The dynamic between the TSN insiders

[KBobs]

Bob McKenzie was on Toronto radio earlier in the week, and he discussed the dynamic between the TSN Insiders (Dreger and Lebrun being the other two). I thought it was enlightening. If anyone is interested in listening, his comments begin ~2 minutes in (note: if on mobile, make the clip full screen to see the audio time):

https://www.tsn.ca/radio/toronto-10...-flames-and-mark-stone-on-overdrive-1.1264556

To briefly summarize, he believes them as one entity, rather than three seperate; when one breaks news, it's always in collaboration with the other two.

As an aside, I don't quite understand the disdain Friedman and Dreger get around here from time-to-time. They are paid, in part, to write opinion pieces and do the requisite radio and TV hits, answering question after question -- not simply to hide until they break news. Do they often bloviate? Yes, but that's the nature of the work.

(Mods, if this is more geared towards the business side, feel free to move it).

Click to read more...

 

[Cellee]

People dislike Friedman? Why? He is about the only guy on Soortsnet worth listening to.

 

[ProspectsSTC]

People dislike Friedman? Why? He is about the only guy on Soortsnet worth listening to.

Mostly because every one if his 31 thoughts gets posted as if it were a rumour on the trade boards when really it's pure speculation

 

[Cellee]

Mostly because every one if his 31 thoughts gets posted as if it were a rumour on the trade boards when really it's pure speculation

Well that's not his fault

 

[izzy]

People dislike Friedman? Why? He is about the only guy on Soortsnet worth listening to.

he used to be the second best behind bob. now he seems to just say a lot if shit to get clicks and attention. i get the premise of 31 thoughts but when he says things constantly like “hearing things” or “rumours of” it kills his credibility

 

[Cellee]

he used to be the second best behind bob. now he seems to just say a lot if **** to get clicks and attention

I don't really believe that. I listen to his podcast and he explains what info he shares and why.

 

[Gsh]

How can you dislike speculation. That’s the root of 90% of discussion on the trade forum

 

[Inkling]

As an aside, I don't quite understand the disdain Friedman and Dreger get around here from time-to-time.

I like Friedman but Dreger I find will use a lot of words to basically say nothing....it might happen, it might not happen. I find Bobby Mac is much more inclined to just say "I don't know" when he literally doesn't know. Dreger certainly does get some inside information, but when he doesn't, he's not as interesting as a pundit.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

he used to be the second best behind bob. now he seems to just say a lot if **** to get clicks and attention. i get the premise of 31 thoughts but when he says things constantly like “hearing things” or “rumours of” it kills his credibility

No, it doesn’t. What people think kills his credibility is when he speculates, makes it clear that he speculates, and people make 5 threads in the Trade Rumors board that pretend as if he was talking about certified rumors.

For example, he NEVER ONCE EVER said that Toronto was interested in Brandon Montour. NEVER. All he said was that Toronto was frequently scouting Anaheim, and that he could see Montour be the guy they’re looking at. But of course, fans played a massive game of telephone through Twitter, Instagram, and forums like HF, and now it’s widely known that Toronto was interested in Montour. (Even though it was never actually reputably reported that they were.)

 

[Scrantonicity 2]

Whatever helps you sleep at night, Darren.

 

[PhoenyX]

Dreger talks in circles and manages to say quite a bit without saying anything at all. Friedman has gone downhill since joining Sportsnet - way too much speculation and clickbait "thoughts" (i.e. "I wonder if Toronto might be interested in McDavid...now I know this sounds crazy, but McDavid can't be happy with the way things are headed in Edmonton. He's on Ontario boy, grew up watching the Leafs and wants to win a cup now. Toronto is in win-now mode and might have difficulty signing Marner. Toronto would have to add significantly to Marner and hell would have to freeze over...but I do wonder if it's something the two sides are thinking about"). It's the same crap Eklund does which is link high profile players to big market teams to get clicks.

 

[KBobs]

I like Friedman but Dreger I find will use a lot of words to basically say nothing....it might happen, it might not happen. I find Bobby Mac is much more inclined to just say "I don't know" when he literally doesn't know. Dreger certainly does get some inside information, but when he doesn't, he's not as interesting as a pundit.

