#bob hazleton

[mygrowingcollection]

Bob Hazleton

[spudkid]

A grey dawn greeted competitors on September 21, 2024 for the second installment of the Nephews-Uncles Invitational! This year’s NUI was a $5 Nassau best ball of partners competition with Bob Clements and Mike Last matched up against Ryan “what a head of hair” McCarthy and Nick “I love my pre-shot routine” Strzeletz. The 8:50am tee time proved difficult for Nick who arrived at the driving range in flip flops with 4 minutes to spare. (something about a malfunctioning alarm clock?). The match would be played “clean” (without handicaps) but with the Hazleton rule which gives any team, that is two down, a stroke on its next hole.

The Uncles got off to a fast start, both paring the first hole to go one up. Nick hadn’t even laced up his shoes and the kids were one down! Not to worry…on the second hole Ryan hit a 3wood to the right rough, slashed a 9 iron to the green-side bunker, blasted out to 15 feet and sunk the par putt to even things up.

(photo credit: Clem Gover)

The match see sawed for the next 4 holes when Ryan (on #6) again made a long par putt to square the match. When asked if he would ever do something for his team, Nick replied “I���m doing a great job of reading Ryan’s putts!” Bob pared the long (but not for him) ninth hole while Ryan played army golf going left-right-left-right as he approached the green giving the Uncles a one up win on the front.

Ryan’s reaction to Bob’s par…”You’ve gotta be shittin me!” The Uncles started fast on the back with Mike’s par winning the 10th hole to go one up on the back and more importantly two up on the match bringing the Hazleton rule into play. Ryan and Nick would play the next hole getting a stroke. Nick didn’t need it as he hit to 35 feet in two and putted to three inches in three. Mike missed his 5 ft putt (he did a lot of that) and we never saw the Hazleton rule again.

On 12 tee, we took a time out to enjoy the view and take selfies. That’s when Bob observed that Nick’s shirt looked like something Julie had bought for him 15 years ago at Kauffman’s.

Nick proudly said he’s had the shirt since 8th grade and that he’s got another just like it still in the package at home.

Ryan birdied #12 to go one up on the back and even the match!

Bob won #13 with a par.

Ryan then birdied #14 with a sweet approach to 10 feet and a nifty putt. (Yes, Nick read that putt too)

After Ryan’s 2nd birdie, Bob said he’d had enough and turned into the “get off my lawn” guy.

He promptly hit it to 6 ft on 15 to put the Uncles even on the back and one up for the match. But he wasn’t done yet. On 17 he hit the green and two putted for par and it was all over but the shouting! On 18, Nick hit the longest drive of the day to the 150 yard marker (the Biz-Hub shot tracker had him at 286 yards off the tee) then knocked it on the green. He two putted for a nifty par that won the hole but the Uncles were in the money. Uncles won the front and the match (back was tied) and walked away with $10 each. Very satisfying! See you next year!

[omnistpilgrim]

I've resolved to study and re-read more spiritual texts this year (starting 2022), and share quotes I like. (note that this isn't meant to be a list of recommendations, just a record. not all of these have been spiritually edifying to me.) List of what I've read so far:

Anglicanism/ Episcopalianism

The Book of Common Prayer

Buddhism

The Dhammapada- translation by Eknath Easwaran

Peace is Every Step- Thich Nhat Hanh

Radical Acceptance- Tara Brach

Catholicism

The Faith Explained- Leo J Trese

Theology For Beginners- Frank Sheed

True Devotion to Mary- Louis de Montfort

The Modern Saints- Gracie Morbitzer

The Secret of the Rosary- Louis de Montfort

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

This is My Body, This is My Blood- Bob & Penny Lord

Good News About Sex & Marriage- Christopher West

The Story of A Soul- St Therese of Lisieux

Christianity (general)

The New Testament

The Screwtape Letters- CS Lewis

The Heart of Christianity- Marcus J Borg

God Can't- Thomas J Oord

Mere Christianity- CS Lewis

The Wisdom Jesus- Cynthia Bourgeault

The Universal Christ- Richard Rohr

The Case For Christ- Lee Strobel

The Great Divorce- CS Lewis

Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul- John Philip Newell

Searching for Sunday- Rachel Held Evans

Unlearning God- Phillip Gulley

Saving Jesus From the Church- Robin R Meyers

Christianity (biblical analysis)

