Old man Shapiro went full “get off my lawn” on Twitter, kicked Chihuahuas.
Traditional media is just about finished with former television and former radio host Les Shapiro but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to accept being a glorified blogger.
Les Shapiro has blocked a ton of people on Twitter. Me among them. He shed me back in the Tebow era …back when Shapiro still had a radio show. The old man hated the young QB yet he couldn’t stop talking about him. Shapiro was a caricature of a host and his show became almost un-listenable as he feasted on Tebow daily and I let him know it – so bye bye me. But much to my surprise the crazy old bastard showed back up on my timeline yesterday.
I was at Chili’s eating a triple-dipper combo and drinking a huge Coors Light while I waited for my showing of Fury Road to start (great flick, by the way) when I pulled out my smart phone and saw that I had like twenty-four mentions. I scrolled through and there was Les getting into it with a bevy of baseball bloggers with my handle attached.
The thread was classic Shapiro – combative, braggadocios and completely out of touch.
Despite his having been relegated to the digital media himself, Shapiro went on a harangue about how much he that he abhors those involved with the digital media, specifically the many bloggers who cover the Colorado Rockies. He put himself on a pedestal and wrote off the opinions of others based on the idea that since they write for the internet that they must be children. Shapiro also used the analogy that Chihuahuas were nipping at his heels and they deserved to be kicked.
It’s not hard to picture Les Shapiro actually kicking a dog.
Involved in the Twitter battle with Shapiro was David Martin, formerly of Rockies Review, who currently writes for Brandon Spano’s BSN Network and is credentialed by the Rockies. Martin has covered the Rockies like a batting glove for years and hasn’t missed a move the club has made or failed to make. He’s as credible as anybody covering the team. Shapiro also engaged various writers from Purple Row, the credentialed SN Nation blog )which has been devoted to covering the Rox for as long as anybody can remember) and Rockies Zingers, a Rockies blog and podcast. And me. I somehow became involved, too. Probably because I have been known to poke fun at old man Shapiro from time to time. Mostly because he says shit like this:
I’m ripping SOME bloggers who believe starting a web site makes them legit. It doesn’t
And you’re just another little boy who doesn’t understand the difference between journalism and crap. Welcome to my block party…
you should get your facts straight. I read, and embrace, blogs all day long. Just not little boy blogs that suck up to the tms
And being credentialed doesn’t = credibility
Excuse me, son, but when an org is that bad,and there’s little to be optimistic about, it’s not trolling. It’s realism. Try it
Amazing how ignorant we are. How did we stay in big market media all these yrs? Must be luck
You’re spending a lot of time justifying your existence. Just sayin’…
We always welcome good debate. But we won’t suffer fools gladly
The melee started with a discussion about Tulo, his intentions and the best moves that can or should be made with him for him and for the organization and it began good natured enough. It didn’t take long, though, for Shapiro to make the discussion about himself and how much more credible he is than others – particularly bloggers – of whom he has a low opinion.
Shapiro’s not necessarily wrong in any specific thing he said during his Twitter meltdown he’s simply out of touch with certain realities – most prominently his own importance within the Denver media. He is not well liked. That’s a simple fact. And when people don’t like you in media – when you’re a pain in the ass to work with – when you are full of yourself – you eventually disappear – no matter how clever you may think that you are.
Shapiro had all but vaporized until he reappeared as the co-host of “Sports Show” on the Denver Post’s web site along with Woody Paige. I have no idea who watches that. None. I am intrigued enough that I would have checked it out had I the time. But who can turn their computers on to streaming video of a sports radio show in the afternoons? Not working people, that’s for sure. So who could the audience for Sports Show possibly be? Unemployed child bloggers perhaps? Or maybe Chihuahuas.
