Desmond Conner is a Grumpy Old Man

[CodyJ.]

Hey, what's up with DC on the Courant.com? He's got a real attitude problem. I used to like and respect his articles.
Why would any writer in their right mind turn a reader off on purpose? Maybe he's trying to have the "Howard Stern" effect and be such an ass that people want to see what he says next.
I just take him for a chump now, and i'd say that to his face. Not internet muscles here.
I personally have no interest in his services anymore after reading his rude followups to peoples comments.

 

[ruskin]

Not cool, Cody. . . .Desmond isn't Mike Wallace (the dead CBS guy, not the Steelers receiver) or John Feinstein, but he's being fair and objective, which is a hard line to tread in this situation and is more than can be said for a lot of beat reporters. But he did sort of dismiss what seems like a very tough but reasonable and fair question for P on twitter. . . .


Brian A @BriUConn @desmondconner On Tuesday please ask PP, how would you rate GD performance at OC. How would you rate GD compared Foley as line coach.

@desmondconner @BriUConn Don't do this Brian. It's not about questions or answers. I like you so don't fall into this nonsense, could get ugly, don't OK?

 

[CodyJ.]

read his follow ups to peoples comments. Really disrespectful. I have no patience for people like that.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Dez is the best guy we have on the beat. He's at it non stop year round. I also think Silver does a good job.

This post makes Cody seem like a petulant child.

 

[CodyJ.]

read his follow ups to peoples comments. Really disrespectful. I have no patience for people like that.

hold on here Jimmy. Have you read any of the followups he has written to peoples comments?

 

[Montaleno]

Dez does do a nice job covering UCONN, But he is hyper sensitive and can be combative in his chats. He should use this when asking the tough questions to PP and GL.

 

[pj]

In no occupation or line of employment do employers like to talk about employment issues in public. Everything needs to be discussed with the employee in private. Maybe after situations are resolved you discuss them in public, not before.

So there's not much point to asking PP those questions, he won't answer openly. The questioner is just trying to make them into public discussion topics. That amounts to trying to assemble a mob for GDL's head.

Now, I think GDL has done a poor job and many other OCs would have done better. But I also understand Dez's reluctance to get roped into a Boneyard rebellion. That would quickly make a bad situation worse, and could hurt the football program long term.

Since GDL won't be replaced before the end of the season, if at all, we have to support the team in the meantime. Consider Dez a voice of sanity here.

 

[sportsart]

Dez is the best guy we have on the beat. He's at it non stop year round. I also think Silver does a good job.

This post makes Cody seem like a petulant child.

Seems like? I'm pretty sure that's a given. Not cool Cody, not cool at all.

 

[Srqhusky]

I would imagine it would get frustrating answering some of the questions he sees that are so of base He does sometimes have fun with it but we all have out limits.

 

[CodyJ.]

Seems like? I'm pretty sure that's a given. Not cool Cody, not cool at all.

saying not cool is off base. What is not cool is his attitude towards his readers. PLEASE go read his followups to peoples comments. He is rude and arrogant

 

[mattp]

I don't generally read too many of the follow up questions and comments, but I just gave them a little scan and didn't see anything alarming. Would you care to quote or link some of them for me? I've never really found him to be disrespectful of his readers. Some of the reader comments were pretty idiotic.

 

[CodyJ.]

I don't generally read too many of the follow up questions and comments, but I just gave them a little scan and didn't see anything alarming. Would you care to quote or link some of them for me? I've never really found him to be disrespectful of his readers. Some of the reader comments were pretty idiotic.

yeah. i will. I thought I'd have to do post those anyway. give me a few minutes and I'll get em up.

 

[ZooCougar]

Desmond Conner depends on access to do his job and get paid. His job is not to shoot his mouth off about the coaches. That's what Jeff Jacobs is for.

 

[CodyJ.]

Would you care to quote or link some of them for me? .

Dez,
You say you’ve asked that question, great. Apparently I missed that. I’m certainly not looking to tick you off and did not mean to come across as telling you how to do your job. Frankly I couldn’t and wouldn’t do it knowing full well I’d never get a straight answer to simple questions like I’ve proposed. We don’t have access to the coaches, you are one of the few who do.
I do know this. If I am unsuccesful at my job to the degree the UConn FB staff has been to date, my performance will be questioned and I’ll be expected to have some very specific answers and resulting success. Or I lose my job. No three year understanding. Get results or move on.Reply

dconner says: October 7, 2012 at 8:33 pm
Im not upset. sounds like youre the one who could use the thicker skin. Opinion Blog? Really? Listen James I’ve never asked for your comments in particular and if you didn’t comment again I think we’d be ok here. Might be tough but I think we’d be OK.
Reply

dconner says:
October 8, 2012 at 8:26 am
I thought you were going to ESPN to get your UConn football news? No matter you’ll be forced to go there after today. Your time here is limited.

 

[CodyJ.]

Desmond Conner depends on access to do his job and get paid. His job is not to shoot his mouth off about the coaches. That's what Jeff Jacobs is for.

Hey, if this is true, thats cool. But he still "shouldtn be like this to his readers.

 

[huskymedic]

read his follow ups to peoples comments. Really disrespectful. I have no patience for people like that.

Not cool, Cody. . . .Desmond isn't Mike Wallace (the dead CBS guy, not the Steelers receiver) or John Feinstein, but he's being fair and objective, which is a hard line to tread in this situation and is more than can be said for a lot of beat reporters. But he did sort of dismiss what seems like a very tough but reasonable and fair question for P on twitter. . . .

Brian A @BriUConn @desmondconner On Tuesday please ask PP, how would you rate GD performance at OC. How would you rate GD compared Foley as line coach.