Inspired- Rachel Held Evans

What is the Bible? - Rob Bell

The Uncensored Bible- Kaltner, Kilpatrick, & McKenzie

The Gay Gospels- Keith Sharpe

The Bible Doesn't Say That- Joel M Hoffman

The Sins of Scripture- John Shelby Spong

Paul and Jesus- James D Tabor

Reclaiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World- John Shelby Spong

Forged- Bart D Ehrman

Jesus, Interrupted- Bart D Ehrman

Zealot- Reza Aslan

Jezebel- Lesley Hazleton

101 Myths of the Bible- Gary Greenberg

Divine Feminine

The Way of the Rose- Clark Strand & Perdita Finn

God is a Black Woman- Christena Cleveland, PHD

Missing Mary- Charlene Spretnak

Circle of Mysteries- Christine Lore Weber

The Goddess in the Gospels- Margaret Starbird

Now is the Hour of Her Return- Clark Strand

Waking Up to the Dark- Clark Strand

Wild Mercy- Mirabai Starr

The Woman With the Alabaster Jar- Margaret Starbird

Goddess: 50 Goddesses, Spirits, Saints and Other Female Figures Who Have Shaped Belief- Ramírez & Walsh

Druidry/ Celtic Paganism

The Book of Hedge Druidry- Joanna van der Hoeven

The Druidry Handbook- John Michael Greer

The Druid Path- John Michael Greer

The Book of Celtic Myths- Jennifer Emmick

Forest Magic- Nikki Van De Car

Wild Magic- Danu Forest

Ecospirituality

Sacred Nature- Karen Armstrong

Wisdom of the Wild- Sheri Mabry

Filianism/ Déanism

The Gospel of Our Mother God

Hellenistic Paganism

The Iliad- Homer

The Odyssey- Homer

Mythology- Edith Hamilton

D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths- Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire

Hinduism

The Bhagavad Gita- translation by Barbara Stoler Miller

The Upanishads- translation by Eknath Easwaran

The Complete Illustrated Guide to Hinduism- Rasamandala Das

Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction- Kim Knott

Islam

The Qur'an- translation by Abdullah Yusufali

Judaism

The Tanakh

When Bad Things Happen to Good People- Harold S Kushner

Mormonism

The Book of Mormon

Norse Paganism/ Heathenry

Norse Mythology- Neil Gaiman

Hávamál- from the Poetic Edda

D'Aulaire's Book of Norse Myths- Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire

Paganism (general) / Wicca

The Spiral Dance- Starhawk

Paganism- Joyce & River Higgenbotham

Drawing Down the Moon- Margot Adler

The Path of a Christian Witch- Adelina St Clair

Tarot Fundamentals- Sasha Graham

Astrology- Carole Taylor

Tarot Magic- Donald Tyson

Wicca: A Guide For the Solitary Practitioner- Scott Cunningham

Cunningham's Book of Shadows- Scott Cunningham

The Witch's Book of Power- Devin Hunter

The Deep Heart of Witchcraft- David Salisbury

A Book of Pagan Prayer- Ceisiwr Serith

Quakerism

Faith and Practice- Baltimore Yearly Meeting

A Testament of Devotion- Thomas R Kelly

Living the Quaker Way- Philip Gulley

A Quaker Book of Wisdom- Robert Lawrence Smith

Letters to a Fellow Seeker- Steve Chase

Sikhism

Poems from the Sikh Sacred Tradition- Guru Nanak

Taoism

The Tao Te Ching- translation by Stephen Mitchell

The Tao of Pooh- Benjamin Hoff

Other/ Interfaith/ General Theism

A World of Prayer- edited by Rosalind Bradley

The Interfaith Prayer Book- compiled by Ted Brownstein

God of Love- Mirabai Starr

A New Earth- Eckhart Tolle

How to Believe in God- Clark Strand

Holy Envy- Barbara Brown Taylor

The Power of Now- Eckhart Tolle

Atheism

Atheism and the Case Against Christ- Matthew S McCormick

Letter to a Christian Nation- Sam Harris

Why I Became an Atheist- John W Loftus

God is Not Great- Christopher Hitchens

[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCILLE & DESI SOLVE A PARENT PROBLEM

November 22, 1952

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were on the cover of TV Digest for the week of November 22, 1952.  The inside article was titled “Lucille and Desi Solve a Parent Problem.” 

