Mr Botta.....All Due Respect

New York Islander Fan Central | 1/07/2009 06:59:00 AM | |
But in this instance you are dead wrong writing the Islanders communication was KeyStone Kops unless you were in Edmonton and present when DiPietro and Joey MacDonald were questioned by Mr Logan or around the club when this decision was reached.

The Islanders are in Western Canada getting ready for a game against the Oilers, the team takes the morning skate and it's decided at some point before or after DiPietro will not play.

The beatwriter goes to both goaltenders and reports what both had to say the following morning after the game with their quotes (only part of which could have been printed in the blog/paper) which conflict somewhat but there is no timeline and as I wrote yesterday none of us were in the room or know what the plan was or if it had to be changed.

From where I sit this was an overreaction by Mr Botta and not called for. At the very least he could have spoken to Scott Gordon at some point and gotten an explanation/answer.

This would have been a very good time if instead of writing about KeyStone Kops he intead wrote and told us how this is so different from when he was working for the club vs his past experiences in such matters.

Instead this is the kind of shock jock material Mr Botta himself would usually dismiss or tell us to ignore as he did last summer with some of Newsday's staff.

Similar circumstances a week ago when Mr Botta was in the room at Msg, he reported DiPietro would start against the Rangers only to have MacDonald get the nod because of a groin strain which the coach (a former goaltender) said is normal at this point.

Was that communication KeyStone Kops as well or were the Islanders taking no chances which would seem to be the correct move after all that's transpired? That means nothing is written in stone and things change quickly as they have with Sillinger and a lot of the injured players all season.

A few days later Mr Botta wrote DiPietro should shut things down for the year regardless which is his viewpoint and could be correct in the end.

As I wrote yesterday Mr Botta defended the trainers and for the most part pointed out Scott Gordon's mistakes but also defended him which is fair because unwritten rule is you never take any one side and keep things open-minded for all viewpoints depending on what the news of the day is.

That's the quality I come to expect from Mr Botta which makes his viewpoint one to be read and respected.

For myself I can be critical of a writer/paper one day and praise the work the next, that's what you have to do.

Mr Botta for his part does not blame anyone but writes the communication is Keystone Kops and just leaves it, he does not tell us who he thinks should be blamed after not putting it on DiPietro or MacDonald?

Now Mr Botta blogs again and tells his readers his old friends from the Islanders are not thrilled with him while he now says this version of the DiPietro saga was mishandled?

We do not read about the Sillinger saga or earlier what was the Bailey, Okposo/insert the name of the injured Islander saga.

DiPietro if many recall on 11/26 he had an interview with Dan Martin that flew under the radar here.

If I had any control in running the Islanders I would not be thrilled with Mr Botta either here, this was overdone.

A lot of fair reasons to be critical of the 2008-09 New York Islanders who sit in 30th place with no one happy about things are going and a lot of frustration on all sides.

This was not one of them.










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