Master Index of Archived Threads


I am a freaking hack

SteveJRogers Dec 07 2006 08:28 PM

I'm wasting my time and money at Iona aint I? How come I can't win a freaking agrument? JUST ONCE! I can't write, I have no skills, I can't convince anyone that my freaking opinion is a vaild one. Geez, a simple statement that Bud Selig should not be trumpteded for baseball's growth because interest has waned, people haven't come back since the strike in 1994, there is too much crap going on with steriods, possible labor strife. I can't even construct a vaild agrument, and I call myself even a WANNABE journalist? For Christ's sake I can't even keep a fucking blog operational for more than a month.

cooby Dec 07 2006 09:16 PM

Steve, calm down... I know this will sound overly simplistic, but that's life, buddy. We all have slumps. You've got more spirit and drive than most folks, and there's nothing wrong with that. If you will take a little advice, it kinda sounds like you might have too much on your plate. You've got a long life ahead of you for blogging and history research. Concentrate on your school, (choose a career. Accounting or journalism?), your family, and try to do the other things in moderation. You've got tons of good things to say. You just need to learn how to say them a little more concisely. And that's what your journalism courses will do for you.

Nymr83 Dec 07 2006 09:53 PM

]I can't write, I have no skills, I can't convince anyone that my freaking opinion is a vaild one. sounds like 99% of the sports writers i've read, you must be on the right track...

Johnny Dickshot Dec 07 2006 10:11 PM

Your problem isn't your skills or your writing, but your choice of topics worthy of debate. I mean, there's no winning an argument against baseball reaching astronomical revenues in the Selig era. It happened.

Yancy Street Gang Dec 07 2006 10:29 PM

And you need to be more selective in your supporting evidence. If the evidence you have doesn't convince people, consider the possibility that you might be wrong. Don't go further afield and reach for more dubious evidence. And don't change the topic in order to support your original argument. That never works.

metsmarathon Dec 07 2006 11:34 PM

its ok to make insupportable claims, or erroneous claims. you just need to do a quick google search first before you commit anything to print. or electrons. i'd have ten times as many posts if i didn't fact check the stupid shit. if you have a strong opinion about something, back it up with why you feel that way. come at it from the pov of the person you're trying to convince. making outlandish claims that only superficially support your claim only works in politics. as far as how best to support your argument - try the following: tell me how many people no longer watch baseball, compared to the beginning of bud's tenure, not how many no longer count it as their favorite sport. the former is far more meaningful. tell me in what cities the people haven't come back to baseball. maybe look at a team that has had a fairly consistent winning percentage over the time span so as to account for the added draw of a winner. tell me why the steroids problem has a greater potential to tear down baseball than it does football or basketball. tell me where the heck the labor strife is, because we just signed off on the second consecutive CBA without any work stoppage. instead of trying to frantically tap out a rant, carefully construct an argument. you're not, i hope, trying to craft the next spam email allegedly penned by andy rooney, are you? no? then type carefully, and consider each word. and more importantly than any advice that sitting out there - if you want to be taken seriously, use the right words, use them precisely, and spell them accurately. or, you could have a long-ago-established habit of frustratingly not capitalizing a damned thing while interspersing single letter transpositions because some of your fingers seem to move just a little bit faster than the others, and then people will just have to learn to live with your idiosyncrasies. the case is out there that baseball has a storm brewing on its horizon. waiting for you to make it.

KC Dec 08 2006 12:08 AM

Does Iona have a course in charisma?

Elster88 Dec 08 2006 02:38 AM

There are some very nice people on this forum. Seriously. A lot more patient then I am.

cooby Dec 08 2006 06:30 AM

Not necessarily more patient. Just trying to answer a call for help

Edgy DC Dec 08 2006 07:42 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Dec 08 2006 09:12 AM

It's about reading as much as writing. Dickshot's original claim was "enormous spikes in the popularity and profitability of the game that enriched all its participants but the fans." The eventual position I sussed out of you was that, sure, a lot more money is coming in, but Selig's hurt the institution somewhat in the process. I think that's pretty close to JD's point.

ScarletKnight41 Dec 08 2006 08:48 AM

Steve - if you truly want to be taken seriously, then you have to stop ranting so often. Say things calmly, back them up with facts, and be willing to consider other viewpoints when they are presented to you. If you can do that consistently, then over time you will build up credibility.

Yancy Street Gang Dec 08 2006 08:51 AM

And stop listening to WFAN. Any influence that station has over you is a bad one.

MFS62 Dec 08 2006 10:07 AM

And Steve, if something is just based on "gut feel" , be prepared to get asked why you feel that way. If your opinion is based on observations, be prepared to be challenged on sample size. But if it is an opinion, say so, rather than presenting it as fact. Sometimes we are guilty of group think. It doesn't mean your opinions aren't wanted here. But don't let that discourage you. You could be the straw that stirs our drink and thereby stimulates some good discussions. And that is just one reason we are all here. Later

Willets Point Dec 08 2006 11:33 AM

Yancy Street Gang wrote: And stop listening to WFAN. Any influence that station has over you is a bad one. Friends don't let friends listen to WFAN.

Edgy DC Dec 08 2006 12:04 PM

A great idea for a banner! And probably the exact sort of banner that put an end to Banner Day.

KC Dec 08 2006 03:00 PM

Wound licking about point C when discussing points A and B = bad

patona314 Dec 10 2006 11:56 PM

my advice? ..... more beer

silverdsl Dec 11 2006 09:18 AM Re: I am a freaking hack

SteveJRogers wrote: I How come I can't win a freaking agrument? It's not often that arguments can be won on a message board, since most people's opinions can't be changed on the basis of what someone says on a fan forum, no matter how well-thought out or fact-based what you're saying is.