Article in the O

The kickoff article for the Oregonian is online

http://www.oregonlive.com/pilots/index.ssf/2009/08/portland_pilots_womens_soccer.html

Thanks for the post. I was getting ready to grump about The Oregonian. Let's see if they put it in the paper.

Tuesday, the NSCAA is supposed to release its pre-season poll.

Note the byline on that article... Luke Andrew, special to the O. Bo Herzog is no longer the beat writer for the Pilots, and with all the buy-outs they have done there I wouldn't be surprised if a specific beat writer never does get assigned. Not that it really matters, but we all know the difference a good beat writer like Abby Height can make.

With the sad economics of journalism today, and the utter lack of attention paid to Womens Professional Soccer by the (now much shrunken) Big O, we should be glad for any coverage the Pilots earn. They will earn it, they do deserve it, but we'll see 20 John Canzano columns about Mike Bellotti and another 20 about the TrailBlazers before UP breaks into that sacred space. I'd be pleased but surprised to read something about UP soccer in the Oregonian that hadn't already been discussed here on Pilot Nation.

I think the phrase "The Big O" needs to be dropped or modified. The most recent times I picked up one, it certainly wasn't big. Suggestions? How about "The Cheery O"?

purple haze wrote:\ and the utter lack of attention paid to Womens Professional Soccer by the (now much shrunken) Big O

Well, it doesn't help that the nearest team is all the way down in the Bay Area....

I think the phrase "The Big O" needs to be dropped or modified. The most recent times I picked up one, it certainly wasn't big. Suggestions? How about "The Cheery O"?

Perhaps "The Lowercase O"?

How about The Ore-GONE-ian if it gets any thinner? Sure, the WPS doesn't have a local team, but local stars play on teams across the league. Last I looked, Portland also didn't have a local NFL, NHL or MLB team, and yet somehow those leagues manage to get a bit of ink here.

Haha I'm not exactly sure if expecting equitable coverage of the 1st year WPS to that of the NFL or MLB is exactly realistic....

Yeah, MLB kind of gets most of the box scores--the ones that come in before deadline. And when the Beavers play at home the box score doesn't make it in most nights (and not just for the occasional long extra-inning game, I mean a regular 9-inning game). This is the first year I can recall this happening and I have to say I find it a complete joke.

At least they send a writer when the Timbers play at home...for now...