Bruce Garrioch wins sportswriting award for coverage of Dany Heatley saga

I know a lot of folks aren't fans of Garrioch. Personally, I think he is what he is: a semi-homerish Sens beat reporter who's made a nice name for himself if the rumor business by being slightly more credible than Eklund.

Here's my question, though: How can somebody win an award for covering the Heatley trade demand story without ever actually reporting on why Heatley was demanding a trade? This is, literally, a news story with one and only one unanswered question. And you can now win a reporting award without even trying to answer that question? Is transcribing an awkward conference call really that difficult these days?

about 2 years ago Down Goes Brown 31 comments 0 recs |

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This is, literally, a news story with one and only one unanswered question.

OK, re-reading this sentence I think it’s clear that I’m reading way too much Glenn Greenwald.

Down Goes Brown - Unapologetically nostalgic for the past. Brutally realistic about the present. Grudgingly optimistic about the future.

by Down Goes Brown on May 2, 2010 10:28 PM EDT reply actions

There’s no such thing.

I am Mikhail Grabovski's smirking revenge.

by kidkawartha on May 2, 2010 10:33 PM EDT up reply actions

You would be hard-pressed to find a single example that better illustrates the ongoing rot — nay, total dereliction of duty — of the modern journalist.

</glen>

Down Goes Brown - Unapologetically nostalgic for the past. Brutally realistic about the present. Grudgingly optimistic about the future.

by Down Goes Brown on May 2, 2010 11:06 PM EDT up reply actions

No such thing? I thought you were talking about someone being more credible than Eklund. There’s definitely no such thing as that.

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by maplestirup on May 3, 2010 12:36 AM EDT up reply actions

So Malkin to the Kings?

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by Blinky on May 2, 2010 10:41 PM EDT reply actions

I haven’t been this shocked since Three 6 Mafia won their Academy Award. It’s nice to know you can get recognized for reporting trade offers made on NHL 10.

by YakovMironov on May 2, 2010 11:07 PM EDT reply actions

As soon as I saw what he won this thing for, I thought the same thing.

@CarlPeelash

by CarlPeelash on May 2, 2010 11:14 PM EDT reply actions

PPP thinks it’s pronounced “Garry-osh”.

Hilarious.

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by Chemmy on May 2, 2010 11:31 PM EDT reply actions

Like Sh-emmy?

by Leaf in Habland on May 3, 2010 1:34 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Baba booey

Who gives a shit, who gives a fuck.

by Johnny Bower's Pokecheck on May 3, 2010 12:53 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

This award was province wide. It’s like Ontario is stuck with mediocre writers…

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by Kevin Sellathamby on May 3, 2010 8:18 AM EDT reply actions

This is embarrassing, even from a Sens fan

You call him Homer-ish, we call him “one half of the reason good players are run out of town”. The other half being his partner in crime, Don Brennan.

Just listen to him on the local radio pre-game show next year, it’s embarrassing… Ugh…

by kbs on May 3, 2010 9:59 AM EDT reply actions

I’m in Ottawa too and I see both Garrioch and Brennan’s stuff pretty regularly.

If you’re trying to argue that they’re not only not “homer-ish” but are actually too tough on players… well… I mean… wow. I don’t hear them much on the radio, so maybe they’re different there. But in print? No way, certainly not compared to what you see in Toronto or Montreal or New York.

I’d also argue that there’s actually never been a single significant Senator who’s been “run out of town” over anything other than contract demands. Yashin, Hossa, Heatley, Mezaros, Berard, Redden… all these guys left because of contract disputes of some form. And all of those guys got pretty easy rides from the media right up until it was clear they were on their way out, at which point everyone got their kicks in once the corpse was cold.

Down Goes Brown - Unapologetically nostalgic for the past. Brutally realistic about the present. Grudgingly optimistic about the future.

by Down Goes Brown on May 3, 2010 10:52 AM EDT up reply actions

How was Heatley a contract dispute? He hated the city.

Both Emery and Corvo were run out of town by the Ottawa Sun’s writing corps. Not franchise players, but instances where a spoiled group of beat writers got angry at two guys who weren’t interested in dealing with their bullshit, and turned around on them.

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by Peter Raaymakers on May 3, 2010 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions

I think the specific part of his contract he didn’t like was it said he had to play for the Ottawa Senators.

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by nhlcheapshot on May 3, 2010 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions

From the linked article

Garrioch broke several stories on the Heatley saga, including a dispute about a $4-million bonus that was a key problem in getting a deal done.

