all of them?
- Doc_Sarcasm

Your implicit appreciation is gratefully acknowledged.

Interesting scoreboard tonight. Oilers waxed, Rangers flipped the script, Boston lost to devils. I’m sure all those teams have their own D zone coverage issues etc.
- wcorvette

Its interesting that both Rangers and Avs exacted revenge and sent a strong message pretty early.

Thumping teams like Blues and Isles is no joke.

So, is there industry wide poor management then? How come all these papers, news magazines, local weeklies all suddenly started to suffer from poor management in the same 15 odd year span?
- PT21

Poor management can certainly be a contributing factor in the decline of The Inquirer as it almost certainly was. Couple that with increased distrust of media and the rise of alternative news sources brought on by the internet, make for an untenable situation. I’m not sure about other papers nationwide.

Again, I go back to the Gallup poll as one of reasons for decreased circulation and readership, industry-wide. You may discount their methodology but as a reputable polling firm, I do put stock in that long-running poll as a gauge of the public’s attitude towards the industry. The NYT has the reputation and cache to withstand changes to the industry, although I know they derive a lot of funding from their ad revenue.

Hey we found another area that PT21 is an expert in. How many does that make now?
- MJL

All but grammar, apparently.

It was indeed. Ray Diddy thought it deserved a Pulitzer. The part about his beloved wife. He was old school, and I respect him.

In general though, its not just media or even newspapers. Its the ability for any cerebral endeavor, sometimes even the most rudimentary. When I was growing up, cashiers did not need calculators to perform the most elementary of arithmetic. College faculty now bemoan the lack of reading and writing skills which have steadily languished. Those who would have studied math or Physics now study programming. We have trouble keeping students occupied enough to not peek at cellphones. No one reads books.
- PT21

Not my experience with my kids or their friends. They are bright and informed and they read books. Maybe that’s just the kids in the economics dept at Penn. They definitely look at their phones too much. I feel bad for them. poop’s too complicated these days.

Its called a typo.

The times I have poked people for errors like that, they were systematic (hence not typos), like Angus, who constantly used to say "your" for you are, and login, who used to say complimentary for complementary.

Those are repeated, systematic errors.

Do you have a point, other than being a magnificent embodiment for abortion rights?
- PT21

The mistakes others make are irrelevant to the mistakes that you continually make. You are not anywhere near as bright as you claim to be. A scholar such as yourself should understand that the use of contractions in writing is a sign of weakness. It dilutes the point you are trying to make; you make it worse by not even contracting the words that would be contracted, giving a different meaning to the word. There is also no need for a comma after repeated in your post, but, again, I am sure you knew that just another typo, right?

Cindy dresses with the refs did you guys think McCann would get suspended?

Holy poop you guys are wild. What a backread

Holy poop you guys are wild. What a backread
- stayinthefnnet

It truly is a meeting of the minds on this board. Some have poured their entire Saturday into it just for our entertainment.

Poor management can certainly be a contributing factor in the decline of The Inquirer as it almost certainly was. Couple that with increased distrust of media and the rise of alternative news sources brought on by the internet, make for an untenable situation. I’m not sure about other papers nationwide.

Again, I go back to the Gallup poll as one of reasons for decreased circulation and readership, industry-wide. You may discount their methodology but as a reputable polling firm, I do put stock in that long-running poll as a gauge of the public’s attitude towards the industry. The NYT has the reputation and cache to withstand changes to the industry, although I know they derive a lot of funding from their ad revenue.
- Sublime55

Observe your own graph, and the statement on that page:

" Trust ranged between 68% and 72% in the 1970s, and though it had declined by the late 1990s, it remained at the majority level until 2004, when it dipped to 44%. After hitting 50% in 2005, it has not risen above 47%."

This period of declining trust coincides almost exactly in time with the rise of social media, and the second dip is precisely the age of Trump, and only among Republicans. But by that time, the decline of the newspaper was already well established.

