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August 19, 2008
In this crazy business we call journalism, stories can come about in various ways. Some are hatched out months ahead of time in intense news meetings aimed at tracking a societal trend. Some are products of tireless reporting and exceptional interviewing.
And some - like mine - come together, by chance, in the cereal aisle of a 24-hour Super Wal-Mart. Last week, we ran a story about recently departed Kansas University running back Donte Bean. It was a short story. Nothing special. I'm sure a lot of you posted really funny, original comments on it, describing how poorly written it was because it was done by me.
Anyway, here's the story behind that story: Late on Sunday night (or early Monday morning), I got a call from a blocked number from a voice I didn't recognize telling me that Bean, a reserve running back for the KU football team, was transferring. I relayed the message to sports editor Tom Keegan (who, he would like you to know, happened to be in the office at 1:30 in the morning during his vacation). It was too late to make any calls confirming the tip, so I was instructed to pursue the story hard the following day.
The next morning, I arrived at the office ready to play hardball. I made my mind up: Much like Robert Redford, the great Washington Post reporter who helped break the notorious Watergate scandal (you guys probably didn't even know that was his name), I was not going to take no for an answer.
Unfortunately, things did not get off to a great start. I tracked down a half dozen phone numbers and started making calls. I called his parents, Charles and Cheryl Bean, but there was no answer. I called the number to his dorm room/apartment. No answer. I called his North Garland High School in Texas, Bean's alma mater. No answer. I called his high school coach, David Farris. No answer.
With the help of a friend, I came up with a number for someone who may or may not have been his aunt. I felt good about this one, though - even better when I heard a voice on the other end. "Hello?" said a middle-aged woman.
"Hi, could I speak to Ms. Bean, please?" I asked.
"Are you from the doctor's office?"
"No, I'm a reporter for the Lawrence Journal-World."
"Oh, then you have the wrong number."
Click.
I went to lunch. Came back. Made more calls. Still no luck. I said some cuss words.
As the hours passed, things got more desperate. I looked up his Facebook account (one of the most bush-league moves in the history of journalism) and sent him a message begging him to call me. No response.
I tracked down his KU e-mail address and sent him an e-mail asking the same thing. No response.
More time passed. Eventually, the sun began to fall. I made more calls. Nothing good came of them. I said some more cuss words. By 11:30 p.m., I realized that this story just wasn't meant to be. Reluctantly, I threw together a worthless brief about how multiple sources had confirmed that Bean planned to leave KU, grabbed my backpack and headed home, disappointed and annoyed.
For those not familiar with the world of journalism, few things are more frustrating than having a story but being unable to run it. Throughout my reporting, three different people had confirmed that Bean was leaving the team, including Carmon Boyd-Anderson, who himself had announced his intentions to leave the program a day earlier. But without hearing it from Bean or a family member, the story was severely lacking.
Sulking, I drove to Wal-Mart at midnight to buy Season 5 of The Wire, the only season I've yet to see. (By the way, if ANYONE tries to ruin the season for me, I will end you. Like, for real. You're Wallace and I'm Bodie. Boom. You're done. You're in a vacant somewhere.)
Anyway, because my life sucks and nothing ever works out the way I want, I had to wait in line for 30 minutes because this particular night happened to be the night that Madden '09 was released. Every high school nerd in town had descended upon the Wal-Mart electronics counter to get his personal copy as soon as possible. After overhearing a lot of conversations about "My dynasty is going to kick buns this year!!" and "Do you think the Madden curse will get Favre this season?!?", I made it to the front, made my purchase, and headed out.
As I was leaving, I passed someone who looked familiar in an I-might-have-seen-that-guy-before-but-I-have-no-idea-where kind of way. I looked at him for a moment, tried to place him, couldn't, and kept walking.
I got into my car and took off down Iowa Street.
I was about a mile down the road when it hit me: The guy I had walked past was Donte Bean, the man I'd just spent 15 hours trying to track down.
Stop the car. U-turn. Return to Wal-Mart. Hurry through the store until I find Bean, in the cereal aisle (I don't remember what brand he was buying, but if he knows anything about breakfast cereal consumption, it was Cinnamon Toast Crunch).