“With a baby due in January, how does the show stay on the air?” 

The article reveals that the past summer hiatus was spent ‘banking’ enough episodes of the show to last through March 1953.  Using a photo of Lucy tumbling through an open window in “The Anniversary Present” (ILL S2;E3) aired on September 29, 1952 but filmed on May 9, 1952, the article asserts that physical comedy will be temporarily omitted from future episodes.  A candid photo depicts Lucille and Desi relaxing with their infant daughter, Lucille Desiree. 

The inside listings include the original broadcast of “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8) first aired on Monday, November 24, 1952. At the time of filming, Lucille Ball was already four months pregnant, although it was not yet part of the storyline on the show. To hide her condition, Lucy dressed in loose-fitting clothes throughout the episode. The big announcement would come two weeks later in “Lucy is Enceinte” (ILL S2;E10) aired on December 8, 1952. 

IN OTHER NEWS...

Also on November 22, 1952, an Arlington Heights, Illinois, cinema offered a double bill of Cuban Pete (1944) starring Desi Arnaz and Lover Come Back (1946) starring Lucille Ball, which was retitled for its’ 1952 re-release Lucy Goes Wild to capitalize on the success of “I Love Lucy.” In the early 1950s cinemas were worried that competition from TV would make them obsolete. 

The State Theatre in Richmond, Indiana, also wooed people away from the television into their popcorn palace, this time with second-run screenings of  Look Who’s Talking (1941) and Too Many Girls (1940).  

Nationwide, other cinemas were taking a similar tact with re-bookings of:  

Fancy Pants (1950) in Bunkie, Louisiana and Hazleton, Pennsylvania 

Sorrowful Jones (1949) in El Paso, Texas

A double bill of The Fuller Brush Man (1948) and The Fuller Brush Girl (1950) in Dorchester, Massachusetts 

The Magic Carpet (1951) in Vancouver, British Columbia

Too Many Girls (1940) in Miami Beach, Florida

In a San Mateo, California, newspaper, Bob Foster credited the success of “I Love Lucy” with saving General Services Studios from bankruptcy.

Meanwhile, in Hawaii, one of Lucy and Desi’s favorite vacation spots, an appliance dealership in Honolulu was tempting potential viewers to buy a set in order to see “I Love Lucy” and other great shows when network television broadcasts finally arrived on the island in December 1952.

Groff’s Hardware in New Holland, Pennsylvania, took out a classified ad to let readers know they were selling the “I Love Lucy” baby doll. 

Erkskine Johnson did a story on the ubiquitous laugh track, getting a quote from “I Love Lucy” DP Karl Freund. 

SATURDAY’S SYNDICATED STORIES!

Lucy’s friend and future co-star Hedda Hopper claimed Lucy often wore ribbons in her hair, making her look like a Christmas tree.  B. Kaper is composer  Bronisław Kaper, who scored Without Love (1945) starring Lucille Ball and would also score Forever, Darling starring Lucy and Desi in 1956. 

Walter Winchell���s “Broadway and Elsewhere” reported that the latest “I Love Lucy” episode was “30 minutes long and a smile wide...”  There was no new episode the previous Monday (November 17, 1952), so Winchell must be referring to “The Courtroom” (ILL S2;E7) which aired on Monday, November 10, 1952.

Erskine Johnson’s November 22, 1952, syndicated column “In Hollywood...” provided an anecdote about an “I Love Lucy” fan and the show’s record-setting viewership. 

Dorothy Kilgallen’s syndicated column “Broadway: Gossip in Gotham” reported that Lucy and Desi were thinking about moving production of “I Love Lucy” to Cuba for tax reasons!  As history knows, this never happened and sounds highly unlikely knowing Desi’s patriotic love of the USA. 

Earl Wilson’s November 22, 1952 syndicated column “It Happened Last Night” closed with a barb attributed to Lucille Ball: “Will you please excuse me while you leave my table?”

