Deadspin: george+solomon

How Can We Live In A Sports World Without George Solomon?

Leitch — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 13:15:13 EDT

After 21 months of gentle tsk-tsking and slight, bemused wags of the finger, ESPN ombudsman George Solomon said goodbye in his last column yesterday. Surely, he dramatically changed the landscape of ESPN and ... uh ... well ... all right, maybe it was a mostly inconsequential and tame column that never took any real strong stances, but at least he tired .... oh, fine, OK, maybe once Sean Salisbury clicked on his column, but only because he thought it was porn. That's some impact, anyway!

In his sendoff, Solomon briefly tries on a pair.

I would suggest ESPN.com do more editing of its Page 2 columnists — some of whom seem to shoot from the hip for the sole purpose of shooting from the hip. ... [It was difficult] having a conversation with Sean Salisbury on how some viewers might misinterpret his inane ramblings, and trying to explain the duties of an ombudsman to a some of the network's biggest stars.

And then, as if just to remind us why his column was never a must-read in the first place, Solomon signs off with a "Boo-yah."

Sigh. George Solomon seems like a very nice man, which is why we won't much miss his column. See ya, George; hope the new lady's got a little more fire in her belly.

ESPN Reflections: The Good, The Bad And The Boo-Yah [ESPN]

George Solomon's Blind Rage

Leitch — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 14:00:54 EST

ESPN "ombudsman" George Solomon announced yesterday that he's leaving his "post" at ESPN at the end of this month. No word yet on who will replace him — our suggestions are Harold Reynolds, George Grande and A.J. Daulerio — but the fine folks at Hurricanes Are For Drinking take a look back at some of his most heroic, activist stands against the network that kind of employs him but not really. Hop in the wayback machine of fury and relive these fiery rants:

• "In general, the network's producers and editors need to be more restrained. It's better to be right — even if it means being second to the competition. Meanwhile, many ESPN viewers, via e-mail, said the coverage of Owens this past week on ESPN was just too much — a belief that had merit."
• "I understand viewer frustration at not getting more information from ESPN about Reynolds, whose popularity and competence have increased steadily, the result of which was a recently signed six-year contract."

Honestly, we're sorry you had to see him fly off the handle like that; there could be children reading this site, and we don't want to poison their virgin eyes. (Can you poison eyes? We think that you can.) We look forward to Solomon's final column; "Some readers were disappointed that Sean Salibury took out his penis and started waving it in Pam Ward's face, and it is possible that some readers might have had a point, in a general sense, though these situations are always more complex than they appear at first glance."

Our Farewell To ESPN's Ombudsman [Hurricanes Are For Drinking]
Given Conflicts, Amaechi Coverage 'Over The Top' [ESPN]

Blogdome: An Open Letter To George Solomon

Leitch — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 14:15:04 EDT

• We thought the most recent column from ESPN ombudsman George Solomon was among the more critical and reasonable ones he's written. Here's a dissenting (and somewhat convincing) view. [Fan's Attic]
• How this year's baseball season is like the 2001-02 NBA season, and how the Mets are like the Nets. [High And Inside]
• The scoop on Ross Rebagliati's ridiculous lawsuit. [Out OF Left Field]
• Honestly, that bird really was the most entertaining part of that Red Sox game a couple of nights ago. [Ump Bump]
• Which one of these pretty women was not arrested for prostitution? Careful with your answers. [I Dislike Your Favorite Team]
• Excellent new blog about following baseball around the world. [Global Baseball]
• The best in trash talk .. time to turn up the volume ... YOU GOT JACKED! [Kissing Suzy Kolber]

Fun With ESPN's Ombudsman

Leitch — Wed, 10 Aug 2005 10:59:18 EDT

We repeat: We find it hysterical that ESPN has hired an ombudsman — former Washington Post editor George Solomon — to tell it when it's operating outside the boundaries of journalistic ethics. We mean, it's ESPN: Duh. Anyway, Solomon does his monthly tilting at windmills this morning, and as always, you imagine ESPN head honcho Mark Shapiro nodding in mock agreement and then going out and doing the exact opposite of what Solomon suggests.

The hot topic this week is "Quite Frankly With Stephen A. Smith," which Solomon suggests was overhyped. Money quote: "I saw more attitude from Smith than opinion." Really.

Can Smith's Show Live Up To The Hype? [ESPN]