"Are you Donte Bean?" I asked, interrupting a cell phone call he was currently engaged in.
"Yeah," he said.
"Are you really transferring?"
"Yeah, I am."I explained who I was, and how, since first thing that morning, I'd been trying to track him down.
He looked at his cell phone and muttered something about how he thought he had called me back but maybe there was a phone problem (a move I can respect because it's funny and the default tactic for when you run into someone you were supposed to call back but didn't; "Oh, hey bro. Yeah, I got your message about going to your great aunt's birthday party last weekend. I totally tried to call you back, like, 10 times, but my phone's been all kinds of whack lately. Freakin' Verizon, you know? Service sucks. I'm thinking about switching carriers, actually. Have you seen the new iPhone, by the way? Totally awesome. I'll probably get one of those. Anyway, I'm really glad I ran into you. How have you been, bro?").
So anyway, after that little introduction, I rambled through a few questions: What are your plans now? (Transfer to Washburn University to play with his brother, Brandon Walker, a senior running back on the team). Why are you leaving KU? (To get more playing time elsewhere). What's the next step? (He's currently awaiting an official release from his scholarship). When we were through, I hurried out of the store, dialed the office and begged associate sports editor Drew Hartsock to rework the article with the new information so that, when newspapers began to smack against driveways a few hours later, I would appear half-way competent as a reporter. He agreed, I breathed a heavy sigh of relief and headed home, basking in my immense talent (read: luck) as a reporter and the wonderful ending to my day.
In hindsight, I guess it's pretty pathetic that a good night for me is getting a short quote from a departed KU running back. Not meeting a really attractive girl that wants to go to first base with me. Not writing some awesome, breaking story about some awesome scandal. But talking to Donte Bean in the cereal aisle of a Kansas Super Wal-Mart in the middle of the night.
But as I sat on my couch in my boxer shorts an hour later, scooping Ben & Jerry's ice cream into my mouth and watching the final scenes of "Serendipity" play out, I didn't feel pathetic.
I felt awesome.
Comments
elhombre (anonymous) says...
Good story, Dugan.
August 20, 2008 at 3:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
robot (Robin Smith) says...
Good job, I appreciate your effort to communicate with us, the readers.In addition to being an informative look into the circumstances that affected your story, I found this to be delightfully entertaining.KUdos.
August 20, 2008 at 3:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justanotherfan (anonymous) says...
Now when people complain about something lacking in one of his stories, someone can link to this.
August 20, 2008 at 3:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
feedback71 (anonymous) says...
Dugan, I think if you keep this up, you are going to really start growing on KU fans. Nice read.
August 20, 2008 at 3:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
esorrentino (Eric Sorrentino) says...
Nice read, Dugan A. Good stuff.
August 20, 2008 at 3:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
brooksjjj (anonymous) says...
Dugan,Don't let internet message boards get to you. You do realize that, as a Missouri grad, you decided to walk the fine line between ballsy and stupid by taking the KU football beat writer job in Lawrence, KS, right? Now, there will be a contingent who will always remind you that you're a MU grad. The majority will accept you as long as you do a good job; and some already like you. Your challenge though is whether you can write stories with real insight to the football team and, let's face it, usually try to emphasize the positive, because that's what readers of the home town newspaper expect (in varying degrees). I suspect that's the case for every school in the conference. The question is: can you do that? Because, unfortunately, that's the only way you will truly win people over is if you become a little bit of a fan yourself. People have to trust that you're not going to bag on the team every chance you get, because that's exactly what they're expecting.
August 20, 2008 at 4:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GoBadgers (anonymous) says...
