I don't think this has been discussed much in the Tigersosphere (though it made the rounds on Twitter, thanks to Kurt), but the Freep's Michael Rosenberg mentioned on Facebook that Jon Paul Morosi will be leaving the paper to write for FoxSports.com.
For all the tension that supposedly exists between new and traditional media, I think almost all of us would agree that beat reporters are a vital part of a local team's coverage. If not for their work, there really wouldn't be much for us bloggers to post or respond to on a daily basis, other than game results. I do think, however, that Tigers fans don't get the same level of coverage that baseball fans in other cities do. But that may be more of an editorial decision by the local newspapers.
Morosi did the best with what he had to work with, and routinely beat his peers to scoops. (If there was news to be reported during the Winter Meetings, Morosi was the guy who broke it.) Had the Freep set up a true blog for him, one with a dedicated RSS feed, perhaps he would've provided the same coverage that Peter Abraham, for example, gives to Yankees fans or Geoff Baker provides to Mariners fans. (Jason Beck probably comes the closest now. Danny Knobler also wrote a fine blog before leaving for CBSSports.com.)
Assuming that you're relatively happy with the coverage that we get, however, which reporter do you prefer to read each day? Who do you think does the best job? That brings us to this week's poll question:
Who's your favorite reporter on the Tigers beat?
I included Morosi among the choices, even though he's leaving. It'll be interesting to see how the Freep chooses to replace him, whether it's by promoting someone from within or bringing in a writer from another city. Or perhaps this will be yet another example of newspaper coverage withering away.
Your comments on the subject are also welcome. You can find the poll on the right sidebar below the FanPosts block. Or you can vote here. And if you have suggestions for future poll questions, shoot me an e-mail.
How did our last poll go?
I guess our poll about the new Tigers went as expected, but with how Gerald Laird and Josh Anderson had been playing at the time, I thought it might be closer. Maybe I should've closed the poll before leaving for Seattle, as Laird went into a slump and Anderson saw a bit less playing time. Ah, well.
Who's been the Tigers' best new addition?
23% Gerald Laird
49% Edwin Jackson
24% Josh Anderson
2% Adam Everett