Tribune Up to Its Old Tricks

There was a brief period when the Chicago Tribune seemed to be making at least a token effort to treat the White Sox with at least a feeble appearance of equality, a brief period inspired, perhaps, by the fact that the White Sox did what seemed like the impossible for decades and brought a World Series trophy to Chicago. But that brief period of tokenism appears to have come to a resounding close. The Tribune has reverted to overt bias.

It has done so, no doubt, as part of a corporation-wide campaign to counteract the White Sox's documented dominance in team popularity last year. We didn't make this up. "Tribune columnist" Phil Rogers told us Nov. 20: "Tribune Co. is determined to hang on to the team, its most visible piece of civic commitment, and has too much pride to see the White Sox become Chicago's team." (Civic commitment? Try gross and greedy self-interest).

So, for example, whenever the two teams are listed in the sidebar to the Tribune's online sports page, Cubs are always listed first. Not long ago, the Tribune made the effort to interchange the two teams.

Also in the sidebar, the "Get Your Cubs On" fan photo gallery always appears above the "Get Your Sox On" fan photo gallery. For a while, the Tribune made an effort to switch those positions. ("Get Your Sox On" is also the only fan gallery that seems to be stuck with a black and white photo. Perhaps the Tribune doesn't realize that color photography has reached Third-World regions like the South Side. To realize that, they might have to dare venture down here).

Now, this might sound like a trivial matter, what's above what. But doesn't it amount to an effort by the Cubune to make sure people who turn to the Tribune for news also absorb the impression that the Cubs come first? That the Cubs are on top? That the Cubs are most popular? Even when they aren't anymore? Especially when they aren't anymore.

On today's print sports page, we have a countdown to the day that Cubs pitchers and catchers report to camp. As if everyone in Chicago is as excited about that day as the shareholding employees in the Cubune Tower. As for the White Sox, no stories. Not even one. Is that because there's no White Sox news today? Or is it because in order to find news someone from the Tribune would have to actually venture south of Roosevelt Road, where it's dangerous, they've heard, for outsiders to go.

Meanwhile, could it really be an accident that during the peak shopping season from Thanksgiving Week to Christmas Week, a picture of Alfonso Soriano appeared on top of the online sports page for 17 of 29 days. As if to say, When you go shopping, Cubs fans, remember to spend a lot of money on your high-spending Cubbies!

Combine this with the fact that during the last two regular seasons, during which the White Sox won a World Series and reigned as champions, the Tribune published 1,400 more stories that mention the Cubs than stories that mention the White Sox. Fourteen-hundred.

How can the Tribune possibly deny being biased?

Day Seven

A picture of Alfonso Soriano smiling has sat atop the Tribune online sports page for seven consecutive days, and for 17 of the last 29. During that time, a Bears player was involved in a shooting, but there is no bigger news at the Tribune than that Soriano smile.

Soriano Setting New Records...

... not for baseball, but for days of Tribune adoration. Six consecutive days now, and 16 of the last 28, with a picture of Alfonso Soriano smiling atop the Tribune's online Sports page.

I don't remember Jim Thome getting this kind of love last year.

If you wonder what we mean when we talk about the Tribune blurring the line between news and marketing, this ongoing Soriano celebration is a fine example. The current photo ceased to be newsworthy five days ago. Then promotion apparently took over, promotion that has prevented other newsworthy photos from appearing on the page. And since Soriano is both a Tribune asset and a $136 million Tribune liability, it's not hard to imagine why the Tribune would want to inflate his celebrity before baseball season actually gets underway. Tribune staffers usually insist they don't do these acts of malfeasance consciously, but would it be any better if they did them unconsciously?

Soriano Watch Reluctantly Resumes

Yes, it's true. You are all quite correct. A picture of Alfonso Soriano smiling has topped the Tribune online Sports page for four consecutive days now, just as one did for five days earlier this month, and for perhaps six days in late November. That makes 15 days out of the last 27 that a smiling photo of Alfonso Soriano has led the Tribune Sports page online. During football season. Yep. This really isn't that much fun anymore. It's like the Tribune is designing the Sports page just for the Cubune Watch now. It's like going fishing and the fish jumps into your boat before you can even bait the hook. But wait. It's a really smelly carp.

To explain why the Tribune is so enamored of Alfonso Soriano, let us ponder Alfonso's statistics, so far, as a Chicago athlete, courtesy of baseballreference.com:

Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+
2007 31 CHC NL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000

That doesn't do it for you? Well, there is one other statistic: $136 million. And who has to pay that amount? Yes, the Tribune. Maybe that explains why they're covering him like the Second Coming of Michael Jordan. If I were a Tribster, I would want to see the guy play at least one game in his new blue pajamas, you know the ones, with the cartoon baby bear on them, before I dropped to my knees.

