OTC: Whitlock Gone And The Local Media Mourns His Tale
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Sections
Cliffy
GH: “I don
Gavin
Cliffy’s right. This pretty much renders the Star irrelevant from a sports commentary perspective. I always liked reading JoPo (although I get why some people didn’t care for him) and I always read Whitlock because you never knew what firebomb he would deliver. Mellinger’s commentary is good, but it still feels to me like he’s reporting less than giving his opinions.
And we still have Blair Kerkhoff, who I like a lot but who seems more limited in his beat, for some reason.
I would hope that the Star would go out and get another columnist from some smaller town (like they did with Posnanski), but it sounds as if they’re going to simply pocket the money they save on Whitlock.
Harold Smith
Newspapers are irrelevant and so are newspaper columnists.
Whitlock will never attain the the respect he once had in Kansas City. He will end up living off Google AdSense money and playing “remember when” with his running mates. Sad.
I predict he will open or lend his name to a restaurant that will quickly fail.
Rick
So, the KC Star can never develop a “relevant” columnist ever again? It was only Jason and Joe for life?
Oh, and I love how people say newspapers are irrelevant now. Where do all the websites make their big hires from? Newspapers.
the log
I think its a loss for KC. When JW first started people hated him, but I loved his articles. I defended him to friends. It seemed refreshing to hear someones real opinions instead of blah blah tow the line reporting. I also agree his work suffered these last few years. His articles always seemed to be about race lately and that was not why I tuned in. Maybe i’m sick of hearing about race because i’m over my white guilt. I will miss the hey days of JoPo and JW. Wish we had a better paper but it’s all we got. sad
Barbara Saia
I am a 100% female sports inthusiast. The sports page is the first section of the newspaper that I read. I have followed Jason Whitlock since I moved to Kansas City 35 years ago. I have appreciated his columns and sports insight. I am in shock that he is leaving the KC Star. Let’s hope that Kansas City offers him a place to continue his work. I loved his pro and cons and the controverse he brought. It was fun having fans versus JW. 610 and 810 sports has not been the same since he left. Remember his pool parties with honored guest “King Carl” and his mother coming to do some cooking. I hope the KC Star reads all the messages that are coming in. I had to do a double take when I read he was leaving. I said to myself “I cannot believe this”. And to top this day – JoPo leaving was a major hit. KC Star will never replace JW. I cross my fingers that something will be worked out. I too will give major consideration to renewing my subscription! Hope my comments will help. Please JW continue your work via a radio station in KC.
Gavin
Rick, of course they can develop a columnist. But the odds are longer given that they are, apparently, unwilling to pay what such a columnist would be worth. Whether we like him or not, Whitlock was a name and I think he was pretty much self-made. Yes, the Star offered him a column and a great space in a major daily, but they’re clearly not interviewing replacements and chose to promost Mellinger, which might work out well. In the meantime, the Star has no nationally relevant sports columnist and doesn’t have one on the radar. So the Star will lose readers of the website (like Hall said) and I wonder who is going to come to a paper that was willing to let Jason Whitlock walk and now has a dwindling web presence? Add in the fact that KC isn’t exactly teeming with successful pro franchises and it’s not the best gig in the world, is it?
JoHawk
Jason called out anyone he thought deserved it. He didn’t care about skin color. I’ll miss him.
Chuck
The thing I will always remember about Jason, when he sat down, the band skipped.
This mook is getting more run than Norman fuckin Mailer.
He was a pretty good sports writer in the 27th biggest town in the US.
This ain’t Walter Cronkite leaving the evening news.
Whitlock couldn’t carry Christiane Amanpor’s panities.
Its sports man. Whitlock is modestly qualified to comment on sports. He turned out pretty well and maximized the most of his ability.
He will now dissapear faster than Lou Dobbs.
MoCrash
Don’t you think that Whitlock is loving the attention? He’s eating up the radio shows and the blogs, and feeding morsels into it all. I suspect he’ll keep it churning as long as possible.
I doubt, though, that it will result in a tremendous career leap forward for Whitlock; certainly nothing akin to JoPo’s increasing prominence with the prestigious SI (I can’t help but suspect that the decline of Whitlock as a sports columnist, and maybe his elevation as a news columnist, was related to Posnanski’s rising status — the former’s renowned ego playing a role.) Just the opposite: he’s lost the job which anchored all of his other activities (i.e. “Sports Reporters,” 810, 610), which made him the local celebrity he is today (but may not be tomorrow, to which he may be totally disinterested).
Although I often disagreed with his takes, Whitlock offered compelling commentary, which is needed in a competitive media environment. He was a star at The Star, and his taking a pay cut two years ago had to be a bitter pill to swallow. The Star owed him better, for that reason and because it’s not going to help its financial position by losing readers drawn primarily to his column. Penny-wise, pound foolish — but then The Star seems to be a rudderless ship since the merger.
John
Whitlock will have a show on 810 or 610 by the end of the year. I bet anything he replaces Nick Wright at the end of Football season.
Joe
Why haven’t people made more out of JW saying “I have no problem with Mitch Albom” in a 2006 Big Lead interview. Suddenly, when Albom wins the Red Smith award, he calls him “Myth” Albom and rips his entire career?
HYPOCRITE.
bob
Joe, maybe because nobody cares about Mitch Albom either?
JoHawk
I hate it when Nick Wright starts reading his text messages with “NICK”. Just read the damn thing and stop repeating your own name over and over.
jojo
finally…this non story is over….
__________________________
HC: Wanna bet?
Rainbow Man
Jason, welcome to your forties. It is “Come to Jesus” time big man. If you are smart.. you will play out your funeral for a few weeks and jump back to radio. The party is over. Your brains, not your emotions, will now be your best asset, if you apply them correctly.
Humble time is in order. Suck it up, make ammends, get on the radio, show up every day, be consistent. You can be innovative and cutting edge while still getting rid of the shock behavior.
What remains of the brand you have created will wither away, unless you rescue it in radio.
Chuck
Mitch Albom has ears the size of dinner plates. No diss, but wow…
Jim Fitzpatrick
I think Nate Bukaty hit it on the head: Whitlock lost his passion for writing about local sports. And with the Chiefs’ downward spiral, how could you really blame him?
…Priceless story from George Brett about the hamstring injury and Whitlock’s lack of knowledge about baseball. I remember when the Royals traded away Jermaine Dye and Whitlock was comparing Dye with his replacement (can’t remember who it was) based on height and weight, like it was some kind of “tale of the tape.”
nick
Greg, I read on some site that Whitlock’s people claim your alleged writing of a Whitlcok column for $200 is false. Is that issue dead, or is Whitlock’s people making threats. I happen to believe you.
ALSO…I agree with Rainbow Man.
I’d LOVE to see Whitlock get on radio. I actually liked his show when he was on. He took fresh angles and was unpredictable in what he was gonna talk about. And he got many good guests.
But it seems the past few years Whitlock has gotten more interested in national political issues. I don’t think that’s strength at all, but maybe he’ll work at it and go that direction.
But I hope he stays in the sports world and that I can read his column and/or listen to him somewhere.
rick
The above is not the original rick. Greg, or anyone, Did St. John follow up and explain why he and whitlock had only spoken a couple of times after doing the show together for five years? whatever you say he was a fascinating guy and made an impact.
___
GH: SSJ said he spoke to JW when Whit offered him a job at 610 during the “Maas Exodus” and then once more after SSJ’s mom died in 2003(?) and Whit sent flowers to the wake. Other than those, no contact. SSJ said Whitlock was unhappy that St. John chose to not move to 610 and instead stay at 810 and that severed their relationship.
John
“GH: SSJ said he spoke to JW when Whit offered him a job at 610 during the
rick
Thanks Greg for the answer about SSJ and Whitlock