By now everybody’s heard. ESPN denied the Steve Phillips banging a chick on the side story when Deadspin editor A.J. Daulerio called to inquire. Then the story turned out to be true so Daulerio called to ask ESPN about a few other rumors and by “called” I mean he posted them on Deadspin. Caught in the collateral damage were Erik “I’m a lawyer” Kuselias and Katie “Who am I and who gives a damn?” Lacey..

The Tubes nearly exploded-

The Deadspin Backlash [SB Nation]

AJ Daulerio Is An Asshole [MGoBlog]

Deadspin Embarrasses Itself With ESPN Posts [The Sporting Blog]

Phillies Return to World Series, Robots Taking Over Press Box & What ESPN Axe is Daulerio Grinding at Deadspin? [On The DL]

- but not everybody was putting Deadspin down or sticking up for ESPN.

DEADSPIN IS DOING THE LORD’S WORK [With Leather]

The outrage seems to go in one of two directions. They’re pissed because they feel A.J. and Deadspin crossed a line by delving into the personal lives of ESPN employees, or because those posts will make all sports bloggers look bad. I agree to an extent with the first take but not at all with the second.

I caught Daulerio on IM Thursday to get his thoughts on the kick in the balls he gave to ESPN.

HG: IMO… i thought you guys were trying to pull them in
not quite a publicity stunt
but definitely an act designed to raise awareness

Daulerio: I guess you could see it that way, sure. Did I lash out a little bit and create a spectacle? Yeah. Do I think there’s a larger issue here that’s being overlooked in the arbitrary nature of their policy? I think that’s in play as well.

HG: What was your intent, Nick’s (Denton) too if any?

Daulerio: Cause chaos, make news, create talking points. But that’s not Nick’s. In fact, I think he gets a little spooked by how I handle things sometimes. Probably not, though.

HG: What talking points were you hoping to create? You expect a lawsuit?

Daulerio: I think there are media ethics issues here — what’s the give-and-take between PR rep and reporter/writer/blogger and what happens when they steer you off a story due to some technicality even though there’s a long-standing history of transparency between the two parties. And how flimsy this whole “code of conduct” policy at ESPN actually is.
And, no, I don’t expect a lawsuit. I never expect a lawsuit.

ESPN issued a statement late Thursday:

A.J. says he lashed out, I call it overreacting. Posting the info only because ESPN dogged him on a story makes AJ and Deadspin seem petty. I’m not saying everybody would’ve been on board- because some people just don’t like to hear about guys cheating on their wives, women sleeping their way to the top, and the traveling crews flying in road beef- but more people would’ve been receptive to the posts if they had been rolled out normally instead of vindictively.

As far as making all sports bloggers look bad.. In the same way The Enquirer makes all print media look bad. It doesn’t. What we write and how we handle topics on our sites is what makes us look good or bad. I’m not hinging my credibility on the rest of the blogosphere. If somebody lumps all sports blogs together because of the actions of one sports blog, they’re an idiot. Why would I be mad at Plaschke over something Simers wrote? And if you think this is the worst thing Deadspin has done to damage the image of sports bloggers, you must not remember Waxing Off..

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