Has Steigerwald Gone Mad?
by TVsCHACHI on Mar 18, 2010 2:56 PM EDT
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His blog certainly indicates so. I thought it was a hoax until I received confirmation that it is in fact real. For those who have not had the opportunity to do so click here. I'm sure there are some here who will commend his candor but I personally think that he threw any legitimate journalism credentials out the window. To me this thing reads like the ravings of a maniac. When did John Steigerwald turn into Morton Downey Jr?
What are your thoughts?
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Who's John Steigerwald?
"One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preperation."
-Arthur Ashe
John Steigerwald
is a long-time Pittsburgh sports journalist. Beginning sometime in the early 80s (my memory is a bit hazy) he has done everything from anchor and provide commentary on the evening sports (either 2 or 4 — again, memory) to writing a column for the Pittsburgh Press. As I recall he has always been edgy. He was one of the first to call out Pirates like Dale Berra and Dave Parker over the Pirates’ clubhouse drug scandal.
"Never mistake motion for action." - Ernest Hemingway
Thanks.
Hard to tell if someone’s gone crazy when you have no idea what he was like prior to.
"One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preperation."
-Arthur Ashe
by NYSteelersFan4 on Mar 18, 2010 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions
So he's a saint sent to judge the world
nice guy
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill
Many have been of the opinion
that he is a bit on the sanctimonious and self-righteous side.
"Never mistake motion for action." - Ernest Hemingway
Ahhhh selfrighteousness:
The only way one can be perfect
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill
One man's opinion.
There is nothing crazy about that point of view.
" Just go and lay your hand on a Pittsburgh Steeler fan, and then I think you'll finally understand"
" In America" Charlie Daniels Band
I've been living in exile for 20 years.
So, I’m somewhat removed from the immediate situation and thus, knowledge about Ben’s off field behavior. But what if Steigerwald is right?
"Never mistake motion for action." - Ernest Hemingway
mine's thinkins be
Im not familiar with John Steigerwald but he is writing on a blog which i don’t believe requires journalism credentials. He’s giving his opinion, which i kind of agree with, and stated that it is just that, an opinion based on gossip and allegations. That shirt Roethlisberger was wearing in the pictures from the GA nightclub has D-Bag written all over it. Looks like he ripped it off the back of some wierdo playing Dance-Dance Revolution at the mall. Dude needs checked. Still, there is no other QB I want under center. D-Bag or not.
I'm not saying what he wrote isn't accurate...
BUT it’s the manner he wrote it which disturbs me. This is a guy who used to do sports on TV, columns in papers, who was once a respected journalist in Pittsburgh. He exchanged his journalistic objectivity for a grouchy Fran Tarkenton-esque rant. You can write a good, truthful article without resorting to what reads as an irrational onslaught.
BLOG
You are correct, a BLOG is not a news periodical, and he can write what he wants. I guess this is more about his position in life now, opposed to where it used to be. If anyone else had written this I may not have given it a second thought. I’m not defending Roethlisberger, far from it. I guess I just expected more from this man.
eh it's a blog.
it’s not meant to be taken seriously. It’s just john’s opinions.
i hadn’t heard the “make a wish kid”story before. the parents said its true but is that enough to prove it’s true? if it is, BB has some disturbing issues. Frankly, if the story is true, i’d have to say that steigerwald’s rant is perfectly legitimate.
Still just an opinion based on hearsay
No names, no confirmation, just another rumor even with the claim he contacted the parents (do we know he did…really)
No facts here, just speculation and uncorroborated “testimony”
Fools rush in…..to make a buck, shameless in its self promotion
JUST WATCH THE GAME is the title of the book that I’ll be releasing in a few months and you’ll be able to read….blahblahblah)
yeah i agree
thats why i put the disclaimer: “if it’s true”
I realized that
I was concurring and restating..probably unnecessarily. It really gets me that people spread "eyewitness’ accounts, or stories/ancedotes related to someone else and then to themselves, and they give the weight of not only plausibility but of “likely true” to their ‘report’
We need better critical thinkers in this country, but unfortunately its being "educated’ right out of people. I believe the Pols share the blame, as it is to their advantage to have people trained to not fact-check or recognize logical fallacies & poor argumentation
You didn't expect someone who's writing a blog to express their real opinion?
Or are you just dissappionted that his opinion doesn’t match yours?
" Just go and lay your hand on a Pittsburgh Steeler fan, and then I think you'll finally understand"
" In America" Charlie Daniels Band
Perhaps you didn't take the time to read my earlier replies...
so I will repeat myself for you.
