San Francisco Chronicle won’t use Redskins: ‘An offensive term’

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Managing editor Audrey Cooper makes the case for the San Francisco Chronicle:

Words – and the ones we choose to use – are powerful. It’s not a responsibility we take lightly.

Our newsroom is the latest to avoid using “Redskins” when referring to the NFL franchise from Washington.

We will use the word only when avoiding it would be confusing to readers – for example, in stories about the controversy surrounding the team name. In most cases, we will refer to the team as “Washington,” avoiding use of an offensive term.

The Chronicle and SFGate.com have a long-standing policy against using racial slurs. Not everyone has to be personally offended by a word to make it a slur. And make no mistake, “redskin” is a patently racist term.

Who’s next.

Chamblee was contrite, but didn’t apologize; Woods needs to be careful with next move

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In case you missed it, Brandel Chamblee addressed his Tiger Woods-cheating column for the first time last night on the Golf Channel.

Chamblee said:

You know, in offering my assessment of Tiger’s year and specifically looking at the incidents in Abu Dhabi, Augusta, Ponte Vedra and Chicago, I said Tiger Woods was cavalier about the rules. I should have stopped right there. In comparing those incidents to my cheating episode in the fourth grade, I went too far. Cheating involves intent. Now I, I know what my intent was on that fourth grade math test. But there’s no way that I could know with one hundred percent certainty what Tiger’s intent was in any of those situations. That was my mistake.

Chamblee also said a few other things. He stressed he doesn’t have a vendetta against Woods. It’s all there in the video.

However, the one thing Chamblee didn’t do was issue an on-air apology to Woods. He previously apologized via Twitter for inciting the debate about whether Woods cheated during several instances in 2013. But even he then, he didn’t apologize for the content of the Golf.com column that stirred everything up in the first place.

Even last night, Chamblee didn’t completely back off his theme. He said, “There’s no way that I could know with one hundred percent certainty what Tiger’s intent was in any of those situations.”

Not 100 percent certain? So Brandel, are you still saying there’s a possibility Woods is guilty of cheating?

This much is certain. The Woods camp is furious, and Wednesday’s on-air session likely didn’t appease them.

It appears as if Woods and agent Mark Steinberg will continue to pursue the matter. They feel they were grossly maligned here by Chamblee. Being labeled a cheater is the worst accusation in golf.

However, there is a public relations risk here. If they go forward, they have to make sure they are perceived as the victim. There is the potential that Woods could be viewed as a bully trying to use his power to extract revenge over Chamblee.

It’s already happening. Gregg Doyel at CBSSports.com wrote earlier in the week:

Tiger Woods plays dirty, but then, we already knew that. And Brandel Chamblee wrote it. And here comes Tiger, confirming it.

By passive-aggressively trying to get Chamblee fired.

This is a bad-guy move Tiger is pulling, trying to use his power and influence — let’s be clear; his power and influence in golf are formidable — to get a TV golf analyst fired for something the TV golf analyst didn’t even say on TV. Chamblee wrote for Golf.com that Woods’ grade for the 2013 season should be an ‘F’ for being “a little cavalier with the rules.”

The next move is up to Woods and Steinberg. And make no mistake, there will be another move.

 

Front page: Joy in Boston; Rest of U.S. celebrates end of long-suffering Red Sox fan theme

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Can we finally put it to bed? The long-suffering Red Sox fan theme was so 20th Century. Their fans now are celebrating their third title since 2004. They aren’t suffering anymore.

I’m a fan of baseball history, but Fox beat us over the head with the 1918 thing again last night. Enough.

It all is especially hard to digest in Chicago. Do you know the last time the Cubs or White Sox celebrated a title in their ballpark? It was in 1906, when the Sox beat the Cubs in the World Series. Babe Ruth was 11.

And do I really have to get into the Cubs’ issues?

So congratulations, Boston. And for Fox, ESPN, and everyone else: Time to move on.

Chicago news: Dan McNeil takes leave of absence; depression-related

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Sorry to report this. Wishing Mac the best.

