T.J. Simers is fit for MLB Credentials, and I’m not

Have you read the recent column in which LA Times writer T.J. Simers undressed poor Dodgers Outfielder Marcus Thames?

Simers was, in a word; brutal to Thames. I was pointed in the direction of the story by The Tigers Den, who tells a nice anecdote that this is a pretty decent human being who happens to be good at baseball that Simers is ripping to shreds here.

Read the article by the legend Simers. From headline to final period, it just reads like dog crap. It’s just one of those stories that the journalism teacher would have had red ink all over. And I’m no grammar buff. I’ll always make mistakes, that’s the way I am wired. But when I write something I try to make sure it reads smooth–and I’m writing for free. And I don’t have a ghostwriter and editor.

The ever critical Simers might need to start looking into good retirement spots if he’s going to continue to put stuff out of this quality.

You want to know what really grinds my gears? There’s ‘bloggers’ out there who aren’t official members of the media that would make Simers look like a small-timer. That’s how good of writers they are. And they don’t have MLB credentials. That’s how elitist baseball is towards bloggers.

This guy has no business going towards a Major League clubhouse. I don’t care how long he’s been doing it. In my world, if you aren’t doing it well then they find someone else who will. I’m not moving to LA anytime soon, but I have a lot of peers that could do Simers’ job a lot better than he can right now who the Times should take a good hard look at. And guess what? They’re bloggers. And they don’t have credentials. But they won’t look like a jackass to Marcus Thames–who is sure to steer clear of the LA media from this point forward. And you know what the end result of all this is? The LA Times might sell a few more papers.

T.J. Simers’ behavior and lack of professionalism is a shining example of why so many out there prefer blogs to newspaper.