Where am I? The Twilight Zone? Praise for Dugan from chickenhawk fans?Question, Dugan "I'm a 14-year-old girl" Arnett: If you had indeed purchased The Wire like you claim, why were you watching the final scenes of Serendipity when you got home and not the first disc of Season Five?Sounds like you're not much of a Wire fan. If that's true, you won't get mad at what I'm about to do.In Season Five...That little punk Kenard kills Omar. Chris Partlow ends up in prison. Michael kills Snoop. Despite McNutty and Freamon's best efforts - they conjure up a serial killer, but just use the extra time and money given to them to track Marlo - Marlo's walking free on the streets by season's end. Marlo back stabs Prop Joe after Prop Joe helps him a whole bunch. Slim Charles kills Cheese. McNutty gets super drunk a lot but miraculously doesn't completely screw up things between him and Beadie. Dukie begins his transformation into the new Bubbles. Bubbles gets his sh*t straight and even gets a newspaper story written about him. Daniels becomes police commish briefly but promptly loses the job when he refuses to spin the crime stats. Herc starts working for Levy and gives Marlo's cell phone number to Carver. But at the end Herc tells Levy that the police might have had an illegal wire tap on Marlo's cell. He's basically the reason Marlo walks. A bunch of stuff happens at the newspaper Dugan. Keep an eye on Scott Templeton. He's basically you. A lot of other stuff happens too, but I think I covered the highlights.
August 20, 2008 at 4:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
chuckberry32 (anonymous) says...
Nice article Dugan, enjoyed the read. Though we will never give up our right to taunt a misery grad: "Anyway, because my life sucks and nothing ever works out the way I want"I nominate this as the tag line for this year's MU commercial.
August 20, 2008 at 4:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kubacker (anonymous) says...
BrooksjjjIts way more than a couple of people on an internet message board pal!
August 20, 2008 at 4:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kansaspike (anonymous) says...
Liked to blog Doogie.
August 20, 2008 at 6:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GoBadgers (anonymous) says...
Dugan deserves way over a 100 comments for this blog post, but he's never going to get it because you chickenhawks are a bunch of Negative Nancies, and only want to post if you can make fun of him. Obviously this is directed toward all of the degenerates who aren't posting, not the 9 nice kU fans who have already posted.
August 20, 2008 at 6:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rhino11 (anonymous) says...
Props.
August 20, 2008 at 6:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hometownhawk (anonymous) says...
Well you're a degenerate just for being you, GoBadgers. Your badger looks like a retarded skunk. GoHome.
August 20, 2008 at 6:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
5DecadeHawk (anonymous) says...
Doogie. that's the life of a reporter. Crying about the hours doesn't change anything.Any job is a lot of hard work. Get used to it. It's part of growing up and having a job.Ever think of working smarter, as well as harder?There are a lot of people commending Doogie on this particular article. He did craft this one well. He finally wrote on a subject matter that he knows.himself!!!!Sadly, his job title is NOT the "Dugan Arnett Beat".If Doogie knew football, maybe we'd get decent football articles out of him.Too many people are looking around feeling sorry for a kid that has had a job gift wrapped for him before he ever earned it. You may accuse me of being harsh, but I don't see anything wrong with making anybody earn their position.What's up Keegan? How long are you going to hang this kid out to dry? He's almost begging for help here.This article details a long drawn out series of events about how this kid doesn't have sources! he has no local knowledge. The KU FB Beat writer should have a rolodex full of phone numbers that can be used to confirm stories. Doogie obviously does not. Clearly Keegan doesn't give a crap about helping him establish any either. That's a pretty cold blooded thing for a boss to do. Give the kid the job, but none of the tools? Doogie readily admits that he only got a decent Bean article through a lucky encounter at his favorite Mizery owned store. Good for him. Are we to assume that the only time we'll get good articles in the future is when he accidentally bumps into someone in a store?The arrogance of assuming that Bean was "supposed" to call him back is telling. How many FB players get dozens of unwanted phone calls? If I were Bean and got a call from someone I didn't know, I wouldn't return the call either. Nobody has an "obligation" to return a reporter's call.I have little doubt that many will attack me for pointing out these facts, but they won't be able to dispute the facts I've stated either. They'll attack the messenger as usual.
August 20, 2008 at 7:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
5DecadeHawk (anonymous) says...
