Mike DiMauro - he's not all bad

[doggydaddy]

No, he didn't pay me to say that.

But I did read his article today on Uconn baseball.

It's a really nice article on a, for the most part, unappreciated sport at Uconn and under appreciated coach, Tom Penders.

http://www.theday.com/article/20140417/SPORT01/304179382/-1/SPORT#.U0_LjJK9KSM

I know it would be hard to say something nice about Mike, but in the spirit of a more civil Boneyard, try to not say something nasty.

 

[Icebear]

Former UCONN and Branford player Mike Olt is playing for the Cubs.

He and the Bearcub played hoops together at Branford.

 

[doggydaddy]

Former UCONN and Branford player Mike Olt is playing for the Cubs.

I guess you didn't read the article.

 

[Icebear]

No, it wouldn't load. I'm in limited access at coffee this morning.

 

[UcMiami]

I like Mike most of the time and he has written some really good pieces. But, I do think he goes a wee bit over board on a regular basis. Well, OK, he like does a swan dive off a cliff on occasion. I don't mind defending the Sun trading Tina and saying they really didn't have a choice - calling Tina a Diva and accusing her of breaking her contract or suggesting this is the start of something, when it has been around from the very beginning of the WNBA is another.
And not recognizing that, for whatever reason, it appears a number of players on the Sun wanted out after last year - Gruda, Lawson, and Tina is a fairly core group that said 'get me out of here.'

 

[doggydaddy]

I like Mike most of the time and he has written some really good pieces. But, I do think he goes a wee bit over board on a regular basis. Well, OK, he like does a swan dive off a cliff on occasion. I don't mind defending the Sun trading Tina and saying they really didn't have a choice - calling Tina a Diva and accusing her of breaking her contract or suggesting this is the start of something, when it has been around from the very beginning of the WNBA is another.
And not recognizing that, for whatever reason, it appears a number of players on the Sun wanted out after last year - Gruda, Lawson, and Tina is a fairly core group that said 'get me out of here.'

I guess that was Civil.......lol. Somewhat.

I think it's only semantics when she forced a trade and not considering that a way to break her contract.

I have no problem with her doing that. Players do this all the time and the team has to get the best deal they can.

Once players graduate and are pros, my protection radar turns off and if someone wants to call a player a Diva it doesn't bother me that much.

Anywho, there is another thread on that article. I wanted this one to be about Uconn baseball.

 

[doggydaddy]

No, it wouldn't load. I'm in limited access at coffee this morning.

And so the UConn-palooza rolls on. Will it ever end? Neither rain nor snow (in right field Wednesday at Yankee Stadium) nor sleet (that fell early Wednesday morning) could contain its reign. It's not even basketball anymore. Let the record show that Wednesday, April 16, 2014 was UConn Baseball Day in the majors, a tribute to what coach Jim Penders has wrought.

It was a little after noon in the Big Bad City and there was Mike Olt, UConn kid, standing on the lawn of Yankee Stadium. Mike Olt, designated hitter, Chicago Cubs.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

ON Mike...Seems to me his job is to get readers to read...and talk about what he writes. IOW, he needs to stimulate not please. Or do I get the job of editorializing wrong?

 

[reno tony]

I certainly like the way he doesn't let the facts and statistics skew his view. Full steam ahead regardless what the research(if he does any) or experts opinions on the subject shows. Who cares if people think he is right as long as they are talking about his articles. There is a certain amount of respect I have for someone who is comfortable in his own skin.

 

[UcMiami]

I think it's only semantics when she forced a trade and not considering that a way to break her contract.

I do think it is a little more than semantics having been through a fair number of contracts and negotiations. A contract in this context is a signed document. Tina had a contract that expired at the end of last year that contained both her signature and a Suns executive's signature. She had not signed a contract to play for anyone in the WNBA this year. So her saying she was considering not playing was not a reneging on a signed contract.
To me that is a big difference, and there is a clear distinction between that and 'holding out' which involves not honoring your signature.

 

[Creaky]

Hang on. Historically, "holding out" has meant NOT signing a contract. It's what players did in the era of the reserve clause, when their only option was to threaten to withhold their services if ownership was unwilling to pay. Seldom worked, even for great players. And fans generally took the side of management.

 

[UCAP_Fan]

I LIKE MIKE!!!

 

[barbrox]

I look forward to reading Mike's columns in the Day. That paper provides more coverage of women's sports than most any that I am aware of. I don't always agree with his opinion, but that is the point.......it is his opinion.
The Tina is a diva piece was probably fuelled by input from the Sun hierarchy.
They stirred his pot.

 

[HuskyPhan]

I ended up sitting with Mike D. on a flight back from Nashville last week and found him to be a very nice guy. I have been reading his columns for years in The Day and I think he does a great job on the Women's BB beat. Now if I can just get him to stop bashing my Sox and Pats

 

[Kibitzer]

I count Mike as a friend and consider him to be a darn good writer of stimulating articles.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

I count Mike as a friend and consider him to be a darn good writer of stimulating articles.

You are The Best David.

Neal

 

[uconnfan68]

No, he didn't pay me to say that.

But I did read his article today on Uconn baseball.

It's a really nice article on a, for the most part, unappreciated sport at Uconn and under appreciated coach, Tom Penders.

http://www.theday.com/article/20140417/SPORT01/304179382/-1/SPORT#.U0_LjJK9KSM

I know it would be hard to say something nice about Mike, but in the spirit of a more civil Boneyard, try to not say something nasty.

I sure hope the article says JIM Penders.

 

[UcMiami]

That may have been true long ago but in professional sports now, a 'hold out' now is generally an athlete getting paid a lot of money with at least a year left on his signed contract saying he will not play unless he gets a large raise or a contract extension. The other instances is on franchise tags in the NFL which are pretty iron clad (and very high paying) but are specific to the collective bargaining agreement. The WNBA has a much weaker form of 'restricted' free agency that with the much lower pay scale makes Tina's choice much easier.

 

[doggydaddy]

I sure hope the article says JIM Penders.

My bad.

 

[Icebear]

That may have been true long ago but in professional sports now, a 'hold out' now is generally an athlete getting paid a lot of money with at least a year left on his signed contract saying he will not play unless he gets a large raise or a contract extension. The other instances is on franchise tags in the NFL which are pretty iron clad (and very high paying) but are specific to the collective bargaining agreement. The WNBA has a much weaker form of 'restricted' free agency that with the much lower pay scale makes Tina's choice much easier.

It has a completely different meaning in card magic and among gamblers. Believe me you do not want to be caught with a holdout at the card table in Vegas.

 

[DrewDog85]

I count Mike as a friend and consider him to be a darn good writer of stimulating articles.

Same here he is a great friend, people don't know how much he helps people!!