Two interesting tidbits surfaced this weekend from the biggest reporters on the Giants beat, the Chron’s Henry Schulman and the Merc’s Andy Baggarly.
Schulman first: remember the story last week in which Brian Sabean said the Giants could compete in the NL West? Turns out Sabean later complained he was taken out of context, fed a trick question, etc. Usually protests like this are after-the-fact CYA (no, not Catholic Youth Association). But on the SF Gate this weekend, Schulman posted a mea culpa. Here’s the crux of his apology:
I don't think it was a trick question. It was straightforward, and so was Sabean's answer. But I do believe I did Sabean a disservice by committing a journalistic sin that I despise from other reporters. I cherry-picked one provocative thought and threw it out there as a declaration by Sabean rather than placing it in the context of the entire conversation.
Sabean was not throwing down the gauntlet to the rest of the NL West. He surely understands the Giants' challenges in 2008. He also knows that many of the team's problems were caused by his own mistakes, and criticism by fans and the press is fair game. He has said as much.
Reporters try hard (or should) to be fair; when they’re not, it’s hard to get them to admit it, as Schulman does here. The effect, however, can’t be undone. Sabean’s quotes from last week have spread throughout the Internets. Schulman’s retraction probably won’t get as far, in part because it doesn’t match the dominant perception of Sabean already in place.
As for Baggarly, he’s the first reporter to snag a full interview with incoming ownership chief Bill Neukom. The entire text is here, on Baggarly’s blog. One thing to remember about Neukom as he enters the spotlight: he’s very smart and very experienced with the media. Don’t expect him to speak off-the-cuff or say anything too juicy. He’ll be like Sabean but with cleaner syntax.