This I can agree with. No doubt there are instances on Insider Trading where Dreger can be found reporting little to no information. Slow news day, perhaps, but I prefer Bob's way. Dreger is great on radio, as long as listeners understand the difference between hard facts and speculation -- something many on HFBoards don't.

 

[Cor]

I remember when it was Friedman and Damien Cox (lol) on Headlines, that like 95% of the stuff came from Friedman.

Now that it's Kypreos, Friedman and CJ, I'm sure it's still mostly Friedman, but Kypreos and CJ have their connections as well.

he used to be the second best behind bob. now he seems to just say a lot if **** to get clicks and attention. i get the premise of 31 thoughts but when he says things constantly like “hearing things” or “rumours of” it kills his credibility

If you don't like the speculation, don't read it.

There's a reason a lot of that stuff isn't on the TV segments or his Twitter, because it's not as concrete as his main information.

It's always funny when Friedman says something like "I think [Enter Team] would have interest in [Enter Player]" and then the trade boards go crazy, with a thread saying "Friedman says [Team] is interested in [Player]" and then it doesn't happen and people get mad at Friedman, even though it was never meant to be concrete.

 

[izzy]

If you don't like the speculation, don't read it.

There's a reason a lot of that stuff isn't on the TV segments or his Twitter, because it's not as concrete as his main information.

It's always funny when Friedman says something like "I think [Enter Team] would have interest in [Enter Player]" and then the trade boards go crazy, with a thread saying "Friedman says [Team] is interested in [Player]" and then it doesn't happen and people get mad at Friedman, even though it was never meant to be concrete.

thank u for the suggestion but ive already stopped using him for info

obviously some stuff he makes obvious is just what he thinks would make sense but he still throws out clickbaity shit and false rumors at times.

 

[Sol]

Mostly because every one if his 31 thoughts gets posted as if it were a rumour on the trade boards when really it's pure speculation

I hate the people who read Friedman. Not Friedman himself.


The people who can't tell the difference between speculation and rumor infuriate me.

 

[Sol]

thank u for the suggestion but ive already stopped using him for info

obviously some stuff he makes obvious is just what he thinks would make sense but he still throws out clickbaity **** and false rumors at times.

He's 100% clickbaity but that's his job. There's a reason why his speculation and shoddy rumors circle around big market teams.

 

[Voight]

Friedman-Dreger-McKenzie-LeBrun are the best 4 in the biz. Fight me.

 

[Voight]

he used to be the second best behind bob. now he seems to just say a lot if **** to get clicks and attention. i get the premise of 31 thoughts but when he says things constantly like “hearing things” or “rumours of” it kills his credibility

I bet you it has to do with Rogers wanting more page views.

 

[Slyfox]

What happenned to Aaron Ward?

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

Friedman-Dreger-McKenzie-LeBrun are the best 4 in the biz. Fight me.

Is there anybody else who regularly reports legitimate rumors?

(Obviously certain teams have beat writers, but those guys tend to stick to their own teams and they also don’t report very frequently.)

At this point, I would almost say Mike Commodore is next on the list. He called Granlund for Fiala, he called Nyquist to SJ for two picks, and IIRC he called a few others on deadline day. That’s not a testament to Commodore being legitimately credible, but rather to how much the other insiders suck or are hacks.

 

[BlueDream]

How can you dislike speculation. That’s the root of 90% of discussion on the trade forum

Bingo. If these insiders didn’t speculate and only reported on things that were finalized, people would be whining about not getting enough news. Grass is always greener.

 

[izzy]

He's 100% clickbaity but that's his job. There's a reason why his speculation and shoddy rumors circle around big market teams.

yeah and thats good, i was just saying its what has lost him a lot of his credibility the last few years

 

[MessierII]

What happenned to Aaron Ward?

He had assault charges and they dropped him.

 

[Trinity]

What happenned to Aaron Ward?

Wasn't he arrested for domestic violence?

 

[Slyfox]

Wasn't he arrested for domestic violence?

He had assault charges and they dropped him.

Is he working for anyone else? Wondered if he got a second shot with someone else.