columnist, Jim Carty, thought so much of the paper - and his profession - that he chucked it all and went to law school last fall. (Fortunately, he's blogging like a madman, and has been all over the decline and fall of his former employer.)

And I haven't even gotten into the lack of actual news about what's going on in Ann Arbor. Stories chasing flashy concepts like commuter trains to Detroit and trolley cars downtown still get the front page, but if you want to find out what happened at city council meetings or various programs being implemented, you have to seek that information out for yourself. Granted, that's not the most exciting news, but isn't that the sort of thing a local newspaper should be focused on, rather than running syndicated articles on stories you've already heard or read about elsewhere?

When I moved to Iowa, my mother told me she and my father had decided to cancel their subscription, largely because Dad wasn't reading the paper anymore. He didn't have the energy to stay up and read the paper after dinner (the A2 News being an afternoon paper) like he used to. So the copies were frequently going from kitchen table to recycling bin untouched. Dad and I never really talked about it, but I wonder if perhaps he also felt the paper was no longer worth the effort.

Of course, when I wanted to hear what was going on back in Ann Arbor, Mom usually didn't have any local news to share. And I'd mock her for cutting herself off from the one source that might provide her with such information. But really, the paper wouldn't have given her much. And eventually, I found some of what I was looking for online. Sadly, that experience hasn't changed since I moved back here. The A2 News's website isn't bad, though the MLive.com platform (imposed by corporate ownership, I imagine) doesn't do it any favors, in terms of appearance or functionality. We got what we paid for, I suppose.

The hope is obviously that the new website that rises from the ashes of the fallen A2 News provides something more than what was previously available. But other than vague promises that AnnArbor.com will be "unlike anything we've ever seen," there's not a lot to go on. With only a few exceptions (the New York Times and Washington Post, to name two big publications), newspapers haven't "gotten" the internet very well. And maybe therein lies the promise. This won't be a "newspaper," per se. It'll be an online publication.

But as Jim Carty points out (I told you his blog was good), the people in charge not only all come from newspapers, they come from the publications that have now failed. Will they have learned from the mistakes that were previously made? Will the presumed freedom of a new venture allow them to provide us with the news source we've been lacking for so long? Or will people decide they prefer what the Ann Arbor Chronicle (run by former News staffers) has been doing -and quite well - since last fall?

Ultimately, it's just sad that the print product - some local flavor, a piece of a community - is being left to die. But if papers like the Rocky Mountain News and Seattle Post-Intelligencer couldn't survive, what chance does a publication like the A2 News have? Or is that exactly the kind of newspaper that should be surviving, because it serves a smaller region and doesn't require such a wide scope? Lamenting what could've been, along with the finality of it all, is what still managed to make this announcement so impactful.

For those who know me well, this might have a whiff of hypocrisy. I've been beating the "print is dead" drum for a couple of years now among friends and colleagues, finding more prosperity (relatively speaking) writing for a sports blog than I did for a magazine that eventually failed. I made an opportunity for myself, and it happens to have worked out. But I grew up loving newspapers, and always wanted to write for one. (Hell, my very first job was delivering the A2 News.) And I still buy them, though hardly as often as I used to (maybe once a week, and usually on Sundays).

But it would be nice to actually be excited by reading a local publication again, anticipating what I might learn or what someone has to say, rather than picking one up just because I need something to read at a diner or coffee shop. Local radio looked like it was dead, but might possibly be making a comeback with WQKL and WTKA. Here's hoping the same is possible for local news.

Happy Birthday, Dad

The Best Heist Movie Ever Made

I love heist movies. Something about the drama and suspense that comes with putting together the big plan, depending on events to move like clockwork, adapting when those events go out of sync (as they inevitably will), and covering for every contingency is utterly appealing in a story. Of course, it's even better if the prize is monumental, or the challenge insurmountable.

This is not one of those stories.



I haven't decided which fall I like best. I think it's the second one, because that looked like it really hurt. But the first one has some depth and complexity to it, when you factor in how his head hit the floor, bottles falling onto him, etc.

But no matter what happens to this guy, at least he doesn't have to admit he was arrested for "having relations with a car wash vacuum."

(via Aaron Gleeman.com)

Man vs. Burger... Lots of Burger

Have you heard about the Fifth Third Burger? A massive bomb (4,800 calories) of a burger that will be offered this season at West Michigan Whitecaps games? If not, here's the breakdown:

Start with an 8-inch sesame seed bun that requires 1 pound of dough and is made specially for the Whitecaps by Nantucket Baking Co. of Grand Rapids.

Spoon on nearly a cup of chili and place five one-third pound hamburger patties on top of that. (Get it, 5/3 pounds of beef for the Fifth Third Burger?)

Add five slices of American cheese and liberal doses of salsa, nacho cheese and Fritos. Top it off with lettuce, tomato and sour cream, and you have a burger that can be sliced with a pizza cutter and feed four people for $20. Jalapenos are optional.

If a single person can consume the entire 4-pound finished product in one sitting, the team plans to give him or her a special T-shirt.

(In writing about the Fifth Third Burger for Bless You Boys, I noticed that the particular ingredients have changed since the burger was first announced. The incarnation that's now being promoted actually seems less disgusting. Maybe someone stepped in and said, "Whoa! Do you want to kill somebody? Take the Spam off that thing!")

But now, we have actual video evidence of someone eating the thing. Well, at least he took a bite or two of the burger. (Maybe we'll have to wait for Adam Richman to truly take this monstrosity on for "Man vs. Food.") I figured at least one or two people tried it, for quality control purposes or whatever, but this man was told he's the very first.

Ladies and gentleman, CNBC's Darren Rovell.



If Rovell (who named this the Minor League Concession Item of the Year) was trying to impress Erin Burnett, I think he may have failed. Or maybe she digs that sort of thing. It was kind of hard to tell, though she didn't seem as revolted as one might expect. I'm also surprised Jim Cramer didn't try to tear into that thing himself. Maybe he did, after Rovell was done talking about it.

You can see more at Rovell's blog.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I might be ready to become a vegetarian. (Or watch Padma Lakshmi eat a big burger instead. Mmm... Padma.)

(via Big League Stew)

Shellhead vs. Little Dragon

Couldn't you use one minute (actually, more like 50 seconds) of awesome today? That is, if you haven't already seen this...



Not a surprise, really. If Bruce Lee could take down Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, what chance did Iron Man have? (Spoiler alert, if you didn't actually click on the video.)

If 10-year-old Ian had access to a video camera and super-cool action figures like Iron Man and Bruce Lee, he might have tried to do something like this. Of course, it wouldn't have been any good, and he would've run out of patience after the first 10 stop-action poses. But he might have tried.

And I just found out Bruce Lee's gravesite is in Seattle. That might have to be added to the itinerary when I visit in May. That is, if Mis Hooz will abide.

The Detroit Tigers Lose a Legend

[The following post ran earlier today at Bless You Boys.]

We have terribly sad news in Tiger Town today, as Hall of Famer George Kell passed away at the age of 86. According to reports, he died in his sleep early this morning at his home in Swifton, Arkansas.

Kell was a 10-time All-Star, six of those honors coming during his years with the Detroit Tigers (1946-1952). He also played with the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and Baltimore Orioles in a 15-year major league career.

Perhaps his most sterling achievement as a ballplayer was beating out Ted Williams for the American League batting title in 1949, edging him out by mere percentage points. Kell was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983 by the veterans committee.

Kell was a third baseman almost exclusively throughout his career. And he pretty much remains the gold standard for that position in Tigers history. Just the other day, The Daily Fungo posted an item about the team's all-time third basemen, and the list is basically Kell and everyone else. (No offense to Aurelio Rodriguez.) The Spot Starters had him ranked #24 on its list of Top 100 Tigers.

I imagine most everyone reading this, however, remembers Kell more as a broadcaster for the Tigers from 1959 to 1996. And from 1975 to 1996, he was the team's television play-by-play man with Al Kaline. With all due respect to Ernie Harwell, for those who grew up watching the Tigers on TV, Kell was the voice of baseball, the voice of summer.

As a kid developing into a baseball fan, I remember being fascinated when my father told me that Kell once played for the Tigers. The whole idea seemed so amazing to me. I think it was my first realization that there was a history to the game, so much bigger and richer than what I was watching on TV.