But don't take my word for it. What I am saying is hardly esoteric. Here is the entry on the exact topic from Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/...papers#Causes_for_decline


EDIT: Postscript - while it is certainly possible that poor management (you) and poor editorial/journalistic practices (KingKenzo) contributed, I am not seeing much evidence offered that these factors were significant causes relative to trend.

Just look at how widely read Welcomat and City Paper were. They have essentially vanished.

Hell, even the venerable Village Voice has shut down!!

Not my experience with my kids or their friends. They are bright and informed and they read books. Maybe that’s just the kids in the economics dept at Penn. They definitely look at their phones too much. I feel bad for them. poop’s too complicated these days.
- Dkos

In that case you happen to have been blessed.

Reading has not declined. It has crashed through a floor for kids, once they get beyond the Harry Potter books. It has declined among adults. There are conferences about it. Penn has eliminated multiple department libraries as knowledge now is searchable in a la carte fashion.

Check out this article

https://www.apa.org/news/...18/08/teenagers-read-book

or this

https://www.arts.gov/site...fault/files/RaRExec_0.pdf

or this

https://www.theguardian.c...ng-less-says-new-research

Or a million others.

The mistakes others make are irrelevant to the mistakes that you continually make. You are not anywhere near as bright as you claim to be. A scholar such as yourself should understand that the use of contractions in writing is a sign of weakness. It dilutes the point you are trying to make; you make it worse by not even contracting the words that would be contracted, giving a different meaning to the word. There is also no need for a comma after repeated in your post, but, again, I am sure you knew that just another typo, right?
- corduroy

I am trying to wade through this flash flood of senility late at night....

Himm, lets see: the mistakes I apparently repeatedly make: the example of that is using its instead of it's? Yes, that is a common personal failing. My wife teases me about it. Yes, It's also a typo.

The comma after repeated is in fact perfectly proper and indeed recommended. Repeated and systematic are both adjectives and they should be separated by a comma or a conjunction (and).

Here is the Chicago Manual of Style, which is unambiguous about it.

"As a general rule, when a noun is preceded by two or more adjectives that could, without affecting the meaning, be joined by and, the adjectives are normally separated by commas.

https://archives.cjr.org/...corner/un-coordinated.php

You should familiarize yourself with the elementary rules of grammar before trying to haul up someone for its misuse.

As for being not being as bright as I think, my blunt dismissiveness has very little to do with my superiority complex. Its stems from the proliferation of buggers like you, in the dull company of whom my ordinary gem shines like a very crazy diamond.

It truly is a meeting of the minds on this board. Some have poured their entire Saturday into it just for our entertainment.
- StepfordSam

Some comments:

1. I had a pot roast sandwich. That took time away.

2. I also made runs for my soy milk to Whole Foods.

3. I am not doing this ever again. I posted close to 70 times on this blog. Generate your own entertainment.

4. About the bold: (frank) you.

Good read from O’Connor, he even addresses the Jake interview, he was brief and to the point, you have to appreciate that .

Flyers’ emerging stars Carter Hart, Travis Konecny shine with Sean Couturier out

Holy poop you guys are wild. What a backread
- stayinthefnnet

it's good for those who are long winded and like to write and it is good for those who don't, read enough and you know what to skip.

As for being not being as bright as I think, my blunt dismissiveness has very little to do with my superiority complex. Its stems from the proliferation of buggers like you, in the dull company of whom my ordinary gem shines like a very crazy diamond.
- PT21

See, you think you're an ordinary gem shines like a crazy diamond. There's that lack of self awareness again. The reality is that you have the dullness and stink of a turd. We also know for a fact that you don't think you're ordinary. You think you are superior.