From my report in the Chicago Tribune:

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Dan McNeil is on the sidelines again.

Sources with knowledge of the situation say the WSCR-AM 670 mid-morning host again is experiencing issues related to depression. Those sources also say the station is giving him a leave of absence, but there is no guarantee he will return to the air.

Station officials would not comment. McNeil, through his agent Bryan Harlan, declined to discuss his situation.

In 2012, McNeil was off the air for an extended period from the 9 a.m-1 p.m. show he co-hosts with Matt Spiegel. When he returned, he was open about his battles with depression and substance abuse.

“I was born with something that I have no control over,” McNeil said then. “And I have fought that for a good portion of my life. It is not the type of disease that garners much sympathy, but I am not interested in sympathy.”

He added, “Time to hit the brakes on something that has been a best friend when all other measures failed. … It’s weed, it’s alcohol — I can’t have it. … I can’t have the substances. I can’t promise anything down the road, but I know today — as I have been for the past six weeks — pretty happy to be substance-free.”

 

McIlroy defends Tiger on Chamblee flap; Chamblee to discuss situation on Golf Channel tonight

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As I predicted, things are heating up on the Tiger Woods-Brandel Chamblee front.

From Geoff Shackelford:

Earlier today, Rory McIlroy defended Woods’ hardline response against Chamblee. Writes Derek Lawrenson in the Daily Mail:

There was nothing coy, mind, about the way he waded in on the side of his friend Tiger Woods, with strong words of condemnation for Golf Channel commentator Brandel Chamblee, who insinuated in a recent magazine article Tiger was a cheat.

‘I say Brandel was completely wrong and I don’t think he has the authority to say anything bad about Tiger,’ said McIlroy. ‘People wouldn’t know who Brandel was if it wasn’t for Tiger, so I am completely against what he said and he should be dealt with in the right way.’ 

 

Rosenthal on Tim McCarver: A big loss for Fox, baseball

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If Boston wins tonight, it’s all over for Tim McCarver. He will have called his last World Series game for Fox Sports, and likely anyone else. If it isn’t tonight, then it will be tomorrow night.

While McCarver says he isn’t retiring, he will be walking away from the big spotlight.

I did my review on McCarver’s career. His record-setting longevity, candor, and critics.

Ken Rosenthal wrote a tribute and an insider’s perspective in a column at Foxsports.com.

Rosenthal writes:

I understand why Tim is leaving. He’s 72. He wants to cut back, enjoy his wine, take cooking classes. He’s not ruling out broadcasting in the future, and I suspect we will see him again soon. But this World Series, his record 24th, likely will be his last. I will miss him personally. I will miss him professionally. And trust me, the loss for Fox — and for baseball — will be big.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and a good argument is part of what makes baseball so much fun. But fans who harp on this comment or that from Tim miss the point. Anyone who speaks his mind for more than three hours straight on live television is going to tick off someone, particularly when he sticks around for nearly a quarter-century and works every major event in his sport.

I just wish people could have seen how diligently Tim prepared, not just for postseason games, but every Saturday broadcast. I wish they could have seen how, at 72, his mind was as active, vibrant and curious as a man 50 years younger. I wish they could have seen how open he was to new ideas — and how he welcomed me from the moment I joined the broadcasts in 2006.

On his work ethic:

I’m sure Fox will replace Tim with someone younger, but good luck to that analyst trying to match Tim’s work ethic.

On the morning of a broadcast, Tim calls our producer, Pete Macheska, to discuss ideas; Tim values the opinion of others in helping form his own. He then arrives at the park at least five hours before first pitch, well ahead of Joe and myself. He talks with editorial assistants Wayne Fidelman and Dave Korus, seeking nuggets of information, scrawling tiny notes on the big board that he uses during the broadcast.

He looks at tapes, graphics, packages, considers what he will say in the opening segment of the show. Later we meet with the managers, and by first pitch Tim is like a thoroughbred at the gate, ready to go.

