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Oh, those anonymous sources -- they sure can burn you, as any journalist will tell you. After all, Manny Acta is still the manager of the Washington Nationals and Jim Riggleman still can only have "Bench Coach" on his business cards. Wha happen?
Well, Ken Rosenthal, who last week reported that Acta was about to be spending some serious time looking for new employment, is attempting to wipe the egg off his face (or "defending his story," if you're looking to spin positively) after the Nats took two of three in New York this week against the Yankees and Acta's still in the job. In a column posted yesterday to his FOXsports.com outpost, Rosenthal claims that "the Nationals can't fire Manny Acta now" and insists that since his scoop has turned slightly sour, that the Nationals are mistreating Acta by not either giving him a full vote of confidence or the pink slip. Says Rosenthal:
If my story had "no basis," as Nationals acting general manager Mike Rizzo said, then the team should end the uncertainty over Acta's status and announce that he will remain manager for the rest of the season.But if my story was correct, then the Nationals should make the change sooner rather than later. Acta, who has handled himself with grace and dignity throughout a trying season, deserves a resolution one way or another.
In an interview with Comcast Sportsnet, Rosenthal echoed that sentiment to anchor Russ Thaler, saying that the team "one way or the other...need[s] to make a decision."
The funny part is that this couldn't have come at a worse time for Rosenthal, after he laid such a virulent verbal spanking on baseball blogger Jerod Morris regarding a post about Raul Ibanez and steroids. (Video above -- check out about three and a half minutes in for the really good stuff from Ethics Professor Rosenthal.)
Now, I'd just hate to rain on Rosenthal's recent high horse parade, but here goes: isn't it entirely plausible that the Nationals never planned on making a move on Acta until Rosenthal's anonymous sources, for whatever reason, said such a switch was imminent? Acta's position -- as it has been for the entire season -- is one of a manager on an incredibly hot seat, with the temperature read every couple of days. Occurrences like winning a series in Yankee Stadium with a team of such poor quality will certainly cool that seat down, however slightly. Look, I make fun of the Nationals more than anyone, but to simply assume that they don't have a plan because they won't immediately terminate or fully back Acta based on some anonymous sources is faulty reasoning at best and bad journalism at worst.
But hey, maybe Rosenthal's lesson is that it is fine for established members of the mainstream media -- but certainly not bloggers -- to force "the power of the written word" down newsmakers' throats when a hot piece of speculation doesn't pan out. My pen and notepad can hardly wait for the next lecture!
In any case, the real story -- what's going to happen to Manny Acta? -- is still significantly cloudy. Will Jim Riggleman be manager now, in two weeks, or ever? We'll just have to wait and see.
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Ken Rosenthal is such douche. He's trying to wipe his butt with Jerod Morris in this interview because he, like many other MSM reporters are threatened by the power of web media.
Rosenthal clearly wants to establish himself as the high and mighty big-time reporter while belittling the blogger as someone who should be corrected. The fact is, Morris reported on a major issue in baseball today, which is the speculation of steriod use in well performing athletes. It's a good question to ask and a debate that needs to happen. Do we just assume any athlete who is having a great year is simply on the juice? This is what reporters do. They ask questions and tackle issues that are being talked about.
Rosenthal is a douche and is clearly threatened by the small-time blogger. Maybe he should worry more about his own stories than what Jerod Morris is writing about.
These national network sports gossip mongers get on my nerves. They're essentially the snake oil salesmen of sports journalism. They take the whispers of anonomous sources and have no fear of publishing them because they're not really accountable to a certain jurisdiction. They just write garbage then move on go the next story in the next town. Maybe Rosenthal should be selling monorail systems?
Message board types harrass newspaper beat writers for getting 'scooped' - when really the local guys are trying to be responsible and get it right. Now Rosenthal is trying to take the 'somebody please think of Manny' stance? Give me a break.