Why I will no longer be covering the Thunderbirds for 710ESPN

Today marks the end of my two year association with 710ESPN. It was this very blog that helped get me that gig in the first place. It was a rough two seasons covering the Thunderbirds I have to admit. Especially this past season. They are an organization that hasn't had to deal with a "Beat Reporter" or close daily scrutiny. They don't like it much. Sure they desperately need the exposure that I gave them game in game out, day in day out but they never made it very easy. Now to be fair Russ Farwell did grant me a monthly interview each season, and he answered all of my tough questions. I don't think he liked it very much. When I asked about Kent-Meridian High School a couple of months back I got an earful from the PR department. They thought it was a "made up story" and "unprofessional." I argued that it wasn't, that it was based on facts, that people had come up to me over the years complaining about the school..parents, billets and players. Just last week Shea Theodore tweeted that he was glad to be back at his home school, that anything was better than K-M.

That is just one example of how covering the team wasn't much fun. Part of it is that I'm used to a big market and a pro team. When I was just 18 and an intern I helped the pre and post game guy on Yankee broadcasts for WABC Radio in New York  get interviews and such at Yankee Stadium before each game. There I was at 18, sitting in the Managers office, shooting the shit with him and the reporters for papers such as The Daily News. At 40 years old I couldn't even go into the Thunderbirds locker room to see Steve Konowalchuk, I had to wait outside, couldn't go in and grab a player for a quick interview. This makes the job tougher. You are told it's a league rule (no locker room access for press) but you know each team gets to make that decision. Might seem like a small thing but when you provide the only real coverage a team gets maybe they could make an exception..not here. I also wanted to do a road trip with the team in order to give fans some insight into what life on the road is like for a hockey player. I was never allowed to do it even though I asked  several times.

I didn't do player profiles this season because I felt getting a few minutes before or after a practice with the PR guy looking over your shoulder wasn't conducive to getting a great interview. Just fluff. And I don't do fluff. Which is another issue in the Seattle market. Being trained and bred in the New York market I was used to reading some pretty hard hitting stuff about a team, or a player or an owner, that's simply what I was brought up with. It was commonplace. Not personal attacks, just good factual based stuff, sometimes fact based opinions on the performance of a team or an individual.

Which brings me to the "final straw" for no longer covering the team for 710ESPN. I recently wrote a blog post about Russ Farwell and his need to step aside as GM. Not as owner, just GM. I wrote the article around 10 pm and posted it. At 2:30 in the morning I got an e-mail from my editor saying he took the post down because he was "uncomfortable" with it. I was livid. I wrote back saying I was upset that it was taken down without any conversation with me first especially since I had put time and effort into it. I had also mentioned about a month ago to my editor that I was going to do an article like this..mentioned it twice. Now I understand that 710ESPN has a deal with the Thunderbirds. They are getting paid to air 20 games and stream every game on the website. Call me idealistic but this shouldn't matter when it comes to editorial content on a blog. The two entities should be separate. When I was in radio we would talk about the "Separation of sales and programming", meaning the sales department did their thing and didn't interfere with the "creativity" of the programming department. Just sell your spots and shut up. Sorry for the radio insider stuff but it really helps make my point. You can't have the Thunderbirds having any say at all in what is written about the team. It's called a conflict of interest much like the one I rail on about with Farwell being the Owner and GM. If I get on his case how can I continue along with this conflict on my own end?

While I had been thinking since mid-season that I didn't want to do this again next season I was still fired today. The thinking is that I had a fundamental disagreement about the above conflict and also the job of a reporter. I feel that especially in this day and age there is nothing wrong with a reporter..especially one that writes a blog...to give an informed, well thought out opinion. An opinion such as the one I gave with Farwell needing to step aside as GM. How often do we see "reporters" on TV in both politics and sports giving more than just the "facts" but also letting the viewers know how they feel? Happens all the time. Unless someone gets too personal or goes of the deep end nobody is really bothered by it.

I think it comes down to the fact that they just aren't used to this kind of coverage in Seattle. No I'm not saying I was doing anything groundbreaking at all, in fact as I said I grew up with this kind of no nonsense writing being very common. Seattle sports teams have rarely been lambasted in the media the way they are in other markets...not just New York. I believe there is a real connection between this and losing. There is no real pressure to improve.. to strive for better. It's like a kid that gets away with bad grades. Why bother to improve? Sometimes we all need that kick in the ass. Seattle sports organizations just don't get that kick very often..if at all.

Would it have been better to cover a winning team and talk about wins all the time and what a great job everyone was doing? Of course, and it would have been a lot easier and more fun as well. But that wasn't the case with the Thunderbirds. I wasn't going to sugar coat how bad they were and how bleak things looked. Sorry, wrong guy. Did my style give my editor some heartburn? No doubt. Although he did say that he appreciated the "passion" I brought to my writing.

