Journal Sentinel Article..

[NersEllenson]

Has this been commented on?  Why would the Badgers beat writer do the article on TJ Taylor leaving, not to mention re-hash all of the other player departures, and MU supposedly being in on Kendrick Nunn...pretty much shows me all I need with regard to the Journal Sentinel's agenda against Buzz/MU.

If you can't beat em, try to run him out of town through negative/slanted articles as best you can.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/goldeneagles/mu-recruit-taylor-makes-quick-exit-ju663a7-162979126.html

[The Process]

Yep - right here on the TJT thread.

[Dawson Rental]

The Kendrick Nunn mention is not an accident.  It was made to imply that MU ran TJ off, in order to have a scholarship available for Nunn.

  a) MU told Newbill that his scholarship offer would not be honored, then took Jamil Wilson as a transfer.

  b) MU released Durley from scholarship in April, then signed Lockett.

  c)  Therefore, MU must have run off TJ in order to make room for Nunn who really wants to go to Kentucky anyway.

That's the kind of biased journalism you get when you have a fan of a school who also writes about that school, do a piece on a rival of his favorite school.

[cheebs09]

Plus, the Durley to Lockett jump is made with the idea that it was not known Jamail Jones was transferring. I'm not sure if that's the case. Dodds said on Scout that he wanted to transfer last year and was talked out of it. I don't think it's necessarily a fact that Lockett and Durley are intertwined.

[damuts222]

  Whether its homesickness or the fact that Nunn may be signed by MU in the near future I don't like the fact that he left so quick. Yet if we get Nunn all is well.

  Additionally the Badger faithful can rile me up but the more I listen to them the more I realize that they MAY begin to be slowly understanding that we are close to spanking them annually given the recruits we are on. The Journal Sentinel is a hack newspaper and there are better local newspapers in surrounding states.

 

[brewcity77]

If you haven't seen it, Rubie did a brilliant job of explaining the way this Badger Potrykus article should be interpreted:

http://www.anonymouseagle.com/

[avid1010]

i'm guessing his mu twitter source came from this site...what a tool.  i've read high school newspapers with more integrity. 

[The Process]

If you haven't seen it, Rubie did a brilliant job of explaining the way this Badger Potrykus Platypus article should be interpreted:

http://www.anonymouseagle.com/

Fixed.  That tool hack fanboy doesn't even deserve being called by his true name.

Brilliant post by Rubie Q.  Perhaps the guy over on ProBasketballTalk who cited a bitter Bucky fan blog on his TJT "article" should be steered towards this article as a rebuttal to his own piece of delusion.  He and Platypus seem to have much in common, in spite of his claims of liking Buzz.

[Skatastrophy]

If you haven't seen it, Rubie did a brilliant job of explaining the way this Badger Potrykus article should be interpreted:

http://www.anonymouseagle.com/

I've never read anything on that blog that I'd characterize as "brilliant."  It reads more like someone emailing their buddies than a fan-blog. 

[The Process]

I've never read anything on that blog that I'd characterize as "brilliant."  It reads more like someone emailing their buddies than a fan-blog. 

Well, I enjoyed Rubie Q's commentary.  Especially the part about how Platypus would be in his Bucky pajamas.  I wonder if they look something like this:

[BubbaWilliams]

We all know Bo Ryan is the biggest scumbag in the state of WI. If they want to paint us as the bad guys, fine with me. NWO4LIFE!

[Rubie Q]

I've never read anything on that blog that I'd characterize as "brilliant."  It reads more like someone emailing their buddies than a fan-blog. 

I'm intrigued:

How is a fan blog supposed to read? Is there a manual I should be consulting?

[Skatastrophy]

I'm intrigued:

How is a fan blog supposed to read? Is there a manual I should be consulting?

Sending a PM because my post got long.

For the record, the more MU blogs out there the better imo

[Goose]

Bush league article IMO.

[77ncaachamps]

I BLAME ENLUND.

No teal.

But I give Potrykus a TINY credit: his blog piece was much longer than Enlund's.

[Benny B]

You have to give the JS credit, though... they know their audience.

The fact that the UW beat writer now has to go and drum up controversy at the much smaller, private university inside the state borders in order to feed the masses certainly speaks to the growing inferiority complex Badger fans are developing with the rise of MU's basketball profile.

For Christ's sake... you're UW.  Basketball isn't even your thing.  Why on earth does flaming Marquette's basketball program make you feel better about yourself?

[The Process]

You have to give the JS credit, though... they know their audience.

The fact that the UW beat writer now has to go and drum up controversy at the much smaller, private university inside the state borders in order to feed the masses certainly speaks to the growing inferiority complex Badger fans are developing with the rise of MU's basketball profile.

For Christ's sake... you're UW.  Basketball isn't even your thing.  Why on earth does flaming Marquette's basketball program make you feel better about yourself?

Bucky fans need a bigger collective hug than we do at our worst.

[ATL MU Warrior]

Bucky fans need a bigger collective hug than we do at our worst.

Good luck getting your arms around more than one

[BubbaWilliams]

Why on earth does flaming Marquette's basketball program make you feel better about yourself?

It's a rivalry. You kick the other guy when he's down. We should take this as a compliment. They're worried.

[ATWizJr]

I've never read anything on that blog that I'd characterize as "brilliant."  It reads more like someone emailing their buddies than a fan-blog. 

Let's see....Rubie writes an insightful piece re:Taylor leaving and your focus is whether it is brilliant or not?  That about it?

[Pakuni]

UW fans at the JS obviously have teamed up with the DePaul fans at the Chicago Tribune in their effort to destroy Marquette.

[Skatastrophy]

 Let's see....Rubie writes an insightful piece re:Taylor leaving and your focus is whether it is brilliant or not?  That about it?

You're right man, I should stop responding to posts on the forums that I agree/disagree with.  My bad.

[drewm88]

You're right man, I should stop responding to posts on the forums that I agree/disagree with.  My bad.

This wouldn't be an issue if you'd only post like your buddy Rodney used to-- no actual substance, just parrot out some links.

[hoops12]

I have written a couple of emails to Jeff Potrykus at the Milwaukee Journal and he responded to my first. I thought you might be interested. I am a huge Marquette backer, but as I told Jeff, I also have a great relationship with Coach Bo Ryan, as he was my college basketball coach at UW-Platteville. I want both programs to flourish in major college basketball. I feel this gives me somewhat of an unbiased approach at looking at the situation regarding the TJ Taylor transfer. Below are the emails, enjoy!


Jeff:

First, why did the journal have you writing this article? Where is Marquette's beat writer? In my opinion, this was a terribly nonprofessional article that shows a complete bias in attempting to make Buzz and the Marquette program look like they are running kids out of the program. It is ironic that you are the beat writer for the Badgers! This is the "hometown" newspaper for Marquette, and this is the kind of coverage they get? It typically takes weeks to get even a little coverage when MU signs a big recruit, and something positive happens. However, when something like this occurs.......... "boom".........the article is in the newspaper the next day, and you even get a biased slant to it as well!

Look around the country and look at the transfer percentages. This is NOT unusual, and if the student/athlete has personal issues, then let it rest. Unless you know something I don't, then you shouldn't play the "conspiracy theory" that something may be going on behind the scenes.

By the way, I was a captain for Bo Ryan at UW-Platteville and I think the world of him as a person and coach. I also have a father that played at Marquette, and I have followed the program closely since I was a young boy. Buzz Williams is a class act in every sense of the word. We are fortunate to have these two fine people running major college basketball programs in our state. There is no reason, and I mean NO REASON, for you to write an article with such negativity and speculation. I am sick of this kind of journalism, but I guess you are playing strictly to the UW base because negativity sells, right?

Very poor and extremely disappointing!

TH


---------------------------------------


Thanks for the note (and signing your name).

* Why me? Enlund is off the clock for a bit. We have two full-time writers who do college hoops. That would be me and Enlund. They called me, so I did the story.

* The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is not Marquette's "hometown" newspaper. Nor is it the Bucks' "hometown" paper nor is it the Brewers' "hometown" paper.

We cover several teams/franchises, with MU being in that group. We don't view teams as "our" teams or view ourselves as cheerleaders. We leave that to the fan sites.

* I'm not sure why you're telling me about how long it normally takes to get MU stories into the paper.

I was told about the transfer via a phone call. An editor forwarded the release to me. I made several calls. I wrote the story. That is what I do all the time.

Are you suggesting I should have held off on writing the story for a day or two? To balance some imaginary scales? I'm not sure I understand the logic at work here.

* I'm not too concerned about transfer rates but as long as you broached the topic...Is the consensus rate limited to players who have at least gone through in-season practice? Or, does it include kids who can't even it make to August without departing?

This is the third consecutive spring/summer in which a personnel move has been made. I noted that in the story. It has to be noted or the reporter isn't doing his/her job.

You might be interested to know that a national writer opted to write an opinion piece on the subject, which I did not. His opinion wasn't kind. Does he, too, have a bias against MU?

*I don't know what you know about Taylor so I can't comment on that. I do know that after talking to two MU folks, both suggested he was homesick and missed his girlfriend. However, Taylor denied that in a tweet to an MU fan. His girlfriend one day later did the same in response to a comment by a fan.

Since I don't cover MU I don't have the same number of sources/trust in those sources as I would if this were a UW story. So although I can understand the homesick angle (particularly given his early departure from OU) my gutt tells me there might be other factors that have yet been uncovered.

* I'll close with this: When I was assigned the story I chuckled because I knew some MU fans would be peeved to see the UW beat guy handling the story and somehow would see a conspiracy.

I was certain of this because of their history. Most recent case involved my story on Ethan Happ (a 2014 UW commit). It had nothing at all to do with MU's program or its players or recruits but several MU fans somehow thought I was taking shots at Vander Blue when I asked Happ about sticking to his commitment if he got offers from marquee programs down the line.

There is no connection between the two players. Yet somehow MU fans made one.

I broached that topic with Happ and his AAU coach because UW's staff does a tremendous job spotting talent early and projecting. But in several cases they've lost recruits to other programs who joined the recruiting battle later on. Happ is different in that he has committed but if he continues to progress as he has to date it is possible/likely other schools will call to gauge his interest.

So I thought it was a point worth addressing. Somehow that turned into a way to bash MU. Go figure.

Take care,

JP
-------------------------------------------------

Jeff:

Your article was very unprofessional, but your response to me was beyond pathetic and petty and proves just how unprofessional you truly are. Your statements that followed are completely biased and slanted. You turned to tweets to get your information. Are you kidding me? Absolutely pathetic! If you can't get information from the sources directly, a professional (which you clearly aren't!) would not touch the subject. It is very easy to see you have a chip on your shoulders and hold some kind of grudge in your comments regarding Marquette and their fan base. To leverage this in an article is beyond what anyone with any integrity would do. I don't think they teach that in journalism classes anymore, but they should!  This alone should keep you from writing articles concerning a team that is in the "hometown" of Milwaukee. To say that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is not in Marquette's hometown newspaper is plain ignorant. Maybe you can say you are not going to treat them like a hometown school, but Milwaukee is their home, so you are dead wrong!

To say you chuckled before you wrote the article tells me volumes of your sentiment, and lack of professionalism toward Marquette and their fan base. To "try" to defend yourself with the stuff you are shoveling is even more pathetic though. Then to go on and bring up UW in your response and write, "UW's staff does a tremendous job spotting talent early and projecting. But in several cases they've lost recruits to other programs who joined the recruiting battle later on." One Badger mention and it is a positive one! Huh, funny! Marquette has found gems early on as well, and they have also lost out to other major programs once they got involved. Have you followed that at all? I would argue that Buzz and his staff have found players that have blown up in the national rankings as much, if not more than Bo and his staff has. Both do a tremendous job of spotting talent that fits into their program style.

Every player, every recruit, and every program are very unique. However, we all see what we want to see based on our loyalties. If I go to a high school basketball game, I see things that are in favor my hometown team. All the fans do. One side will cheer on a call that goes their way, while the opponents fans yell at the refs and get upset, because they are sure it was a terrible call.  If I was an Auburn fan, but I wrote newspaper articles for Alabama, I think my perspective would be different and somewhat biased even if I wasn't trying to be. Or if I graduated from the University of Kentucky and wrote for a newspaper in Louisville (hometown newspapers?) I would most likely unintentionally be slanted in my views. That's human nature, whether you want to fight that or not!

Keep defending yourself against poor journalism if it makes you feel better. Keep dragging people under the bus without any hard facts if it makes you feel like you can make a splash with your fan base. The bottom line is, you are a Badger beat writer and it is apparent where your loyalty lies. Extremely apparent! To then try to sell me with your response is just plain sad. Or as Bo would say, "It doesn't matter. It's all conversation."

No matter the case, I don't know you as a person. I hope you have a nice summer, and I wish you well in the future.

Take care,

TH

[Ellenson Guerrero]

Let's just take it easy on Potty. You would take your frustration out on rival schools too if this was your team's big recruiting news: http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/104882/riley-dearing