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phork

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One of the greatest. Sports will be less bright without him.
 

Ndaccountant

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Sad to hear anyone passing suddenly like that and at a younger age. I wish him and his family peace.

But as far as his professional life is concerned, I will never get over his hatchet job on ND after the TW disaster. Ever since then, I avoided him as much as possible.
 

tko

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Sad news. He was one of the better ones, despite his hatred for ND. Did he happen to have information on the Clintons?
 

ulukinatme

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Sad to hear anyone passing suddenly like that and at a younger age. I wish him and his family peace.

But as far as his professional life is concerned, I will never get over his hatchet job on ND after the TW disaster. Ever since then, I avoided him as much as possible.

This. I feel for his family, may he rest in peace, but I certainly didn't care for him professionally. Even beyond his words on the firing of Ty, Saunders always seemed to have a particular axe to grind about ND. He rarely had positive comments to share regarding our games or the play of our team, and he almost seemed to relish when we struggled. There was something about his demeanor and a sly grin when describing our struggles in a game. Again, feel for his family and friends, but will not miss his commentary.
 

Irish Insanity

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It's sad when several people have to mention a person's personal dislike for our team in the same breath as condolences.
The man's not even had a funeral yet.
I love Notre Dame as much as everyone on this site does. But someone's loss of life definitely matters more than their opinion of ND..
 

Ndaccountant

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It's sad when several people have to mention a person's personal dislike for our team in the same breath as condolences.
The man's not even had a funeral yet.
I love Notre Dame as much as everyone on this site does. But someone's loss of life definitely matters more than their opinion of ND..

oh relax. Nobody is saying they are glad he passed nor that they are ambivalent toward it b/c of his views on ND. If you are so upset about those posting negative views, are you equally saddened by those who are marginalizing the loss by stating sports coverage will never be the same? I mean, how dare they bring up sports during a tragic time like this.
 

johnnycando

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Sad news. He was one of the better ones, despite his hatred for ND. Did he happen to have information on the Clintons?

There's a gif Hillary floating around that may have been he and obviously she, but I think it's the wrong skin tone.
 

johnnycando

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It's sad when several people have to mention a person's personal dislike for our team in the same breath as condolences.
The man's not even had a funeral yet.
I love Notre Dame as much as everyone on this site does. But someone's loss of life definitely matters more than their opinion of ND..

TKO didn't kill him dude.

But his lack of love for ND may have...
 

Irish Insanity

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oh relax. Nobody is saying they are glad he passed nor that they are ambivalent toward it b/c of his views on ND. If you are so upset about those posting negative views, are you equally saddened by those who are marginalizing the loss by stating sports coverage will never be the same? I mean, how dare they bring up sports during a tragic time like this.
Those 2 aren't even close to comparable.

It's called respect. It doesn't take much, or maybe it does, to give it over the internet to someone or there family who you've never met, and has passed.
 

Ndaccountant

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Those 2 aren't even close to comparable.

It's called respect. It doesn't take much, or maybe it does, to give it over the internet to someone or there family who you've never met, and has passed.

ok.

Well how long until we can talk about it then? When is it okay to say things that others may view as disrespecting the dead? Or do I have to keep the idea that I didn't like John as a professional to myself for the rest of my life? I really would like to know the rules so I don't overstep again.
 

Irish Insanity

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ok.

Well how long until we can talk about it then? When is it okay to say things that others may view as disrespecting the dead? Or do I have to keep the idea that I didn't like John as a professional to myself for the rest of my life? I really would like to know the rules so I don't overstep again.
91327 minutes
 

Ndaccountant

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91327 minutes

Well, seems like we have some time to pass. Given that,

giphy.gif
 

ulukinatme

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You can respect the person, but not necessarily respect his career. I think a few of us felt the same way...saw a lot of people saying they'd miss his commentary and he was an outstanding journalist, but not everyone sees it that way. Journalists shouldn't let their personal feelings affect the way they deliver news, even in sports news. There are exceptions, like the dynamic ESPN created between Lou and May for many years. Mark May isn't the asshole he depicts on TV, he did what he did to provide a foil for Lou for entertainment purposes. Rece Davis is a 'Bama guy, but you wouldn't know it because he's a great professional and good at what he does. Saunders played the race card when Ty was fired, when it simply wasn't applicable to the situation. It also appeared he let his personal feelings affect the way he reported on ND football, at least for the last 15 years or so. I won't miss any of that.

All the same, he died too young and didn't deserve to go yet. As a father, son, and husband I can't imagine losing a patriarch in his early 60s. The man was still working, not even in retirement yet. It was too soon, and for that I feel for his family and friends.
 

philipm31

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ok.

Well how long until we can talk about it then? When is it okay to say things that others may view as disrespecting the dead? Or do I have to keep the idea that I didn't like John as a professional to myself for the rest of my life? I really would like to know the rules so I don't overstep again.

