Endzone Animal Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 hahaha....yeah because there is so much "positive" going on this winter at OBD! by the way, he was positive about the owens signing, which was the only good thing that happened during the whole off-season. Our team is a disaster and laughingstock, our owner is trying to sell the season off to toronto one game at a time, and you guys cry about a columnist. unbelievable. Buffalo needs every bit of optimism it can get. A lead sports columnist who refuses to see the glass as half-full may be fine for other cities, but Buffalo deserves better. Besides, he's an outsider. Time to replace him with someone from Buffalo who actually cares about the Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Was he on? I heard him mentioned but I must have missed his spot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Man, I really don't understand the Sullivan hate on this board. The guy is a very talented writer with a laundry list of credentials I would venture no poster on this board has. Of course, a message board is a voice for fans that DON'T have a degree in journalism to voice one's opinion, but still, there is a reason why people go to college to learn how to formally construct a valid and lucid opinion in prose. Not just on sports, but simply in general. Sullivan is harsh, but it doesn't make him any less correct. Levy should be eating his words. He framed his whole campaign after Donahoe on "high character" and the first guy he drafts is tazed outside a nightclub at 3 am last weekend. Of course, we don't know all the facts, but a few Marv picks have now got in scuffles with the law (Whitner, Lynch, Hardy, Simpson, et al) some more than once in the span of 9 months, as Jerry pointed out. Everyone is so quick to criticize Sully, but there's no disputing his points here. The only thing I can find questionable in his argument is Stroud, being as he had his substance issues before he was acquired as a Bill, but still, it is on his record. He should have credentials as a reporter. That's his Fu@#%ken job!! We just give our opinion here. Having said that, I prefer to read what most write on here that to read Sullivan's columns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magox Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Sullivan is a miserable S.O.B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peevo Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Buffalo needs every bit of optimism it can get. A lead sports columnist who refuses to see the glass as half-full may be fine for other cities, but Buffalo deserves better. Besides, he's an outsider. Time to replace him with someone from Buffalo who actually cares about the Bills. I don't even know if that point really holds water, Sully has lived here now for like 20 plus years, how long does it take before you can call yourself a "Buffalo-guy"? By the way, does "care about the Bills" mean "one that can never be critical, even when it's warranted." Its something a lot of people bring up on this board and then get flamed like crazy. A guy posts how he's embarrassed about how these over-paid jerks are behaving, and he gets repremanded for making a fair, honest criticism. This team hasn't been relavent in a decade. I mean, I love the Bills. But at some point, they gotta start loving us back. Sullivan echoes those sentiments as well, if people actualy read him. Look, I'm not all about the doom and gloom either, but seriously, the product this team has subjected Buffalo fans to is patronizing, and that's basically been Sully's M.O. for the past, like 10 years. The coach comes off like nobody can understand the sport unless you wear a headset. We HAVE to buy tons of outrageously expensive seats or the city can't support a team. This is all crap. Until the Red Wings stop being one of the most successful franchises in pro sports in a dying city, until Pittsburgh stops winning Super Bowls, until Cleveland can't support winners, this Rust Belt argument is a laughable one. And Sullivan challenges his readers to see that we DO deserve better, that pro sports CAN WORK in a town that doesn't have all the glitz and glamour of Broadway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTS Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Sullivan's job is to cover the Bills, not declare himself the voice of the fan. You couldn't be more wrong. Sullivan is not a beat reporter. It's his job to give his opinions on the Bills and not cover them. And since the Bills have sucked for the last decade, do you honestly expect him to have a lot of positive opinions on the Bills? