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Mike Richards


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The problem Lawless has is that he's really the stereotypical media douchebag. If he likes someone then it's great but if he's got an axe to grind with someone being an objective reporter is out the window and he's dragging people through the mud. I really have a dislike for media people with personal vendettas.

I have not found this to be true. Examples?

His Bomber coverage last year per and post firings. He didn't like Mack and everything was over the top mud slinging, he likes Kyle Walters and it's all sunshine and roses. Guy is a self important media douchebag there is no question about that. If he wouldn't make things personal I'd have a lot more respect for him.

How about his over the top campaigning for Taman back in 2010. It seemed like he had some glowing article about Taman every day while writing next to nothing about other candidates being considered (and I mean Barker, Higgins, etc - not Mack).

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I don't really think things are personal for Lawaless. After reading his articles and listening to him daily, when he starts turning on someone, like he did with Mack it is usually due to inside information from sources that he can't report on.

I certainly think they are. He didn't like Mack from day 1, some of which, IMO, is attributed to his buddy Taman not getting the job.

 

He's a sensitive guy. Doug Brown called him an ass kisser on twitter once when he defended a FP editor over an error in one of Brown's columns. Lawless followed with a string of tweets & even brought it up on his show that night. He completely overreacted to a joke on twitter. Very think skin...

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Anyone who thinks Lawless doesn't take things personal seems to be forgetting the way he writes about Byfuglien and Kane.

 

Did Buff & Kane do something personal to Lawless?  Because I dont recall that at all.  I listen more than I read Lawless though i usually catch his "major" stories.  I will say this about his Buff coverage - he was calling for Buff to be traded when he was a huge defensive liability.  Gary wasn't the only one to do so.  In fact anyone touting Buff's defensive play at the time would have been in the minority.  But Gary is the loudest because he's the lead guy for local sports.  But I was listening to the H&L show where Lawless admitted he was wrong (after Buff was switched to forward) and said he would not trade Buff if he continued to play the way he did.  I believe the quote was "look, I was wrong."

 

People still have a difficult time grasping that Lawless is not an unbiased reporter of news.  And I know youi get that Mike because i've seen you write that.

 

I never see anything personal from lawless.  Does that mean he's never pissy with someone?  He's human, Im sure people rub him the wrong way.  And it's the nature of the beast in sports (or anything) that the people that play nice will get that favour returned.  If a Jets players snubs Lawless or any reporter repeatedly, he's not likely to get the benefit of the doubt very often. 

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The problem Lawless has is that he's really the stereotypical media douchebag. If he likes someone then it's great but if he's got an axe to grind with someone being an objective reporter is out the window and he's dragging people through the mud. I really have a dislike for media people with personal vendettas.

I have not found this to be true. Examples?

His Bomber coverage last year per and post firings. He didn't like Mack and everything was over the top mud slinging, he likes Kyle Walters and it's all sunshine and roses. Guy is a self important media douchebag there is no question about that. If he wouldn't make things personal I'd have a lot more respect for him.

How about his over the top campaigning for Taman back in 2010. It seemed like he had some glowing article about Taman every day while writing next to nothing about other candidates being considered (and I mean Barker, Higgins, etc - not Mack).

 

I would suspect that Taman was very accessible to Lawless.  Local media seems to absolutely love Taman.

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I don't think Gary makes things personal with anyone, sometimes though he is a just a little bit over the top though and does tend to enjoy raking guys over the coals so to speak.

Honestly, Kane and Buff have deserved their fair share of criticism, Buff did get a DUI boating, that's not cool. Kane does seem to get in to trouble off the ice, Buff came to camp out of shape, close to 300 pounds, That deserves to be written about. What type of commitment does a player show when he shows up to camp so over weight. 

 

Gary, takes a lot of crap from people, myself included but at times, he is right. These guys are pro athletes and sometimes, instead of coddling them, you need to make them be held accountable.

 

Bar fights? Parking tickets not paid for, DUI's, out of shape players.. I have no issue with gary holding those players accountable. 