I’ll be honest — the criticism of Tim, particularly the snark on social media, bothers me greatly. I learn from him every broadcast, and his “first-guessing” — offering proactive analysis instead of reactive — has set him apart over the years.

He concludes:

We’re going to miss him, all of us. I tried to tell Tim at the end of every season how much of an honor it is to work with him. He is a treasure, Fox’s treasure, baseball’s treasure. And dammit, I’m not ready for him to say goodbye.

Posted in MLB

Concern for baseball: Bad NFL game still does higher ratings than Game 5 in key male demo

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Yes, Game 5 of the World Series did a higher overall rating than the football game Monday night. Baseball pulled an 8.9 rating with 14.4 million viewers on Fox, while Seattle-St. Louis did a 6.7 rating with 10.8 million viewers.

But here’s the rest of story, and how it should concern Major League Baseball.

In men 18-49, the key demographic for advertisers, football ruled with a 6.1 rating compared to 5.2 for baseball.

Traditionally, football does skew to younger viewers. However, the Monday night game was so bad, at least from an offensive standpoint, Jon Gruden was begging for mercy. Also, it was MNF’s lowest-rated game of the year.

Yet among young, and not so young, males, it still beat a pivotal and compelling Game 5 of the World Series. Imagine the numbers if MNF had a Denver and Peyton Manning vs. anybody match-up.

Obviously, this is an indicator that baseball attracts an older audience. The 50-and-over crowd gave the World Series the overall victory in the ratings.

But what happens when that sector fades off into the sunset? It definitely suggests that the erosion in World Series ratings only will get worse in the future.

*****

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Next media wave: Bears to explore possibility of launching team owned radio station via HD Radio

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In my latest Chicago Tribune column, I report that the Bears are looking into starting their own radio station via HD Radio. The Pittsburgh Penguins, Dallas Cowboys, and Philadelphia Phillies already have their stations, and more franchises are expected to jump on board before 2020 with the new technology.

You also can access the column via my Twitter feed at Sherman_Report.

Here’s an excerpt of the column.

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The Bears already have two de facto sports talk stations in town. The daily dissections, not to mention overreactions, drive WSCR-AM 670 and WMVP-AM 1000 during the football season.

Now there’s the prospect of another station. And it will be wall-to-wall Bears because it will be run by the Bears.

Bears President Ted Phillips said the team will explore the possibility of launching its own station via HD Radio. He said it could happen next season, but more likely in 2015.

HD Radio is an emerging technology that is expected to have a dramatic impact on the radio landscape. In essence, participating stations have substations within their frequencies that are broadcast in high definition.

In its deal with WBBM-AM 780 and WCFS-FM 105.9, the team has the rights to use 105.9 HD3 as its own exclusive radio outlet.

“How cool is that?” Phillips said. “I can’t say we will do it next year, but the brainstorming will begin next year. In my mind, we’re probably looking at 2015.”

Currently, the Penguins, Phillies and Cowboys have HD Radio stations. More pro franchises, though, are looking at the option as HD Radio is expected to have greater distribution with manufacturers now making them available in new cars. The technology also allows access via smart phones apps and through the Internet.

The Penguins, who launched first in 2009, have Monday through Friday shows airing from 2-6 p.m. Additional programming includes games from the Penguins’ minor league affiliate; college hockey and flashbacks from classic games. It’s all Penguins, all the time, as the team looks to super serve its core fans.

The Bears would have a similar programming lineup for their HD station. They now are positioned to make a move thanks to the opening of a new multimedia facility at Halas Hall, the most advanced in the NFL. Part of a 40,000-square foot addition, it includes fully operational TV and radio studios.

The Bears already produce several shows for television. An HD station is a natural next step in their bid to generate more original content to satisfy a fan base that can’t get enough football. The question is when, Phillips said.

“The HD penetration still is not that high,” Phillips said. “It’s very labor intensive. We have to make sure it is worth it.”

*****

For the latest in sports media and more, please follow me at Sherman_Report.