[dreampeople]

Lovebug - a short story

synopsis: Timid six year old Mina Hazleton struggles to adjust to her new life with her aunt and cousin after her mother’s disappearance.

words: 1k

read under the cut:

The transition wasn’t easy on little Mina. The forty-mile distance between the town of Beaumont and the one she’d left behind may as well have been lightyears, and the chalk white paneling and the dusty gray roof that sat a story higher than she was used to another planet, despite the many summer afternoons she and her mother had spent there prior. Being little Mina, her grasp on mortality was small, but her mother’s absence—the disappearance of her soft, shea butter scent and even softer palm that would encase her own—was very large. It had been almost a year since she went missing, and Daddy had proven time and time again to be no good. The declaration had been made and no one had the heart to tell her the full truth, but the one piece of it that she did understand was how gigantic the world seemed without the veil of Mommy’s skirt, and without Mommy’s hand to cling to. But it would be okay, her Auntie Audrey told her, and she believed her because she loved her Auntie Audrey, and her Cousin Ravi, too, and for a while, it was. The open arms definitely helped, and little Mina didn’t hesitate to dive straight into them.

At first it was endearing to her aunt, the way Mina would hover and cling: half a head bobbing up to see over the stove while Audrey cooked, desperate to be given a wooden spoon and some concoction to stir, a tiny palm offered to transport weeds into a bag half a foot away, and then offered up again to Audrey to have the pricks removed despite her constant warning. Whatever she could do to be a part of things. Grocery trips were a thrill ride, and empty Saturdays when no one had anywhere to be but home with her were one of Mina’s greatest treasures. Then it became alarming when, one night, Audrey enjoyed the city and a suitor an hour too long. 

“When is Auntie coming back?” she asked.

“She said around nine or ten,” Ravi answered from the couch, watching Mina’s eyes dart between the program he’d put on for her and the digital clock that sat above it. She twisted towards the kitchen to confirm the minute past that hour on the microwave, then back to him as if he could do something about it. The time, of course, he couldn’t, but there were other things.

“You wanna play Need For Speed?” He didn’t wait for an answer, joining her on the floor and hooking up this to that, sitting a controller in her hands before she could, the platinum one instead of just the black this time, which made her more inclined.

“Can I play on your save?”

“Yeah, we’re gonna race though. I got all the good cars, but you still won’t beat me.”

Though he tried his best not to, he’d beaten her three times, her attention becoming more devoted to the clock after each lap. Once it struck eleven she flung the controller into the TV stand.

“What’s wrong with you?” He already knew, but was so startled he asked anyway, only agitating her more.

“When is she coming back?” Her voice was swollen with grief. The tears came quickly. 

“Probably in a minute!” He didn’t mean to yell. Her cries grew louder. He didn’t know what to do now. For a while he just sat, fixated on the snot dribbling from her nose and then into her mouth. Ravi was trying his absolute best. He thought to console her, to be more like his mother, but before he could get his arms around her she thrashed him away. Then at the couch cushions, then the pillows at the wall, then her own body against the floor, the entire time wailing for her. When Audrey finally arrived after a flurry of phone calls from Ravi, Mina lay there groaning and sniffling until Audrey caressed her up and into her embrace.

The old summer afternoons he could tolerate. He would let her trail him for blocks and through sprinklers and convenient clearings until they’d hear the crickets. But having her buzzing over his shoulder daily, having a life full of her, would prove to be a challenge for him. Ravi’s arms were never as welcoming as his mother’s. But after the incident in the living room that night he was intent on keeping them taut to his sides, crossed, or occupied. Always occupied. Nonetheless, Mina still attempted to ease herself into his orbit as gracefully as she could manage. The creaky hinges of his bedroom door were always followed by curious, pattering feet, searching for the source and its direction. On one cool evening, when fall had just barely arrived, it was heading out the front door. 

“Where you goin’?” Her voice was sweet as cake but unsteady. Ravi flinched then paused, split between the walkway and the porch. A bit of the cool evening sweeped in through the opening, carrying leaves and small black and orange bugs on its breeze.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said through frustration, but still as kindly as he could.

“Can I come?” she asked.

“You don’t even know where I’m going.” Ravi kept his front facing the street.

“Jun’s house, I bet.”

“No.” His other foot made it out. Mina grabbed his arm tight.

“Please?”