@desmondconner @BriUConn Don't do this Brian. It's not about questions or answers. I like you so don't fall into this nonsense, could get ugly, don't OK?

People are also telling him (and the other beat guys) that they don't know how to do their jobs. That gets under anyone's skin real quick. Have you read someone of the questions he gets??

husky66 says:
Dez, - No one will disagree that to pass, at least w/ this QB in this type of offense, you have to establish the run. After 6 games it is clear that UConn can’t run the ball. Please demand that PP and GDL answer specifically what is different about the OL’s blocking technique that we can no longer run the ball? And no acceptance of the typical coach-speak answers about execution, blah, blah. UConn used to be able to run on anyone they played and now can’t. Pretty simple question that deserves an answer.

dconner says: I respect you and your comments but that’s going to end soon if you try to tell me how to do my job. I know what questions to ask and when to ask them and I have asked this question. I have never once told you how to do your job or anyone else for that matter. Thanks is advance


Classics from today's chat...

Comment From UCONN Dave
Why isn't Mike Nebirch playing? Our QB is lousy and Nebrich was considered by many to be our savior when we recruited him.
Joe D'Ambrosio:
Mike Nebrich transferred in August and is playing very well for Joe Moorehead at Fordham.


Comment From J.J.: ] Why not address the elephant in the room? Who is our next coach going to be? We are in big trouble with this staff. Just awful offense, play calling and clock management. Terrible. We will start losing commits any day now. My vote is for Don Brown.

Joe D'Ambrosio: Much much too early to get into that.

Desmond: And what evidence do you have about losing recruits anyday now? Boy if you are privy to that kind of information that would be something. Being frustrated deosn't make you a fortune teller my man
I don't blame him for some of his snarky responses.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

You can only deal with so many stupid people for so long. No offense to anyone, but some of the comments he gets on his blog are just idiotic.

I will say this......I think Dez would serve himself better by just ignoring that kind of stuff.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

People are also telling him (and the other beat guys) that they don't know how to do their jobs. That gets under anyone's skin real quick. Have you read someone of the questions he gets??

husky66 says:
Dez, - No one will disagree that to pass, at least w/ this QB in this type of offense, you have to establish the run.
After 6 games it is clear that UConn can’t run the ball. Please demand that PP and GDL answer specifically what is different about the OL’s blocking technique that we can no longer run the ball? And no acceptance of the typical coach-speak answers about execution, blah, blah. UConn used to be able to run on anyone they played and now can’t. Pretty simple question that deserves an answer.

dconner says: I respect you and your comments but that’s going to end soon if you try to tell me how to do my job. I know what questions to ask and when to ask them and I have asked this question. I have never once told you how to do your job or anyone else for that matter. Thanks is advance


Classics from today's chat...

Comment From UCONN Dave
Why isn't Mike Nebirch playing? Our QB is lousy and Nebrich was considered by many to be our savior when we recruited him.
Joe D'Ambrosio:
Mike Nebrich transferred in August and is playing very well for Joe Moorehead at Fordham.

Comment From J.J.: ] Why not address the elephant in the room? Who is our next coach going to be? We are in big trouble with this staff. Just awful offense, play calling and clock management. Terrible. We will start losing commits any day now. My vote is for Don Brown.



Joe D'Ambrosio: Much much too early to get into that.



Desmond: And what evidence do you have about losing recruits anyday now? Boy if you are privy to that kind of information that would be something. Being frustrated deosn't make you a fortune teller my man
I don't blame him for some of his snarky responses.

What's funny about that is that Nebrich got hurt and hasn't played in a few weeks.

 

[CodyJ.]

You can only deal with so many stupid people for so long. No offense to anyone, but some of the comments he gets on his blog are just idiotic.

I will say this......I think Dez would serve himself better by just ignoring that kind of stuff.

Ok. true. He would be better off just to keep his mouth shut. but its a blog... I'm big on customer service. I subscribe to the Hartford Courant, i look at the blogs and see all the advertisements. I think that the person heading up a blog and writer for the Courant should never treat their readers like he has in some instances. The people who pay for adverising would be outraged. It personally turns me off too.

 

[huskymedic]

What's funny about that is that Nebrich got hurt and hasn't played in a few weeks.

Actually Joe D corrected that a bit later. Joe said it's an ankle but I think it's a knee.

 

[Matt (Chicago)]

I'm sure its frustrating when people are going on there telling him to "ask this, ask that", telling him he's not doing his job correctly etc... quite honestly I dont understand what the big deal is that he doesnt handle all is readers with white gloves.

 

[mattp]

Yeah, i see how some of those comments were a little much. The one he responded poorly to were lousy comments(really, he's supposed to demand the answers he wants to hear?), but he'd definitely be better off turning the other cheek to some of the nonsense. Obviously we all frequent internet discussions and we all realize there's 5% of people that are on the internet just to be a jerk. It's 5%, but a vocal 5% and responding to them only encourages them to be more vocal. I' know if I had to answer questions about why Nebrich didn't start last week and other stuff like that on a daily basis I'd probably have a lot less hair.

 

[huskynation]

Sometimes it seems like DC works for the pr department at uconn, instead of the local paper. He rarely wants to criticize PP or GD, and gives this one liner, that they are pro coaches, so to question their decision making in ridiculous based on their resume. (I'm not buying that argument for a number of reasons.)

The thing with his attitude is that, every once in a while he gets sensitive, makes it a little personal, with sarcasm, and borderline rudeness. Its seems like he doesn't really like his job that much, and he can be anti-social when people disagree with his themes.

 

[huskypantz]

Nothing like biting the hand that feeds you.

 

[Adios]

Jim Calhoun was beaten up by instate media outlets. His response are classic, though.