NEWMS MSU beat job is open: READ THIS

[BeastMan]

I'm always talking about how the fan-base needs to pull in 1 direction. Here is an opportunity. With the news of Brad Locke moving on as the MSU beat writer for the NEMS DJ, it has left an opening for hire. I always thought Locke did a nice job but now there is a potentially bad situation on the horizon. Longtime preps writer is Brandon Speck. He is a big-time Ole Miss fan (nothing wrong with that) who is in line for the MSU beat. A lot of times at small newspapers, they just bump up the next guy and that would be him.

I could go on and on about examples of this guy doing things but watch this interview he did at the UA under armor game and it says it all

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HXlIhTsY3aM


I want to be clear that I'm not wishing Brandon to lose his job. He should have every right to do what he wants and support his family. I wish his career all the best with multiple promotions and raises. Just not this one. No way,shape, or form should MSU allow this guy to be credentialed if he was to be bumped up by the NEMS DJ. It would be like if Gene took a job covering the OM beat at the Oxford Eagle. Would and should never happen.

I would say for all MSU fans and alumni to email the AD office but no need to blow up those guys for something that may not happen. They're busy enough right now. I'm also not saying for MSU fans to go light Speck's social media.No need for that. This isn't an attack on Speck. It's a protection of MSU interest. Let's be smart and efficient.

[bgdog]

Is Speck the one that kept making up rumors and then writing articles citing "sources" perpetuating those rumors? Is the same guy that openly mocked our fanbase on twitter? Am I remembering this wrong?

[CadaverDawg]

Good post. We really need to all get behind this. No other SEC team would allow a fan like this guy of their rival become their beat writer. Therefore, I fully expect for him to become ours if we don't do something about it as a fan base. At least send a tweet or something to Stricklin, or retweet someone who did.

[Coach34]

Yep- THAT Brandon Speck

[CadaverDawg]

Is Speck the one that kept making up rumors and then writing articles citing "sources" perpetuating those rumors? Is the same guy that openly mocked our fanbase on twitter? Am I remembering this wrong?

That's him. It would be beyond a joke if that clown became our beat writer

[CadaverDawg]

In fact, we ought to pull up all of his old articles and tweets that we can find, and make one post or thread out of them so we can reference the powers that be to it. They need to see the outlandish statements he made about MSU during recruiting season last year, and how he completely lies and makes up shit to try and spin things for the Rebels.

[Ghost of Hank Flick]

I agree Speck should not be named a beat writer for MSU, but I don't see State black balling a member of the media with credentials. And believe me - I have publicly called for MSU to black ball Matt Stevens and/or the Columbus Dispatch until he is removed: http://maroonandwhitenation.com/?p=5727, so I am definitely in favor of not certain people cover us. I just don't see our media relations doing it because they are afraid of the backlash. Stonewalling these guys is a possibility, but it would be hard to pull off.

Now, that doesn't mean MSU can't put pressure on the DJ on who they hire. Maybe make sure it's an outside hire like when the CL hired Bonner - someone with zero connection to the south. Although Stevens has zero connection to the south and he is horrible. I sent him an e-mail by the way last week, and he told me he absolutely doesn't care about the fans, growing his readership or anything else because he doesn't get a bonus if readership increases. He's hellbent on pissing MSU fans off. He told me he quit his BSR show because they were "becoming cheerleaders for MSU". I could go on about that e-mail convo but I'm getting way off topic. But I came away thinking the Columbus Dispatch has his as the MSU beat writer only to piss on State. I'm not sure where the Imes went to school, but to keep someone like him employed is baffling.

It will be interesting to see who will replace Joe Galbraith. From what I understand he really didn't do much other than follow Dan Mullen around, and Kyle Niblett most of the grunt work, somewhat forcing him out. But he seemed pretty lazy and maybe not willing to push the media around so much. Mullen will certainly push them around, so maybe he can have final approval of who will handle football. They probably can't realistically black ball these guys, but they can "accidently" forget to send them info, and make their life a living hell. If they hire an idiot like Speck he will be like Stevens and just revel in the hate from fans, but MSU can make his life miserable. I would say any subscriber to the DJ should email their sports editor (John Pitts?) and tell them if they hire Speck they will cancel their subscription.