“No!” He yanked himself away and fully out onto the porch, jostling Mina with his force. The image of his back became blurred and tinged with hot anger, and little Mina’s hands had thrusted forward into it before she even knew what she was doing. She watched him topple over the remaining six steps and that same arm collide with the sidewalk, the bugs dashing away from the thud, some nestling into her mess of hair.

That night Audrey braved the baby girl’s whirling hysteria to ask why, only getting more tears and a tighter jaw the more she asked.

“I’m not mad at you, hon. I’m not mad. He’ll be alright,” she said, inching closer to Mina, who was tucked into herself against the wall of her bedroom. She knew that telling Mina it was only a sprain would mean nothing to her. Hurt was hurt. She inched some more, carefully, until she could hold the girl’s face in her palm without her flinching. Her tears suctioned their skin together. Mina’s sobbing quieted to a whimper as Audrey soothed her. She brought her own hand up to her aunt’s and clutched it as if Audrey would immaterialize outside of her touch. Mucus had shut her sinuses so tightly she could barely breathe, and something in her was grateful for it.

Another Saturday came, and Ravi woke to all of the laces on his shoes tied into neat bows and laughed. The sun shined bright and beckoning through his window and he craved to feel it. The park felt like a good idea, or maybe the nature trail if it wasn’t too cool. He hoped the sling wouldn’t discourage his mother from letting them, but still knew he’d get an earful of precautions regardless. He went to go ask and nearly toppled again, over a bite-sized little nuisance that was lodged at the foot of the door.

[hbhughes]

Betsy Crum DeCosmo

Betsy Crum DeCosmo passed peacefully, surrounded by her children and with her beloved dog, Utley, in her lap, at Highland Park Senior Living on June 4, 2020.

Betsy was born to J. Otto and Esther (Powell) Crum in Kittanning, PA.  She attended Kittanning High School where she was admired for her beautiful soprano voice and her skills at the piano and organ. During her senior year, she represented her school district at that year’s State Chorus festival held at E. L. Meyers High School in Wilkes-Barre. That year’s representative from the Hazleton School district was tenor James DeCosmo. Though the two performed together in several concerts, they did not meet until the following year when both attended West Chester State Teachers College (now West Chester University) where they would fall in love. At the time of the State Chorus festival, neither Betsy nor Jim had any idea that later all three of their children would graduate upon the Meyers High School stage where they were singing.

Betsy graduated college and married Jim DeCosmo in 1956. The couple moved to Long Island, NY and began their teaching careers. In 1962 Jim accepted a job as professor of mathematics at Wilkes College and the couple moved to the Wyoming Valley, settling first in Kingston, later in Trucksville, and eventually purchasing a home on S. Franklin St. in Wilkes-Barre. There, Betsy was the legendary hostess for many years of large family gatherings at holidays and special occasions.  She was known for her amazing ham dinners (“Granny’s ham”) and the special touches that delighted young and old alike.  The couple moved to Wyoming, PA in 1998, where the family gatherings continued.

Trained as an elementary school teacher, Betsy taught at various schools, both public and private, on Long Island and in the Wyoming Valley. Her varied professional career included work as a piano teacher and at several retail businesses. She later served on the staffs of the American Heart Association and the Association for the Blind in Wilkes-Barre.

Talented vocalists, Betsy and her husband sang together for many years in choirs at Trucksville Methodist and the Church of Christ Uniting in Kingston, as well as the Hazleton Oratorio Society and the Choral Association of College Misericordia.  A fiercely independent woman with a kind heart, she “fought against the ordinary” all her life. Betsy engaged in her community on multiple fronts – volunteering for organizations too numerous to list in support of the arts, health, education and civic engagement.  She served on the board of the Wyoming Valley Art League with her good friend, Frank Kluk, where she was also a lifetime member and patron. When not on stage singing or behind the scenes volunteering, Betsy could be seen bicycling, either on local rides with her husband and other members of the Wyoming Valley Bicycle Club, or on longer trips across New England with her husband and children.

In 2016 she moved to Highland Park Senior Living in Wilkes-Barre Twp., where she often entertained the residents and staff by singing and playing the piano or reciting one of her many poems. Even as Alzheimer’s disease robbed her of her memory, she never lost her capacity for language, music or sharp-tongued humor.

