Chelsea Janes Leaving Nationals Beat

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Seems like it is a nice right of passage.  Lot's of copy to fill, quick turn-arounds, etc...  The burn out is undeniable, but it seems to have been a good training ground for all of these reporters. 

[PowerBoater69]

Seems like it is a nice right of passage.  Lot's of copy to fill, quick turn-arounds, etc...  The burn out is undeniable, but it seems to have been a good training ground for all of these reporters. 

Zuckerman has been on the beat since 2005. Plenty of beat writers have followed teams for long terms. The Post views the job as entry level.

[UMDNats]

Just because the Nationals beat has rotated doesn't mean it's entry-level. The Maryland/college beat is entry-level. The Nats are a mid-level, demanding beat that the Post has consistently placed their rising stars.

[NJ Ave]

Honestly, I would have been shocked if a Yale/Stanford grad had been a baseball beat lifer.

[Mattionals]

Honestly, I would have been shocked if a Yale/Stanford grad had been a baseball beat lifer.

Chelsea also was a college softball player if I recall. I don't think you necessarily have levels to it. Zuckerman has been a very good, not elite, reporter on the Nats beat because that is what he prefers. I think Chelsea had different aspirations (but what do I know, it's not like she has said anything like that) and maybe if she hits it big enough, she can basically be the writer like Boswell, Kilgore, Svrluga where she can just write an article about what she wants to write about  I can see her definitely doing that, and not having the gruel of the beat.

[PowerBoater69]

Just because the Nationals beat has rotated doesn't mean it's entry-level. The Maryland/college beat is entry-level. The Nats are a mid-level, demanding beat that the Post has consistently placed their rising stars.

Good point, although my point remains that the Post is hiring people who see the job as a launching point as opposed to someone who just wants to be a baseball beat writer.

[HalfSmokes]

Just because the Nationals beat has rotated doesn't mean it's entry-level. The Maryland/college beat is entry-level. The Nats are a mid-level, demanding beat that the Post has consistently placed their rising stars.

There are a lot of places that have certain entry level jobs that they view as a launch off to a better job within the organization as well as entry level jobs that lead to nothing. It’s possible the nats beat is the former and the Maryland beat is the latter

[UMDNats]

There are a lot of places that have certain entry level jobs that they view as a launch off to a better job within the organization as well as entry level jobs that lead to nothing. It’s possible the nats beat is the former and the Maryland beat is the latter

Alex Prewitt was on the UMD beat before going to the Caps and now SI, but yeah, a lot of the college writers don't ascend quite like the Nats people.

Good point, although my point remains that the Post is hiring people who see the job as a launching point as opposed to someone who just wants to be a baseball beat writer.

The Post has a policy to rotate writers around beats, it's not unique to the Nats I think. At least that used to be their policy. They have too many good writers who keep advancing.

[mitlen]

The Post has a policy to rotate writers around beats, it's not unique to the Nats I think. At least that used to be their policy. They have too many good writers who keep advancing.

I've noticed this over the years.    TK (your boy ) and Richard Cohen come to mind (We won't mention Sally Quinn.).    Used to be, one day you're readin' an article in Style and a few months later an article in METRO has the same byline or vice versa.

[Panther Modern]

Jesse Dougherty, the other Nats writer, will probably step up now that Janes is moving up. At least she is staying with The Post -- despite covering politics now -- and didn't get poached.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Marc Fisher went from Berlin bureau chief to local columnist writing about people not cleaning up after their dogs and then won a pulitzer as senior news editor.  Maybe the Post is in fact a kibbutz. 

I've noticed this over the years.    TK (your boy ) and Richard Cohen come to mind (We won't mention Sally Quinn.).    Used to be, one day you're readin' an article in Style and a few months later an article in METRO has the same byline or vice versa.

[HalfSmokes]

Marc Fisher went from Berlin bureau chief to local columnist writing about people not cleaning up after their dogs and then won a pulitzer as senior news editor.  Maybe the Post is in fact a kibbutz. 

Columnist seems like the end goal for a lot of journalists

[sixthree175]

Jesse Dougherty, the other Nats writer, will probably step up now that Janes is moving up. At least she is staying with The Post -- despite covering politics now -- and didn't get poached.

I wouldn't be surprised if there is NO beat writer at all in 2019.

[mitlen]

Jesse Dougherty, the other Nats writer, will probably step up now that Janes is moving up. At least she is staying with The Post -- despite covering politics now -- and didn't get poached.

He was a guest on WJFK this morning.

[bluestreak]

So if you wanted to be a beat writer... The job is now posted.

http://washpostpr.tumblr.com/post/180986162692/job-posting-washington-nationals-writer/amp?__twitter_impression=true

[Panther Modern]

Columnist seems like the end goal for a lot of journalists

Indeed. Get paid obscene amount of money to write an article every couple of days. No dealing with soul-crushing deadlines, annoying editors or "feeding the beast." There might even be a book deal if you're good enough.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Someone told me that Johnny H is leaving MASN.  There's quite a bit of Nats media churn this year.

[GburgNatsFan]

Chelsea was the best interview on the MASR last night. She knows her stuff. God help the bloviating politician that tries to bullcrap her.

