Gangsta Spanksta
02-05-2008, 03:47 AM
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003706227
Boston Papers Run Specials Despite Loss -- But 'Globe' Book Axed
By Joe Strupp
Published: February 04, 2008 12:05 PM ET
NEW YORK The New England Patriots' surprise loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII on Sunday didn't stop the two major Boston papers from running special sections planned for the expected win and perfect season.
The Boston Globe, which still ran a 24-page section on the game Monday, canceled plans for its undefeated season book, which had been promoted on Amazon.com with the title, "19-0," according to Editor Martin Baron.
"There is nothing more for us to do," said Baron, who stressed that the special section for Monday could not have been canceled at the last minute as space was already set aside. "It's over."
The book, which remained on the Amazon.com Web site Monday with the clear caveat that it would be available only in the event of a Patriots victory, drew some criticism when word of its planning was reported last week.
Some critics, especially Giants fans, believed it showed too much overconfidence on the part of New Englanders with one game still to go. Baron, whose paper soon after reported that the rival Boston Herald had its own book in the works, said coverage of the pending Globe book was overblown.
"It is completely ridiculous," he said Monday. "The nature of these books, they are quick turnaround books, you have to plan them in advance. What we did was no different than what anyone else does."
He said the Herald had a similar Amazon.com arrangement, but their book did not include their name with the online promotion.
Herald Executive Sports Editor Hank Hryniewicz confirmed that his paper had a book in the works. "We were certainly working on it and a special commemorative section," he told E&P. "That would have been a separate seller on newsstands."
The Herald offered just a four-page wrap around the main paper today, similar to the wrap it published with the Sunday paper.
But most of the Herald's coverage this week was notable for its somewhat negative reporting on elements of the Super Bowl that many Patriots fans might have wanted to miss.
Last Wednesday, the paper spread the word that Boston was already planning a Super Bowl victory parade, with a front-page mock photo of Mayor Thomas Menino in a Giants uniform and the headline, "Stupor Tuesday: Menino's parade plan puts jinx on Pats & creates super-duper chaos."
Then, on Saturday, the biggest bombshell fell when the Herald broke the story of an alleged videotape controversy related to the Patriots first Super Bowl win over the St. Louis Rams in which the Patriots were allegedly spying on the other team's planning. That followed revelations earlier this season that a spying incident involving the New York Jets had occurred.
"It got very personal, they got very upset," Hryniewicz said of the fan fallout. "There were hundreds of [online] comments and we did get a lot of phone calls and e-mails."
When asked if anyone threatened Herald staffers, he declined to comment, but added, "there were a lot of threats for canceling the paper. People saying, 'I'll never buy the Herald again.'"
"It kind of blossomed on Sunday with calls," added Herald assistant sports editor Joe Thomas.
In New York, meanwhile, the city's three tabloids made the most of the unexpected victory. The New York Daily News printed a large, 40-page wrap around its regular edition Monday. Newsday of Melville, N.Y., which has a New York City edition, offered a 24-page wrap. The New York Post took a lesser approach, with seven pages of news-section coverage in addition to extensive sports stories.
Boston Papers Run Specials Despite Loss -- But 'Globe' Book Axed
By Joe Strupp
Published: February 04, 2008 12:05 PM ET
NEW YORK The New England Patriots' surprise loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII on Sunday didn't stop the two major Boston papers from running special sections planned for the expected win and perfect season.
The Boston Globe, which still ran a 24-page section on the game Monday, canceled plans for its undefeated season book, which had been promoted on Amazon.com with the title, "19-0," according to Editor Martin Baron.
"There is nothing more for us to do," said Baron, who stressed that the special section for Monday could not have been canceled at the last minute as space was already set aside. "It's over."
The book, which remained on the Amazon.com Web site Monday with the clear caveat that it would be available only in the event of a Patriots victory, drew some criticism when word of its planning was reported last week.
Some critics, especially Giants fans, believed it showed too much overconfidence on the part of New Englanders with one game still to go. Baron, whose paper soon after reported that the rival Boston Herald had its own book in the works, said coverage of the pending Globe book was overblown.
"It is completely ridiculous," he said Monday. "The nature of these books, they are quick turnaround books, you have to plan them in advance. What we did was no different than what anyone else does."
He said the Herald had a similar Amazon.com arrangement, but their book did not include their name with the online promotion.
Herald Executive Sports Editor Hank Hryniewicz confirmed that his paper had a book in the works. "We were certainly working on it and a special commemorative section," he told E&P. "That would have been a separate seller on newsstands."
The Herald offered just a four-page wrap around the main paper today, similar to the wrap it published with the Sunday paper.
But most of the Herald's coverage this week was notable for its somewhat negative reporting on elements of the Super Bowl that many Patriots fans might have wanted to miss.
Last Wednesday, the paper spread the word that Boston was already planning a Super Bowl victory parade, with a front-page mock photo of Mayor Thomas Menino in a Giants uniform and the headline, "Stupor Tuesday: Menino's parade plan puts jinx on Pats & creates super-duper chaos."
Then, on Saturday, the biggest bombshell fell when the Herald broke the story of an alleged videotape controversy related to the Patriots first Super Bowl win over the St. Louis Rams in which the Patriots were allegedly spying on the other team's planning. That followed revelations earlier this season that a spying incident involving the New York Jets had occurred.
"It got very personal, they got very upset," Hryniewicz said of the fan fallout. "There were hundreds of [online] comments and we did get a lot of phone calls and e-mails."
When asked if anyone threatened Herald staffers, he declined to comment, but added, "there were a lot of threats for canceling the paper. People saying, 'I'll never buy the Herald again.'"
"It kind of blossomed on Sunday with calls," added Herald assistant sports editor Joe Thomas.
In New York, meanwhile, the city's three tabloids made the most of the unexpected victory. The New York Daily News printed a large, 40-page wrap around its regular edition Monday. Newsday of Melville, N.Y., which has a New York City edition, offered a 24-page wrap. The New York Post took a lesser approach, with seven pages of news-section coverage in addition to extensive sports stories.