Betsy was pre-deceased by her parents, sister Jane Gibson (John, also deceased) and her beloved husband of 49 years, Jim. She is survived by her 3 children – Betty Dean (Barry), Kingston; Patty Endres (Jim), Wyoming; and Tony DeCosmo (Laura), Forty-Fort as well as five grandchildren – David, Megan and Emily Endres and J.R. and Katie DeCosmo; her sister Sally Yocom (Bob), multiple nieces, nephews and grandnieces and nephews.

Plans for a Celebration of Life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Hospice of the Sacred Heart, Wilkes-Barre, PA.

The family would like to express its deepest appreciation to the staff at Highland Park Senior Living for their superior care over the last four years of Betsy’s life, and to the staff at Hospice of the Sacred Heart for their support, comfort and guidance through her end of life journey.

“You mustn’t think old age is bad, it’s icing on the cake I’ve had” – Betsy DeCosmo

[luzerne2112-blog]

My slimmed-down column on feeding chickadees by hand in Wilkes-Barre, Scranton and Hazleton today

My slimmed-down column on feeding chickadees by hand in Wilkes-Barre, Scranton and Hazleton today

By Bob Quarteroni

Colored spots of fluff with the hearts of lions and the courage of giants.

Chickadees. Brave, adventurous, curious, daring; small bodies and big attitudes; simply delightful.

The black-capped chickadee has fascinated people as long as birds and people have shared the outdoors.

What keeps people’s attention is the chickadee’s habit of investigating absolutely everything.

And what…

[thecardaddy]

2017 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk - $20,995.00

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[flauntpage]

Some Eagles Beat Writers Weren’t Happy with the Carson Wentz Secret Meeting

Last Thursday, Carson Wentz responded to Joe Santoliquito’s Philly Voice article in a sit down interview with six members of the Eagles press corps. The 23-minute discussion was embargoed until yesterday morning for whatever reason (maybe it had something to do with the Super Bowl), but this was the list of invitees:

Zach Berman (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Jeff McLane (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Dave Zangaro (NBC Sports Philadelphia)

Reuben Frank (NBC Sports Philadelphia)

Sheil Kapadia (The Athletic)

Tim McManus (ESPN)

I think all of us would probably say that those are six of the “main guys” on the beat. They’re usually up front, asking the bulk of questions during press conferences and scrums. They work for legacy and/or respected media outlets with significant readership. Their stuff is going to move the needle more than the guy writing for the Hazleton Standard-Speaker.

The public relations concept is simple enough; if you put Carson Wentz in front of the entire group, it’s just going to turn into a shit show of people yelling over each other to try to get their questions in. Doing it in the auditorium and passing a microphone around might make sense, but a scrum would be a nightmare.

So you take a small group of reporters who are on the beat daily, put them in a more intimate setting, and let your quarterback be more comfortable facing half a dozen people instead of 25 people all fumbling to get a recorder or a TV camera in his face.

To their credit, the six people who participated got a lot of great quotes from Wentz. I didn’t finish any of their articles thinking, “why didn’t they ask him about (this topic) instead?”

But some people were annoyed that they weren’t invited, which is understandable.

I shared this exchange yesterday:

There was more from Jack and some of the other newspaper guys, after the jump:

It’s a fair point, sure, but like I said, I think the six guys invited covered all of the bases and didn’t leave anything hanging.

Dave Weinberg covers the Eagles for the Press of Atlantic City

They picked those who they knew would snap to attention. Everyone else, apparently, is a circus act. They just keep digging that hole.

— Jack McCaffery (@JackMcCaffery) February 5, 2019

The other reporters aren’t a “circus act,” but the group as a whole can be. There are a TON of people down there regularly, and while the Sixers beat doesn’t feature half as many folks as the Eagles beat, we’ve had some Bryan Colangelo and Markelle Fultz availabilities that turned into people sort of fumbling over one another trying to shout out their questions.

More from Jack and Sielski via a Bob Grotz tweet that contains two misspelled words. What he’s trying to say here is that the Eagles accused Joe Santoliquito of being “selective,” then went and acted selectively themselves by picking out six people to talk to Wentz:

Maybe the writers chosen were not alerted by the #Eagles that it was an invitation-only affair. If so they have the right to be offended more than insulted. @MikeSielski

— Jack McCaffery (@JackMcCaffery) February 4, 2019

Secret invitation-only media briefings are suspicious and anyone knowingly invited to one should at least question why they were so chosen.

