The Athletic's first DC writer...

[mitlen]

So do we...for the coupons and the funnies... 

I get the obit's from the Richmond Times-Dispatch every week via email.  I figure if I don't see my name, things must be fine... 

I get the Sunday for the crossword puzzles.    I keep 'em in the library.    Missus does the coupons.    On occasion, I read an article that I know I would never read online.

[HondoKillebrew]

I think Grant does a good job on the radio and is a good follow on Twitter.  Smart, thoughtful, and insightful.  And has a love for and knowledge of baseball.  I don't think I'll be subscribing to the Athletic but if I did, he would be one of the reasons. 

[GburgNatsFan]

Agreed. I think his voice is a little grating, but he doesn't mail it in like the guys who precede him every day.

I think Grant does a good job on the radio and is a good follow on Twitter.  Smart, thoughtful, and insightful.  And has a love for and knowledge of baseball.  I don't think I'll be subscribing to the Athletic but if I did, he would be one of the reasons.

[bluestreak]

I get the Sunday for the crossword puzzles.    I keep 'em in the library.    Missus does the coupons.    On occasion, I read an article that I know I would never read online.

Subscribe to the Sunday Post, get it delivered to your house so you don't have to pick it up and you get full digital access for cheaper than you would if you just signed up for digital. and you can share the subscription with another person and they give you a code so you can give a 3rd person 30 day at a time access.

[Panther Modern]

I get the digital Post but still pick up the Sunday hardcopy.

This is the way to go. The best stories, art, photographs and, most importantly, coupons go in The Post's Sunday edition. You're better off just reading it online the rest of the week.

[Panther Modern]

Subscribe to the Sunday Post, get it delivered to your house so you don't have to pick it up and you get full digital access for cheaper than you would if you just signed up for digital. and you can share the subscription with another person and they give you a code so you can give a 3rd person 30 day at a time access.

[Count Walewski]

I don't pay for a single newspaper or magazine, and find that I still have all sorts of good writing available to me for free.

[mitlen]

Subscribe to the Sunday Post, get it delivered to your house so you don't have to pick it up and you get full digital access for cheaper than you would if you just signed up for digital. and you can share the subscription with another person and they give you a code so you can give a 3rd person 30 day at a time access.

I know this will sound  ...  odd.    I have a routine on Sunday morning to head to the Safeway, pick up a paper, stop for blueberry muffins, etc.     I enjoy the convenience of digital the rest of the week.    Oh yeah, and late Saturday scores after the hard copy Sunday has been put to bed.

[mitlen]

Agreed. I think his voice is a little grating, but he doesn't mail it in like the guys who precede him every day.

Maybe it's the voice.   It's grating and a bit whiney.    IMHO he seems to think he's smarter than everybody else and steps on others' (Danny, callers, etc.) points.    He has a bit of Phil Wood in him.

[Ray D]

Maybe it's the voice.   It's grating and a bit whiney.    IMHO he seems to think he's smarter than everybody else and steps on their (Danny, callers, etc.) points.    He has a bit of Phil Wood in him.

The difference is, Phil Wood IS smarter than most everybody else. I'll bet you that Phil Wood has twice his IQ. At the very least.

[spidernat]

Maybe it's the voice.   It's grating and a bit whiney.    IMHO he seems to think he's smarter than everybody else and steps on their (Danny, callers, etc.) points.    He has a bit of Phil Wood in him.

He wasn't like that when he started.

[mitlen]

The difference is, Phil Wood IS smarter than most everybody else. I'll bet you that Phil Wood has twice his IQ. At the very least.

I don't know about Phil's IQ but damn he has a fantastic memory.

[mitlen]

He wasn't like that when he started.

He's full of himself.   

[Panther Modern]

I don't pay for a single newspaper or magazine, and find that I still have all sorts of good writing available to me for free.

Hey, if it works for you, it works.

[GburgNatsFan]

He's full of himself.   

My perception could be colored by when the wife and I met him once (last year) on our way to the ballpark. He stopped and talk to us for about five minutes. This old dude and his wife. He absolutely could not have been nicer. Shook hands, asked questions (where are you coming from, do you have regular seats and where are they, how often do we make it down, what do we think if their chances, etc. etc.) He listened to answers and let me ask questions. asked the wife a few questions, too, told us where the station was, etc. I had to wrap up the conversation, not him.

Really shocked by his in-the-moment-ness. I'm not exactly in the preferred demo anymore.

[Ray D]

I don't know about Phil's IQ but damn he has a fantastic memory.

He seems to me to be extremely bright.  I'm biased, I really like the guy.  I understand why people are bothered by, well, a number of things about him, but none of that bothers me.

[mitlen]

My perception could be colored by when the wife and I met him once (last year) on our way to the ballpark. He stopped and talk to us for about five minutes. This old dude and his wife. He absolutely could not have been nicer. Shook hands, asked questions (where are you coming from, do you have regular seats and where are they, how often do we make it down, what do we think if their chances, etc. etc.) He listened to answers and let me ask questions. asked the wife a few questions, too, told us where the station was, etc. I had to wrap up the conversation, not him.

Really shocked by his in-the-moment-ness. I'm not exactly in the preferred demo anymore.

Sounds like a pretty cool encounter.

[hotshot]

Classic case of not having to work yourself up to a major market -- by virtue of the DC area being his home. If he had to take the traditional route, think his upside would've been - to use the Nats system as analogy - Harrisburg. But, then, I grew up in NYC in the heyday of newspapers back in the 50s and early 60s where each of the five daily papers had great writers.

In signing writers, does The Athletic "approach" reporters in cities around the country, or vice versa? If it's the former, would've thought maybe they would shoot higher. Also, I imagine the salaries paid by The Athletic vary wildly -- maybe with a Ken Rosenthal and a GP getting paid vastly different amounts.

[GburgNatsFan]

He seems to me to be extremely bright.  I'm biased, I really like the guy.  I understand why people are bothered by, well, a number of things about him, but none of that bothers me.

I hope he gets back to doing the home game post game show. Used to be a regular part of my habit: watch the game, then listen to Phil after I headed up to bed.

[mitlen]

I hope he gets back to doing the home game post game show. Used to be a regular part of my habit: watch the game, then listen to Phil after I headed up to bed.

Me too.    I remember the same type evenings when he would replay old games on WTOP during one of the players' strikes.   Think I taped the 1960 Game 7 on one such evening.

[Panther Modern]

In signing writers, does The Athletic "approach" reporters in cities around the country, or vice versa?

The Athletic likely approached more writers than writers approached The Athletic.

[spidernat]

I hope he gets back to doing the home game post game show. Used to be a regular part of my habit: watch the game, then listen to Phil after I headed up to bed.

you did Phil Wood instead of a sleeping pill

[GburgNatsFan]

you did Phil Wood instead of a sleeping pill

Yes, I didn't mention that I had to use the one hour timer on the radio.

[bluestreak]

right, i agree, i would probably pay for a one-stop, great longform, occasional breaking, good scoops kind of site. the athletic...is not this.

the wapost story on that cup of coffee MLB guy was awesome. the athletic doesn't touch that.

Have you read the Athletic's writing? I find it to be quite good. The article on the guy who's cup of coffee got rained out was really good as well. But just in the last two weeks the Athletic has had great (and kinda heartbreaking) longform article on both David Wright and Dee Gordon that have been excellent.

[hotshot]

He's full of himself.   

There's got to have been a reason(s) why Phil didn't get one of the choice radio/TV gigs when the Nats first came to town. I mean, as bad as his air presence was/is, he was "Mr. Baseball" for a baseball-less DC for decades. He had to be wondering to himself, what happened?