Doogie, the good stories are not about you.The story is the players, coaches, fans, and games. Most every person reading this article works their butt off at work every day. Are we supposed to feel sorry for you and Keegan because you put in long hours too? I've put in 60 hours straight at my job before. So what? I had to do it to get my job done. It's called LIFE. I also learned from that marathon and made changes in the way I do things so I'd never have to do that again.Lack of preparation on your part does not earn sympathy on my part.Keegan, do this kid a favor and put him on the little league sports beat and put someone with local knowledge in the FB Beat Writer position. Doogie isn't ready to handle it. He can assemble decent words when he knows the subject matter, (himself). Maybe he should write for the Narcissus Times? Football? Not his talent.This isn't personal. Doogie may be a decent kid. I've never met him so I can't know. I can see his inability to cover the KU FB Program.It's just the way the world works. When one of my employees can't do their job, they are either reassigned or fired. I may even like them personally, but I've got a business to run. Sometimes the best favor I can do is to take someone out of a job that they cannot handle. When they've been busting butt, I'll do everything I can to help them find another job, but they won't stay where they are and hurt my business.Let the 5Decade bashing begin, you won't be able to dispute any of the facts I've written, but go ahead bash me for stating the truth.
August 20, 2008 at 7:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
plasticJHawk (anonymous) says...
Mr. Arnett,"By the way, if ANYONE tries to ruin the season for me, I will end you. Like, for real."Please make good on your word.Thank you,Jonathan
August 20, 2008 at 7:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
nddhawk (anonymous) says...
Funny stuff once again, Dugan.
August 20, 2008 at 7:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
imnotpaulpierce (anonymous) says...
...and you call Madden players nerds?
August 20, 2008 at 7:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
chuckberry32 (anonymous) says...
I'm with plasticjhawk...
August 20, 2008 at 9:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
plasticJHawk (anonymous) says...
5dec,Isn't Wal-Mart owned and operated out of Bentonville, arkansas? i believe that it is.
August 20, 2008 at 10:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
LAJayhawk (anonymous) says...
plastic,I was about to point out the same thing.Also, I don't think Dugan was asking for sympathy for his long hours (in fact, I didn't even notice him really talking about long hours besides pointing out how hard Keegan apparently works). Clearly he was relating a funny and entertaining way that he got his story.And it was really well done. Good job, Dugan.
August 20, 2008 at 11:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
NEJhawk (anonymous) says...
Dugan,Trying to write a blog explaining why an article of yours stunk didn't come accross well. Some obviously are becoming endeared to you. But please quit your whinning about our posts. you took the job! You are either brave or dumb as a post or both. You are experiencing all the trials that we all experienced comming out of college and you agrivated the situation by purposefully moving to a comunity that was going to be hostile to you.You are in control of this situation. We are not going to 'get over' hating MU. That's just not going to happen. So you either have to get over the fact that you made a dumb decision or you have to leave.So keep pluging along if you want but quit the whinning. And what you really learned from your experience described here...its a small town, if you are looking for someone all day, get out a picture of the dude in case you bump into him.
August 21, 2008 at 7:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
nddhawk (anonymous) says...
NEJhawk - Obviously you lost something during reading this...that would be your sense of humor.I, for one, appreciate the humor and insight of this story.
August 21, 2008 at 7:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
5DecadeHawk (anonymous) says...
plasticJ:You are correct that the store is based in Bentonville Arkansas.A huge amount of WalMart millionaires live in Missouri, and a few of those misguided souls donate large amounts of money to Mizery. (and then they later comit plagurism to try to make it through school.)I submit the following evidence to support my statements:http://sports-att.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=1763836http://media.www.webujournal.com/media/storage/paper245/news/2004/12/02/Opinioneditorial/Paige.Laurie.Is.An.Insult.To.College.Students.Everywhere-818026.shtmlI stand behind my original assertions.Thanks for acutually discussing the facts that I stated. It was completely unexpected!
August 21, 2008 at 9:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
topekahawk (anonymous) says...
Nice work. Don't let the criticisms from some get you down. Just keep doing your best. If you do good work and stay humble, you will win over KU fans.
August 21, 2008 at 9:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hawk_bred20 (anonymous) says...
Very nice read, weird how stuff works out like that sometimes. I would disagree with one thing, I bet most of the guys there buying Madden were college pot-heads ready to tackle some Madden, not high-schoolers.As for some of you who continue to talk **** about the writer. You make all KU fans look bad and you all sound really ignorant. get over it! You spend your time worrying about someone else's job because they went tto KU's rival school? Get real. There is more to life than hatred for Mizzou. (Don't try and twist it either, I hate Mizzou as much as the next guy). The difference between the sane and crazy is carrying on about it when it doesn't even matter.As for a job being "gift wrapped" for him, I dont' get this, maybe I missed something about how the job was acquired but I assumed that the LJW hired a young guy with a degree from a good J school (whether you can admit it or not). As a young person with a recently acquired degree, I love seeing this because, a lot of times, employers aren't giving chances to recent graduates these days. Let's start worrying about the important stuff, like football and not worrying about who is writing the stories.
August 21, 2008 at 10:21 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
5DecadeHawk (anonymous) says...
The statement that people are criticizing Doogie "because they went to KU's rival school." is completely narrow minded. He is being criticized because he's not doing a good job. This blog proves it. The Bean article was a very simple assignment. He was handed a lead and he had to torture himself to get it confirmed.A beat writer needs to have contacts. He needs to have people inside the program that he use to confirm/deny rumors. Doogie clearly shows that he's got nothing.This is exactly why giving Doogie the FB Beat Writer position was an incompetent decision by Keegan and the other leadership at the LJW. He doesn't have the tools to do the job.No local knowledge.No Football expertise.The LJW is used to KU FB being an afterthought and are still treating it that way. Times have changed. The LJW isn't keeping up. The old guard can't handle modern journalism in the internet age.The only thing the kid has is his Mizery diploma, and that appears as it is being used a ploy by Keegan and his cronies to anger the KU fans and create controversy in a desperation attempt to get more readers. The fools don't realize that it's having the opposite effect.It's destructive. It's a horrible way to slap the most loyal local readers in the face. They are the bread and butter of any newspaper. It's a horrible business decision.There are many better candidates for Doogie's position. Several are already on the staff of the LJW.A smart Sports editor would be working his butt off trying to hire at least ONE staff member that is an ex-player. If the LJW actually had someone on staff with an intimate knowledge of X's and O's, but could still write well, it would upgrade football coverage a GIANT leap forward.I'm not implying that only ex-players should be on staff. That would be inappropriate. One ex-player, if properly selected, would add a HUGE improvement in knowledge and perspective that fans don't get to see.Imagine what could happen?Imagine the articles breaking down the top big plays each week? Photos and diagrams could show exactly who bocked whom. Mismatches at the line of scrimmage could be illustrated. Defensive players that draw double and triple teams could be highlighted and put in perspective when they allow linebackers to roam free and make big tackles.We don't get ANY of that. ZERO!Fans are missing out. This team is extremely well coached and the LJW has no clue how to cover it properly. Keegan and the other sycophants are clueless and need to be replaced with leadership that really care about the local community and want to be part of making Lawrence better than it already is.
August 21, 2008 at 11:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
quigley (anonymous) says...
That was good. I would love to read stuff like this from Dugan every week.
August 21, 2008 at 11:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hawk_bred20 (anonymous) says...
5DecadeHawk - While I see what you would like to have out of your sportswriter, and I respect it also, I just don't think you realize that that is not how Journalism works for a newspaper. Maybe that is what ESPN gets to do because they are a glorified tabloid but at a newspaper, a sports writer is supposed to be writing objectively and giving facts, not analysis. Analysis is left for a columnist, which last I knew is up to Keegan, not this writer. Look, I could really give a crap who writes about KU football as long as we are getting good articles with good information. I haven't analyzed every article but IMHO there isn't a big difference between this guy and Woody. Wood just had been around a long time and we were used to him (hell, R. Wood interviewed me after a HS basketball game like 6 years ago). Experience comes with time. Getting contacts comes with time. I also think you are forgetting a couple of leaked stories last year and everyone complaining. I'm not sure I remember the exact story but didn't it have to do with Mangino taking another job or in talks with another school? I don't see you talking about that now.
August 21, 2008 at 11:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
5DecadeHawk (anonymous) says...
That West Virgina rumor was a bad reporting. I've talked about it before and others have too.Maybe it was part of the reason Ryan Wood moved on? Maybe not? I don't know.I recognize and agree with your point about the traditional role of a beat writer. I don't agree that the job of a columnist is to provide analysis. A column is essentially a sports editorial. It's an opinion piece. It's the fun fluff and background color of the written sports world.Analysis need not be opinion based. It would be a detailed breakdown. I agree that analysis is different than the traditional role of the beat writer. Analysis would be more in the form of showing detailed information and explaining their importance. Interviewing the guys throwing those key blocks would add a lot to the analysis. It would help KU's fans become more appreciative of the game's finer points.I also do not see the need to restrict thinking and be confined by the traditional newspaper roles. In this new internet age, generic articles are a dime a dozen from numerous sources. The LJW certainly needs to keep everyone informed about the day to day happenings, but they need to do it while offering a real local perspective. The same press releases that Doogie regurgitates are the same ones that the Associated Press uses to write their generic articles. The LJW needs to offer more if they want readers to come here instead of somewhere else. They have people right here in town. They have that ability. ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and countless other national organizations don't have that luxury.That's where the LJW should shine, and gain readers. Trying to use a gimmick like flauting a rival's graduate in our face is just plain stupid.It will take leaders in the sports department willing to accept the challenge and look beyond the old tired ways of looking at KU FB.
August 21, 2008 at 1:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bigjay83 (anonymous) says...
5Decade,Obviously, you have a right voice your opinion, and you have made your complaints. They are very, very clear. Extremely clear. Overwhelmingly clear. You dislike Dugan as a writer and want someone with better contacts. And you want diagrams and animations. Okay. Got it.Now that you've made your points clear, if the paper continues to conduct business in the same manner, you should probably get your news elsewhere. It is apparent that you believe the paper to be poorly run. So pull your subscription. Stop checking online. Stop giving them business. Continuing to post complaints, however, will help LJW business, make you seem obsessive and having far too much time on your hands, and annoy the crap out of everyone else.You do not like Dugan and think the paper is not being run well. You have voiced your opinion. Now move on.
August 21, 2008 at 1:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
honk4tad (anonymous) says...
So when did the Missouri j-school start offering an Intro to Bill Simmons class? I had to stop reading after the second paragraph. Sorry, Dugan.
August 21, 2008 at 1:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
5DecadeHawk (anonymous) says...
bigjay,If Lawrence had another local paper that I could turn to I would happily consider going there.I care about Lawrence. I care about KU. They deserve to be represented appropriately. Maybe your choice would be to abandon people and places you care about when they make mistakes? That's not my choice. I want to see quality local coverage. I want to the the LJW improve. I try to do more than simply complain. I offer real and practical suggestions for methods to improve.
August 21, 2008 at 1:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bigjay83 (anonymous) says...
5Dec,"Maybe your choice would be to abandon people and places you care about when they make mistakes? That's not my choice."Many of us don't feel that Dugan is a mistake. I have seen several good articles from him (and this blog is hilarious). Also, it appears to me that he is growing as writer and picking up his contacts -- something that will take anyone new to the job time to do, regardless of his or her background. You don't like him. That's fine, but many of us do. All I am saying is that you voiced your opinion and offered your "real and practical suggestions." Now move on. Unless, of course, you are ready to take over as sports editor.There are many of us that enjoy this paper and feel as though it is being run just fine. We have a right to our opinions as you do to yours. So I implore you as a fellow Jayhawk, now that you have offered your "methods of improvement," please let it go or stop reading the paper. Obviously you can continue if you choose, but your continuous rants against Mr. Arnett and Mr. Keegan have now left the arena of constructive and become selfish and irritating to the many of the rest of us.It's our paper too.
August 21, 2008 at 2:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bigjay83 (anonymous) says...
Also,"If Lawrence had another local paper that I could turn to I would happily consider going there.""Maybe your choice would be to abandon people and places you care about when they make mistakes? That's not my choice."That's called a contridiction. Either you would abandon the LJW or not.
August 21, 2008 at 2:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
5DecadeHawk (anonymous) says...
I care about Lawrence and KU.I don't have a lot of love for the LJW, especially the leadership in their Sports Department.There is a big big big difference.
August 21, 2008 at 2:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
5DecadeHawk (anonymous) says...
also:Just as you encourage me to not read the LJW, you can also skip reading my comments.I choose to keep commenting whenever I feel it is appropriate.The choice of reading my comments is yours.
August 21, 2008 at 2:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bigjay83 (anonymous) says...
1) I did not question your feelings for the town or University. I have no idea where you got that.2) "I don't have a lot of love for the LJW, especially the leadership in their Sports Department."--You have made this abundantly clear.3) "Just as you encourage me to not read the LJW, you can also skip reading my comments."--I anticipated this comment. I did not, however, anticipate you actually making my counter-point with your next line: "I choose to keep commenting whenever I feel it is appropriate."--And I can do the same.This is not just your paper. This is not just your blog. And this is not just your comment section. You have fellow fans and alumni who enjoy getting their news from this organization and enjoy reading comments from other fellow fans. You are entitled to make your comments just as the rest of us are. You feel it your responsibility to voice how the LJW can improve.So do I.I do not have a problem with the coverage, the website, or the paper with the exception of redundant posts such as yours that bash the employees. How do I want to see the LJW improve? By having posters such as yourself cut back on the continuous, redundant and, in my opinion, unwarranted criticisms. Your own words suggest that I should not "abandon people and places you care about," and that I should comment "whenever I feel it is appropriate." I won't abandon articles and comment boards I enjoy, and I cannot see a more appropriate time to comment.You came on to Dugan's blog to complain about how terrible he is. I find this lacking in taste, and, as I stated before, its redundancy annoying. And I have a right, just as much as you do, to point this out. And I maintain the ability to continue to do so just as you do.Once again, this is our paper too.
August 21, 2008 at 3:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GoBadgers (anonymous) says...
Dugan...
August 21, 2008 at 3:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GoBadgers (anonymous) says...
...will...
August 21, 2008 at 3:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GoBadgers (anonymous) says...
...get...
August 21, 2008 at 3:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GoBadgers (anonymous) says...
...a...
August 21, 2008 at 3:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GoBadgers (anonymous) says...
...100...
August 21, 2008 at 3:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GoBadgers (anonymous) says...
...comments...
August 21, 2008 at 3:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GoBadgers (anonymous) says...
...on...
August 21, 2008 at 3:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GoBadgers (anonymous) says...
...this...
August 21, 2008 at 3:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GoBadgers (anonymous) says...
...blog...
August 21, 2008 at 3:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GoBadgers (anonymous) says...
...post...
August 21, 2008 at 3:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GoBadgers (anonymous) says...
...because...
August 21, 2008 at 3:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GoBadgers (anonymous) says...
...he...
August 21, 2008 at 3:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GoBadgers (anonymous) says...
...deserves...
August 21, 2008 at 3:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GoBadgers (anonymous) says...
...it.
August 21, 2008 at 3:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GoBadgers (anonymous) says...
Enjoy everybody:http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/chase-daniel/
August 21, 2008 at 4:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JFHawk (anonymous) says...
Doogie,Nice work. Hey, if I were you, judging by the number of comments that you get on every article that you write, I would be stoked to be the most read writer for the LJW.
August 21, 2008 at 11:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
robot (Robin Smith) says...
wowza
August 23, 2008 at 5:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
davidsmom (anonymous) says...
Dugan might even become a KU fan. It happens. My son was lukewarm, at best; in fact, determined to be unhappy, when he came here, and by the end of his third semester, Jayhawk spirit had gotten to him and he was hooked. He was one of the thousands of faces in the crowd on Massachusetts Street after the semi-final win over North Carolina and after the National Championship. "Resistance is futile; you will be assimilated." (OK, so it's a lame cliche, but it applies.) How can anyone hang around KU and not be taken in by Jayhawk spirit ?
August 24, 2008 at 8:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
umpinaslump (anonymous) says...
I believe you got a new favoite cereal--Lucky Charms.
August 30, 2008 at 9:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )