For all the perceived blogger hatred out there -- which is really less "hate" than hilarious, pitiful misunderstanding -- professional sports franchises sure to seem to be coming around. It's a slow crawl, sure, but granting bloggers a psuedo-press box or actively reaching out to them in interviews are signs that blogging, at least to front offices, is something to be dealt with. It is in that spirit that the Dodgers invited various team bloggers to the park last Friday (via CStB). It could have been a lame "sit-here-and-enjoy-your-ticket" kind of event, too, but instead the Dodgers went all out. They brought in Frank McCourt, Tommy Lasorda and Alyssa Milano -- yes, Alyssa Milano -- not to mention the head cheese himself, Ned Colletti:
Josh had promised us a few guests for the evening, but I don't think any of us really expected what we got. About 30 minutes before the game started, Josh came walking in, followed by Ned Colletti, who you'll know as the general manager of the Dodgers. Ned sat down and talked with us until right about the time of the first pitch, and I was ready to go with my notepad and pen until he said, "You mind if we make this off the record?" So, I dropped my pen and just listened. I guess I can't technically tell you anything he said, but I will say that there was nothing particularly earth-shattering about the conversation. No big news that I'm just dying to tell you. But it was nice of him to take time out to come talk to a bunch of bloggers, especially considering someone must have told him that many of us aren't too kind to him on our sites.I agree: Given that Colletti is a baseball blogosphere whipping boy (oftentimes rightly so), it's pretty cool of him to take the time out on a Friday night to talk off-the-record with bloggers. Equally cool is the entire Dodgers' organization finding it apropos to wine and dine and schmooze with the underwear-clad media underbelly. Of course it's a quick trick for positive PR, but even recognizing that PR can be gained via bloggers is a step in the right direction. It also helps sports franchises close the media-savvy gap with every other industry on the freaking face of the Earth.
Ahem. Anyway, well done, Dodgers bloggers (Doggers?). A nation turns its lonely, monitor-scorched eyes to you.
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. Thanks for picking this up, Eamonn! The real credit for this evening goes to Josh Rawitch, the forward-looking Dodgers Public Relations VP who made it all happen at the sugestion of a local Dodgers blogger. According to Josh, this is the beginning of an ongoing relationship between the Club and its bloggers. By the way, as someone who was at this inaugural event, I think Erin at Beantown West was joking about Alyssa Milano stopping by (although, believe me, I wish she had!).
Chris
www.dodgerfan.net
Posted at 6:35PM on Apr 15th 2008 by Chris