Boston Magazine confirms Hohler is the Globe's hatchet man

Boston Magazine posted a great feature on the demise of the Boston Sports media. It is well worth your time and touches on how out of touch and provincial the biggest names can be. But what I found most interesting is that the article pulled back the curtain on how the tough news is covered. The beat guys can't risk access to the coaches and players they cover every day so they turn the hard news and gossip over to Bob Hohler. Although he hasn't put BC in his crosshairs lately, Hohler has written many negative articles on BC in the past.

So when you are wondering how player issues or coaching fights or other newsworthy subjects are ignored by the Globe or Herald, remember that access remains key. Or in a case like Blauds and Spaz, sometimes you just want to go easy on your buddy.

Still no BC coverage in the Globe but Benbow's on the way

The Herald wrote two articles following the team's second scrimmage (St. X feature and notebook). New beat writer Rich Thompson seems to be embracing his assignment and told me he plans to join twitter once the season begins. 

Across town things are a little different. The Globe did not send anyone to cover BC's scrimmage. Julian Benbow is scheduled to cover the team this fall. That's encouraging as Julian's BC basketball work has been very good. He's also on twitter and interacts with fans. Maybe Benbow will finally be the guy to unlock the Globe's potential in college football. One good college football feature or article can have a huge reach online. And BC's season is going to be a surprise or a disaster. Either type of year should provide plenty of interesting content.

Pantale news puts damper on Media Day

Media Day is about fluff, a happy outlook and getting to know the players a bit better. Things didn't go according to plan though as BC announced that Senior Captain Chris Pantale broke a bone in his foot and will miss significant time. That's a tough loss out of the gate as Pantale has real potential and was hoping for a breakout season. Supposedly with Martin's scheme, BC can use more WRs in place of TEs, so I don't think it will derail the offense. It is also a chance for Naples to step up.

Spaz later explained that Ramsey and Miller were both dealing with injuries too.

The good news was that the media turned out in force. The Globe even sent someone!

Spaz was in a light-hearted mood and asked for pitches right down the middle.



BC Sports Information Department did a great job tweeting comments, taking pictures and shooting video.

There should be even more news tomorrow. And for those fans going to the open practice, be sure to take pictures and send them along.

Camp begins and Globe still without coverage

The Globe and BC both assured me that the paper would have a dedicated BC beat reporter this year. Well that person has yet to be announced and the paper did not cover the first day of practice. Nothing particularly newsworthy happened, but you would hope that they will begin coverage soon. Fortunately the Herald was there. They reported the most newsy event of the day -- the new captains. Metrowest's Eric Avidon also made an appearance at practice and emphasized the new attitude. 

I trust that the Globe will cover the team. I just hope they don't miss the opportunity that the preseason presents. Once the season begins, the beat falls into a fairly structured pattern. Now is the time for the new person to make a mark.

Rich Thompson will cover BC football this Fall for the Herald

There is some news on the BC media front. The Herald assigned Rich Thompson to the BC beat for this Fall's football season. Rich has covered BC on occasion over the years, but mostly on the basketball side. Thompson is a welcome addition, as the Herald's focus has been spotty since Steve Conroy started splitting his time on hockey. Hopefully a new voice on the BC scene will also spark Blauds to improve his work.

For many years, BC fans' main source of news was Mike (Vega at the Globe) and Mike (Shalin at the Herald). We complained about their identical features and soft touch on the BC coaches. Little did we know how good things were. Since Vega's move in 2007, we've been left with a beat writer who seems to loathe his job and also makes excuses for our Head Coach. Blauds also rarely writes or tweets during the college offseason. That sort of editorial decision may have been fine 20 years ago, but now college sports is a year round news cycle. When you look at all the work produced by college beat writers around the country, it makes the Boston media look lazy or oblivious.

Thompson also plans to tweet regularly once the season starts. I hope he makes the most of this opportunity. It is a shame to see the beat neglected like it is across town.