[PowerBoater69]

The new Post beat writer describes himself as "new to baseball".

@dougherty_jesse I don't have many stories yet since I just started doing this thing, but here's a quick Tanner Roark one...When I met him in the clubhouse during my first week, I told him I was new to baseball. He told me that was fine and that he'd let me know if I was ever being "obtuse." That never came up again, but I always appreciated the offer.

[PowerBoater69]

Janes says that the Roark trade could have been part of the "cleansing" of the clubhouse that got Kinzler and Kelley shipped out. She also said that Boras contradicted what they are hearing from the teams about the market for Harper, and that she is leaning towards believing the teams, that Harper may not end up with the contract he had been led to expect.

Janes from the podcast:

"I think there's been tension between Tanner and Nats for a long time and I just don't think that is something that Rizzo is tolerating anymore."

Dybas added, "you're either with us or against us".

Janes continued, "that's what I heard...there's sort of a cleanse happening...jettisoned Kinzler, Kelley, Roark...not that Tanner was a problem...Rizzo's given Davey more of what he is looking for personality wise...it's a cleanse and people will be uncomfortable but what they had didn't work anyway."

On the NBCS Washington podcast Dybas and Collier are fine but she is clearly a step above them with her analysis, it's a shame I'll have to mute her on Twitter tomorrow.


https://art19.com/shows/racing-presidents/episodes/5fe2adfb-a31d-43d7-8d4d-ddd2de5d59a2

[varoadking]

Janes says that the Roark trade could have been part of the "cleansing" of the clubhouse that got Kinzler and Kelley shipped out. She also said that Boras contradicted what they are hearing from the teams about the market for Harper, and that she is leaning towards believing the teams, that Harper may not end up with the contract he had been led to expect.

Janes from the podcast:

"I think there's been tension between Tanner and Nats for a long time and I just don't think that is something that Rizzo is tolerating anymore."

Dybas added, "you're either with us or against us".

Janes continued, "that's what I heard...there's sort of a cleanse happening...jettisoned Kinzler, Kelley, Roark...not that Tanner was a problem...Rizzo's given Davey more of what he is looking for personality wise...it's a cleanse and people will be uncomfortable but what they had didn't work anyway."

On the NBCS Washington podcast Dybas and Collier are fine but she is clearly a step above them with her analysis, it's a shame I'll have to mute her on Twitter tomorrow.


https://art19.com/shows/racing-presidents/episodes/5fe2adfb-a31d-43d7-8d4d-ddd2de5d59a2

He may have been chafed that he agreed to take $4MM for the 2017 season as opposed to the $6MM he was thought to get in arbitration (I think I got that year right).  Or he could still be upset about being moved to the bullpen in 2015.

Either way...good riddance...he has been on a downward trajectory and it was painful to watch him lumber around the mound...

[UMDNats]

He naged about the bullpen move in 2015 and showed up to camp overweight this year and then had a couple unplayable months. Not surprised if Rizzo just said freak it, I'm moving on.

[UMDNats]

The new Post beat writer describes himself as "new to baseball".

There is a lot to learn about clubhouse and player etiquette in baseball. Literally any new beat writer, let alone a younger one, has to learn the ropes on what to do and not do. I know you're nagging about the Post putting younger people on the Nats beat, but it is what it is. The days of a young guy or girl taking the job and holding it for 30 years are gone. A baseball beat sucks ass and is only tolerable for younger writers or people who are really, really into baseball.

Also, I've seen plenty of veteran writers piss off an entire clubhouse, which is always hilarious. No one needs to be knocked down a peg more than veteran baseball writers.

[Slateman]

He naged about the bullpen move in 2015 and showed up to camp overweight this year and then had a couple unplayable months. Not surprised if Rizzo just said freak it, I'm moving on.

I put this in the same category as Harper showing up and trying to hit 60 homers. They prepared in the offseason in a manner detrimental to the good of the ball club. In Harper's case, he refused to change anything until after the Home Run Derby.

Roark just didn't want put in the work in the offseason. Change in the clubhouse is needed. Harper and Roark were the last holdouts.

[Mattionals]

I put this in the same category as Harper showing up and trying to hit 60 homers. They prepared in the offseason in a manner detrimental to the good of the ball club. In Harper's case, he refused to change anything until after the Home Run Derby.

Roark just didn't want put in the work in the offseason. Change in the clubhouse is needed. Harper and Roark were the last holdouts.

I think you are right. Unless Anthony or Ryan are closet DBags, I don't see anyone else being a "Non-Davey" guy. I'm really interested in bringing back Murphy as 2B and left handed 1B. He also was a big Davey supporter. Eaton is a Davey guy, and having Eaton being the dude that grooms the clubhousence for the OF with Soto and Robles, this can mean great things. Same goes for Doolittle in the bullpen.

I get the ownership angle, but only from the FO saying that Roark's salary was justified for his performance. I feel that ownership asked Rizzo if Roark was worth the money, and he probably said something along the lines of "production wise, sure, but attitude wise, nope nope nope". I think Rizzo basically came back to ownership and told them that they could get equal production for a bit less money from 2 or 3 guys. Or he is planning on trading for a starter who can fit in and give 180+ innings.