[32351]

Re: Don’t Count Out Mladin

Mladin is a very good racer. Consistent. Talented. Boring. Fans gravitate to riders who ride to win.

Gobert, Hayden, Russell, Rossi

It would be very good for the AMA Superbike Championship for Mladin to fade away. That said, I have to strongly disagree with the oversimplification of the AMA Superbike Championship as depicted in this article. If it's just about Mladin vs. Hayden, why not just have a series of one-on-one match races?

What is the point of this kind of article? MO, this doesn't make me feel like my subscription dollars are well spent. Either stick to reporting simple facts (Practice, Qualifying and Race results) or give us some real meat.

Besides Gobert is going to beat them all.

 

[jmeyn]

Wait a minute

This looks like a subscriber submission, not an MO editorial. If so, it's a great basis for a semi-flaming discussion. MO is providing an open forum here; let's take advantage of it.

 

[Double_L]

Tricky ****,



The point of the article is that many pundits have already written off Mladin because he's sporting exactly zero points after Daytona. I simply wanted to point out the reasons why and how he could still win the 2002 title.



I agree with you that Gobert is probably the rider to beat this weekend, but he's yet to prove that he can keep it together for an entire season.



I still believe ultimately the championship battle will come down between Hayden and Mladin. Personally I hope Duhamel can get in the mix as well.



LL

 

[minime]

Re: Don’t Count Out Mladin

Whoa.. Pardon me while I step in here. Not to come across as being biased, though I surely am, this is just the kind of news item we get so many e-mails requesting. And the person who posted it is somebody who I cannot speak any more highly of. His name is Larry Lawrence and he has worked (and still seems to) work for just about everybody. People have requested his services for way more dollars than we could ever pay him, and he's turned them down. Because he likes MO. He likes the reader's feedback. YOUR feedback.

He's the same guy that broke the Picotte news, interviewed Doug Chandler before anybody else knew what happened, and is generally more plugged-in to the racing scene than any other person I know. I gave him free reigns to post as he pleases here and I hope to God he continues to do so. He's one of the special people who has stuck by MO through the hard times, and he'll be with us as the gettin' keeps getting better...

Maybe this post isn't Hard News, but I like that. We'll bring you the facts, the lap times, the point standings, etc., but frankly, more people care about the people behind the numbers and the leathers than there are what I like to call "Baseball People" (those who are purely numbers-oriented).

And so, I hope Larry continues this type of posting. And as long as there are people responding, lighting a fire, inciting thoughtful remarks, comments and the occasional witticism, I encourage him 100-percent to continue, and publicly thank him again for his support and contributions to MO.

--Minime

 

[DucButt]

Re: Don’t Count Out Mladin

Right on, minime - count me amongst those who care about the story behind the story. If I just wanted the facts, I wouldn't have paid the $12, since I can get them free practically anywhere. I was prompted to subscribe by the coup MO scored with bringing in Burnsie - but also by the insightful musings of minime, LL et al. You've been first-rate. My expectations have been exceeded. Maybe because I didn't enter into a subscription with the attitude that everything should match my personal view of the world. We all tend to see things differently - would you rather be right or be happy? Bring it on, MO - to put my money where my mouth is, I'll cough up another $12 if you promise not to spend it on a blow-up doll for Burnsie.

 

[Grappelli]

Re: Don’t Count Out Mladin

"What is the point of this kind of article? MO, this doesn't make me feel like my subscription dollars are well spent. "

I am so sick of this constant pathetic whining.

 

[bluedot]

Re: Don’t Count Out Mladin

It would really be a shame to see Matts chances at a 4th title lost from a season opening injury.

Though I can't stand HRC, I'd love to see Nikky win the tittle, no rider deserves it more than him IMO, hellov a kid. (why can't my daughter bring someone like THAT home .. hehe)

Would be bittersweet if it's due to Matt's injury though. Hope Matt is back to 100% soon.

Thanks for the contribution LL ...

 

[jmeyn]

Hayden improved continually last season; he seems to be carrying the momentum into this one. If he and Mladin both keep their heads straight and their rubber down you have to pick Hayden in this pairing.

I don't think Yamaha will provide enough support to keep Gobert in the top 5 consistently.

 

[jmeyn]

Welcome to MO!

Are there any comers that should be counted in besides the mighty three?

 

[intruderman]

Re: Don’t Count Out Mladin

Just because you don't like Mladin is no reason to pan the article. I liked it, and would like to see more like it.

 

[evilgenius]

Re: Don’t Count Out Mladin

I have to disagree with you on this one - I think Yamaha will pour their hearts out into assisting Gobert since he'll only ride the Superbike this year.

Gobert is a changed man and if he keeps upright, he will challenge Hayden. He seems to be a more consistent rider than Hayden or anyone else for that matter on shorter and twistier tracks, especially on an underpowered bike (remember how dominant he was on the Ducati in both long and short tracks).

He seems very determined to win this year and is showing it in form of his courageous ride in Daytona. True, the Yamaha is severely handicapped against the Honda but Gobert's talent will overcome it in certain tracks.

That's my two cents...

 

[fizzchem]

Re: Don’t Count Out Mladin

I guess this is an opinion column and not really 'news' per se.

I hope Hayden wins the whole enchilida. The burrito too.

 

[Joe_Momma]

Gobert. Title. Period.

 

[Joe_Momma]

Aren't you whining about the whining?

 

[32351]

Re: Don’t Count Out Mladin

While I appreciate the human element provided by the pieces that you have cited, the bottom line is that I perceive LL's contribution as a puff piece. No meat.

The human side of motorcycling is often overlooked. I applaud MOs efforts to humanize online motojournalism by bringing in John Burns, but this is a puff piece. It's not even a news piece. NOT NEWS! It's an op-ed piece.

After careful consideration I think that the piece is classified as news is one of my biggest objections.

 

[jmeyn]

At last...

... it's a valid objection!

 

[jmeyn]

I'm taking notes

I'll remember you said that.

 

[evilgenius]

Re: Don’t Count Out Mladin

Heh. Unusual comment coming from you Joe_Momma - you usually keep an open mind about things and have good points, but...

Don't you think your being a bit premature about Gobert?

 

[jmeyn]

Suggestion

Yeah, MO, how about :

1) An Editorial Page

2) A Flame Page that presents controversial subjects with pro/con arguments

3) A Columnist's Corner with by-lines for interesting stuff like LL's post

A bit of web work here, I'm afraid.

 

[minime]

Re: Suggestion

A bit of work, but something we're working on anyway...