Announcement: A heartfelt sendoff and a look ahead to the future
- Thread starter Ketchum
- Start date
Ketch would go bankrupt if he hired Bohls. He would have to ban most of the subscriber base for riping that clown on the Reggie Bush vote over and over. The personal attacks would be spectacular.
Bohls' resume probably resembles that of Chip's (prior to joining Orangebloods). Chip is not a recruiting analyst, and that is not where his most impressive contributions lie; it's his connections regarding UT sports and college athletics are what probably will be most difficult to replace.
This post was edited on 4/24 7:14 AM by Moooooo
Miss one day on OB's and miss this!
Best of luck to Chip. He is what lead me to join OB and a frequent reader. I'm sure you'll do well in what's next.
Ketch has some big shoes to fill. IMHO, not sure why the attraction to the NFL experience. seems like the next big thing in college athletics is the cross-section of the NCAA, compensating athletes and the potential impact on the fundamental structure of college football. that's a writer with a background in not just football, but the NCAA, some amount of legal background, and perhaps even state politics. quite a combo...
but this thread should be more about Chip and the great work he's done. He may have had his missteps but he was right far more often than not. most of us, self-included, wish we made the right calls 80-90% of the time the way he did / does.
Hook 'em!
Best of luck to Chip. He is what lead me to join OB and a frequent reader. I'm sure you'll do well in what's next.
Ketch has some big shoes to fill. IMHO, not sure why the attraction to the NFL experience. seems like the next big thing in college athletics is the cross-section of the NCAA, compensating athletes and the potential impact on the fundamental structure of college football. that's a writer with a background in not just football, but the NCAA, some amount of legal background, and perhaps even state politics. quite a combo...
but this thread should be more about Chip and the great work he's done. He may have had his missteps but he was right far more often than not. most of us, self-included, wish we made the right calls 80-90% of the time the way he did / does.
Hook 'em!
a. I feel like the college media market is full of soft folks that don't really want to compete win.
b. This is a very competitive market and I want someone that has truly competed in truly competitive situations... and won.
c. Landing a world-class reporter is the most important thing that we do. I don't believe there are a lot of world-class options in the college game.
d. It's not the end all, be all, but I tend to think bigger than most in these situations.
Good luck to Chip and to you, Ketch, in the hire.
Whoever it is, if s/he is good, won't last long. Great reporters are few and far between, and they tend to be in high demand and move about frequently (unless they land a Sports Illustrated gig or something similar). As a Boston sports fan, I have long been a fan of Bob Ryan, Dan Shaughnessy, and the best of them all, Peter Gammons. Growing up listening to Curt Gowdy (Cowboy at the Mike) and reading these guys spoiled me. I wouldn't put Chip in their rarified air just yet, but he's on his way, IMO.
Hook 'em!!!
Whoever it is, if s/he is good, won't last long. Great reporters are few and far between, and they tend to be in high demand and move about frequently (unless they land a Sports Illustrated gig or something similar). As a Boston sports fan, I have long been a fan of Bob Ryan, Dan Shaughnessy, and the best of them all, Peter Gammons. Growing up listening to Curt Gowdy (Cowboy at the Mike) and reading these guys spoiled me. I wouldn't put Chip in their rarified air just yet, but he's on his way, IMO.
Hook 'em!!!
Wow, I've been busy and just saw this.
Massive loss. Chip's articles were the best thing about this site.
Ketch, as a suggestion - and I'm sure you're covering all your bases - you need to replace a great sports news reporter with a great sports news reporter. The recruiting guys here are great at what they do, but not everyone is here for recruiting. Chip covered everything that was not recruiting, and he did it brilliantly and always with a sense of humor. He will be very difficult to replace. People with sources like Chip had don't grow on threes.
Spare no expense in finding a replacement, or the light from this shining beacon in the industry will be significantly diminished, and subscriptions will suffer, IMO.
I have never been a multiple site guy, but I will have to check out Scout.com and see what Chip has cooking up over there. Glad to see that Chip will continue to do his radio show, which I listen to every morning.
Massive loss. Chip's articles were the best thing about this site.
Ketch, as a suggestion - and I'm sure you're covering all your bases - you need to replace a great sports news reporter with a great sports news reporter. The recruiting guys here are great at what they do, but not everyone is here for recruiting. Chip covered everything that was not recruiting, and he did it brilliantly and always with a sense of humor. He will be very difficult to replace. People with sources like Chip had don't grow on threes.
Spare no expense in finding a replacement, or the light from this shining beacon in the industry will be significantly diminished, and subscriptions will suffer, IMO.
I have never been a multiple site guy, but I will have to check out Scout.com and see what Chip has cooking up over there. Glad to see that Chip will continue to do his radio show, which I listen to every morning.
A few random thoughts...
a. Chip did outstanding work for us. Day-in and day-out, I'll stick up for the other content on the site and say that our work stands up to any comparison. For instance, I'll take my 10 Thoughts From the Weekend and hold it up for comparison to any writer's work in the entire nation. It does roughly 2X the traffic of other columns on the site every week. I think McComas' Wednesday column can stand up to just about anyone's in the nation.
b. I will hire a great sports news reporter. You guys under estimate the attraction to this job. I have had two nationally known reporters from SI talk to me about the job in the last week. One is a guy I consider to be perhaps the best young reporter in the sports media industry. Neither will be the person that fills the role for a couple of different reasons, but both openly believe it is one of the elite positions in college sports media.
c. Orangebloods continues to have great sources. We were breaking major stories before Chip arrived and we will break them afterwards. The combination was great because it matched up the two biggest story breakers together.
d. I feel underestimated, as if I'm not one of the elite people in this business, myself. Suddenly, I am thirsty for milkshakes.
Let's go play ball.
This post was edited on 4/24 9:32 AM by Ketchum
Ketch, I looked you up on 247. As a journalist, they've got you as a 5.6 3 Star performer. They note you and Orangebloods have an imposing mainframe, but think you lack the explosiveness and have a tendency to take plays off. I really think 2014 will give you a chance to prove yourself and your stock can certainly rise during summer camps, but right now you are just not Sumlin good. No offense, but #Nosir
Really appreciate your time @ OB. You're one of the main reasons I subscribe and constantly check for updates. You will be missed.
Good luck, Chip! You will be sorely missed. I can't believe it's been 6 years...seems just like yesterday Ketch broke the news.
Didn't read the thread, but I'm glad. Do not like his style, and strongly feel like he is a "maker" of news. Not a reporter. I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I'm glad the move is being made. Although now FSFW will be borderline unwatchable for me so that stinks. Lol.