If you have to ask that question, I think that says a lot more about you than it does the others on this website.
 

ulukinatme

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If you have to ask that question, I think that says a lot more about you than it does the others on this website.

Nothing he said was inappropriate, and his voice is shared by others. While I usually lean away from the Guardian, I saw this piece regarding Margaret Thatcher's death and I think it's appropriate to not just politicians but public figures in general.

Demanding that no criticisms be voiced to counter that hagiography is to enable false history and a propagandistic whitewashing of bad acts, distortions that become quickly ossified and then endure by virtue of no opposition and the powerful emotions created by death. When a political leader dies, it is irresponsible in the extreme to demand that only praise be permitted but not criticisms.

...

There's something distinctively creepy - in a Roman sort of way - about this mandated ritual that our political leaders must be heralded and consecrated as saints upon death. This is accomplished by this baseless moral precept that it is gauche or worse to balance the gushing praise for them upon death with valid criticisms. There is absolutely nothing wrong with loathing Margaret Thatcher or any other person with political influence and power based upon perceived bad acts, and that doesn't change simply because they die. If anything, it becomes more compelling to commemorate those bad acts upon death as the only antidote against a society erecting a false and jingoistically self-serving history.

You can respect an individual as a person, but it's acceptable to be critical of them professionally. There were many people that revered Hugo Chavez when he died, but the majority probably weren't too sad to see him go. It's a poor analogy as Saunders was deemed a good person and the two had nothing remotely in common, but I think you'll understand that perceptions can vary from person to person. It's hard for some people to accept he was a great journalist if they felt strongly different. To say any different would feel like a lie.
 

Irish Insanity

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If the individual had actually done something 'wrong' it's would be one thing. But his biggest fault in may ND fans eyes were simply that he didn't like our team. Speaking out about that in the same breath as giving condolences isn't the same as doing so for someone who has committed a crime or done something that has affected mass population. The dude was a TV personality who didn't like a sports program.....
 

ulukinatme

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If the individual had actually done something 'wrong' it's would be one thing. But his biggest fault in may ND fans eyes were simply that he didn't like our team. Speaking out about that in the same breath as giving condolences isn't the same as doing so for someone who has committed a crime or done something that has affected mass population. The dude was a TV personality who didn't like a sports program.....

Shouldn't journalists strive to deliver unbiased and objective news? I know there's a growing segment of broadcasters and writers that throw ethics out the door, but some people still appreciate it. Furthermore, tossing the race card at the Ty firing was uncalled for and not at all applicable to the situation. It went beyond the sports program and unfairly portrayed the university as a whole as bigoted and racist. Ty was an outstanding mentor for young people, but a poor football coach. The reason for his firing had nothing to do with the color of his skin and everything to do with our record and the direction the program was heading under his leadership. To blame his firing on anything else was unjustified and completely unethical.
 

pumpdog20

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If the individual had actually done something 'wrong' it's would be one thing. But his biggest fault in may ND fans eyes were simply that he didn't like our team. Speaking out about that in the same breath as giving condolences isn't the same as doing so for someone who has committed a crime or done something that has affected mass population. The dude was a TV personality who didn't like a sports program.....

Sounds like a good enough reason for me.
 

Ndaccountant

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If the individual had actually done something 'wrong' it's would be one thing. But his biggest fault in may ND fans eyes were simply that he didn't like our team. Speaking out about that in the same breath as giving condolences isn't the same as doing so for someone who has committed a crime or done something that has affected mass population. The dude was a TV personality who didn't like a sports program.....

I would say that he did do something wrong in a professional view. He implicitly (some would say explicitly) accused ND of racism on national television and allowed TW to verbally assault the program without bringing into question all publicly known retorts. Then, after TW ran the Udub program into the ground (which they still have not recovered from), which proved that ND was just in their decision making BTW, he never once rescinded those comments and continued his snide remarks towards the program.

You are right, that doesn't directly impact me or other Irish fans. However, I fail to see a problem critiquing his professional life while others were praising it.
 

Blaise

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I don't know how much of the 28 hour Fantasy marathon people watched, but I enjoyed the parts I saw. I watched the celebrity draft and LOVED Mike Golic JR and Stu just rip into Berry and Wingo for being smitten with Jaime Lynn Sigler and her team lol
 

Monk

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I don't know how much of the 28 hour Fantasy marathon people watched, but I enjoyed the parts I saw. I watched the celebrity draft and LOVED Mike Golic JR and Stu just rip into Berry and Wingo for being smitten with Jaime Lynn Sigler and her team lol

I watched a portion of Sports Nation when non of their touch screen TV's worked and they went completely off script. Michelle Beetle and the rest of the crew (Schefter, Berry, and Wiley) did an excellent job of making fun of the mistakes, but also keeping the show on track.
 
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