Right on Don,

The only paper worse than the L.A. Times is the New York Times. NY is so far left they've fallen over and the LAT isn't far behind. How many papers do you know that when you read them, you take their words with a grain of salt? I ended my subscription a while back because I was fed up with them printing one sided stories.

You'd think that when Zell took them over they'd change their tune but it's not the case. Besides dumping reporters they should dump the entire editorial staff too.

And you know what? It doesn't end there. TV news is just as biased for sensationalism as they are. Who in the heck EVER reports the truth? I've even had issues with the Tribune and have called them out on it too.

If you want the truth, you have to find it out for yourself.

dear "an observer"

The Sr Babe Ruth Tournament is the Southern California Tournament the winner of which goes on to the Pacific Southwest Tournament in Watsonville, CA.It has teams out of the San Gabriel Valley as well as teams made up of prep players from throughout the san gabriel valley, in fact one team is made up entirely of Bishop Amat High School players coached by the school's baseball staff. Another team has players from through out Pasadena.In fact Torres team has 2 Amat preps on it.

The Sr Babe Ruth teams in this tournament are all-star teams made up from the many summer teams throughout the San Gabriel Valley as well as players from Glendale, La Crescenta, Pasadena and Altadena.

Claude Farris, what does senior babe ruth have to do with preps coverage? And isn't Torres the coach of Crescenta Valley? Neither paper covers Crescenta Valley. I've been to senior babe ruth games along with three other people. Here's to hoping the Tribune and Star-News continue to cover preps, not garbage.

Improved broadband and wireless access have have changed the way millions get their news. Some news providers, Forbes, USA Today, the WSJ, and (yikes), maybe even the LA News Group, seem to get it. Others, the LA Times apparently among them, don't, (read Steve Lopez' column in today's LAT: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopez16-2008jul16,0,7498609.column ).

I now get my daily dose of the Times online allowing me to leave the left leaning op-ed page and the gigantic piles of newsprint in the recycling bin every week behind. In the same time it once took me to work through the chaff of LA's largest daily, I can view the news I want from not only the Times, but the sources named above and six others. What's more, I can do so from airports, rental cars, hotel rooms, or my home computer and I never have to see Patt Morrison's smirking, behatted head ever again. YES!

As sad as it is to hear these poor, ink stained wretches have lost their jobs, I suspect that we have not heard the last of them. Look for some, maybe your pal Mr. Cardenas, to join their brethren, Gurnick, Andade, and yes, even Aram Tolegian, as strictly online reporters one day soon.

I too am disapointed in prep coverage with the Trib and the Star News. They have always provided through coverage of the SR. Babe Ruth Tournament idn Arcadia every year. This year no game box scores let alone a stiry. They even got the schedule wrong in the one article they did print under the headline of Torres goes for three in a row. actually he is going for four out of the last five.

Hope this is not a precurser for the fall season

Jim is as good a guy now as he was a kid in HS.

Getting up on Friday mornings and seeing Jim's photo above the Prep column brought as much pride as seeing a former player play in college or on TV. To be a prep athlete, and grow up reading a paper.... then to be the prep editor for that same paper must have been quite special.

A great example of sports helping someone get to the nest level... in something other than sports... kind of.

Joe Amat,

I did not see Jim Barrero's name in any list, and like yourself I hope he made the cut, too. He's a very good guy and he was a good mentor when he joined the MLS beat for a brief time. I remember we sat next to each other at the Coliseum covering a soccer game and he encouraged me to stay in the business because he knew it was what I loved to do.

Miguel A. Melendez
Sportswriter
The Orange County Register

I'm knocking on wood and typing this with all fingers crossed so as to not jinx this...but does that mean that former SGV Trib Prep editor (and Amat grad) Jimmy Barrero made the cut?

I hope so. Great guy and did a super job.

Hey Fred,

It should be noted that Martin Henderson (listed as Martin "Anderson" in the list posted on TellZell) also was let go. Henderson also covered preps.

Seven years ago when I was a freelance writer at the SGV Tribune/Star-News I always knew I was at a "big game" when I ran into a Times sportswriter. I learned a lot from watching Peter Yoon and Henderson in action. Sad times indeed.

Miguel A. Melendez
Sportswriter
The Orange County Register

Fred,

From the prep side is not the Times position somewhat inconsistent with the emergence of super prep high schools, money spent by parents on kids, specialization etc.?

What I mean or rather my point is that the Times essentially will play little attention to the preps by their actions, but it seems to be for circulation prep sports seems to have a much higher profile now than twenty or thirty years ago. Simply look at the money being spent, but I guess it becomes a dollars and cents issue.

I just hope the Tribune does not take that tactic as I buy the paper for the local news and the prep sports is of particular interest.

The Times already had downgraded their prep coverage and this just makes it simply vanish. Does the Tribune do any web analysis on prep link traffic versus the rest (local, business etc)? I have to imagine we generate a fair amount of web traffic.