…and a straight shooter so I wonder if you could share any good thoughts with us about Wally Hall? Many, including myself, are not fans of his, but I am open to the other side of that story if there is one.
My impression of Wally is he must have some blackmail material on Hussman or someone high up at the DemGaz to have lasted this long as the sports editor. Last week’s editorial about his nose bleed (occurring two days AFTER driving through the desert on his vacation) somehow causing him to run to the ER is a case in point. He threw in some tidbits about a winery he liked, but there nothing about sports, it was all about him. Are we going to hear all about his hemorrhoids next? The only sport he seems to like is horse racing as we get column after column on the Kentucky Derby or Oaklawn. The only thing I ever read of his that he was passionate about was hating Bobby Knight. Thank God, Bobby retired so he would quit reliving over and over in the paper how rude Bobby was to him one time.
It is obvious he is not a fan of the Razorbacks. Only recruiting is lower on his totem pole than the Hogs. Fine, but these are the major sport stories of interest for most of his readers. Why can’t he suck it up and do his job? Has he ever watched a Hog practice, talked to any coach or AD, or, Heaven Forbid a player. If so, he has never mentioned it.
Other than through blackmail, how has he kept his job so long?
How has he kept his job? You read him. Others read him. If he didn’t have readers he wouldn’t have a job
And this idea that he needs to be a fan is laughable. The last thing I want from a journalist or editor is biased fandom. I can read message boards for that. Honest critique is much more needed IMO. We’ve already got plenty of mouthpieces for the UA.
We’re all entitled to our opinions, but when it comes to sports I much prefer the writers be fans. That doesn’t mean they can’t be objective. War correspondents are presumably “fans” of their own country, but could write objective news stories–and opinions from “our” point of view when those were called for. I never for one second doubted OH was a fan, but I always liked his analyses of the game & program. He could & did write objective stories about games & other events, but gave his opinion & analyses from an Razorback perspective. One doesn’t have to give up journalistic bona fides to be a fan & one doesn’t have to give up being a fan to be a good journalist. That’s not only true of the print journalists, but those on TV, radio & doing play by play as well. And they can do all that without being a “mouthpiece” for the UA. In fact, I think some make a point of criticizing (often unfairly) the UA just so they won’t be seen as a mouthpiece. To me that’s as bad or worse. We have that on message boards, too. No one seems to criticize or bash the administration, coaches or players as badly as some fans on message boards.
You have your right not to like him. I won’t say otherwise, but to say he doesn’t write about Arkansas or have anything nice to say about the UA, isn’t even close to the truth.
I truly want to know how he has sustained such a long career. I don’t want a homer, I just like to read about sports, not his personal life, and more about football/basketball/baseball and less about horse racing. He doesn’t have to be a shill for the Razorbacks. If he has insights positive or negative about the Razorbacks, let’s hear them. He never talks about recruiting and that is how successful programs reach and sustain their success. It may bore him but it has a huge effect on the success of major athletic programs. He obviously hates it and doesn’t want to bother. I understand he has won some awards for sports writing. If true, what did he write about so well?
I really wanted answers and they don’t have to be ones that make me happy.
I grew up reading the Democrat and the Gazette sports pages before the takeover. I was young, but I stopped reading Wally back then. Even as a pre-teen I knew his writing was awful and stopped even looking at his articles. I can proudly say I haven’t read one in over 30 years…
I’ll never forget my father telling me about when he cancelled his ADG subscription (he subscribed to the Morning News instead.) The call center person asked why he was cancelling. He told her that it was because of _ally _all. She commented that they had numerous cancellations for the same reason.
He wrote about the horses during the triple crown and certain times during Oaklawn. That makes sense to probably 90-95% of the people. During the basketball and football season the majority of his writing was about the Hogs. Best I can’t tell, he probably wrote about Malzahn the week of the Auburn game and today. I can’t find another time between the Auburn game and today that he did.
He’s not the Razorback beat writer. He writes about other topics too. You’re argument doesn’t hold up. If you don’t like him that’s your right, but saying he only writes about himself and the horses is again false.
Wally has always been at or near the bottom of my favorites list of sports writers. Can’t say I just dislike the man because I don’t know him personally. I do read some of his articles, I wont fib about that, just to see what’s on his mind that particular day if it isn’t something redundant or rehashing of a previous life incident. Mainly because there isn’t anything else to peek my interest in sports that day.
One thing for sure, he is getting a lot of attention here lately, since the new site opened.
Personally don’t care for his style or content, but have completely avoided his section when I found out he used a tragic personal event for a story without the consent of those affected.
I ,too, canceled my subscription to the ADG years ago because of wally hall. He has had two or three articles since I transferred my membership.
I purposely haven’t read them. Proud to say I don’t read his articles, even when they are right in front of me.
“If you don’t like him that’s your right, but saying he only writes about himself and the horses is again false.”-Richard Davenport
I said more Razorback stories and less personal life and horses. (What does his nose bleeding have to do with sports?) No one said “he only writes about his personal life and horses.” He just seems to care more about them than the sports that I am interested in. Has he ever written anything about recruiting (your specialty) that wasn’t negative?
Because in this liberal world we live and work in it is not nice to get rid of a guy who is totally useless because of hurt feelings. Now, let’s get on with life and recruiting for the Hogs! Also let me say that Clay made me very
Happy when he joined forces with Richard Davenport. I always look
forward to his recruiting report on Sunday evenings. A great merger.