Still I couldn't agree with taking that Farwell post down. No matter how many times my editor may have told the Birds brass, complaining about one thing or another, that I was doing a good job and that they had my back, I still think that post was the ultimate test. Once again it's what I grew up with. My old boss at WABC radio would have told Farwell to take a walk if he had complained about it. Now from what I know it never got to that in this case, I'm not sure the Thunderbirds ever had a chance to even read it.

To me you back up your writer unless as I said earlier, he/she gets personal. I never did that in my article. I simply stated why I believed there needed to be this change in order for the team to get better and finally win something. As the only person who covered the team on a daily basis I felt I had the right and the knowledge to say what I felt.

If you are thinking that I now again have that right because I'm back to posting on my own blog well I hate to disappoint you but I don't think I will be staying in Seattle and covering any team here. I think like the team this media market needs an overhaul and I don't have the power to be part of it right now.

I really want to thank the people who have followed me these past couple of seasons. For all the kind words not just publicly but privately as well. I truly hope things get better for your hockey team. You all deserve it.

twitter @mikeCwrites

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Why Russ Farwell needs to step down as General Manager of the Seattle Thunderbirds

The following is the article that was removed from the 710Sports.com website. I had nothing to do with that removal.

By Mike Caccioppoli

After the Thunderbirds missed the playoffs last season General Manager Russ Farwell made a coaching change. It couldn't have been an easy decision because of his long friendship and working relationship with Rob Sumner. However after back to back losing seasons with no playoffs, Farwell felt a change needed to be made. The team finished with 50 points in the 2009-2010 season and 64 points in the 2010-2011 season.

Steve Konowalchuk was brought in to replace Sumner. Konowalchuk had a very successful career in the NHL, but hadn't worked in the WHL since his playing days there. Inheriting a good portion of the same players Sumner had to work with, Konowalchuk's team really struggled this season, finishing with just 52 points and missing the playoffs again. The struggles may have had something to do with the "growing pains" a new coach has to go through but we've seen new coaches take a team from the bottom to the top in one season as well. Sumner himself did that in his first year as Head Coach in 2004-2005. The issue this season was more about the quality and mentality of the players that were on the team. Even a veteran bench boss would have struggled to get to the post-season.

So we have to look at the person that put those players on the ice to begin with. Farwell has been the owner of the Thunderbirds for nearly a decade now. He has been the General Manager for about two decades. Before coming to Seattle he was the General Manager of the Medicine Hat Tigers where he won back to back Memorial Cup Championships in the late 80's. That would be just before the days of the Bantam Draft which started in the early 90's.

I give you some background only because it allows for some perspective. The Thunderbirds since moving to Kent have acquired a new fan base in many respects. Many don't know the history of the General Manager or the team, and they also haven't suffered through decades without a Championship. Those that remain from the Mercer Arena and Key Arena days have suffered and much like those long suffering New York Rangers fans before 1994, they almost expect losing now. It's becoming a seasonal ritual---the long suffering Thunderbird fans.

I have written in the past about the conflict of interest within the highest ranks of the organization. Farwell is both the majority/principle owner and the General Manager, meaning nobody can fire him. Let's look at this through a "real world" perspective. Imagine if the police were also their own internal affairs department. Who would look over them? Who would bring charges? Who would fire anyone? Now I'm not trying to equate the two entities at all or to say that anyone has done anything wrong here other than not put a winner on the ice. I'm simply trying to point out the conflict.

It's basically like saying "I'm doing fine cause I say I am!" Wouldn't we all love to have the luxury of that? Unfortunately it has been to the detriment of the Thunderbirds. When things were going bad in Portland moves were made. The Silvertips just fired GM Doug Soetaert in the middle of a season, and his team had never missed the playoffs. When you ask around the league as to why those teams have made moves and the Thunderbirds haven't you pretty much get the same response.."Because they can and the Birds can't."

The 2011-2012 Thunderbirds couldn't score goals. One of their former first round draft picks, D Erik Fleming, was traded to the Swift Current Broncos. Another first round pick F Connor Sanvido was sent home before coming back for the last stretch of the season. Two other middle round draft picks, F Tyler Alos and F Mitch Elliot combined for five goals. They are both 18 and were in their third season with the team. F Luke Lockhart another middle round pick dropped in production from his 18 year old season.

Farwell has admitted to several bad draft years, from first round picks that went nowhere to those middle round guys from three to four years back that haven't really developed as expected from their 16 year old seasons. While all of this was happening teams like Tri-Cities and Portland were stacking up on draft picks that have turned into superstar players, many of them forwards. Russ speaks a lot about the recent couple of years and the great defensemen that are coming into their own now and that will be here next season and beyond. We saw some flashes this season with guys like D Shea Theodore and D Jared Hauf. F Branden Troock seems to be finally over his health issues and could turn out to be a scorer..but the jury is still out. However F Colin Jacobs has had problems, including off season shoulder surgery and he really struggled over the second half of the season. Some would like to see him traded.

