By DSR Staff
DetroitSportsRag@GMail.com
January 2, 2013
[Editor’s Note: After a one-year hiatus, the DSR has revived our year-end awards given out to the Detroit Media. Instead of one long article presenting all of the recipients at once, we will be rolling these out over the next few days. And yes, the Raggie Trophy is a Detroit snow globe, a “Made in Detroit” coffee cozy and one of Moss’s wife’s unused tampons.]
Best Article or Column
John Niyo — “Prince’s Parting Was Largely of His Own Making”
Do you want to know the disparity between the winner of this Raggie and the second place finisher? Well, here is an instructional video …..
The Detroit News columnist John Niyo took down this category with a column he wrote the night of the Prince Fielder-Ian Kinsler trade. In fact, the only competition Niyo really had for this Raggie is his other work from 2013.
But this column separated itself from all others. Hell, you’d think it was written for publication on this godless websight™ (Terry Foster.) Because it was posted after midnight the evening of the trade occurred, we honestly figured John was wasted when he penned it.
Here are just a few of the bombs that Niyo dropped on Prince in this piece:
Not to make light of Fielder’s own marital troubles, but there may have been irreconcilable differences here in Detroit, too.
Not to make light of Fielder’s own marital troubles …… while I clearly make light of Fielder’s marital troubles. Hahahahaha.
“It’s over. I’ve got kids I’ve got to take care of. I’ve got things I’ve got to take care of. For me, it’s over, bro.”
It is in Detroit, mercifully.
Dagger.
But you can’t help but wonder if comments like that from Fielder as the Tigers came up short again in the postseason — after they “let one get away,” as Leyland put it — might’ve helped expedite this. I mean, here was a guy with a $214 million contract in a bankrupt city, an overweight slugger whose bat had gone silent in two consecutive playoff runs, shrugging off a crushing defeat in the AL Championship Series like it was a canceled lunch date.
Fat? Passive aggressive dig at Leyland? Check and check.
In 24 playoff games for the Tigers over two seasons, Fielder produced just one home run and three RBIs — and none of either this October — giving him an anemic .196/.267/.239 postseason slash line that would’ve embarrassed a utility infielder, much less an All-Star power hitter.
And yet his nonchalant explanation after Game 3 against the Red Sox last month was, “If they throw a mistake, I hit it. If not, I won’t.” That comment didn’t sit well with other leaders in the Tigers clubhouse, and though Fielder’s work ethic was never questioned — “He played hard, he played every day,” Dombrowski said — it’s not hard to understand why.
Prince Fielder wasn’t brought here simply to hit mistakes.
It is sad that brutal honesty like this column is the rarity in Detroit, but here we are.
Honorable Mention: All of John Niyo’s other columns, Lynn Henning’s Hall of Fame ballot column
Best Sports Talk Radio Show — “The Discussion” with Matt Dery
Worst Sports Talk Radio Show — “The Drew Lane Show”
Best Local TV Anchor — Lindsey Hayes — Fox Sports Detroit
Best Media Twitter Account — Tony Paul — @TonyPaul1984
Worst Media Twitter Account — TIE (@TerryFoster971 and @VGoodwill)
Worst Article/Column of the Year — Pat Caputo — Oakland Press
Best Article/Column of the Year — John Niyo — Detroit News
Best TV Broadcast Team – George Blaha and Greg Kelser — Fox Sports Detroit
Worst TV Broadcast Team – Mario Impemba and Rod Allen — Fox Sports Detroit
Best Radio Broadcast Team – Dan Miller and Jim Brandstatter — 97.1
Worst Radio Broadcast Team – Dan Dickerson and Jim Price — 97.1 Best Beat Writer – David Mayo — MLive.com
Worst Beat Writer – John Lowe — Detroit Free Press
Worst Columnist – Jeff Seidel — Detroit Free Press
Worst Media-Related Restaurant Disaster – Coming Soon
The Jamie Samuelsen Award – Jamie Samuelsen — 97.1 and Detroit Free Press
Craig Monroe Memorial Award — Bill Shea — Crain’s Detroit
Best Columnist – John Niyo — Detroit News