Interesting scoreboard tonight. Oilers waxed, Rangers flipped the script, Boston lost to devils. I’m sure all those teams have their own D zone coverage issues etc.
- wcorvette

The Bruins problem is not D zone coverage, not in the least. They are one of the best teams in the league at that actually. The Bruins problem is 5 on 5 scoring, especially with Pastrnak out. Even when he comes back, they still have 1 line that can hurt you and that will not get it done this year, especially in the playoffs. The key for the Flyers against them is to get Couturier back, because with Hayes they can effectively shutdown that top line and beat the Bruins with their depth. However don't misconstrue this to mean that I think its easy to shut down Bergeron-Marchand-Pastrnak, because it isn't, they are the best line in hockey. But the Flyers have the advantage of two really good shutdown centers, a solid system and a very good goalie.

Have a stray comment about this last game, and that is to give a HUGE shoutout to Travis Konecny on the 4th goal to ice the game. Travis was already at the end of his shift when the Penguins turned the puck over just inside the Flyers blueline, and Konecny turned it the other way quickly, made a nice pass and then b-lined it to the net. He was completely exhausted at that point and could barely stand, never mind swipe at the puck, and luckily the puck hit him and went in. But it was his hustle when he was already gassed that made that play possible. Wow - now that is a great hockey play!

Have a stray comment about this last game, and that is to give a HUGE shoutout to Travis Konecny on the 4th goal to ice the game. Travis was already at the end of his shift when the Penguins turned the puck over just inside the Flyers blueline, and Konecny turned it the other way quickly, made a nice pass and then b-lined it to the net. He was completely exhausted at that point and could barely stand, never mind swipe at the puck, and luckily the puck hit him and went in. But it was his hustle when he was already gassed that made that play possible. Wow - now that is a great hockey play!
- jd250

I did not realize he was at the end of his shift I was wondering why he could not make contact with that swipe. Thanks for pointing that out!

The Bruins problem is not D zone coverage, not in the least. They are one of the best teams in the league at that actually. The Bruins problem is 5 on 5 scoring, especially with Pastrnak out. Even when he comes back, they still have 1 line that can hurt you and that will not get it done this year, especially in the playoffs. The key for the Flyers against them is to get Couturier back, because with Hayes they can effectively shutdown that top line and beat the Bruins with their depth. However don't misconstrue this to mean that I think its easy to shut down Bergeron-Marchand-Pastrnak, because it isn't, they are the best line in hockey. But the Flyers have the advantage of two really good shutdown centers, a solid system and a very good goalie.
- jd250

It's really a myth that Hayes is a really good shutdown center. He's not. He's a good Pker but at 5 on 5 defensively, he's average at best. His combination of skills makes him a solid 2nd line center but he is not a shutdown center. No Flyers forward was on the ice for more goals against at 5 on 5 than Hayes was last season with 45. For comparison, Voracek, who everyone rips as being bad defensively was on the ice for 32 GA at 5 on 5. Hayes is not going to shut down that line. LOL. Look at he point totals that trio racks up. The goals that line scores. Who are they doing it against?

The Bruins problem is not D zone coverage, not in the least. They are one of the best teams in the league at that actually. The Bruins problem is 5 on 5 scoring, especially with Pastrnak out. Even when he comes back, they still have 1 line that can hurt you and that will not get it done this year, especially in the playoffs. The key for the Flyers against them is to get Couturier back, because with Hayes they can effectively shutdown that top line and beat the Bruins with their depth. However don't misconstrue this to mean that I think its easy to shut down Bergeron-Marchand-Pastrnak, because it isn't, they are the best line in hockey. But the Flyers have the advantage of two really good shutdown centers, a solid system and a very good goalie.
- jd250

agreed on the 5V5, my comment was more general, why I said D zone etc. Point is all teams have issues, some less than others

It's really a myth that Hayes is a really good shutdown center. He's not. He's a good Pker but at 5 on 5 defensively, he's average at best. His combination of skills makes him a solid 2nd line center but he is not a shutdown center. No Flyers forward was on the ice for more goals against at 5 on 5 than Hayes was last season with 45. For comparison, Voracek, who everyone rips as being bad defensively was on the ice for 32 GA at 5 on 5. Hayes is not going to shut down that line. LOL. Look at he point totals that trio racks up. The goals that line scores. Who are they doing it against?
- MJL

