Adam Reilly on his Media Log blog talks with Boston Herald sports editor Hank Hryniewicz, who has the following to say about his paper’s posting for an NFL writer:
“That posting is for Rob Bradford’s spot,” Hryniewicz tells the Phoenix. “I reserve the right to change my mind, of course, but the best guy I see out there to replace Rob on the Red Sox beat is John Tomase.
Patriots fans will be happy with the move, what about Red Sox fans?
Reilly asserts that going from the Patriots beat to the Red Sox beat is a better job, and that Tomase seems to have been rewarded for running with his factually false taping story.
Popularity: 19% [?]
Are we to assume that this has nothing to do with Tomase trying to go back into the Patriots lockerroom without getting his ass kicked?
The Pats beat is a much better beat. Lots less travel. Of course, the Sox beat is better for Tomase because of his scorched earth policy with the Pats.
If Tomase was really smart, he’d leave the paper. Isn’t that what all the other smart people are doing?
Tomase gets rewarded for his transgression while I’m sure the editor who chose to print his SB weekend “exclusive” has been shipped off to work for the Siberia Gazette.
“Sources close to the team have indicated that Clay Buchholz is actually a woman. This fact may taint the Red Sox’ 2004 and 2007 World Series crowns…..”
So instead of being fired for obvious gross ethical violations, Tomase gets a promotion.
The Herald sure runs a tight ship. Here’s to their inevitable bankruptcy and collapse.
the chicopee herald has a beat writer for the sox?
good luck john. always stick with your gut instincts they’ll continue to serve you well.
I’ll take Tomase over Cafardo any day.
Remember guys, according to Felger, Tomase’s walkthrough story was actually correct, and it was just a question of “poor semantics”–had Tomase written that the Patriots “monitored” the Rams’ walkthrough rather than taped it, the story would have been 100% accurate. (Never mind the fact that Goodell repeated about 100 times that the video guys being at the stadium during the walkthrough to set up their equipment was NOT a violation of NFL rules.)
Not real happy to see the hatchet man Thomase is going to be doing his butcher work on the Red Sox.
I’m going to have to think about that “Thomase over Cafardo” feeling. They both inhale vigorously, if you know what I mean.
I hate Thomase and will never read his columns or blogs again. Unfortunately he’s dead to me. Running a grossly inaccurate story the night before one of the biggest superbowls ever was unforgiveable.
Remember, Hank Hryniewicz is the editor. The writer writes, the editor decided what gets printed. The Herald was very careful to keep Hryniewicz’s name out of the public’s eye as much as they could. Tomase is just a pawn. Hank Freakin’ Hryniewicz is the one you should be pisssed at.
Isn’t it about time we moved on. I like Tomase and I hope to see him put in the work necessary to repair his image. As for those of you who say things like “he’s dead to me”, and “what he did was unforgivable”: get a life. He’s a sportswriter for christ sake. The fact that the SB was ruined had nothing to do with Tomase, and even if it did, it’s not his responsibility to worry about how one of his stories will effect the team he covers. If you could prove he did it maliciously that would be another story, but the evidence points to an eager reporter trying to be first to a story, who rushed it and got it wrong. Get over it, move on and grow up.
…well Mark, first let’s cut the “dramatics”. You tell people to “get a life” and “move on”. I don’t think anyone here lays awake at night obsessing over Tomase. It takes 2 seconds to post something…..as far as what I think about Tomase as a sportswriter, yes it is “unforgiveable”…He BLATANTLY wrote that “fairy tale” on the eve of the Super Bowl because he knew it would put HIM in the NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT. He did for his OWN PERSONAL GAIN. He took a big time gamble and it blew up in his face. ……I think Tomase is the one who should “grow up” writing that fairy tale because he was “eager” sounds like something an imature kid would do.
I’ve never understood the theory that Tomase wrote the story to make some big national name for himself. Did he ever appear on ANY national TV or radio shows touting the story in the days after it ran?
I really don’t remember….whatever…The bottomline is, after his “incident” I don’t trust anything he writes especially if it involves an “unnamed source”……I’m more of a football/Patriots guy so it works for me….enjoy the Red Sox beat Johnny…..
Joe,
It is clear if y0u read Tomase’s account of how the story got run that the reason they ran it was because they feared either the New York Times or ESPN was going to run the story on super sunday. It was the Times and ESPN printing Walsh’s name and biography that Friday that led to the Herald pice. He had been working on his career story and him and his editors did not want one of the big boys to steal it from them so they went with it even though it was not properly sourced.
“I PROMISE! If you jump off the roof of that skyscraper, I’ll do it right after you. I promise!” That was the mindset at the Herald…so fearful that someone would trump them, they jumped the shark and did it themselves. Never mind that it was a story that hadn’t been properly vetted. Why let THAT stop them?
Yeah there’s no doubt in my mind the story ran when it did because the EDITORS of the hearald wanted to run it at the most opportunistic time! Tomase doesn’t hold this power. If they didnt want to run the story-they wouldn’t have. It sthat simple. Its a national enquirer run operation. Lets not keep blaming the messenger!
A nation wide laughing stock whose employers obviously value that particular skill set.
Great timing if the Boston “Harry” puts JT back on the Sox beat. Let’s not forget that rip job Tomase wrote on Manny Ramirez back in ‘05 when he wrote for the Eagle-Trib. Imagine what he could write these days with Manny’s contract talks and all his other “shenanigans”.
Yeah seriously, I’m not exactly up at night being angry at Thomase and worrying about what he is going to write about next. In fact I have a life and don’t think about Thomase’s columns much if at all. I simply don’t like the guy. Can’t I have an opinion? Like Angry Old Bastard said…being ‘over eager’ isn’t an excuse for the publishing the story that he couldn’t wait to break before one of the biggest, most enjoyable and anticipated sporting events in new england sports history. Thomase wasn’t writing for a college newspaper…or blogging somewhere. This story obviously had a far reaching effect and cast doubts and a huge shadow over what the patriots were trying to accomplish. In my opinion the guy is bush league…and again, like Angry Old Bastard said…I just don’t trust a word he writes now. In my book he did it for personal gain and he’s got a long long way to go to redeem himself in this town and repair his reputation. What he did was high school-ish. If you are professional writer in one of the most intense, popular sports cities in the world, you can’t just move forward and publish a story of that magnitude because of over eagerness and a desire to make a name for yourself. If there are doubts or question marks about the sources or the story itself, you simply cannot go with it, period.
You’re right JohnnyApps, combine that with his Manny transgression three years ago and the circumstantial evidence is mounting in the case against Tomase. It’s going to take an extreme makeover–if one is even possible–to save JT’s reputation in this market.
JohnnyApps, of course you can have an opinion, and so can I.
As for the “Manny transgression”, that was an opinion piece by Tomase. It was unpopular then and he took a pretty good beating for it. Funny though how much of what Tomase wrote at the time about Manny being a high maintenance pain in the ass has come to be true.
What I don’t get is how people take it so personal when a sportswriter or sports columnist writes a negative story about one of their sports heroes. It’s the writer’s job to stir the pot and break stories and tweak the teams and athletes they cover (unless they’re writing a straight game story). It’s not their job to route along with the fans for the hometeam. If you can’t see that Manny is a spoiled brat then you’re just letting your love affair with the athlete cloud your judgement. I am a Manny fan because I think he’s a great hitter. I also know that, on a daily basis, he does things that drive his manager, his teammates and the fans crazy, and if he were a .250 hitter he would have been out of baseball a long time ago.
Sports, and sports writing, is entertainment. Nothing more. Yes Tomase screwed up, and the lynchmob has extracted far more than its pound of flesh. But please try to remember that the genesis of the whole affair was that the Patriots (a team I have been a fan of for 30 years) were caught cheating. I don’t like it and it hurts to say, but that is a fact. It has become very convenient to blame Tomase for the whole mess and be done with it, “Off with his head!”, and simply absolve BB and The Patriots, and somehow paint them as the victim. It’s the tail wagging the dog. Paul Simon was right: “People hear what they want to hear and they disregard the rest.”
Finally, spare me with the term “dramatics”. Dramatic would be saying something like Tomase is “dead to me” and what he did was “unforgivable.” I hope that when one of you guys screws up at work (and we all have) you won’t have to worry about a million people knowing about it and all of them standing outside your door waiting to drag you in to the street for a public execution. I’m not even religious but I can certainly forgive a guy for a very public mistake and try to let him move with his life and his career.
I hope Tomase gets another chance. I’m cheering for the guy.
…well, we will have to agree to disagree….but I think we’ve met the 1 member of the “John Tomase Fan Club”….you go get em’ Matty!
If you want to cheer for the guy Matt, you are more than welcome to. I’ve been a Patriots fan for as long as you and I don’t blame Tomase for the Pats cheating nor do I blame him for the SB XLII result, but I have to agree with AOB. Tomase rushed to judgement when he knew he’d gain the most attention. And even though the Manny piece may have simply been opinion, he wrote that for the same reason because in the days that followed that story he was on every radio and TV outlet that would have him.
It’s the circumstantial evidence mounting against JT. At this point the only way he proves his previous transgressions were an abberation would be for him to do a solid reporting job and on top of that break legitimate stories ahead of his competition.
And if Tomase does indeed slide over to the Sox beat don’t think there may not be some awkwardness there. I don’t believe Manny is Captain Oblivious as he is portrayed by some local media and is likely familiar with that ‘05 column.
I’d read Tomase before the idiot article and still believe the guy writes at a college sophomore level. He’s not very good, was desperate for attention - and I’m sure his editors were pressuring their writers to get “The Herald” in the national spotlight. It blew up in their faces big time and Hank is part of the problem, not the answer.
Will never read Tomase again - and yeah, I dislike the guy but mostly for what he stands for. It was surprising that in this era where print journalism is on the downswing journalists came to his defense when he has contributed to their downfall - being controversial doesn’t cut it anymore.
Regardless, with the Patriots it’s Mike Reiss/Gaspar then everybody else. Fans are still in good hands.
Matty, Thanks for the opinion. Unfortunately it sounds an aweful like what something Tomase would write. Excuses and lack of accountability.
First off, I never even mentioned the ‘manny’ article that Tomase wrote. I’ve never read it and probably will never read it. You might be confusing me with someone else.
Secondly, your ‘heroes’ statement should be directed more towards a child or adolescent. I’m 32 years old and don’t consider any Boston athlete one of my ’sports heros.’ That’s fine if they are for you, however.
What Tomase writes or what any other writer writes has absolutely no effect on my rooting passion or interest for that team. I just really enjoy rooting for and following the Patriots everyday and the red sox to a little bit lesser of an extent.
I just thought it was a lousy thing for him to do, at the lousiest possible time. If Tomase was blatantly lied to, purposely setup to fail, or some other unfortunate things happened to cause him to write that story, then fine…i’ll let it go and would completely forget about it. But apparently what that took place was an over eager writer, who might have had worthy intentions at the start, but who was willing to cut corners to make sure his piece was published first, ensuring his time in the national spotlight. Apparently absolute accuracy wasn’t as high up on the list. Him releasing that story, at the time that he did, shows me that he’s not a guy who holds himself to the highest possible journalistic standard. He was willing to sell out so he could cash in on the opportunity of writing a hugely impactful story on the eve of America’s biggest, most celebrated sporting event. It sucks that circumstances so (for lack of a better word) dumb and something so bush league had to take away from the superbowl. But, apparently it’s okay for a columnist to ’stir the pot’…just so we have something controverisal to talk about on WEEI and read about in the papers. Which leads me to #3…
Third, I understand how the industry works and what the job of a columnist is. I’m sorry, but in his industry, like in all industries, there has to be some level of accountability. That’s why people are pissed. If I screw up at work because I was dumb, careless or was willing to cut corners, you’re damn right i’m going to face the consequences. I’d fully expect my co-workers and boss to be pissed.
As a side note, I’m not blaming Tomase for the ENTIRE mess. I’m blaming him for spoiling/overshadowing what should have been a great couple of days for the Patriots as they were going for 19-0, and for getting the story WRONG.
Honestly, I just didn’t like the column. Plain and simple. If you can’t handle that and choose to defend Tomase, that’s up to you. I’ll respect it but won’t agree with it. I still won’t read the guy ever again. It’s not a public excecution. I’m just not going to read him. I can’t believe you’ll actually be cheering for a guy like that. I have to wonder where that inspiration comes from…
Dear God, nooooo.
Don’t look now, folks, but the same guy that brought you Matt Walsh on the eve of the Super Bowl is headed to cover the Sox. What could possibly go wrong?! After all, moving a roundly disliked writer from one sport to another worked for Shaughnessy, didn’t it?
I think the best solution has been reached in moving Tomase to the Sox beat! Lets move on & support the herald…not continually bash them for tomase & maz’s words. We need this this town to be a two newspaper town desperatly if we want to maintain our world class status as a great Sports town. Lets support competition not mask it. We really only have 1 sportstalk station in town……lets not have that same thing in print!