Jerry Sullivan 25th anniversary column in today's Buffalo News

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

http://www.buffalonews.com/columns/jerry-sullivan/jerry-sullivan-the-view-from-the-pressbox-never-gets-old-20140418

 

Check out the comments LOL

 

"He came here as a bitter fool, and even when a topic is positive, he somehow works in the negative. He's a worse person than he is a journalist, and that says a lot."

[PromoTheRobot]

Jerry is the master of the stealth CYA move. Read any if his columns on local teams, especially if it's a positive article. He always manages to sneak in a sentence that goes against what he is writing just so he can come back and say he called it if things go the other way.

 

e.g.

 

"I'm in favor of giving X a new contract even though it's likely he'll never earn it."

Edited April 19, 2014 by PromoTheRobot

[snamsnoops]

Jerry is a turd! All i got for him.

 

OK i didn't read his column.

 

The comments say it all. Awesome!

[White Linen]

He's a disturbed individual. He has a job most people would be honored to do and he couldn't be more miserable. I had a drink with him one time many years ago at the Wellington pub he could not have been a morE condescending curmudgeon.

[GOBILLS78]

I mean, I'm sure he's a nice guy, he's just the opposite of compelling. Congrats on 25 though. Doing anything that long deserves a high-five.

[SBUffalo]

He's not a nice guy haha. Met him before. A few times.

[PastaJoe]

Some people don't like him because he's not a home town cheerleader. I find his honest and objective commentary refreshing in a world where broadcasters are afraid to offend the leagues that they're in bed with.

[bowery4]

Don't click the links anymore, I honestly wish he would lose his job.

[SBUffalo]

Some people don't like him because he's not a home town cheerleader. I find his honest and objective commentary refreshing in a world where broadcasters are afraid to offend the leagues that they're in bed with.

 

Actually Sullivan isn't in bed with the league/team. His bull **** makes it harder for the guys that actually are. The beat writers for the Bills at the BN get !@#$ed over because of his ****. The columnists with bad attitude will hurt the beat writers everytime.

[jr1]

He's Jon Lovitz in The Critic

[PromoTheRobot]

Some people don't like him because he's not a home town cheerleader. I find his honest and objective commentary refreshing in a world where broadcasters are afraid to offend the leagues that they're in bed with.

 

He's not honest. He's a pot stirrer. He likes to fan flames. He also contradicts himself, saying one thing one week and the opposite a few months later. But what he does do is offer a catharsis to frustrated fans, giving voice to their rage. And that's fine. He certainly built a 25+ year career doing that. But to me that isn't journalism.

[Dirtbag]

dude's a hack. never bothers to unearth the positives of this 14 year playoff drought.

[PromoTheRobot]

dude's a hack. never bothers to unearth the positives of this 14 year playoff drought.

 

There may not be many positives but there are lots of facts and stories and circumstances that he's oblivious to.

[Buftex]

Eh... I like Sully.

[hondo in seattle]

I'm really surprised that some people find Jerry honest. According to that paradigm, many of us don't like him because we're Buffalo cheerleaders and we don't appreciate his frankness.

 

I'm okay with brutally honest journalism. But oft times Jerry says stuff that's so negative and unreasonable that you just know he's doing it to stir the pot. While some of his articles are well-reasoned and well-written, I think more often than not he's a whining, Negative Nancy. And the thing is, I'm pretty forgiving of most folks' foibles and actually like virtually all sports writers. Jerry and Skip Bayless are the two exceptions. They're both cut from the same mold.

[OldTimer1960]

25 years of negativism...

[vorpma]

Some people don't like him because he's not a home town cheerleader. I find his honest and objective commentary refreshing in a world where broadcasters are afraid to offend the leagues that they're in bed with.

Could not agree more; I find his analysis quite honest and refreshing. After reading the kool aid posts on this board, Sully is definitely needed to bring reality back.

[Nanker]

I'll write the headline for Jerry's column on the Monday following The Bills first Superbowl Victory:

 

"The __________s Lose the SuperBowl in a Heartbreaker to the Bills"

 

Then he'll go on to pontificate on how if not for bad luck and officiating, the other team would have stomped all over The Bills who simply don't deserve to be world champions and shouldn't have even been in the game to begin with.