Read what I wrote again, the Flyers last year matched Couturier's line against the Bruins top line when they could, but having the Hayes line as backup really helped them against Boston. Its the combination of both of these guys. Hayes is a very good puck possession guy. The way you shut down the Bruins top line, or any top line for that matter, is to possess the puck, and that is what they did last season. Like I said, its not easy, and that line is going to score, but if you could limit their impact you beat the Bruins every time. We will have plenty of samples this year to draw from as the Flyers play 8 games against the Bruins, we'll see how it goes.

Read what I wrote again, the Flyers last year matched Couturier's line against the Bruins top line when they could, but having the Hayes line as backup really helped them against Boston. Its the combination of both of these guys. Hayes is a very good puck possession guy. The way you shut down the Bruins top line, or any top line for that matter, is to possess the puck, and that is what they did last season. Like I said, its not easy, and that line is going to score, but if you could limit their impact you beat the Bruins every time. We will have plenty of samples this year to draw from as the Flyers play 8 games against the Bruins, we'll see how it goes.
- jd250

You clearly labeled Hayes as a really good shutdown center. That is simply not correct. He is not on that level defensively. In combination with Couturier or anyone else. Hayes is also not a top possession player so that is strike two. Nobody has shut that line down in the entire NHL.

Krejci had an excellent playoff last season. They have players such as DeBrusk and Coyle as well. So I disagree with your post on many levels. They are more than a one line team.

You clearly labeled Hayes as a really good shutdown center. That is simply not correct. He is not on that level defensively. In combination with Couturier or anyone else. Hayes is also not a top possession player so that is strike two. Nobody has shut that line down in the entire NHL.

Krejci had an excellent playoff last season. They have players such as DeBrusk and Coyle as well. So I disagree with your post on many levels. They are more than a one line team.
- MJL

Well, I guess I think more about Hayes than you do ...

Regarding Boston, sorry I live in Boston, so I disagree with you strongly. Krejci is an excellent 2nd line center (especially in the playoffs) that the Bruins organization has failed to provide good players around for several years, that is why they have never won a second cup! In fact the only reason they won in 2011 was they got probably the best goalie playoff performance in NHL history with Tim Thomas, and even that was not enough; they needed Roberto Luongo to throw up all over himself to win in 7. The Bruins this year are pairing Krejci with DeBrusk, who is inconsistent at best and Kase, who Anaheim jettisoned at just 24 years old at the deadline last year. Krejci deserves a lot better than this! I grant you Charlie Coyle is an excellent 3rd line center that can chip in a goal now and then, but Bruins are still an easy team to match against IF you have the depth, which the Flyers have!

Well, I guess I think more about Hayes than you do ...

Regarding Boston, sorry I live in Boston, so I disagree with you strongly. Krejci is an excellent 2nd line center (especially in the playoffs) that the Bruins organization has failed to provide good players around for several years, that is why they have never won a second cup! In fact the only reason they won in 2011 was they got probably the best goalie playoff performance in NHL history with Tim Thomas, and even that was not enough; they needed Roberto Luongo to throw up all over himself to win in 7. The Bruins this year are pairing Krejci with DeBrusk, who is inconsistent at best and Kase, who Anaheim jettisoned at just 24 years old at the deadline last year. Krejci deserves a lot better than this! I grant you Charlie Coyle is an excellent 3rd line center that can chip in a goal now and then, but Bruins are still an easy team to match against IF you have the depth, which the Flyers have!
- jd250

You can think anything you want. You could live in the arena the Bruins play in and that wouldn't matter. You've got many things wrong. Stating that the Bruins are easy to match up with in any manner is a disqualifying and embarrassing statement.