— Jack McCaffery (@JackMcCaffery) February 4, 2019

I'm willing to believe they were not aware of what the Eagles had in mind. But the Eagles had a plan and, in character, executed it their way. It's over. But those writers should brace against being insulted the next time they are hand picked to ask the questions.

— Jack McCaffery (@JackMcCaffery) February 4, 2019

Mike is right; Jeff McLane is hardly a homer. I mean, Howie Roseman laughed in his face less than a month ago in front of the entire press corps. So it’s not like McLane was invited to the secret Carson Wentz meeting because he would go easy on Carson or fall in line, it was because he’s there every single day and writes for the city’s premier newspaper and legacy media outlet.

More from Weinberg via “Fake Rob Charry” –

Yeah, I don’t think anyone was going to get this invitation and say, “thanks, but no thanks.”

Thing is, this happens all the time in sports media. It’s not just exhibited in these kinds of situations.

For instance, if a front office executive is looking for a leak, is he going to the Philadelphia Inquirer or the Pottstown Mercury? He’s going to the Inquirer, because it’s a massive media organization in a large market while the Mercury is a smaller and hyper-local newspaper. That’s not to insult the fine folks in Upper Montco, it’s just pointing out the fact that their reach and their ability to disseminate information takes place on a much smaller scale by the nature of what they are.

Beyond that, the reason no local beat reporters ever break anything is because team leaks come from the top down. They’re given to national guys like Adam Schefter or Adrian Wojnarowski via front office executives, agents, and people in the NFL and NBA league offices. It doesn’t mean local beats are incapable, it just makes more sense for sources to spread information via national media instead.

Zach probably had the best response:

I’ll stand by my work any day.

— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) February 4, 2019

I don’t think Eagles PR did anything wrong here. They avoided the “circus atmosphere” by picking out six of the main beat guys and putting them in a setting with Wentz that was more conducive to fair questions and honest answers. I wouldn’t label any of those six as “homers,” though maybe Roob can be that way sometimes.

The only thing that might have made more sense was to only have one person from the Inquirer and one person from NBCSP, because you had six guys representing four outlets, two of which put their content behind a pay wall. You could have invited Jimmy Kempski or Mike Kaye or Zack Rosenblatt or one of the WIP guys instead, which would have given you six reporters from six different outlets.

Either way, interesting public relations case study for the aspiring reporter.

The post Some Eagles Beat Writers Weren’t Happy with the Carson Wentz Secret Meeting appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Some Eagles Beat Writers Weren’t Happy with the Carson Wentz Secret Meeting published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[theodoreashley94026c]

Senate Overview (July 6, 2018): Pennsylvania - Wyoming

Senate Overview (July 6, 2018): Pennsylvania - Wyoming

PENNSYLVANIA. Bob Casey Jr. (D) elected 2006 (59%), 2012 (54%). Trump won the state narrowly in 2016, but Casey isn’t acting particularly vulnerable and the race is on the outskirts of the discussion about the fight for the majority. Rep. Lou Barletta defeated state Rep. Jim Christiana 63-37 percent in the May 15 primary but is the underdog in the general election. Barletta is known for his hardline stance on illegal immigration since his days as mayor of Hazleton, but he hasn’t shown he’s on the path to replicating Trump’s or GOP Sen. Pat Toomey’s statewide success. Casey had $10…

This is paid content. Subscribers can read the full article on the website.

View Article at Inside Elections

https://ift.tt/2KXlfPc

[lloydfoster48212o]

Senate Overview (July 6, 2018): Pennsylvania - Wyoming

Senate Overview (July 6, 2018): Pennsylvania - Wyoming

PENNSYLVANIA. Bob Casey Jr. (D) elected 2006 (59%), 2012 (54%). Trump won the state narrowly in 2016, but Casey isn’t acting particularly vulnerable and the race is on the outskirts of the discussion about the fight for the majority. Rep. Lou Barletta defeated state Rep. Jim Christiana 63-37 percent in the May 15 primary but is the underdog in the general election. Barletta is known for his hardline stance on illegal immigration since his days as mayor of Hazleton, but he hasn’t shown he’s on the path to replicating Trump’s or GOP Sen. Pat Toomey’s statewide success. Casey had $10…

This is paid content. Subscribers can read the full article on the website.

