Sisyphean Bills Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 That's the niche Sullivan has carved out for himself -- to speak up and challenge Bills' management. Does he go over the top sometimes? Sure he does. In this case, however, he is dead on. Though there's no reason to be bitter about the ineptitude that has plagued the Bills front office for the better part of a decade is there? No reason at all. Especially if your totally dispassionate about the subject or merely pleased to offer placating platitudes of pablum on obvious frivolities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 That's window dressing. Modrak has been running the Bills' scouting department since '02 or '03 and is largely responsible for the so-so drafts. The scouting department has remained largely unchanged during that time. Overdorf has been the chief contract negotiator/capologist for the entire decade despite doling out illadvised contracts year after year. John Guy has run the Pro Personnel department since TD got here and has whiffed bigtime on free agent acquisitions, particularly in the offensive line. In essence, the same clowns are running the circus that is the Bills' front office. I love how you compare nationally syndicated columnists who have regular appearances on national television with a columnist who writes for the Buffalo News. Of course they are more powerful than Sullivan. In any case, it's not like any of the local columnists have inside access. They simply regurgitate what the Bills brass tells them, which in most cases is fluff. I suppose you enjoy that.... which is fine. But if Sullivan is the only writer in Buffalo willing to speak out against Bills management, more power to him. I'm hardly comparing nationally syndicated columnists with Sullivan. Aside from Dr. Z, I'm merely choosing local guys who you may have heard of because their stories get picked up on elsewhere. That doesn't happen so much with Sully, mostly because he has no insights whatsoever about other teams, and his own insights regarding the Bills are at the level of talk radio opinionating. By the way, I get it - you agree with him, and therefore you like him. I have no problem with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 That's window dressing. Modrak has been running the Bills' scouting department since '02 or '03 and is largely responsible for the so-so drafts. The scouting department has remained largely unchanged during that time. Overdorf has been the chief contract negotiator/capologist for the entire decade despite doling out illadvised contracts year after year. John Guy has run the Pro Personnel department since TD got here and has whiffed bigtime on free agent acquisitions, particularly in the offensive line. In essence, the same clowns are running the circus that is the Bills' front office. I love how you compare nationally syndicated columnists who have regular appearances on national television with a columnist who writes for the Buffalo News. Of course they are more powerful than Sullivan. In any case, it's not like any of the local columnists have inside access. They simply regurgitate what the Bills brass tells them, which in most cases is fluff. I suppose you enjoy that.... which is fine. But if Sullivan is the only writer in Buffalo willing to speak out against Bills management, more power to him. By the way, nice insult (suggesting I'm happier with propaganda), but completely off the mark. Wilson and Gaughan can be very harsh, especially Wilson in his chat sessions. My basic point, really, is that Sullivan is a weak columnist. And just because you agree with a writer doesn't make him any good. You appear to take the Bills' losing ways more seriously than I do. I used to, but really don't care that much anymore. Sure, I'd like for them to win, but I don't actually count on it. Yet I still enjoy them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 By the way, nice insult (suggesting I'm happier with propaganda), but completely off the mark. Wilson and Gaughan can be very harsh, especially Wilson in his chat sessions. My basic point, really, is that Sullivan is a weak columnist. And just because you agree with a writer doesn't make him any good. You appear to take the Bills' losing ways more seriously than I do. I used to, but really don't care that much anymore. Sure, I'd like for them to win, but I don't actually count on it. Yet I still enjoy them. That's funny, as I had pegged you as a rosy glassed optimist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 GG is certainly aware of the difference between a columnist and a reporter. What makes Sullivan so poor is that he seems to have so few sources or contacts. It's as if he mounts a soapbox each week to tell us he's mad as hell and isn't going to take it anymore. The only times in the past year where he's deigned to give any inside info is his weak shot at Wilson for chuckling in the locker room after a bad loss. And even then he overinterpreted - indeed misinterpreted - Wilson's reaction. "Columnists' usually have some access along with their soapbox: Lupica, Rhoden, Vecsey, Dr. Z, TJ Simers, Gil Brandt, Jason Whitlock, Mark Cannizzaro, the guys for the Washington Post and Boston Globe, etc. etc. I've been reading him for years, and he really doesn't seem to know very much