[BeastMan]

I don't always agree with Stevens and he does get a lot of enjoyment out of upsetting MSU folks but having BS would be completely different. Stevens doesn't care about MSU or OM. Speck cannot stand MSU and that video shows it. He salivates asking him about what he thinks about being there with RN and next sentence makes up a rumor and ask why MSU fans would do that to him.

As far as backlash, I don't buy that for 1 second. There has been zero backlash to our counterparts doing the same in the past

[bgdog]

Yea I'm really not one to get on the hating journalist bandwagon. I think veazey is one of the best reporters in the business. I didn't mind locke or marcello or even stevens I just thought they were mediocre writers. But having the guy who has openly mocked us and seems so clearly invested in another school seems like a shitty idea

[Ghost of Hank Flick]

I don't always agree with Stevens and he does get a lot of enjoyment out of upsetting MSU folks but having BS would be completely different. Stevens doesn't care about MSU or OM. Speck cannot stand MSU and that video shows it. He salivates asking him about what he thinks about being there with RN and next sentence makes up a rumor and ask why MSU fans would do that to him.

As far as backlash, I don't buy that for 1 second. There has been zero backlash to our counterparts doing the same in the past

I know they are different situations, I was just using Stevens as an example that I am not disagreeing with you, I just don't think black balling will happen. I don't think other schools would still cater to Stevens especially after he embellished the Redmond story, but I think Niblett while great at stars is somewhat of a doufus, and Galbraith was lazy- part of my overall point.

As far as Speck, I have personal confirmation from a friend of his that he is 100% OM, so it's not just the video...for what I have to say is worth.

But to my original point, I think it has more to do with how MSU is willing to handle it. I just don't believe Stricklin is going to get involved right now, or Gregg Ellis, or Kyle Niblett. It just ain't gonna happen. In my view, the only thing we can do is e-mail the sports editor against Speck being hired.

But I hope you're right about black balling the media being an option. I agree I think it is, but the backlash I got from writing that article was insane, media members came out of the woodwork to tell me how wrong I was. And since no one expressed their belief that it was an option, I figured I was just misguided, and stonewalling was the only actual option. But hopefully Galbraith's replacement will have some stones.

[maroonmania]

I'm always talking about how the fan-base needs to pull in 1 direction. Here is an opportunity. With the news of Brad Locke moving on as the MSU beat writer for the NEMS DJ, it has left an opening for hire. I always thought Locke did a nice job but now there is a potentially bad situation on the horizon. Longtime preps writer is Brandon Speck. He is a big-time Ole Miss fan (nothing wrong with that) who is in line for the MSU beat. A lot of times at small newspapers, they just bump up the next guy and that would be him.

I could go on and on about examples of this guy doing things but watch this interview he did at the UA under armor game and it says it all

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HXlIhTsY3aM


I want to be clear that I'm not wishing Brandon to lose his job. He should have every right to do what he wants and support his family. I wish his career all the best with multiple promotions and raises. Just not this one. No way,shape, or form should MSU allow this guy to be credentialed if he was to be bumped up by the NEMS DJ. It would be like if Gene took a job covering the OM beat at the Oxford Eagle. Would and should never happen.

I would say for all MSU fans and alumni to email the AD office but no need to blow up those guys for something that may not happen. They're busy enough right now. I'm also not saying for MSU fans to go light Speck's social media.No need for that. This isn't an attack on Speck. It's a protection of MSU interest. Let's be smart and efficient.