View Article at Inside Elections

https://ift.tt/2KXlfPc

[andrewjennyve]

Senate Overview (July 6, 2018): Pennsylvania - Wyoming

Senate Overview (July 6, 2018): Pennsylvania - Wyoming

PENNSYLVANIA. Bob Casey Jr. (D) elected 2006 (59%), 2012 (54%). Trump won the state narrowly in 2016, but Casey isn’t acting particularly vulnerable and the race is on the outskirts of the discussion about the fight for the majority. Rep. Lou Barletta defeated state Rep. Jim Christiana 63-37 percent in the May 15 primary but is the underdog in the general election. Barletta is known for his hardline stance on illegal immigration since his days as mayor of Hazleton, but he hasn’t shown he’s on the path to replicating Trump’s or GOP Sen. Pat Toomey’s statewide success. Casey had $10…

This is paid content. Subscribers can read the full article on the website.

View Article at Inside Elections

https://ift.tt/2KXlfPc

[kevinbowman70060bxj]

Senate Overview (July 6, 2018): Pennsylvania - Wyoming

Senate Overview (July 6, 2018): Pennsylvania - Wyoming

PENNSYLVANIA. Bob Casey Jr. (D) elected 2006 (59%), 2012 (54%). Trump won the state narrowly in 2016, but Casey isn’t acting particularly vulnerable and the race is on the outskirts of the discussion about the fight for the majority. Rep. Lou Barletta defeated state Rep. Jim Christiana 63-37 percent in the May 15 primary but is the underdog in the general election. Barletta is known for his hardline stance on illegal immigration since his days as mayor of Hazleton, but he hasn’t shown he’s on the path to replicating Trump’s or GOP Sen. Pat Toomey’s statewide success. Casey had $10…

This is paid content. Subscribers can read the full article on the website.

View Article at Inside Elections

https://ift.tt/2KXlfPc

[yvonnsaebrown]

Senate Overview (July 6, 2018): Pennsylvania - Wyoming

Senate Overview (July 6, 2018): Pennsylvania - Wyoming

PENNSYLVANIA. Bob Casey Jr. (D) elected 2006 (59%), 2012 (54%). Trump won the state narrowly in 2016, but Casey isn’t acting particularly vulnerable and the race is on the outskirts of the discussion about the fight for the majority. Rep. Lou Barletta defeated state Rep. Jim Christiana 63-37 percent in the May 15 primary but is the underdog in the general election. Barletta is known for his hardline stance on illegal immigration since his days as mayor of Hazleton, but he hasn’t shown he’s on the path to replicating Trump’s or GOP Sen. Pat Toomey’s statewide success. Casey had $10…

This is paid content. Subscribers can read the full article on the website.

View Article at Inside Elections

https://ift.tt/2KXlfPc

[luzerne2112-blog]

Nuangola Preserve: More than just a slightly spongy bog

Nuangola Preserve: More than just a slightly spongy bog

First draft of Nuangola Bog piece. Will run next Sunday in Citizens’ Voice, Scranton Times-Tribune and Hazleton Standard-Speaker.

By Bob Quarteroni The description on Wilkes University’s website is terse and to the point: “Nuangola bog is a scrub-shrub wetland that occupies approximately ten acres along the southern end of Lake Nuangola, in northern Luzerne County. The parcel is owned by Wilkes…

[hughrosales24825cg]

Senate Overview (July 6, 2018): Pennsylvania - Wyoming

Senate Overview (July 6, 2018): Pennsylvania - Wyoming

PENNSYLVANIA. Bob Casey Jr. (D) elected 2006 (59%), 2012 (54%). Trump won the state narrowly in 2016, but Casey isn’t acting particularly vulnerable and the race is on the outskirts of the discussion about the fight for the majority. Rep. Lou Barletta defeated state Rep. Jim Christiana 63-37 percent in the May 15 primary but is the underdog in the general election. Barletta is known for his hardline stance on illegal immigration since his days as mayor of Hazleton, but he hasn’t shown he’s on the path to replicating Trump’s or GOP Sen. Pat Toomey’s statewide success. Casey had $10…

This is paid content. Subscribers can read the full article on the website.

View Article at Inside Elections

https://ift.tt/2KXlfPc