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zulu Cthulhu Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 You couldn't be more wrong. Sullivan is not a beat reporter. It's his job to give his opinions on the Bills and not cover them. And since the Bills have sucked for the last decade, do you honestly expect him to have a lot of positive opinions on the Bills? I don't have a problem with commentary per se, nor do I think negative opinions of the Bills should be suppressed. I think the problem with Sully is the fact that he sensationalizes all his opinions on the team, and doesn't really own or back up what he says. He is smarmy on the radio (when he actually shows up, as I said he missed his segment this morning, not the first time BTW), and his actual writing is horrid even when judged against Buffalo News standards. Read the D&C guys, they are much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Did he really miss his spot on Sirius?!? I find it hilarious that a guy who is always complaining about the actions of others missed calling in to a radio program. It is not like he even had to show up at the Sirius studios. All he had to do is call in. Did his dog eat his cell phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Jerry Sullivan is a one trick pony. Point out the obvious and be as negative as possible, which he excells at. It is like shooting fish in a barrell in the Buffalo sports market. Whenever a Buffalo sports franchise does well, ie the Sabres a few years ago, he is absolutely lost. Dead spot on. Sully is not honest. He is oppotunistic. If he was so freakin' honest he would not have written a series of articles blasting Tom Donahoe for drafting Mike Williams. That after Sully gave Donahoe a tongue bath for drafting him in the first place. You can't have it both ways. You can't write one thing and then do a one-eighty and expect people to forget what you wrote earlier. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluenews Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 You couldn't be more wrong. Sullivan is not a beat reporter. It's his job to give his opinions on the Bills and not cover them. And since the Bills have sucked for the last decade, do you honestly expect him to have a lot of positive opinions on the Bills? I give Jerry Sullivan my proxy!!! I like like view and value his opinion!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zulu Cthulhu Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Did he really miss his spot on Sirius?!? I find it hilarious that a guy who is always complaining about the actions of others missed calling in to a radio program. It is not like he even had to show up at the Sirius studios. All he had to do is call in. Did his dog eat his cell phone. Yes he did Pete. He was scheduled for 9:30am. The hosts commented at about 9:50 that they were still trying to get him on the line - no dice. Maybe Sully was too hungover from Easter dinner. What a professional huh? Like I said, he is a illiterate P.O.S. and his column is a waste of ink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills44 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 ^^^Jerry Sullivan = consummate professional Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsObserver Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 The difference is, a guy like Tim Graham can cover the whole AFC East better than Sullivan does the Bills. At this point in his career, he waits to take a smarmy shot and retreat. Hate on Chris Brown as much as you want, but the guy is doing his job. Sullivan's job is to cover the Bills, not declare himself the voice of the fan. He's not my voice, I can tell you that! Incorrect in every conceivable way. His job is not to cover on the Bills as mentioned by others in this thread, nor has he ever claimed to be the voice of the fan. Chris Brown touts the company line, so if you want to hear what the Bills want you to hear, so be it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thurman#1 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 "What? I said runt!" He's related to Allan Funt? He's got a cardiac shunt? In baseball he'll often bunt? He enjoys a good P.R. stunt? Like Jim Kelly, he enjoys the hunt? He enjoys the acting of Fontanne's husband Lunt? When people sneeze, he removes the "heit" from his "gesund?" You're killing me here. I like Sully a lot. Of course, I like most of the writers who cover the Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsObserver Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I don't have a problem with commentary per se, nor do I think negative opinions of the Bills should be suppressed. I think the problem with Sully is the fact that he sensationalizes all his opinions on the team, and doesn't really own or back up what he says. He is smarmy on the radio (when he actually shows up, as I said he missed his segment this morning, not the first time BTW), and his actual writing is horrid even when judged against Buffalo News standards. Read the D&C guys, they are much better. You know he's won awards for his writing, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 My problem with Sullivan is that he writes so many negative columns about the Bills. It's not a columnists job to slam the team. He needs to emphasize the positives and write from a position of optimism, not rant at every opportunity. "Write from a position of optimism"? Seriously? The difference is, a guy like Tim Graham can cover the whole AFC East better than Sullivan does the Bills. At this point in his career, he waits to take a smarmy shot and retreat. Hate on Chris Brown as much as you want, but the guy is doing his job. Sullivan's job is to cover the Bills, not declare himself the voice of the fan. He's not my voice, I can tell you that! No, that's not his job with the News. The beat writers are Gaughan and Wilson. As somebody already posted, Sully's job is to write commentary, which by inference means to give his opinion. Thank you. I keep trying to point out the