Do you read Jerry Sullivan or Bucky Gleason?

[Jerry Jabber]

I used to but after reading their always negative and mostly nonsensical articles, I stopped. As soon as I scroll down and see if it's one of those two hacks, then I immediately close the article.

[ubkev]

A few are being honest, I call BS on the most. Most every fan reads everyone who writes anything about the Sabres. It's not going to be ignored. To take people at face value, they would have no honest, objective basis for criticizing everything these guys write if they never read them. Does that make sense? I think so.

 

For those who are being honest, what are you afraid of? Seeing something in print that you disagree with? Something negative about your beloved team? It's a little weird. Bucky is a very good writer. You're missing out. It's sports. It's supposed to be fun. But, oh heavens, something bad about the Saviour? Clutch those pearls!!! (Credit to Jo. I still chuckle at that line she used.)

To be fair, I live 5 hours away and in a different state. I don't read the Buffalo news, I don't even read the news in wilkes barre! And I don't click those links because I know someone will provide a summary in about 2 posts. I've heard Sullivan on wgr when I used to listen to that. He's annoying to listen to, I'm certain he'd be annoying to read.

[sabills]

A few are being honest, I call BS on the most. Most every fan reads everyone who writes anything about the Sabres. It's not going to be ignored. To take people at face value, they would have no honest, objective basis for criticizing everything these guys write if they never read them. Does that make sense? I think so.

 

For those who are being honest, what are you afraid of? Seeing something in print that you disagree with? Something negative about your beloved team? It's a little weird. Bucky is a very good writer. You're missing out. It's sports. It's supposed to be fun. But, oh heavens, something bad about the Saviour? Clutch those pearls!!! (Credit to Jo. I still chuckle at that line she used.)

I am being honest, I don't read their stuff outside of some circumstances. Both Bucky and Sully are good writers, so when they write about stuff outside of Bills and Sabres I can handle it. Jerry's writing on the Tragically Hip or his editorial when Jim Kelley passed, Bucky (I think it was him) wrote a good article about Ali.

 

But when they write about the Bills or Sabres they come across like a combination of old men and petulant children. I don't care about negativity when negativity is warranted. I can handle Schopp being bitter on WGR or people being upset on here about the teams being dumb and bad because they're based in reality. Bucky, Sully, and Harrington mostly come across as just being mean. They're not furthering a conversation or telling a story half the time; they're just taking whatever potshots they can.

 

To your bolded, that is exactly why I don't read their stuff. They make me angry, and being angry isn't very fun to me.

[MattPie]

A few are being honest, I call BS on the most. Most every fan reads everyone who writes anything about the Sabres. It's not going to be ignored. To take people at face value, they would have no honest, objective basis for criticizing everything these guys write if they never read them. Does that make sense? I think so.

 

For those who are being honest, what are you afraid of? Seeing something in print that you disagree with? Something negative about your beloved team? It's a little weird. Bucky is a very good writer. You're missing out. It's sports. It's supposed to be fun. But, oh heavens, something bad about the Saviour? Clutch those pearls!!! (Credit to Jo. I still chuckle at that line she used.)

 

Not me, I read the stuff here, and sometimes links posted here if I feel like I have time. That being said, I don't criticize either because I have absolutely no feel for their "personality" as writers (due to maybe having read a handful of articles from them in the last 10 years).

 

To be fair, I live 5 hours away and in a different state. I don't read the Buffalo news, I don't even read the news in wilkes barre! And I don't click those links because I know someone will provide a summary in about 2 posts. I've heard Sullivan on wgr when I used to listen to that. He's annoying to listen to, I'm certain he'd be annoying to read.

 

This.

[That Aud Smell]

A few are being honest, I call BS on the most. Most every fan reads everyone who writes anything about the Sabres. It's not going to be ignored. To take people at face value, they would have no honest, objective basis for criticizing everything these guys write if they never read them. Does that make sense? I think so.

 

For those who are being honest, what are you afraid of? Seeing something in print that you disagree with? Something negative about your beloved team? It's a little weird. Bucky is a very good writer. You're missing out. It's sports. It's supposed to be fun. But, oh heavens, something bad about the Saviour? Clutch those pearls!!! (Credit to Jo. I still chuckle at that line she used.)

 

I was honest when I voted "neither."

 

I disagree wholeheartedly with your idea that most every fan reads everyone who writes about the Sabres. Quite the contrary in my case. I've curated my reading to just a handful of writers, Twitter accounts, and, most importantly, this board.

 

And I didn't say I never read them - I said I no longer read either of them. When I stopped reading them, I had my reasons (all of which are more or less addressed upthread).

 

As for the bolded: Good Lord, man. I dislike Tim Graham plenty, but I know well enough to acknowledge that Tim Graham is a good writer. A damn good one. Bucky is a hack. (Sullivan can string sentences together well enough.)

 

You're right we might be passing each other in the same direction.  You have a better pulse on TBN limitations with labor - but it appears Dunne is a newspaper guy and after one year takes a non newspaper gig?  I could totally be wrong but my guess is it wasn't an opportunity in terms of money that made him leave. 

 

Ah, I see what you're saying now. Interesting.

Edited July 25, 2016 by That Aud Smell

[PromoTheRobot]

Inspired by the discussion in the latest Evander Kane thread.  I'm wondering if anyone reads these guys anymore.  I almost go out of my way to avoid them.

Stopped reading them over a year ago. The only thing worse than their knee-jerk reactions is the complete 180 they do after. Years ago I wrote to Jerry pointing out how his opinion changed regarding the Mike Williams pick in the 2004 draft (from good to bad) and he said, essentially, his job was to give his opinion at the moment and that he reserved the right to change it when it suits him. At least he's honest about it.

[Taro T]

A few are being honest, I call BS on the most. Most every fan reads everyone who writes anything about the Sabres. It's not going to be ignored. To take people at face value, they would have no honest, objective basis for criticizing everything these guys write if they never read them. Does that make sense? I think so.

 

For those who are being honest, what are you afraid of? Seeing something in print that you disagree with? Something negative about your beloved team? It's a little weird. Bucky is a very good writer. You're missing out. It's sports. It's supposed to be fun. But, oh heavens, something bad about the Saviour? Clutch those pearls!!! (Credit to Jo. I still chuckle at that line she used.)

  

Well, I've tweeted the link to the poll to the News and the sports desk now.

 

 

It's been so long since I've stopped reading them that I'm not going to be able to come up with specific examples, but your two sentences sum it up:  "It's sports.  It's supposed to be fun."

 

I don't remember these writers being fun.  I remember them being depressing and whiny. There are other sections of the paper that I can turn to if I want depressing, although, I must admit, I don't read the TBN news-oriented columnists (Esmonde and Watson) anymore, either.

 

I read TBN's City and Region section almost daily, and if there's a local or state story on the front page, I'll read that.  I read the sports section (sans the two columnists) and the business section.

Elf nailed it.

 

But to expound in more detail, the petulant 2 yr old from downstate has never provided info that wasn't already available. There is nothing to be learned from reading his column. He's been wrong since at least '90 regarding the Bills. (Paraphrasing: 'They'll still be the bickering Bills and are gonna suck.' Good ####ing call, oh mustaschioed one.)

 

Since there is nothing to be gained by reading what he writes, there is no reason to read it.

 

The other guy is occassionally informative. On occassion his articles are read. Usually with the Q asked at the end 'how do I get those 2 minutes of my life back?' ;)

 

But, in reality, neither is tied in particularily well w/ the Sabres so other sources provide better information. As they also are typically significantly less snarky, why not stick w/ better sources. Heck, even other snarky sources, such as our very own Hoss, provide FAR better information. There is only so much time in a day/ week/ life, why waste 1 second of it on either of those 2? It doesn't make any sense.

[PASabreFan]

Got it. Again, people who don't waste one second reading these guys have their opinions on what they write. Makes perfect sense. :unsure:

[That Aud Smell]

Got it. Again, people who don't no longer waste one second reading these guys have their opinions on what they write. Makes perfect sense. :unsure:

 

FTFY

[Taro T]

Got it. Again, people who don't waste one second reading these guys have their opinions on what they write. Makes perfect sense. :unsure:

  

FTFY

TAS - correct. Thank you. :beer:

[That Aud Smell]

  

TAS - correct. Thank you. :beer:

 

:beer:

[Neo]

I read them both. They're opinions. I am a Sully fan. I recognize he can have a dark tone. It's entertainment and another set of eyes on something I'm interested in. Sometimes we agree, sometimes we don't.

 

I recall him as a refreshing outside voice when he first arrived. As it occurs elsewhere, there comes a time when you may have lost the room ..

 

Talk about an industry that changed over my lifetime ....

 

Larry Felser, Phil Ranallo, Jim Kelley ...

Edited January 18, 2017 by Neo

[Hank]

For those who are being honest, what are you afraid of?

I live out of state. With work/wife/kids/grandkids/friends I'm a very busy guy and my internet consumption is minimal. 100% of my Sabres fix comes from these boards so the only BN articles I would come across would be linked here. I assume it's the same way with many posters here. Edited July 25, 2016 by Hank

[PASabreFan]

  

TAS - correct. Thank you. :beer:

How will you know if they have redeemed themselves?

 

I bet the positive press that kicks in when the Sabres are good again will change your mind.

I read them both. They're opinions. I am a Sully fan. I recognize he can have a dark tone. It's entertainment and another set of eyes on something I'm interested in. Sometimes we agree, sometimes we don't.

 

I recall him as a refreshing outside voice when he first arrived. As it occurs elsewhere, there comes a time when you may have lost the room ..

 

Talk about an industry that changed over my lifetime ....

 

Bob Felser, Phil Ranallo, Jim Kelley ...

Honesty. Refreshing.

 

I think you've struck on something by calling Jerry an outsider. As has been hinted a few times, the big problem with Jerry seems to be that he's not Of Buffalo. It's a pretty insular town, by my reckoning.