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How about his over the top campaigning for Taman back in 2010. It seemed like he had some glowing article about Taman every day while writing next to nothing about other candidates being considered (and I mean Barker, Higgins, etc - not Mack).

 

I would suspect that Taman was very accessible to Lawless.  Local media seems to absolutely love Taman.

 

 

Campaigning for Taman because he knew Taman would make his job easier is taking it personally. 

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Giving his opinion (which is his job) that Taman was unfairly run out of town (which more than Lawless would argue) and would be a good GM is not taking it personally. I'm sure most media would suggest an open and forthright relationship with media is part of being a good GM. Regardless Lawless is paid to provide his opinion which he does.

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Giving his opinion (which is his job) that Taman was unfairly run out of town (which more than Lawless would argue) and would be a good GM is not taking it personally. I'm sure most media would suggest an open and forthright relationship with media is part of being a good GM. Regardless Lawless is paid to provide his opinion which he does.

 

Honestly tho, who gives a crap what the media thinks, the reality is the media in winnipeg like to think they actually run the teams. That's the problem here, too many media guys like to think they make the decisions, lawless is one of those guys. The jack of all trades master of none complex. Thinks they know everything about everything but in reality know very little. 

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I think its just the nature of Winnipeg.  We're a big city/small city in different areas.  We want big city coverage of our big city sports but we have two daily newspapers and only one sports radio station.  The lead media guy in town is the lead guy for the lead paper and lead radio and featured on TV.  In larger markets you'd have more diversity.  So Im not sure we could paint all the media here with the same brush.  Friesen comes across as a very lazy, lowest common demonimator type of reporter.  I've heard people comment that at practice he barely watches.  He strikes me as a guy that writes a story and then finds something - anything - that happened in game to fit his story.  I used to think lawless was like that too but I've grown to really like him.


 


I do find lawless pushes his opinion in such a way as to get validation.  For example, when he asks a question, it's usually something like "how do you feel Buff has looked this year...because to me, he's really struggled on defence and plays far better for what the Jets need as a forward...uh...like if Im Chevy Im wondering 'which Buff do we need, which Buff do we want' and then, uh, Im making that decision and if its Buff we dont need, then ship him out, right, like just get what you can for him and ship him out, but make that decision and make it now..would you agree?"  That's a Lawless question. lol


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I think its just the nature of Winnipeg.  We're a big city/small city in different areas.  We want big city coverage of our big city sports but we have two daily newspapers and only one sports radio station.  The lead media guy in town is the lead guy for the lead paper and lead radio and featured on TV.  In larger markets you'd have more diversity.  So Im not sure we could paint all the media here with the same brush.  Friesen comes across as a very lazy, lowest common demonimator type of reporter.  I've heard people comment that at practice he barely watches.  He strikes me as a guy that writes a story and then finds something - anything - that happened in game to fit his story.  I used to think lawless was like that too but I've grown to really like him.

 

I do find lawless pushes his opinion in such a way as to get validation.  For example, when he asks a question, it's usually something like "how do you feel Buff has looked this year...because to me, he's really struggled on defence and plays far better for what the Jets need as a forward...uh...like if Im Chevy Im wondering 'which Buff do we need, which Buff do we want' and then, uh, Im making that decision and if its Buff we dont need, then ship him out, right, like just get what you can for him and ship him out, but make that decision and make it now..would you agree?"  That's a Lawless question. lol

 

That's very much a lawless question, basically he asks statements and then asks if they agree or disagree with it, there really is no question that he is asking, he is making a general statement lol.

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Well it made sense from the standpoint of Richards having a way too high salary and term for a fourth line centre. And LA being in a financial position to use a CBO.

The people that whine about chevy not using a CBO on Pavs have never adequately answered as to who starts in net if we buy Pavs out.

 

Lawless crowed about how awesome Richards was and how he knew how to win... and then said LA would buy him out.  Made no sense.

 

Richards salary is same as Enstrom's - seems to be the new 'mid-range' salary going forward.

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