The Savvy Boomer

Cam Cole needs a wake up call of his own

Disclaimer:  Playoff hockey is the time of year when emotions and opinions run at an extreme in Canada.  If you have no interest in hockey you'll probably want to skip this post.

Cam Cole is a sports writer for the Vancouver Sun that I have blogged about before when he decided to take a run at anyone who was not a WASP male when he weighed in on Tiger Woods.  I personally think that he is basically full of crap on a regular basis to the point that in my own small way I rebelled by cancelling my subscription to the Sun.  That meant I didn't have to read his regular whining but after the Raffi Torres hit on Brent Seabrook he decided to become the internet and Twitter head cheerleader calling Torres a serial headhunter, who should be suspended from the playoffs because he intentionally tried to injure Seabrook by hitting him in the head when he checked him.  Never mind that 80% of the commenters disagree with Cole and experts who studied the hit in slow motion basically said that Seabrook made the rookie mistake (Seabrook is a world class player, no rookie, so one wonders what he was thinking) of going after the puck with his head down and Torres caught him cleanly.

End of whining from Cole?  Far from it.  The NHL disciplinary committee said there was no foul and didn't take any action.  Now in a column he calls "Wake Up Call," he is complaining that the NHL justice system is wrong (translation- disagreed with him.) With his know it all attitude, Cole claims that Torres was simply looking to take advantage of the vulnerable Seabrook by playing the man instead of the puck.  Hey Cam, ever listen to the colour men on TV always saying it's often better to play the man than the puck?  Besides, how do you know what was going through Raffi's mind?  In protest, Mr. Whiner sarcastically suggests that hockey is a man's sport and if you don't like it, go watch golf.  Finally, Cole gets it. 

Too bad he can't just go write about golf in another city.  Here's your wake up call Cam- based on all the anti Cole comments you have received you have no future or credibility writing about hockey in Vancouver.  Then I could re-subscribe to the Sun.

Vancouver Sun reporter reaches new low on Tiger reporting

I've never been a big fan of Tiger's because I personally think he has a huge ego but I've always thought he is probably the best golfer ever.  So when the crap hit the fan about his philandering, like others, I have watched the train wreck this has turned into with a lot of different emotions with my main thought being that if it's true, he deserves the bad publicity.

Enter Cam Cole, a Canadian journalist who thinks he knows something about golf and life.  His recent column in the Vancouver Sun manages to take a run at cocktail waitresses, nightclub hostesses, waitresses, (no politically correct terms for Mr. Cole-sexist terms are apparently OK when you talk about women who work in certain jobs) party arrangers, (OK nothing sexist here, but apparently all these jobs are not "sophisticated"-maybe if a couple of CEOS were on the list Mr. Cole would have been happier) African-Americans, Vegas, Stanford University, Oprah, blondes, Sweden and of course Tiger.  All this in 751 words.  Good stuff for a reporter whom a friend of mine once remarked about at the now defunct Vancouver Open several years ago-"Who's that little chubby guy that gets to walk inside the ropes?"

Newspapers are going out of business and reporters are whining about it by blaming bloggers huh?  Too bad.  I think the only reason I haven't canceled my subscription to the Sun is because I need it about 10 minutes every morning-if you know what I mean.

Bloggers are amateur, cowardly, parasitic freeloaders

Not my words, but rather a summation from the most recent rant by Vancouver Sun reporter Stephen Hume.  I introduced my readers who don't live in the Vancouver area to Mr. Hume by commenting on his rant against bloggers in late January.  I sent him an email about it but got no comment back.  I understand Stephen, you're a pro and I'm an amateur-wouldn't want to tarnish your image would you?  Actually, I think he probably only posts his email address because his paper forces him to.

Today, he's at it again-this time a rant over another newspaper shutting down.  (I guess linking to his article makes me a parasitic freeloader.)  He mentions that he's approaching retirement.  Maybe he can start a blog- The Bitching Blogger has a nice ring to it. 

What do laid off journalists do?  Click on the graphic.  Hint:  Most don't blame bloggers for their predicament.