Sounds like contract, Smells like contract…

by WendelMadeMe on May 3, 2010 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions

the $4 mill bonus was the problem with trading him, I believe, not the reason why he wanted to be traded.
Teams didn’t want to take him unless the $4 mill bonus was already paid.
Except for Edmonton.

"The only way out is in a body bag. Go Leafs Go." - Blinky

by Karina on May 3, 2010 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Gotcha…Thanks for the clarification

by WendelMadeMe on May 3, 2010 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, true, not a contract dispute specifically. But he didn’t want to be here and the team had no choice but to move him, just like in the other cases.

Down Goes Brown - Unapologetically nostalgic for the past. Brutally realistic about the present. Grudgingly optimistic about the future.

by Down Goes Brown on May 3, 2010 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions

Just like in what other cases? I would counter that only the Yashin situation was similar. Hossa and Meszaros were both RFAs, so they didn’t have to be moved. And Redden left as a UFA.

As for Redden getting a free ride while here – I beg to differ. He was a whipping boy for the Ottawa MSM LONG before there were contract disputes between whether or not he would waive his No Movement clause.

by kbs on May 3, 2010 1:12 PM EDT up reply actions

Berard wouldn’t sign. Yashin wouldn’t resign. Mezaros and Hossa were both RFAs who wanted more money, so were traded. Havlat too.

All of those guys were heroes right up until it was clear that wouldn’t be back (which in Yashin’s case was during the first holdout). Only then did the Ottawa media turn on them.

Heck, look at Heatley this summer: he demands a trade and says he’ll never come back, and the media hates him. Then there was talk that me might end up coming back after all, and suddenly we got a week’s worth of sympathetic interviews with his family and childhood coaches, and a stream of “gosh, maybe he’s not so bad” columns. Then he was dealt, and they all hated him again.

Down Goes Brown - Unapologetically nostalgic for the past. Brutally realistic about the present. Grudgingly optimistic about the future.

by Down Goes Brown on May 3, 2010 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions

I feel that Garrioch and Brennan only go after players that don't give them stories

Heatley’s frustrated, Heatley stops talking to Garrioch, Heatley sucks. Given Clouston’s recalcitrant news conferences, I’m half surprised they haven’t turn on him yet. That will probably happen next year when the team doesn’t win a Cup.

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by Mark Parisi on May 3, 2010 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions

I didn’t mean to sound like they ran Heatley out of town. Instead I was referring to, as PeterR said, Corvo and Emery. If you listen or read to some of the innuendo that they spread without ever saying what they mean, it’s garbage. I can’t claim that it’s an isolated situation in Ottawa or any better/worse than Montreal or Toronto, but I still think that it’s crap. The way they’ve been dealing with Spezza is eerily similar.

by kbs on May 3, 2010 1:07 PM EDT up reply actions

There has been quite a bit of shitting on Spezza lately, and for once it’s not coming from us!

Also, he’s overrated overpaid and has a stupid laugh.

Leafs Nation: A drinking team with a hockey problem.

by nhlcheapshot on May 3, 2010 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Corvo is a maybe, although he’s a long way from a star player.

Ray Emery… let’s just say I’m under the impression the media here was very forgiving on him. They could have run him out of town. They didn’t.

Down Goes Brown - Unapologetically nostalgic for the past. Brutally realistic about the present. Grudgingly optimistic about the future.

by Down Goes Brown on May 3, 2010 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Emery I would say is a pretty similar case to Jason Spezza. As long as Spezza continues producing he’ll be fine but based on rumours from people I trust the media is doing a really good job of shielding Spezza now, and Emery when he was good, from a harsh light being shined on their off-ice activities.

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by PPP on May 3, 2010 2:48 PM EDT up reply actions

rumours are so very delicious

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by Karina on May 3, 2010 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions

And I guess that’s my point. I’m of the opinion that if they would stop with the insinuating bullshit, and come out and report the actual ‘rumours’ that they claim to hear, it would be a lot better than the ‘shielding’ they’re doing now. I know the retort is that it will come across as slander. But if everyone is hinting at knowing the ‘truth’, why not just ‘report the facts’. Otherwise, stay away from it.

Plus, they’d seem a lot less two-faced by fans like me :)

by kbs on May 3, 2010 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions

Well, one person I know suggested that they have more than enough proof to avoid getting any lawsuits thrown their way but they don’t want to lose access.

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by PPP on May 3, 2010 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions