Amelia No Longer Covering Gophers

[gall0249]

https://twitter.com/ameliarayno/status/744990404970487808

I think most here will rejoice.

 

[bemidjigopher]

Glad she found something that seemed more up her alley, I think she will do well in features. She wasn't a bad writer, there were some things she got wrong, but she wasn't nasty about it like Myron. Hopefully the replacement is fair, knowledgeable and has a passion for college basketball, someone who isn't a fan, but who has that passion for information that a fan has.

 

[mplarson7]

Glad she found something that seemed more up her alley, I think she will do well in features. She wasn't a bad writer, there were some things she got wrong, but she wasn't nasty about it like Myron. Hopefully the replacement is fair, knowledgeable and has a passion for college basketball, someone who isn't a fan, but who has that passion for information that a fan has.

And the patience to put up with the fans.

 

[bemidjigopher]

And the patience to put up with the fans.

We are a passionate bunch, I am sure Myron still has nightmares judging by his thin skin

 

[SelectionSunday]

Maybe Myron wants to come back?

 

[Dr.Don]

Maybe Myron wants to come back?

Ya, like hemorrhoids!

 

[howieramone]

I thought she was outstanding!

 

[Block M]

I thought Amelia did an excellent job. Hopefully on to new and bigger things for her. Good luck Amelia!

 

[LesBolstad]

I thought Amelia did an excellent job. Hopefully on to new and bigger things for her. Good luck Amelia!

IALTO! She was brutal as a beat writer. Has writing talent, but heart just wasn't into Gopher BB (could be a function of an awful team to cover).

Food and bar hopping much more up her alley.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

What Restaurants does Bigfoot like to patronize?

Seriously, I got tired of all the comments about whiskey, food etc in her basketball articles and chats.

At the risk of sounding like a conspiracy nut, I wonder if this new job is payback/a reward for having been harassed by MegaTongue - a "we'll make it up to you" from the Strib.

 

[CDH27]

Who will keep Sid awake when he dozes off courtside?

 

[bizzle22]

What Restaurants does Bigfoot like to patronize?

Seriously, I got tired of all the comments about whiskey, food etc in her basketball articles and chats.

At the risk of sounding like a conspiracy nut, I wonder if this new job is payback/a reward for having been harassed by MegaTongue - a "we'll make it up to you" from the Strib.

I thought it was a nice touch at first, but she went a little too heavy with it last year. Can't totally blame her since she didn't exactly have a lot of positives to write about last year. So instead of writing a bunch of all negative stuff she wrote some negative and then talked about whiskey and Bigfoot the rest of the time.

Not sure if the payback/reward thing is true, but it wouldn't blow me away if that was a factor. When that stuff happens a company has to be very careful about how they handle the employee who was harassed. I think she has some writing talent though, and just more of an interest in the food/travel stuff. She's a better fit writing features than blogging.

 

[MennoSota]

Is she taking over for C.J.?

 

[Dr.Don]

Is she taking over for C.J.?

We can only hope.

 

[XMan]

I thought she was way below average at best as a writer.

 

[jamiche]

The job of being a beat writer has so many constraints. She can write very little about what she actually knows because she can't publish rumors and innuendos unlike posters on an obscure message board. She also can't burn sources. She needs to be able to write those long profiles over the course of a season that fill copy and generate clicks. She basically lives with the team for half of the year so she has to be somewhat circumspect in her observations and assessments. It's not easy to walk into the locker room the day after you've trashed someone.

The paper doesn't give the job of beat writer for a second division (not D-2) college basketball team to a senior writer in a market with four pro sports teams, a successful WNBA franchise and two other major college revenue producing sports. All in all, she covered the slowly descending mediocrity of Tubby, the chaos of Pitino and the dysfunction of the athletic dept reasonably well. Hope the new gig is a good fit.

 

[SDSUAlum08]

I completely stopped following her on Twitter and stopped reading her articles. It's a good thing they're getting someone new. I thought she was terrible. She was an ok writer, but seemed to have little interest and knowledge of college basketball.

Of course, this could be because the Gophers suck right now, too. I've lost a lot of interest in Gopher sports over the last year.

 

[WindyCityGopher]

Go Tar Heels!!!

 

[Mulligan]

I thought she was way below average at best as a writer.

As opposed to the person who wrote the following?

People from Minnesota do have accents. Go further north to Bemidji or Crookston and you will really notice it. I have relatives who have a much stronger minnesotan accent than others, but when I travel down to the southern part of the United States I am asked about the accent often and I talk nothing like the exaggerated version in Fargo but it is there.

 

[Holy Man]

I see a desire to get off the road and to get in a job with a more "normal" routine. Lots of people want that. Good luck in the new role.

My guess is there are few beat writers that could ever satisfy the uber-interested populations on message boards. But they don't write for us. They write for the masses who only look at scores and maybe an article or two a week.

 

[Bad Gopher]

I thought it was a nice touch at first, but she went a little too heavy with it last year. Can't totally blame her since she didn't exactly have a lot of positives to write about last year. So instead of writing a bunch of all negative stuff she wrote some negative and then talked about whiskey and Bigfoot the rest of the time.

Not sure if the payback/reward thing is true, but it wouldn't blow me away if that was a factor. When that stuff happens a company has to be very careful about how they handle the employee who was harassed. I think she has some writing talent though, and just more of an interest in the food/travel stuff. She's a better fit writing features than blogging.

Whiskey and Bigfoot will only get you so far. If you're going to try to have an online personality, be more than a two-trick pony.

 

[dpodoll68]

I see a desire to get off the road and to get in a job with a more "normal" routine.

Do people with a desire to get off the road take a job working as a travel writer?

 

[brucekaupa]

Who will keep Sid awake when he dozes off courtside?

I guess I can do that. I'm only 15 feet behind him.

 

[bigticket1]

https://twitter.com/ameliarayno/status/744990404970487808

I think most here will rejoice.

Am not rejoicing, but certainly not going to lose any sleep over her decision either.

 

[Ewert86PC]

Well whomever takes over best buckle up cause its gonna be a bumpy ride.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[SelectionSunday]

Well whomever takes over best buckle up cause its gonna be a bumpy ride.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

Great hot take.

 

[howeda7]

Is Jeff Shelman (sp)? bored/unemployed yet? If we're bringing someone back it should be him. Certainly #NeverMyron.

 

[jamiche]

As opposed to the person who wrote the following?

People from Minnesota do have accents. Go further north to Bemidji or Crookston and you will really notice it. I have relatives who have a much stronger minnesotan accent than others, but when I travel down to the southern part of the United States I am asked about the accent often and I talk nothing like the exaggerated version in Fargo but it is there.

Who wrote that?

 

[gopherhoopsguy]

I think she was probably the worst beat we have ever had. Everything breaking news would come out then about 24 hours later she would say it like it just happened. Kinda funny. Good person good writer no knowledge of basketball. The one interview she did on PA and he was asking a basketballs questions and there was no way she even ever played the game. Good luck but this will be good for the fans who want information about the team. Wonder if this was a demotion???

 

[dpodoll68]

there was no way she even ever played the game

This isn't relevant in any way.