[Chandler#81]

25 years of negativism...

 

Coinciding with a quarter century of Buffalo sports Suckitude..

[1B4IDie]

Could not agree more; I find his analysis quite honest and refreshing. After reading the kool aid posts on this board, Sully is definitely needed to bring reality back.

What good does it do?

[PromoTheRobot]

 

 

Coinciding with a quarter century of Buffalo sports Suckitude..

Suckitude...like 4 trips to the Super Bowl and the greatest comeback in NFL history and winning a Presidents Trophy and likely winning a Stanley Cup if not for a freak string of injuries to our defensemen, or Chris Drury tieing the playoff game against the Rangers with seconds left...

 

Oh the horrors of being a Buffalo fan! Nothing good ever happens to us. And when it does we can thank our lucky stars we have Sully to bring us back to reality.

[CSBill]

He probably wants Jon BonJovi to buy the team.

[KD in CA]

He's Jon Lovitz in The Critic

 

That just made me like him a little bit more. The Critic was very funny.

[Delete This Account]

happy 25th Jerry.

 

jw

[Just in Atlanta]

This board has thinner skin that I ever imagined, and I've been here for years, AND I thought it was really thin skinned.

 

Can't say I love every column, but most to me have been decent and forced me to revaluate my illogical optimism. The team hasn't been to the playoffs in 13 years. You'd have to be a hack to find positivity in that. That isn't bad luck; there are reasons for this and like him or not or agree with him or not, there is something deeply wrong with a franchise that can't once make the postseason in so many years.

 

Would love examples of his alleged dishonesty, etc. Is he at times overly negative. Yep. Journalism is 75 percent negativity. Always has.

 

To Why So Serious?, what good does a cheerleader do to a fanbase of a failing enterprise?

[PromoTheRobot]

This board has thinner skin that I ever imagined, and I've been here for years, AND I thought it was really thin skinned.

 

Can't say I love every column, but most to me have been decent and forced me to revaluate my illogical optimism. The team hasn't been to the playoffs in 13 years. You'd have to be a hack to find positivity in that. That isn't bad luck; there are reasons for this and like him or not or agree with him or not, there is something deeply wrong with a franchise that can't once make the postseason in so many years.

 

Would love examples of his alleged dishonesty, etc. Is he at times overly negative. Yep. Journalism is 75 percent negativity. Always has.

 

To Why So Serious?, what good does a cheerleader do to a fanbase of a failing enterprise?

 

Why is everything always in black and white? Why is it if you have an issue with Sully you must be a pollyanna kool-aid drinker? Sullivan does write some good stuff but as a whole I dislike his work because he manipulates people's emotions. He could (and does) argue that he is a columnist and therefore he is expressing opinions. Fine. But his opinions swing back and forth.

 

I had an email exchange with him a while ago about column where he clobbered the Bills for drafting a bust like Mike WIlliams. I pointed out that he wrote a column immediately after that draft praising Donahoe for making the "no-brainer" pick. He responded (in a huff) that he reserves the right to alter his opinion as he sees fit.

 

So basically he admitted that he doesn't really stand by his writings. That if he says one thing, he reserves the right to say the exact opposite later "as he sees fit." THAT is my issue with Sully. Own your words. Don't pretend you never wrote something when you did.

 

PTR

[Just in Atlanta]

Don't pretend you never wrote something when you did.

 

PTR

If he doesn't do this -- I'm not sure one way or another -- then he's being dishonest. Thanks for the example. But someone who doesn't change his mind on something as fluid and unpredictable as sports is thick headed. He should change his mind.

[chef4131]

Find it upsetting he goes on his TV show and calls Sabres fans who buy tickets "foolish". I have season tickets(would love to see more wins) However I totally understand their plan and I buy into it. Jerry lives off the negative I also question his understanding of most sports (except basketball)

[PromoTheRobot]

If he doesn't do this -- I'm not sure one way or another -- then he's being dishonest. Thanks for the example. But someone who doesn't change his mind on something as fluid and unpredictable as sports is thick headed. He should change his mind.

 

All you have to do is say in your column why you are changing your mind. But you can't clobber someone and not say you agreed with the move originally. He did the same things when he was on his soapbox for SJ and FItz getting new deals. He was riding the "Ralph is cheap" horse hard back then. Lo and behold both players get paid, just like Sully wanted. Than a year later the Bills were "stupid" for paying those guys.