I am not defending Ben Roethlisberger Mr/Ms idiscgolftexas,
that means I do not disagree with the content of Mr Steigerwald’s blog. Follow? What I had a problem with was the manner in which he wrote it, I thought it lacked journalistic professionalism. That was my knee-jerk reaction, as I concur with other insights expressed here that in a blog you can basically write what you want because it’s your opinion, and not a reputable objective news periodical.
What I don’t go for is pitchforks and storm-the-castle mentality, and that’s what I got from it.
People treat you
based on how you act in public. The blog is loaded with ill founded insults and unsubstantiated innuendo. Very poor and classless.
I won’t be buying his book, and he shouldn’t be surprised when people start treating him like a bag of hot air when he makes public pronouncements like that.
Maybe TMZ should follow him around a bit
I bet he’s got skeletons in his closet
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill
Yeah that's a little extreme
I guess Ben is just the worst of the worst.
And about the girl he blew off from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, she did have cystic fibrosis right? If Ben had decided to see her would that have cured her disease or would it have stayed the same?
Ben shouldn’t have done that, but she still would have the disease regardless if she met him or not. Yet another instance of kids idolizing pro athletes.
Two sides.
First: Yeah it’s easy to dump on the guy, and easy to be all righteous and come down on him with high talk about morals. Let’s see this thing out before we jump on the guiltwagon.
Second: Ben’s an ass. He just is. Excusable, explainable, whatever; the guys an ass. We hated Barry Bonds because he sucked in the playoffs, we love Ben because he rocks in them. Both guys are asses.
We don’t pay Ben to be a role model. When kids pretend to be Big Ben it’s because they want to win a Super Bowl as a QB for the Steelers, not because they are impressed with his charity work. As to setting an example for children I loved sports all my life, and I always pretended to be Clyde Drexler or Rod Woodson, not once did I make an important decision based on the actions of either of them. I seriously doubt anyone else with a decent adult influence in their life has. Get off that angle, it’s tired and stupid. Ben is a big old ass who wins football games. We could hire any number of nice guys who would be willing to sign autographs for hours and hours and would stay indoors and never cause trouble to be our QB. We don’t, because the Steelers and all other teams pay people to be good at football first and foremost.
This issue is not a football one, it’s a legal one, the Rooney’s will handle it like any employer should. Be patient, see what happens, and don’t get yourself sued for acting on accusations.
by Phantaskippy on Mar 18, 2010 5:35 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Fonzy be praised
+1 and Recooomended!
Brian: Face it Peter, you get competitive about everything.
Peter: I am so not competitive. In fact, I am the least non-competitive. So I win.
by SoCalSteelerFan on Mar 18, 2010 9:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Guilty or not guilty, the courts will decide that. Maybe he did not do the MAW thing but he may have had a previous obligation as well. Always two sides to the story. I will say while none of them can pronounce his name, I have to respect the investigators for taking the time to gather all the information they can before making a decision, all to often these type of things result in a charge first and find the evidence second.
Do I smell self-righteous
because this guy is the jackass in my opionion
Players who should be in the Hall of Fame: Pat TIllman, Dwight White, Donnie Shell, L.C. Greenwood, Ray Guy, Steve Tasker, Greg Llyod, Andy Russel, Cris Carter, Kevin Greene and Jerry Kramer
"Its a Great Day to be a Mountaineer where ever you may be" Tony Caridi
Canal Street Chronicles resident Steelers Fan
I don't understand
the anti-Steigerwald mentality here. I think we’re getting a little too defensive over Ben. Remembering his sports anchor days, Steigerwald always had strong opinions, and I didn’t see anything in the blog to suggest journalistic imprudence. Particularly since it’s just a blog, as several people have mentioned, but also because he does give examples to back up his assertion that Ben is a “bad citizen”.
I’m also surprised at the Make-A-Wish incident, especially given Ben’s involvement with the Ronald McDonald charity, but I’d also like to point out that it’s never stated why he wasn’t able to do it. Sick kids are clearly something Ben cares about, so I find it hard to believe he’d completely blow it off without some kind of reason.
Regardless, I don’t think that many people would disagree that Ben is a jerk, and that’s the main point of Steigerwald’s post. Should the Rooney’s do anything about it before we have a legal decision? I don’t think so, but in a blog you’re certainly welcome to your own opinion.
but what I want to know is would he say this to his face
Players who should be in the Hall of Fame: Pat TIllman, Dwight White, Donnie Shell, L.C. Greenwood, Ray Guy, Steve Tasker, Greg Llyod, Andy Russel, Cris Carter, Kevin Greene and Jerry Kramer
"Its a Great Day to be a Mountaineer where ever you may be" Tony Caridi
Canal Street Chronicles resident Steelers Fan
by WVPiratesfan on Mar 18, 2010 7:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Or better yet
would he say it to his face…in a women’s bathroom?
