I don’t think the league releases stats because it’s “the right thing to do,” I think they do it because it drives interest in the game, and that brings in more money than it costs for them to pay for 32 official scorers.

I don’t see the connection with the Negro Leagues. According to wikipedia, MLB didn’t hire official scorers until 1980. We have stats for all of early MLB but not for the Negro Leagues because people–fans and especially news organizations–kept those stats, not because of MLB. It’s a different age we live in now, anyway. Do you think the equivalent of the Negro Leagues would exist today without someone tracking their every stat, regardless of whether they were released by the league or not? There are plenty of 4th-grade soccer leagues that have full stats posted online these days–what are the odds that no one would track an major league game? Football Outsiders has multiple volunteer game charters for each game. I have little doubt that BR could crowdsource game stats (a much simpler task for baseball) without much trouble. More to the point, if MLB didn’t release the stats, the local news organizations surely would, and so would at least one blog for every team.

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I think courtesy is owed, just because I think everyone should be decent to each other. But cooperation? I don’t see how players have that obligation *to the media*. To their owners, sure. To their fans, maybe. But no one is obligated to cooperate with the media in and of itself.

Don’t take it personally though. I think I speak for most Banterers when I say your writing and reporting is highly regarded around here.

I think it’s more “playing ball” so that the media doesn’t put a hit out on them.

I understand the media’s gripe, but at the same time, I’ve seen the NY media consistently make mountains from molehills. Also should be noted that Soriano probably didn’t think it was that big a deal; Waldman alluded to that during today’s broadcast.

Does Baseball-Reference have someone at every game, or watching every game on TV, in order to keep their stats up-to-date? Of course they don’t. They rely on the official statisticians, who rely on the written reports coming from the official scorers at each game.

Sliced Bread, reporters don’t have the luxury of waiting until the next day, or until two days later, to get quotes for their stories. They’re working on tough deadlines, and in today’s neverending news cycle, the pressure to produce written material is even greater on the beat writers. Tomorrow just doesn’t cut it.

It wasn’t a case of Soriano refusing to comment. He wasn’t there AT ALL. That’s what upset the media–and it seems, a number of Yankee players, too. They were no more impressed with Soriano’s disappearing act than the writers.

I often hear talk show hosts from the non-sports world complain that someone won’t come on their show, or won’t make themselves available to do an interview. This happens all the time on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. It is hardly restricted to the sports world.

Man, I know some of you guys hate sportswriters, but your unwillingness to expect even a minimum level of courtesy and cooperation from professional ballplayers is stunning.

I do interviews with players, too, although they are usually with retired ballplayers. I guess you have as little regard for me as you do for the mainstream press.

I think the management of a team has the right to put pressure on its players to speak, but ultimately that’s the only obligation players have in this situation–they don’t owe anything to the media. Personally, I could care less about the clubhouse stuff, but I get why the league wants its players to put up with it–it generates revenue down the road.

How about a little patience from the beat writers and producers? Soriano didn’t take a phone call from his mother after that game, but he has to talk to Joel Sherman, or whomever? That’s nonsense. Why can’t Soriano say, “I have no comment tonight, fellas, see you tomorrow.” Why can’t his teammates simply say, “ask Soriano, he’ll talk to you when he’s ready.”

Other factions of the media don’t make a federal case when their requests for an interview are refused. They keep making requests, and wait until their interview subject is ready to talk. Investigative reporters and producers are especially patient in this regard.

The sports media needs to get over itself and stop whining when athletes ignore their deadlines. And let’s face it, when Soriano finally got around to explaining his performance, did it really shed any light on what happened? Did it really make a difference? Was it worth 48 hours of whining from the sports media? I dont think so.