[Chef Jim]

I don't think I have ever read anything he's written so if everyone here says he sucks he's probably pretty good.

[davidkski]

Buffalo is extremely fortunate to have a columnist of Jerry Sullivan's caliber.

 

His eye for a story and incisive voice made him a rising star in New York City. It's only because he's a quality person, who could appreciate the unique treasure of raising a family in a community like WNY, that he settled in Buffalo.

 

The fact that Sully wasn't raised with a native Buffalonian's blind devotion to our sports teams - and holds players, management and owners to the same objective standards that are applied elsewhere - has made him plenty of enemies. But any objective observer can see that he's justified in criticizing the WNY sports establishment when it uses Buffalo's small-town loyalty to take fans for granted and field an inferior product. Too often, as he points out, Buffalo teams peddle nothing more than hope to a community that is so happy to still be part of the conversation that it doesn't demand a championship.

 

Fans who would prefer an ill-informed cheerleader as columnist are certainly entitled to their opinions, and have every right to disagree with and razz him.

 

But people who stoop to ad hominem attacks are quite literally ignorant: they don't know him or the big-hearted, loyal and generous person he is to friends, family, co-workers and neighbors.

 

And those who berate his journalistic talent or integrity are simply ill-informed: among journalists across the country, he has earned a reputation as first-rate columnist whose flair and insight and any publication would be lucky, and proud, to publish.

 

Looking forward to reading him for the next quarter century....

Edited April 20, 2014 by davidkski

[DOGNESS]

Jerry is the master of the stealth CYA move. Read any if his columns on local teams, especially if it's a positive article. He always manages to sneak in a sentence that goes against what he is writing just so he can come back and say he called it if things go the other way.

 

e.g.

 

"I'm in favor of giving X a new contract even though it's likely he'll never earn it."

The tactic you mentioned is also a favorite of Mike Schopp's. Gutless third rate journalism at its worst. "Heaven forbid we're wrong on something so lets CYA with fifteen different opinions on one topic".

 

Buffalo is extremely fortunate to have a columnist of Jerry Sullivan's caliber.

 

His eye for a story and incisive voice made him a rising star in New York City. It's only because he's a quality person, who could appreciate the unique treasure of raising a family in a community like WNY, that he settled in Buffalo.

 

The fact that Sully wasn't raised with a native Buffalonian's blind devotion to our sports teams - and holds players, management and owners to the same objective standards that are applied elsewhere - has made him plenty of enemies. But any objective observer can see that he's justified in criticizing the WNY sports establishment when it uses Buffalo's small-town loyalty to take fans for granted and field an inferior product. Too often, as he points out, Buffalo teams peddle nothing more than hope to a community that is so happy to still be part of the conversation that it doesn't demand a championship.

 

Fans who would prefer an ill-informed cheerleader as columnist are certainly entitled to their opinions, and have every right to disagree with and razz him.

 

But people who stoop to ad hominem attacks are quite literally ignorant: they don't know him or the big-hearted, loyal and generous person he is to friends, family, co-workers and neighbors.

 

And those who berate his journalistic talent or integrity are simply ill-informed: among journalists across the country, he has earned a reputation as first-rate columnist whose flair and insight and any publication would be lucky, and proud, to publish.

 

Looking forward to reading him for the next quarter century....

Nice try Jerry. Pretending to be someone else. We see right through you. Edited April 20, 2014 by DOGNESS

[vorpma]

This board has thinner skin that I ever imagined, and I've been here for years, AND I thought it was really thin skinned.

 

Can't say I love every column, but most to me have been decent and forced me to revaluate my illogical optimism. The team hasn't been to the playoffs in 13 years. You'd have to be a hack to find positivity in that. That isn't bad luck; there are reasons for this and like him or not or agree with him or not, there is something deeply wrong with a franchise that can't once make the postseason in so many years.

 

Would love examples of his alleged dishonesty, etc. Is he at times overly negative. Yep. Journalism is 75 percent negativity. Always has.

 

To Why So Serious?, what good does a cheerleader do to a fanbase of a failing enterprise?

Great post!

