>
> Date: 11 Dec 94 00:44:54 EST
> From:  <PBLAKE AT FCCJ.BITNET>
> To:    <HOCKEY-L AT MAINE>
> Subject: Uncl: Boston Sunday Globe is Lame
>
> From:  PATRICK BLAKE
>
> Hi,
>
> Just wanted to voice a gripe about the Boston Sunday Globe.
>
> I live in Jacksonville, Florida where it's pretty difficult to get any college
> hockey news. A local newstand carries the Boston Sunday Globe which can
> usually be purchased for $5.00 and is usually a week late.
>
> I bought the paper today and was hoping to see something relating to the
> weekend games of Dec. 3+4 with BU at UMaine. There was nothing! The only
> mention was that of a score of the Friday night game. Of course, there were
>      recaps of many other Hockey East matchups from Friday night, but
> absolutely NO mention of BU and UMaine. I know this is not normal, and was
> wondering if anyone on hockey-l might be able to provide me with a clue as to
> why this is.
>
> I wonder if the lack of coverage was due to BU's performance or merely the
> Boston area media's hatred toward UMaine.
>
 
I am *WAAYYYY* behind in reading my mail, so I apologize for the lateness of
this reply, but I would like to make two points.
 
First, I agree with you that the Boston Media does not cover college hockey
1/10th as much as they should.  They would rather show meaningless highlights
of pituitary ball from the PAC-10 than a sport that people in Boston really
care about.  The only thing sadder is that the Globe does a better job than
most major newspapers nation-wide.
 
Second, I have to strongly disagree with the assertion that the Boston Media
hates Maine.
 
        #1 - Maine received 3X's the coverage for their 1993 title than
             Harvard did in 1989.  Harvard got one little 45 second piece
             showing them with their trophy while Maine got shots of the
             team with the trophy, the team returning to Maine and being
             greeted at the Bangor Airport, and even the wild celebration
             in the hockey rink.  It was a week of Maine hockey here in
             Boston.
        #2 - The Globe has already done *TWO* very pro-Maine articles this
             year.  One, at the start of the year, was saying how Maine has
             really worked to clear up all the problems from last year and
             feels they are "trying to prove" to everyone that they are good
             and clean.  The other was a very nice piece about Chris Imes.
        #3 - The *ONLY* time I have *EVER* seen Maine get bad press in Boston
             was last year due to the violations and culminating in Maine's
             restraining order coming on the same day as Tonya Harding's.
             (Could the timing have possibly been worse?!?)
 
 
The local Boston media, with the exception of last year, has been extremely
positive towards Maine hockey (a lot due to all the Mass players Maine has
had on their teams) over the last 7 years.
 
I am not saying Maine newspapers should do the following, nor am I certain
they have not done it, but how often in the past 7 years has the Maine media
said really nice things about BU... heck *ANY* team in Boston?!?
 
 
From friends and relatives in various states, I have seen many nice things
about BU from Burlington, Vermont, and only Us-vs-Them articles from Maine.
 
Heck, your Portland newspaper took the liberties to even misquote me last
year to help make BU and the entire college hockey world look bad and help
make it look like Maine was just being picked on.
 
Maine's newspapers are just local, so I do not expect them to say anything
nice about anyone else, but don't believe all that you read in a Friend's
of Hockey Newsletter.
 
 
 
If anything, the Boston Media's college hockey pecking order has been, #1 BC,
#2 BU, #3 Maine, #4 UNH, #5 the rest of Hockey East, and #6... the ECAC.
 
If anyone has a right to complain, it would be the ECAC, from which Harvard
gets a *little* bit of coverage (mostly from the Globe), or even perhaps
Merrimack and Lowell, 2 Mass teams that have gotten less coverage over the
last 7 years than Maine or even UNH.
 
 
 
Should there be more coverage... YES!
 
Are they "Anti-Maine"...  except for last year, definitely NO!
 
 
Tony  BU'92'93
Former Ogre
 
 
 
 
 
> Thanks
>
> +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
> : Patrick L. Blake                      University of Maine Black Bears      :
> : [log in to unmask]                            12-0-5 in '94                :
> : [log in to unmask]                             "Is it deja vu yet?"            :
> +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
>