[Taro T]

How will you know if they have redeemed themselves?

 

I bet the positive press that kicks in when the Sabres are good again will change your mind.

Honesty. Refreshing.

 

I think you've struck on something by calling Jerry an outsider. As has been hinted a few times, the big problem with Jerry seems to be that he's not Of Buffalo. It's a pretty insular town, by my reckoning.

Wrt Bucky, perhaps. (Doubt it, but it's possible.) W/ the other one. Not a chance in h*ll. He's too set in his ways to lose the curmudgeon AND the uselessness of what he writes. Something, something, old dogs, new tricks. I've wasted enough time reading his articles. Should he start channelling Jim Kelley, somebody here 'll let me know. Won't hold my breath waiting for it.

[Weave]

If I am reading something about the Sabres, it is almost always written by Bill Hoppe.  Maybe once a month or so I'll see a retweet of something Bucky put up and I may read it, but it is headline dependent, so I guess I should change my poll response, but maybe once a month is an accurate description of frequency. 

 

I haven't read anything by Sully that I can recall since I canceled my subscription 20 years ago.

 

I do read Paul Hamilton's stuff from time to time.

 

These days Bill Hoppe is my only consistent read.

[PASabreFan]

If I am reading something about the Sabres, it is almost always written by Bill Hoppe.  Maybe once a month or so I'll see a retweet of something Bucky put up and I may read it, but it is headline dependent, so I guess I should change my poll response, but maybe once a month is an accurate description of frequency. 

 

I haven't read anything by Sully that I can recall since I canceled my subscription 20 years ago.

 

I do read Paul Hamilton's stuff from time to time.

 

These days Bill Hoppe is my only consistent read.

But what do you think about Sully's writing? Out with it!

[Weave]

But what do you think about Sully's writing? Out with it!

I lnow this was tongue in cheek but I'll reply anyway.

 

He was not a favorite of mine back then. My memory is that he carried the same tone that the rest of the paper carried. Reading TBN was a depressing effort. Which was the primary reason I canceled my subscription.

[TrueBlueGED]

I read them both insomuch as I will click on a few articles per year, but I don't actively read either. My problem with Bucky is he's a subpar writer and contradicts himself as often as is necessary to criticize the Sabres. My issue with Sullivan is I know exactly what he's going to say before he says it. Why read?

 

Ultimately I think they're both very shallow with respect to anything they have to offer. When I read about sports I'm looking either for things I don't know or pieces that make me think. I want depth of analysis. Bucky and Sullivan offer none of that.

 

I still follow Harrington on Twitter because he's technically a reporter and sometimes has useful information about the Sabres or Bison. But his opinions? No deeper than the other two.

 

That TBN lost Dunne, for whatever reason, is a crime. He was really good.

Edited July 25, 2016 by TrueBlueGED

[bunomatic]

only my ten free articles.

[dudacek]

Things I don't know or things that make me think...Well said Blue.

I would also add things that entertain.

 

Honest question: do either of these guys write about the Sabres much any more?

I'm not a fan of either, but tend to fit PA's description of indiscriminate headline clicking when it comes to the Sabres.

I read Sullivan's bit on Kane (ill-informed and utterly predictable) and it occurred to me it was the first thing I'd read from him in quite some time.

[That Aud Smell]

How will you know if they have redeemed themselves?

You presume redemption is a path available to them.

 

And even assuming it were available: I don't care a fig if they suddenly become balanced insightful writers.

 

Lastly, I can trust this board to alert me to any such development.

[Eleven]

If I am reading something about the Sabres, it is almost always written by Bill Hoppe.  Maybe once a month or so I'll see a retweet of something Bucky put up and I may read it, but it is headline dependent, so I guess I should change my poll response, but maybe once a month is an accurate description of frequency. 

 

I haven't read anything by Sully that I can recall since I canceled my subscription 20 years ago.

 

I do read Paul Hamilton's stuff from time to time.

 

These days Bill Hoppe is my only consistent read.

 

Hoppe is the best Sabres reporter going BY FAR, but, IIRC, his paper doesn't send him on the road, so he only covers home games.

[LGR4GM]

I read Hoppe and Vogl consistently. Can't remember the last Sullivan I read but I find it boring. When I can say honestly I write better than a reporter, you lose me. Gleason I read on occasion depending on the topic. He's fine but gets whiny. Sullivan really got crossed off my list when he didn't have the brains or balls to follow the tank to its conclusion.

Basically, I shouldn't be smarter than the reporter covering the team or know/understand more.

[PASabreFan]

Interesting experiment. There's a story in the News today about Evander Kane. They forgot to byline it, but you'll find out at the end who wrote it when the author's email address appears. Don't cheat. As you read it, ask yourself who wrote it. Do you like the opinion? Is it good writing?

 

http://sabres.buffalonews.com/2016/08/03/why-tim-murrays-in-a-bind-when-it-comes-to-evander-kane/