[PastaJoe]

 

 

All you have to do is say in your column why you are changing your mind. But you can't clobber someone and not say you agreed with the move originally. He did the same things when he was on his soapbox for SJ and FItz getting new deals. He was riding the "Ralph is cheap" horse hard back then. Lo and behold both players get paid, just like Sully wanted. Than a year later the Bills were "stupid" for paying those guys.

 

He said that if the Bills were going to use Fitz as starting QB and SJ as #1 WR, then they should be paid the going rate for those positions. That's different than saying they SHOULD be the starting QB and WR. Two different issues.

[bbb]

25 years of negativism...

 

The hard copy of the Buffalo News ran his first column yesterday. In the very first paragraph, he compared something to waiting for spring in Buffalo. He hadn't even been here yet for winter - hahahha.

 

But, he got off to a negative start right out of the gate.

[jester43]

Buffalo is extremely fortunate to have a columnist of Jerry Sullivan's caliber.

 

His eye for a story and incisive voice made him a rising star in New York City. It's only because he's a quality person, who could appreciate the unique treasure of raising a family in a community like WNY, that he settled in Buffalo.

 

The fact that Sully wasn't raised with a native Buffalonian's blind devotion to our sports teams - and holds players, management and owners to the same objective standards that are applied elsewhere - has made him plenty of enemies. But any objective observer can see that he's justified in criticizing the WNY sports establishment when it uses Buffalo's small-town loyalty to take fans for granted and field an inferior product. Too often, as he points out, Buffalo teams peddle nothing more than hope to a community that is so happy to still be part of the conversation that it doesn't demand a championship.

 

Fans who would prefer an ill-informed cheerleader as columnist are certainly entitled to their opinions, and have every right to disagree with and razz him.

 

But people who stoop to ad hominem attacks are quite literally ignorant: they don't know him or the big-hearted, loyal and generous person he is to friends, family, co-workers and neighbors.

 

And those who berate his journalistic talent or integrity are simply ill-informed: among journalists across the country, he has earned a reputation as first-rate columnist whose flair and insight and any publication would be lucky, and proud, to publish.

 

Looking forward to reading him for the next quarter century....

totally agree.

[PromoTheRobot]

He said that if the Bills were going to use Fitz as starting QB and SJ as #1 WR, then they should be paid the going rate for those positions. That's different than saying they SHOULD be the starting QB and WR. Two different issues.

 

So what Sully said was these guys suck but pay them anyway so I can rip the Bills for paying crappy players later?

Edited April 21, 2014 by PromoTheRobot

[Bill from NYC]

Why is everything always in black and white? Why is it if you have an issue with Sully you must be a pollyanna kool-aid drinker? Sullivan does write some good stuff but as a whole I dislike his work because he manipulates people's emotions. He could (and does) argue that he is a columnist and therefore he is expressing opinions. Fine. But his opinions swing back and forth.

 

I had an email exchange with him a while ago about column where he clobbered the Bills for drafting a bust like Mike WIlliams. I pointed out that he wrote a column immediately after that draft praising Donahoe for making the "no-brainer" pick. He responded (in a huff) that he reserves the right to alter his opinion as he sees fit.

 

So basically he admitted that he doesn't really stand by his writings. That if he says one thing, he reserves the right to say the exact opposite later "as he sees fit." THAT is my issue with Sully. Own your words. Don't pretend you never wrote something when you did.

 

PTR

 

Promo, I once posted that I thought Rob Johnson would be a great quarterback. Then, I changed my mind.

 

Once you posted that Alex Van Pelt should start for the Bills. Do you still think this?

 

What is the big freaking deal?

[Buftex]

Promo, I once posted that I thought Rob Johnson would be a great quarterback. Then, I changed my mind.

 

Once you posted that Alex Van Pelt should start for the Bills. Do you still think this?

 

What is the big freaking deal?

 

Yeah...I don't get it. It is like my old man telling me that Red Grange was the greatest football player, ever...and still would be today...when I was a kid I respected that opinion...but as I got older, I started to realize the old man was sounding kind of rediculous...

[C.Biscuit97]

I lost the little remaining respect for him when he called Mario Williams a loser before last season. There should never be a situation when a guy like Jerry Sullivan can call a person like Mario Williams a loser.