now that is a great question
and I don’t think he would
Players who should be in the Hall of Fame: Pat TIllman, Dwight White, Donnie Shell, L.C. Greenwood, Ray Guy, Steve Tasker, Greg Llyod, Andy Russel, Cris Carter, Kevin Greene and Jerry Kramer
"Its a Great Day to be a Mountaineer where ever you may be" Tony Caridi
Canal Street Chronicles resident Steelers Fan
by WVPiratesfan on Mar 19, 2010 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Well, I think that is where the lines blur, excuse the pun
Someone transitions from journalist to blogger, and you might expect him to continue to uphold a certain amount of journalism ethics. No matter, his rep is of pro journalist, why bandy about a story that even the family doesn’t want to go into, and the editor didn’t pursue it in the first place.
Why not pursued? The implication is that they were covering for him, and that is the “information” that he wants the reader to come away with. But maybe the reason is that it was a non-story, and once properly (notice that word) investigated, there was nothing to it and there was some obstacle for what Ben missed.
I am not saying defend Ben at all cost, or that he may not be ‘well-mannered’ , but really, only the people directly (notice that word) involved know what the real deal is. So some ‘eyewitness’ story is just that, a story which might be accurate but might not be – and we can’t know. Defenders and critics of Ben from afar (including those, “well my friend told me…”) – can’t know
I would like to see more acknowledgment of this in general, and just cut the rumor/gossip basis for approaching this topic…or any ‘reporting’ for that matter.
Journalist vs blogger
I suppose you might expect him to adhere to a higher ethical standard given his past, but I don’t think that is a valid argument. This was not a newspaper article or a report on the KDKA evening news; it was a blog post. Furthermore, I’d like to see it detailed what ethical violations we think he made in the first place. Being overly critical? Not adequately presuming innocence? I “notice” that there was no “proper” investigation of some of his allegations, but mentioning them in this context falls far short of a violation of journalistic ethics.
Can we know absolutely what happened? Of course not…we never will, and most of the people involved (maybe not even Ben or the girl themselves) won’t either. But, I think we all have a right to review the facts available to us and to form opinions based on them. Freedom of speech and all, you know.
Well said
I concede the points about blogger versus journalist, I know that he represents only himself. I think that there is upstanding journalism happening in Blogs, just like there is slimy journalism happening in traditional print/TV media – and vice versa. “We,” well, I was only speaking for myself, not on behalf of others here, and should have been clearer about that. Journalistic ethics, well, that comes down to reporting objective facts that are verified and vetted, and not leading with it without corroborating evidence which is substantial and trustworthy.
If he represents himself as an independent writer, fair enough. If he talks up his ‘media’ background, well, then he is not guilty of anything except for being subtly misleading about the "voice’ he is writing in. Freedom of Speech, absolutely, he can continue whatever he wants, but lets not overlook his intentions to sell his book, and place his personal expression as just that, and not repeating to others in conversation or blog comment what he wrote because there is no way to take that as legitimate without proper citation and sourcing which he failed to provide.
we all have a right to review the facts available to us
Well, where were the facts? What are the facts?
- Ben was out drinking on his b-day in college town in GA w/W. Colon and two off-duty cops
- A girl, 20, who he had met went into a bathroom with him.
- She later made a sexual assault claim against a guy with Ben’s exact physical stats & description
- No arrest was made, Ben was allowed to leave the state.
- Both parties have lawyers, Ben hired a Private Investigator as well.
*DNA samples are being sought
*Ben missed a commitment to a child with ‘make-a-wish.’ foundation. Editors did not feel it was worthy of pursuit, Family did not wish to discuss with Blog author
I might have missed some, but that’s it.
That what the basis of conversation should be, but unfortunately that is not good enough to talk about so unidentified eyewitnesses, stories about past Ben misdeeds (like the Arnold Palmer story which was quickly identified as urban myth told about varying other people as well), it just goes on and on, and its mostly speculation, judgmental ego statements, and self-promoters such as this particular blog author. Everything is heavily loaded with hearsay, gossip, rumor yet gets discussed as true-until-proven-otherwise-and-maybe-still-regarded-as-true-even-then.
Its a crying shame – not because I want to defend Ben, he is on his own – but because it dumbs down and obfuscates the real conversations we should be having as a country and society. We have serious problems, and these events that are inspiring way too many blog posts and way too many speculative and repetitive conversations are just a symptom. Critical thinking, proper due process is on its way to extinction.
by Twell on Mar 19, 2010 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
While I’m tempted to challenge the notion that anything is objective,
I’ll let it pass. Let it pass because you have correctly identified the impoverished state of much that passes for contemporary culture. The postmodern turn has placed irrationality on equal footing with modernist rationality. Concurrently, we’ve seen an explosion in the amount of media (note that I don’t use terms like press or journalism) to the point that media has become a self-perpetuating monster. Of course any monster needs sustenance and in this case that sustenance is content. No matter the quality or character of the content, it will be devoured by the monster and spewed forth like so much excrement.