And if you'll indulge my sharing one more memory - this one much more recent - the first thing I thought of when I heard the news of Kell's death was a phone call I got from the Fungo's Mike McClary. He'd just gotten in touch with Kell to do an interview on The Detroit Tigers Podcast, and it was like talking to a kid on Christmas. I could almost imagine Lil' Mikey's feet dangling off the couch while sharing the big news.

You can find that interview here. Mike just re-posted it.

A Blanket and a Napkin - with Sleeves!

If only I could've gotten one of these before spending hours in front of the TV watching college basketball over the past few days.



(from Real Time with Bill Maher)

Michigan-Clemson in Two Minutes

This was probably the most fun I've had on a Thursday night in quite a while.


Watch CBS Videos Online

CBS is really doing a good job with its online component to the NCAA Tournament, by the way. At one point yesterday, I was watching my computer as much as the television.

I'm pretty sure I pulled something when Manny Harris got that three-point play with 37 seconds left to give Michigan a 61-57 lead. Getting too old to jump up so quickly from a prone position like that.

Next time, I'll make sure I stretch out first. I'm just happy I get to watch Michigan play again on Saturday.

The Return of Michigan Basketball

11 years is a long time to wait. That's how long it's been since the University of Michigan men's basketball team participated in the NCAA championship tournament. The long, joyless drought ends tonight at 7:10 p.m. EST when the Wolverines play Clemson.


College basketball hasn't been fun around here in a long time. As exciting as it was to see Michigan win a bid on Sunday to the tournament (maybe a little more exciting than it had to be, as CBS really made us sweat by waiting until nearly the end of the selection show to announce the Wolverines had made it), it'll be even more fun to watch John Beilein's crew play a meaningful game tonight. Go Blue!

Talking Tigers on BlogTalkRadio

After a false start last week, Seth Stohs rounded up a handful of bloggers for an AL Central season preview on his BlogTalkRadio podcast.

We covered all of the notable Detroit Tigers stories from Lakeland this spring, including the competition for the fifth starting pitcher, the rise of rookies Rick Porcello and Ryan Perry, and the health of Joel Zumaya.  And as one of my regular readers already called me on, I made my predictions for the order of finish in the AL Central.

Thanks again to Seth for inviting me on his show.  We might chat again during the season when the Twins and Tigers play each other.  I encourage you to listen to the entire podcast, as you'll learn what's going on with each of the Tigers' division rivals.

You can listen to an embedded audio clip below or download the file from the accompanying link.



sethspeaks_031709

Brian Fellow vs. The Parrot

With Tracy Morgan reprising his Brian Fellow character last weekend on Saturday Night Live, Hulu brilliantly (and thankfully) posted a past "Safari Planet" skit.



I'd say that was the best one Morgan ever did, but I don't remember all of them. However, I do remember this one because The Rock was in it (playing a guy named "Denny McLain" from the Detroit Zoo), and because Brian Fellow yells at a parrot. That's crazy!

Talkin' Tigers with SethSpeaks.Net - Take Two

This didn't work out last week, but Seth Stohs of SethSpeaks.net says he's ready for his AL Central preview show, so I'm scheduled to talk some Detroit Tigers baseball on his Minnesota Twins Weekly Podcast tonight on BlogTalkRadio. The broadcast will begin at 10 p.m. EST. I'll be on approximately 10 minutes after the hour.

I'm not sure who the other AL Central bloggers will be, but we'll be talking for about 10 minutes apiece on our respective teams. That should be enough time to bring up how many BYB readers hold serious grudges toward the Twins, right?

You can listen to the show at BlogTalkRadio.com, but if you miss it, a download of the show will be available later on for you to peruse at your discretion.

Once again, the show begins at 10 p.m. EST. Hopefully, you can tune in. Thanks to Seth for inviting me.

Today's Photo - 03/17/09

After seeing all the students walk around campus with green t-shirts and beads, I was getting thirsty. And wouldn't you know, my fridge was fresh out of Diet Coke?

Happy St. Patrick's Day. I wonder if I can interest any of my neighbors in some beer pong?

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Jim Leyland

Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland waves to us, just in time for Green Beer o' Clock. (Of course, that may have been this morning for most some of you.)

I really should've picked up one of those green Tigers hats. Even if I'd wear it only once a year.

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Be good out there.