difference. Makes me wonder how many people have me on 'ignore.' Buffalo needs every bit of optimism it can get. A lead sports columnist who refuses to see the glass as half-full may be fine for other cities, but Buffalo deserves better. Besides, he's an outsider. Time to replace him with someone from Buffalo who actually cares about the Bills. Again: seriously? Pom-pom wavers have their place, but the newspaper is not it. If you write about a team, you check your fanhood at the door to the press box. And, I might add, Sullivan had plenty of positive things to say about the team during the 5-1 start. After that, they didn't give him much to be positive about. Dead spot on. Sully is not honest. He is oppotunistic. If he was so freakin' honest he would not have written a series of articles blasting Tom Donahoe for drafting Mike Williams. That after Sully gave Donahoe a tongue bath for drafting him in the first place. You can't have it both ways. You can't write one thing and then do a one-eighty and expect people to forget what you wrote earlier. PTR So, in other words, he's not allowed to change his mind. EVER. Should the rip job on Williams have come with a caveat that he thought it was a good choice at the time? Yeah, maybe so, and I thought you were correct to call him on it ... but in my opinion, he didn't permanently forfeit the right to comment on the subject once he wrote the first column. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zulu Cthulhu Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 You know he's won awards for his writing, right? For writing about being a bad golfer? Good for him. Actually, maybe he should just stick to golf.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsObserver Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 My problem with Sullivan is that he writes so many negative columns about the Bills. It's not a columnists job to slam the team. He needs to emphasize the positives and write from a position of optimism, not rant at every opportunity. This post made me laugh the most. You expect him to write from a position of optimism with this team?! Sounds like you're one of those guys who has to be told how great life is every single day and can't handle any criticism whatsoever. This team has been an embarrassment for 9 years and counting. Do you just accept that or do you think these guys should be accountable for their terrible decisions? As a fan, I appreciate when Jerry Sullivan has an opinion when things aren't going well. And for heavens sake, the guy is just as much of a homer as we are when things are going good. I remember many optimistic columns about JP Losman (before the season began a few years back) and this past year regarding the development of Trent Edwards. I just can't seem to understand the difference between Jerry Sullivan writing about Dick Jauron's many flaws as a coach and when there's like 30 threads on this site about the same thing and what's wrong with either thing. If you don't like him as a person, or if you think he comes off like an arrogant prick on the radio, just say that. But as a writer and a columnist, he does his job pretty well, in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 "Write from a position of optimism"? Seriously? Thank you. I keep trying to point out the difference. Makes me wonder how many people have me on 'ignore.' Again: seriously? Pom-pom wavers have their place, but the newspaper is not it. If you write about a team, you check your fanhood at the door to the press box. And, I might add, Sullivan had plenty of positive things to say about the team during the 5-1 start. After that, they didn't give him much to be positive about. So, in other words, he's not allowed to change his mind. EVER. Should the rip job on Williams have come with a caveat that he thought it was a good choice at the time? Yeah, maybe so, and I thought you were correct to call him on it ... but in my opinion, he didn't permanently forfeit the right to comment on the subject once he wrote the first column. My biggest problem with Sullivan is that he always comes off as a miserable person. In the paper? Check, miserable. On the radio? Check, miserable. In the press box before a Bills' game (I can say it, since I've sat there with him during my time with the AP)? You guessed it, miserable. Think about it...the Bills bring in a lesser-known FA, and Jerry whines because he's a no-name. The Bills bring in a guy like Marcus Stroud, and Jerry lables him a steroid user (even though he tested positive for an over-the-counter ephedra-based substance, which is nowhere near a steroid) and whines about that. In regard to his writing, it has the tone that an opinion columnist seeks, but every article is the same. Cut-and-paste from the same fill-in-the-blank template as every other article he wrote in the last 10 years, and quite frankly it's exhausting to read his work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endzone Animal Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I just hope that when the Bills win the Super Bowl this year Sullivan recants all the negativity he's written about the team over the years. Maybe if he didn't incite such gloom the Bills would have already won one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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