Basically, there is too much media. As a result, media has become all about the spectacle, all about itself. So we move from one spectacle to the next as if the one before never happened. When scandal comes about, we eagerly devour it until boredom sets in or the next scandal arises. We have become a nation of voyeurs. Whether in politics, entertainment, or sport, people often say that Americans are forgiving of scandalous behavior. No, we are not. We are simply a forgetting people.
"Never mistake motion for action." - Ernest Hemingway
by SubLime on Mar 19, 2010 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I concur
…and on the “nothing being objective” as well. My argument wasn’t for objectivity as an absolute, but just being aware of how integrity is maintained. We’re pretty much on the same page, and appreciate your reasonable approach in response.
Have good weekend!
by Twell on Mar 19, 2010 5:36 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Agreed on all accounts
Critical, evaluative thinking, especially when dealing with online media, is seriously lacking in today’s world. If it was, much of the shoddy drivel on the internet, TV and print media alike would fail to find an audience.
Perhaps that’s the issue with this particular piece: if you critically dissect it, Steigerwald really offers no substance and a few weakly justified opinions. But where does the fault lie? On Steigerwald for publishing opinions masquerading as research-based conclusions? Or on us for devoting him more attention than his “work” deserved?
by riley570 on Mar 19, 2010 6:28 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
We are the "market."
If we consume, then the product will continue to be delivered.
"Never mistake motion for action." - Ernest Hemingway
"he doesn't have to be high on alchohol"
haha. Who gets high on alcohol? I love it when people, who’ve never done anything that alters their mind, talk about drugs like they know what they’re talking about. Maybe he was smoking POT! OMG who cares? Tone did it in 08’ and the guy still produced. A trophy for that matter.
Blogs and real Journalism are quickly getting muddled together. Let this decade be known as the decade that journalism died and opinions took over. Damn.
Brian: Face it Peter, you get competitive about everything.
Peter: I am so not competitive. In fact, I am the least non-competitive. So I win.
by SoCalSteelerFan on Mar 18, 2010 9:33 PM EDT reply actions
For decades now opinion has seeped into "journalist" pieces.
People are just paying more attention to it now.
" Just go and lay your hand on a Pittsburgh Steeler fan, and then I think you'll finally understand"
" In America" Charlie Daniels Band
by idiscgolftexas on Mar 18, 2010 10:59 PM EDT reply actions
True
But,
there are many other pieces written on this topic by local Pittsburgh media who make the claim that whether or not Roethlisberger is charged this incident tarnishes the Steeler ideal. His actions were irresponsible and he needs to grow up. The difference is they wrote their opinion based articles without malice. Mr Steigerwald’s blog is vengeful, he resorts to name calling, and condemns with a tone of judgement. I think that is evident, and that’s also what I hyperbolically referred to as ‘the ravings of a maniac’. Knowing his past, in my opinion, they are.
Unacceptable innuendo
“Most of the accounts of the incident in Georgial mention that Ben wasn’t drinking much. The implication being that he wasn’t high. Let me be the first to point out that he could very easily have been high on something other than alcohol. If that turns out to be the case, will you be surprised?”
That’s just unacceptable garbage. If John Steigerwald knows that Roethlisberger was using illegal substances, he should come right out and say it. If not, he should shut the hell up. Blog or no blog.
If it turns out that John Steigerwald wrote this blog on crack cocaine with his head up his ass, will you be surprised?
I would kill everyone in this room for a drop of sweet beer.
- Homer J. Simpson
by Homer J. on Mar 20, 2010 11:17 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Well...
I used to agree with him on some topics, but he’s lost me. Also, as a political liberal, I really can’t stand reading his opinions of something that he really has no clue about. Sports and politics should be kept seperate from one another in all cases, I believe (I felt the same about Rooney’s endorsement of Obama)
Honestly, the way he acts now, if you’re not a bully, then you must be a sissy. Such opinions get really irritating and boderline intolerable. He’s just pissed they fired him from KDKA, I think.
Irresponsible to say the least
I don’t think the facts of this case have been aired yet, so Steigerwald clearly is shooting from the hip. Ben might not win any popularity contests off the field, but he deserves fairness and the suspension of judgment until all the facts are in. All this kind of stuff does is make the situation even worse for the Steelers organization.
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