Am I the only one who found it a little strange that LU announced his "retirement" in Montreal half way through the season? I understand that his age is north of 60 and I'm sure he was nicely packaged if he did retire, but this move has a bit of a foul odor to it IMO.
This as a 15 year HOF scribe who was respected by everyone in CFL circles. Now if it was of his own volition to retire mid-season because of health reasons etc. I can understand. But it appears he was asked to retire and packaged. Really? Half way through the season? You can't wait until the end of the season Vancouver Province?
And then, to boot, there is no announcement of his replacement or even a mention that he is retiring in todays Province?
Anyone have any insight or knowledge what the hell is going on?
MOD EDIT - have merged this subject heading into the existing "Lowell Ullrich" discussion. No need for two separate topics. Thanks, Mod staff
All the best to Lowell Ullrich
Moderator: Team Captains
I sure don't but the timing is very surprising, especially with no replacement in place.
Lowell Ullrich has not been a kid gloves football reporter nor does he write the 'feel good' stories that too many sports writers spend most of their time writing. Ullrich wrote those stories on occasion but mostly he covered the Lions like a beat reporter with tremendous insight and knowledge, as well as writing from the perspective of a journalist with excellent research skills.
After such an excellent legacy as a football writer I sure hope he has been treated with respect and dignity.
Lowell Ullrich has not been a kid gloves football reporter nor does he write the 'feel good' stories that too many sports writers spend most of their time writing. Ullrich wrote those stories on occasion but mostly he covered the Lions like a beat reporter with tremendous insight and knowledge, as well as writing from the perspective of a journalist with excellent research skills.
After such an excellent legacy as a football writer I sure hope he has been treated with respect and dignity.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
The timing is that he turned 60 right before the Montreal game and decided to take the package.Blitz wrote:I sure don't but the timing is very surprising, especially with no replacement in place.
Lowell Ullrich has not been a kid gloves football reporter nor does he write the 'feel good' stories that too many sports writers spend most of their time writing. Ullrich wrote those stories on occasion but mostly he covered the Lions like a beat reporter with tremendous insight and knowledge, as well as writing from the perspective of a journalist with excellent research skills.
After such an excellent legacy as a football writer I sure hope he has been treated with respect and dignity.
He will continue to contribute to TSN radio
If that's the case the Province should have had some inkling he was going to be leaving and had some one waiting in the wings. I really hope there is some news in the next couple of days. Any guesses? Kuzma? Ewen?.... And PLEASE someone who tells it like it is as opposed to the Whitecaps cheerleader Marc Weber. #brutal
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Toppy Vann
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He had no choice is how I heard him say it to Sekeres and Lalji. He was given the extra game to go out after as it was in Montreal. They were doing it sooner if not.dawg3648 wrote:If that's the case the Province should have had some inkling he was going to be leaving and had some one waiting in the wings. I really hope there is some news in the next couple of days. Any guesses? Kuzma? Ewen?.... And PLEASE someone who tells it like it is as opposed to the Whitecaps cheerleader Marc Weber. #brutal
He said he has nothing yet but if you keep checking on the internet he's hoping we'll find him in a new gig (paid) and finishing up this season that he has started.
"Ability without character will lose." - Marv Levy
From my understanding, and IIRC this has already been mentioned in this thread to which your OP was merged, it was the Province who initiated a buyout of LU and two other staffers. They weren't caught off guard at all.dawg3648 wrote:If that's the case the Province should have had some inkling he was going to be leaving and had some one waiting in the wings. I really hope there is some news in the next couple of days. Any guesses? Kuzma? Ewen?.... And PLEASE someone who tells it like it is as opposed to the Whitecaps cheerleader Marc Weber. #brutal
As for this mid-season business, this was strictly a money move and timing be damned. Rick Ball left his Lions 1040 pbp job for a hockey pbp job in Cgy in similar fashion. In fact it was arguably even more extreme, as Ball called his last game in the middle of the season around this time last year without it ever having been revealed in the run-up to it, nor was it mentioned during that final broadcast itself that it would be his last. It could be the case that even he himself wasn't aware of it at the time as perhaps his Cgy hiring wasn't completely official until after that game, I'm not sure. At any rate, news of his departure didn't surface until he was already gone from the Lions gig. For LU the story broke on the day of the final game he covered.
Sports can be a peculiar thing. When partaking in fiction, like a book or movie, we adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for enjoyment's sake. There's a similar force at work in sports: "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt this, listen to any conversation between rival team fans. You even see it among fans of the same team. Fans argue over who's the better QB or goalie, and selectively cite stats that support their views while ignoring those that don't.
LOL..... the Tony Gallagher that I like best is the impression that Barry Macdonald does of him...... exceptionally good!!!peeby wrote:
Again, no disrespect for anyone I've named here, except for Tony Gallagher, who is a jackass.. but a damned fine writer!
Steve Eewen and Ed Willes of The Province were both at Lions' practice Tuesday, along with photographer Arlen Redekop. Hot off the presses (or The Province website in this case):
Ed Willes files on QB John Beck:
Johnny on the spotlight for the Lions’ Beck
Steve Ewen files on newly signed RB LaVance Taylor:
Ewen: Newest Lion LaVance Taylor gets himself noticed
Ed Willes files on QB John Beck:
Johnny on the spotlight for the Lions’ Beck
Steve Ewen files on newly signed RB LaVance Taylor:
Ewen: Newest Lion LaVance Taylor gets himself noticed
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Toppy Vann
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sj-roc wrote:From my understanding, and IIRC this has already been mentioned in this thread to which your OP was merged, it was the Province who initiated a buyout of LU and two other staffers. They weren't caught off guard at all.dawg3648 wrote:If that's the case the Province should have had some inkling he was going to be leaving and had some one waiting in the wings. I really hope there is some news in the next couple of days. Any guesses? Kuzma? Ewen?.... And PLEASE someone who tells it like it is as opposed to the Whitecaps cheerleader Marc Weber. #brutal
As for this mid-season business, this was strictly a money move and timing be damned. Rick Ball left his Lions 1040 pbp job for a hockey pbp job in Cgy in similar fashion. In fact it was arguably even more extreme, as Ball called his last game in the middle of the season around this time last year without it ever having been revealed in the run-up to it, nor was it mentioned during that final broadcast itself that it would be his last. It could be the case that even he himself wasn't aware of it at the time as perhaps his Cgy hiring wasn't completely official until after that game, I'm not sure. At any rate, news of his departure didn't surface until he was already gone from the Lions gig. For LU the story broke on the day of the final game he covered.
Good example and as usual you take the time to fact check before you comment.
One thing I have heard in the TV biz is that the moment you confirm your new gig, they take you off the air. That is the case in many situations ase well as with insurance underwriters. The new org understands this and these folks know this before they resign.
Case in point in Hong Kong with a friend who was writing a book I reviewed in draft on black box trading in the markets. We met for coffee and was writing Q&As as I pulled up. I said do key messages only and get them in on any questions. He agreed after he couldn't answer 3 of mine as he had not thought of that plus I said the guy might be sick that day. Later sent him a link to a Hank Paulsen TV interview on his then new book to confirm how this guy is a master at that. That guy could be asked a sports question like "how did you like the Patriots yesterday" and he'd say something quick and add "as I say in my book....." . This dude IIRC would even name the chapter. The interview was the next week and the interviewer wasn't there. Another anchor and analyst patched in from Singapore did the interview and they hadn't heard of his book. I called him to ask where the the interviewer was and he said that that morning he said he was going to another network and THEY FIRED HIM ON THE SPOT. He was on the new network immediately as they knew this might happen.
It is sad what is happening to newspapers these days with so much stuff out there FREE. When papers were big we'd be buying extra editions at times to find out why they fired the Lions HC back in the 50s and 60s.
I'd like to see Lowell in print and on the air as he's as articulate and sane on radio as he in the print versions of his stories.
The 5th Q blog was nothing more than a headline on Travis Lulay.
What LU brings err brought is insights into the team that informed you what we might see on the field. It's the subtle nuances LU adds that made him my first read post game. Willes and Ewen are both just fine but both won't offer what LU does. It will be a loss filled by good reporters.
But not likely will the Lions get the FT writer.
"Ability without character will lose." - Marv Levy
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SammyGreene
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Sure hopes Ed Willes will be covering the Lions on a regular basis with his columns. During the height of the Lions re-surgence under Bob Ackes and with the papers still doing well, the Province had 2 full-time beat writers dedicated to the Lions — LU and Gord McIntyre as well as columnist coverage from Willes and Kent Gilchrist. Now just one of them is left.B.C.FAN wrote:Steve Eewen and Ed Willes of The Province were both at Lions' practice Tuesday, along with photographer Arlen Redekop. Hot off the presses (or The Province website in this case):
Ed Willes files on QB John Beck:
Johnny on the spotlight for the Lions’ Beck
Steve Ewen files on newly signed RB LaVance Taylor:
Ewen: Newest Lion LaVance Taylor gets himself noticed
Willes did have me laughing with this line in today's column on Beck:
The Lions might want to think about cutting a deal with the Guildford Sheraton for player accommodations.Three months ago, the 34-year-old Californian was quarantined inside the fabulous Days Inn in Surrey, wondering if a bout with hepatitis was going to end his football career.
Two things: LU in for Blake today on the Sekeres and Price show. Very impressive. Can converse on virtually all sports, something I didn't know he could do. Really enjoying listening. The other thing? It's the Province's business, but why replace one guy with two? Did read the Lions columns in the Province today. Not that bad, but just not a Willis fan. Think it stems from when he first arrived here and had trouble changing allegiances from the Jets to the Canucks.
There are all kinds of reasons you might prefer one personality over another, and those reasons don't have to make sense to anyone else. Sekeres and Ullrich, or Sekeres and Lalji, or Sekeres and Patterson would certainly suit me.
There are all kinds of reasons you might prefer one personality over another, and those reasons don't have to make sense to anyone else. Sekeres and Ullrich, or Sekeres and Lalji, or Sekeres and Patterson would certainly suit me.
From what I was hearing in all the talk of his departure from the Province, he only spent the last 16 years on the Lions beat (I think Jim Taylor had it before him). He was with the Province for something like 36 years in total and 43 years altogether in print journalism. I'm not sure what he wrote on before the Lions but he's worked on other beats, a long time ago to be sure but experience in other areas nonetheless.peeby wrote:Two things: LU in for Blake today on the Sekeres and Price show. Very impressive. Can converse on virtually all sports, something I didn't know he could do. Really enjoying listening. The other thing? It's the Province's business, but why replace one guy with two? Did read the Lions columns in the Province today. Not that bad, but just not a Willis fan. Think it stems from when he first arrived here and had trouble changing allegiances from the Jets to the Canucks.
There are all kinds of reasons you might prefer one personality over another, and those reasons don't have to make sense to anyone else. Sekeres and Ullrich, or Sekeres and Lalji, or Sekeres and Patterson would certainly suit me.
This 1040 gig seems like an expansion of what was already a regular role on that station. He'd already been contributing on gamedays and I think had other regular appearances during the season. More LU on 1040 probably means more Lions coverage which of course would be a good thing. I listened to most of his shift with MS today and there was no shortage of Lions talk.
As for Willes I've never read much of his stuff though I saw his first post-LU article B.C. Fan linked above. I hope in the future he lays off the pretentious Dennis Miller-wannabe references to the arcane likes of Kandinsky and La Scala (had to google those).
Sports can be a peculiar thing. When partaking in fiction, like a book or movie, we adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for enjoyment's sake. There's a similar force at work in sports: "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt this, listen to any conversation between rival team fans. You even see it among fans of the same team. Fans argue over who's the better QB or goalie, and selectively cite stats that support their views while ignoring those that don't.