Dodgers flack gets snappy

I got a note last night saying that Bob Harvey, who hosts the post-game Dodgers talk show on KFWB, angrily told yesterday of being berated in a phone call from Dodgers PR director Josh Rawitch. I've never heard Harvey's show, but I guess he's less boosterish than the homers who previously hosted the after-game call-in show. He was so ticked off by Rawitch's call, apparently, that when the station went to a traffic report the announcer asked Harvey "are you okay?" Anyway, Rawitch addressed it today on his official Dodgers blog, and elicits many comments.

Several of you mentioned the DodgerTalk program from yesterday and asked me to explain what happened so here goes:

For many years, DodgerTalk has been hosted by various people who either travel with the team or serve as a broadcaster and can provide an inside perspective on what goes on from day to day. This year, KFWB chose to change the show and to my knowledge, the host of DodgerTalk has not spoken with Frank McCourt, Ned Colletti, Grady Little or a single player or coach yet this season despite repeated offers from the organization to do so.

The only thing I've ever expected of any DodgerTalk host is that they present both sides of every argument rather than just let fans rail away (or praise) a decision, player, executive, etc.

Fair, balanced and informed reporting is all we are asking for.

He may have a point about Harvey's level of expertise, but I hope Rawitch doesn't actually believe that stuff about balance. It's not Josh's job, or his custom, to examine both sides of an argument or promote balance. When knowledgeable fans criticize Juan Pierre, for instance, the Dodgers blog typically points out the upside of his stats or playing style. Same for other players. You don't hear the Dodger hype machine stop a fan who is enthusing to point out, for balance's sake, that a player is slumping or not very good. I'm not saying they should, just noting that they don't. I understand, though, why people around the Dodgers would be upset, since the L.A. tradition is for the host of that show to act as a Dodgers fan first and an informed baseball analyst second, if at all.