Stop the Presses: Soriano Frowns

The New York Times published a story yesterday about the Cubs' renewed effort to buy a World Series. In the accompanying photo, Alfonso Soriano is not smiling. Gasp. This raises some questions. And some answers.

1. Does the New York Times know something the Chicago Tribune does not know?

Yes. A few things. Among them, that Alfonso Soriano's smile is not "ever-present."

2. Does Alfonso Soriano know something the Chicago Tribune does not know?

Yes. That a career with the Cubs usually peaks on the day the contract is signed, and usually collapses into mediocrity soon after. For example, please see Jacque Jones, Juan Pierre, Nomar Garciaparra, Mark Prior, Dusty Baker, Corey Patterson, Moises Alou, Ann Marie Lipinski, the Los Angeles Times. Behind Alfonso's less-than-ever-present smile, he's looking mediocrity right in the eye. He's come to the crossroads that has destroyed so many players before him: Clark and Addison. The only way to escape this trend, Alfonso knows, is to do the "Sammy Sosa," as it is known in the clubouse, which involves injecting a foreign substance (you know, like cork), in a place where it doesn't belong (like inside your bat).


Knowing When to Retire

Tribune columnist Rick Morrissey declared the end of the White Sox season in his column yesterday. Morrissey: "In terms of championships, this is what (Sox GM Ken) Williams is saying to Sox fans: One and done. You have your 2005 World Series. Shut up and be happy."

In terms of championships, who knows more: Ken Williams, who actually won one, or Rick Morrissey, who predicted his precious Cubbies would win their division last year. They finished last. Last. The "shut up" that Morrissey hears is actually directed at him. Rick, there's a beach somewhere waiting for you, where you can get big fruity drinks and watch your Cubbies via satellite. Go now. You'll be happier, and so will Chicago.

It's So Hard Letting Go

Maybe it's bias and incompetence. Tribune just took down the Soriano photo, but look at the cutline:

Day 5 of Tribune Gazing Lovingly at Soriano

The same photograph of Alphonso Soriano putting on a Cubs uniform has now topped the Tribune online sports page for five consecutive days. Not only did the Bears clinch their division during that time, but a full-blown quarterback controversy is raging in this city, and the Tribune thinks a stale photo of a guy donning a Tribune-owned logo at a Tribune-run press conference is bigger news. Bias or incompetence? Take your pick.

Day 4 of Cubune Watch's Soriano Watch

A photo of Alphonso Soriano smiling in his new Cubuniform has now been on top of the Tribune online sports page for four days. It has been one day since the Bears clinched their division, and Soriano still rules the Tribune sports dept.

Root, Root, Rooting for the New Tribune Employee

There's another photo of smiling Alphonso Soriano on top of the online sports page at chicagotribune.com. It's been there for three days. It's similar to the smiling photo of Alphonso Soriano that occupied the same spot for most of Thanksgiving week (Please see "Tribune: King of Advertorial"). In the new photo, Alphonso is wearing a Cubs jersey and standing next to Jim Hendry. Woo Woo. The cutline under the November photo read, "Images in the News," suggesting there was no other news that week. This time it says, "Sports photos of the week." We suppose it might be possible for three whole days to pass without Tribune photographers taking any other sports photos, except that there was a very photogenic Bears victory today. Devin Hester's punt return for a touchdown, Ricky Manning Jr's interception for a touchdown, Uhrlacher's interception, the safety that should have been a touchdown? No, sorry. Soriano's smile still rules the online sports page.

When it comes to the Tribune and their precious Cubbies, even the 10-2 Bears, on the very day they clinch their division, can be the second team in the Second City.

In October, Tribune columnist Rick Morrissey criticized the Sun-Times for putting a Bears helmet and a palm tree on its masthead. Morrissey's headline: "Root, root, root for home team? It's not our job." It's really difficult to see how the Sun-Times conceit can be any worse than the Tribune's overt marketing of new Tribune employee Alphonso Soriano and his smile. Dave van Dyck even started a story this way: "Alfonso Soriano is known for his ever-present smile..." Whether or not Soriano is actually always smiling, photos of his smile are already ever-present in the Tribune. In Soriano and his smile, it looks like the Cubune Marketing Dept. may have found a replacement for Sammy Sosa and his heart thump. Soriano may not be on the Tribune masthead yet, but this photo featuring two Tribune employees and a Tribune-owned logo is about three times larger than the masthead, and it's been dominating the online sports page for three days.