This is exactly what I feared when I heard Locke was being moved over to something else. Locke does a decent job on covering us for the Journal and as far as I know has never done anything that has actually ever hurt MSU (as opposed to guys like Veazy and Stevens). To get Speck on our beat would be beyond terrible. Couldn't believe everyone on here was so celebratory about the news on Locke given what the replacement may end up being.

[BeastMan]

Wasnt trying to argumentative Ghost. We're thinking thinking the same things. I agree that it wouldn't be smart to start black balling a bunch of media. This is just different in my view. I don't think our AD office should start some draconian handling of media but if I contacted OM for media credentials, I'm confident that it would be denied.

[The Croom Diaries]

Guys, don't worry about Speck being offered the job. Trust me.

[Jacksondevildog]

Yall do know that's Yancy with the hat turned around grinning waiting to give a BJ in the background, right? Not a shock that he was there.

[Thrill1]

Few thoughts here:

- although I don't think it will happen, I will immediately cancel my DJ subscription should Speck be put on the MSU beat. I was a stringer for them for two HS FB seasons and during one preseason meeting, he mentioned that he was an OM fan. Been turned off ever since. The way he acted during this past recruiting season tells me he's not mature enough (or a good enough writer) to handle a college beat.

- never a good idea to black ball media unless its absolutely warranted. Stevens, as annoying as he can be, is just bad and MSU knows this.

- Ghost, gotta take up for Joe G here. He has done nothing but work his way up the ladder and didn't just have football to worry about. Not sure what you expected from him or anyone else at State regarding media policy, but he ran a pretty tight ship as far as when & how much access media was given. Lazy? That's not accurate. I've known him since his freshman year at MSU and will miss him big time. State is losing a good one.

[Ghost of Hank Flick]

- Ghost, gotta take up for Joe G here. He has done nothing but work his way up the ladder and didn't just have football to worry about. Not sure what you expected from him or anyone else at State regarding media policy, but he ran a pretty tight ship as far as when & how much access media was given. Lazy? That's not accurate. I've known him since his freshman year at MSU and will miss him big time. State is losing a good one.

Well I don't know him personally, just going off what I've heard. I know he's ignored a couple of my e-mail request which was annoying. But I heard he was more forced out than leaving for a better job. I'm not sure if that has to do with his work ethic or something else, but that is what I've heard, so could very well be inaccurate.

[Johnson85]

I want to be clear that I'm not wishing Brandon to lose his job. He should have every right to do what he wants and support his family. I wish his career all the best with multiple promotions and raises. Just not this one.

This isn't an attack on Speck. It's a protection of MSU interest.

I realize it's a small town paper, but surely with as many papers that are hurting they can find a professional reporter. Even if they don't really care, surely it would embarrass them to promote somebody that was immature enough or thinks so little of their paper to think that interview was acceptable.

[Bark]

John L. Pitts - Sports editor for daily journal

john.pitts@journalinc.com

https://twitter.com/JohnLPitts

[FlabLoser]

I think we should also let the paper know our thoughts on Spec. If I were them I'd be interested to know whether or not my hire was going to piss off my customers.

In fact, I've seen this movie before. I was once contacted by a company with a lot of MSU customers. This company wanted to know if MSU people would be pissed if they hired Eli Manning to do their ads.

[Paul Jones]

Joe G wasnt forced out, just a better opportunity and chance to be closer to his girlfriend. And Speck likely doesnt want to leave HS sports. Dont know who they are but I hear two guys from Alabama are being looked at as well as Logan Lowrey and Stephens. It will be between those four guys, probably.

[War Machine Dawg]

If it Stevens, the NEMSDJ will officially be outing themselves as a Black Bear biased rag. No way that guy should be taken seriously after all the bullshit he's spewed the last year, much less get rewarded with a promotion for it.

[Afro Dawg]

I promise.

[FlabLoser]

It might help to contact the NEMSDJ sports editor, John L Pitts:

@JohnLPitts

john.pitts@journalinc.com

There have been some tweets this morning suggesting Logan Lowery.