beyond the obvious stuff that every one of us can pick up on. Yet he gets paid for it. He really should be posting his bitter vents here. Perhaps he already is! Not to say that Sullivan is the equal of most of the names on that list -- which could also be said for approximately 98 percent of sports columnists -- but Loopy? Great once upon a time, but he's been mailing it in for the better part of the last 10 years, when he hasn't been busy playing Napoleon and running other good columnists out of the NYDN. I also like how he now rants against steroids in baseball, but didn't see any problem with using those bulked-up ballplayers to make himself some coin with The Summer of '98. As for the bolded sentence, Sully had the same take as two other writers I've talked to who were also there. Were they all wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawgg Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 By the way, nice insult (suggesting I'm happier with propaganda), but completely off the mark. Wilson and Gaughan can be very harsh, especially Wilson in his chat sessions. My basic point, really, is that Sullivan is a weak columnist. And just because you agree with a writer doesn't make him any good. Wilson is harsh in his "chat sessions." Would he dare put in print? Absolutely not. Sullivan is willing to put it in print, which is a refreshing departure from the rhetoric spewed out of OBD. You appear to take the Bills' losing ways more seriously than I do. I used to, but really don't care that much anymore. Oh please... you're on a Bills' message board approaching 4300 posts. You take it seriously enough. The fact that you are willing to accept the mismanagement of the franchise is your prerogative. I certainly take no enjoyment in it. Sure, I'd like for them to win, but I don't actually count on it. Yet I still enjoy them. Sounds like you and Ralph Wilson are on the same page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawgg Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 As for the bolded sentence, Sully had the same take as two other writers I've talked to who were also there. Were they all wrong? Sully is a bad writer because he portrays the Bills in a negative light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Wilson is harsh in his "chat sessions." Would he dare put in print? Absolutely not. Sullivan is willing to put it in print, which is a refreshing departure from the rhetoric spewed out of OBD. Wilson's not SUPPOSED to put his opinions in print. That's not part of his job description. And frankly, I'm a little surprised Steve Jones is allowing his beat writers to go as far as they do on those blogs. (Not that I don't enjoy it when they do ...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOKBILLS Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Guy<RJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawgg Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Wilson's not SUPPOSED to put his opinions in print. That's not part of his job description. And frankly, I'm a little surprised Steve Jones is allowing his beat writers to go as far as they do on those blogs. (Not that I don't enjoy it when they do ...) I'm not advocating that he start. Just using the contrast to show that Sullivan does serve a useful, legitimate purpose in the news organization. With respect to your second point, newspapers are a dying franchise. I think SJ realizes the need to drive traffic to their website and generate ad revenue in order to remain viable. Allowing his columnists to interact with readers and giving them some leeway helps in that regard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Sully is a bad writer because he portrays the Bills in a negative light. At the expense of again, it's not that he portrays them in a negative light, it's that he does it in a base barroom style that is not fitting for a professional columnist in a supposedly major newspaper. The fact that you can't recognize that tidbit speaks volumes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Hurt Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 The point of the slam at Sully is that he's getting a lot more personal and bitter in his columns lately. Don't know about the rest of you, but I thought his crack that Sabres should have made a run at Lundqvist as retaliation for Miller was uncalled for, because it's tantamount to blessing injuring an opposing player in return. The article on the Bills' FO has a pathologically bitter snarky undertone to it, that is more at home on these pages than in a newspaper. So, sorry that you can't see the irony of a newspaper columnist descending to the base level of the blogosphere, precisely at a time where the life of his employer is being determined. Makes it kind of hard to defend the position that you get higher quality of writing from a "professional." I think Sully 's articles became bitter because he is sick of Wilson's denial attitude and the lack of accountability within the Bills organization. Who are we kidding here? The Bills sucked at drafting players and at picking free agents. They often lack the ability to even evaluate their own players. Kelsey's big contract and letting Pat Williams got away were prime examples. If you keep asking for the truth and have these people kept lying to you, it will get to a point that you just want to hurt somebody to get them to talk. Sometimes it get out of hands. But what he said in this particular article is right on the money. I don't know why some people are so patient with this team. How many more years do they have to suck before you demand changes to be made? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hossage Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Sullivan has only been right about anything since everything went wrong for us last year. I can say with certainty that in a given month he will reverse himself on any given opinion. He intentionally misquotes. He cheats at golf, and he sucks at it. He substitutes volume for content. Jerry Sullivan should be ashamed of himself, and on some self-loathing level he is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Wilson is harsh in his "chat sessions." Would he dare put in print? Absolutely not. Sullivan is willing to put it in print, which is a refreshing departure from the rhetoric spewed out of OBD. Oh please... you're on a Bills' message board approaching 4300 posts. You take it seriously enough. The fact that you are willing to accept the mismanagement of the franchise is your prerogative. I certainly take no enjoyment in it. Sounds like you and Ralph Wilson are on the same page. I'm not gonna respond to all of this, but I will say that my 4300 posts - and truthfully, it's a lot more (many were lost in the great unintentional TBD purge of last year) -- are reflective of my earlier emotional investment in the team. Am I still invested? Yes, but only to a degree. I've got more going on in my life, and it's harder to maintain the devotion. That said, I'll stand by what I've said for years -- if the Bills win the Super Bowl, I'll be free from ever watching another professional sporting event again in my life (aside from incidental Yankees games). I sincerely look forward to that day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Sullivan has only been right about anything since everything went wrong for us last year. I can say with certainty that in a given month he will reverse himself on any given opinion. He intentionally misquotes. He cheats at golf, and he sucks at it. He substitutes volume for content. Jerry Sullivan should be ashamed of himself, and on some self-loathing level he is. Personal attacks aside -- and as a public figure, Jerry knows those come with the territory -- I'd like some proof of "He intentionally misquotes." That's a serious accusation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jester43 Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 It is a commentary article. I am no journalism expert but isn't the article supposed to be kinda opinionated & personal. Grow a little thicker skin. The bills have not done sh*t this whole decade, & alot of the same clowns that started running the ship in the beginning of this decade are still here. What else is he supposed to say?i couldn't have said it better myself. these guys have have sucked ass at their jobs...they want me to consume the product and then want me to pretend i didn't notice how lousy it is every year? the whole operation is a joke until proven otherwise, and as far as i am concerned the whole lot of them gets off light by virtue of the fact that it's buffalo, where there is hardly anyone left to care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphean Bills Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 As for the bolded sentence, Sully had the same take as two other writers I've talked to who were also there. Were they all wrong? It goes without saying that it takes more than hand-waving innuendo from someone that wasn't there to demonstrate that Sullivan deliberately misconstrued Wilson's reaction and words. I mean Wilson himself didn't even deny the veracity of it; he merely took umbrage at being called doddering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Personal attacks aside -- and as a public figure, Jerry knows those come with the territory -- I'd like some proof of "He intentionally misquotes." That's a serious accusation. He definitely doesn't misquote. He is actually professional, as far as I can tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 I might be wrong but didn't the Bills decide to give Kelsey the money instead of Pat Williams? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsWatch Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 "It's also an indictment of John Guy, the pro personnel director. Guy was brought here by Tom Donahoe in 2001 to identify top free agents. Guy is supposed to be the expert on NFL players, but he has rarely hit the jackpot. Aside from Takeo Spikes, I can't think of a single free agent who has been a difference-maker." "What about Chris Kelsay? Levy's first big move as GM was giving Kelsay a four-year, $24 million deal. It was a panic signing. Kelsay has been the Dockery of the defensive line, a mediocrity being paid as a star." http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/columns...ory/591816.html Sullivan is the type of person you get directions from and go opposite way. There is a reason why he is a columnist not a reporter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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