This all goes beyond those bad draft years as the Thunderbirds have never won the League Championship and have only been to the finals once under Farwell where they were swept by Lethbridge (1997). In the past decade they are the only U.S. Division team to not make it to the league finals. In fact they haven't even made it past the 2nd round. This is all with three different Head Coaches but only one General Manager.. Russ Farwell.

Talking with a former WHL scout and current NHL executive about Farwell he told me that Russ "Definitely cares about the players. When a guy needed help or did something wrong Russ was there for them." That is what a good owner does and nobody is putting Farwell even close to the same category as the bozos in Portland who drove the team into the gutter. However when it comes to the GM part of the job Farwell, "Seems to be stubborn about drafting certain types of players, either small guys without skill or big dudes that can't skate. There has also been too much of the 'Canadian good old boys' thinking that says draft from Alberta, and not give enough attention the the United States."

We can also look at it from another perspective. Would this kind of track record be tolerable in the NHL? Would it work in a normal everyday business? The Birds are drawing well especially for a team that loses most of the time, however a lot of that has to do with the team being the new entertainment in Kent and because of lots of giveaways and special deals. It's the product off the ice not on the ice that is putting people in the seats. At the last home game of the season against Everett I was talking to another reporter who opined, "This is the first time I've seen a crowd here for the game and not a giveaway." Imagine if they started to win those games in front of those big crowds?

What we do know is the promotional stuff only lasts so long, eventually you end up with the Prince George Cougars who can barely draw 500 a game (real numbers). Going back to that former WHL scout there is something else that was said that rings true, when talking about current players and the latest down year for the Birds he said, "This is the problem isn't it..Russ saying who belongs at this level when reality bears no witness to this." What was so striking about that statement is that in my last interview with Farwell he talked about where the scoring is going to come from next season. He said that Alos and Elliot will pick up their game, that would be part of the solution. But how can you expect players who haven't shown any real improvement numbers wise from 16 to 18 to all of a sudden show up at 19? The same was expected of these guys going into this season and it didn't happen.

Don't think I'm throwing Alos and Elliot under the bus either because I'm not. I'm merely using them as examples. Elliot is a smart guy with a good attitude and nobody wants to win more than Alos. The problem is that Farwell seems to over value players too often. Players that would be third or fourth line guys on most teams are first and second line guys on the Thunderbirds. That just doesn't work. Farwell is pretty good at finding the "leader/grinder" type but not very good at finding the big scorer or "sniper" if you will.. the top notch guys.

Another issue we have seen over the years is the hesitancy to make the big move at the trade deadline. By "big move" I mean moving your best players in order to build for the future when it's obvious you don't have the team to go deep into the playoffs. We can go back and look at Thomas Hickey, or Bud Holloway, more recently Brenden Dillon and of course Calvin Pickard. You won't always get the best deal you want for these types of players but you at least get something for the future especially when you have put yourself behind the eight ball with the drafts.

Possibly the biggest reason for a GM change is the upcoming Bantam Draft. The Thunderbirds will have the number one pick overall as well as three of the top 25 picks. There have been too many drafts where only one or two guys who are picked by Seattle actually make it to the team. Every guy picked out of this one has to be a high impact player. I've already talked about some of the guys that haven't panned out from the 2008 draft. In 2009 you can only look at Troock, Hickman and Wardley. The jury is still out on those three. No other player from that draft has come close to making the team. 2010 brought Hauf, Theodore and hopefully Green..all defensemen. 2011 is still fresh but there are only two guys with any real "hype" and they are , D Kevin Wolf (10th round, signed) and F Ryan Gropp (1st round),who hasn't been signed yet. Where are all the forwards?

Another issue has been the Birds inability to draw guys away from College. Now all teams have some trouble with getting every guy they want to choose the WHL route but the Birds have had real issues with this (Seth Ambroz and Jason Zucker are a couple of recent failures). Once again teams like Portland and Tri-City have had fewer problems with getting players to come. It could be connections, it could be that players are looking to play for winning teams with other high quality players around them. It could also be the parents who have reservations about such things as sending kids to a school such as Kent-Meridian. I took a lot of heat for bringing that up in a prior interview with Farwell but just a few days ago one of the school age players on the team tweeted, "Good to be back at (my home school), anywhere is better than Kent-Meridian" #fact. To say there is no issue at all there is turning a blind eye to something that could be an issue with getting the best players to come here. There are many solutions to this problem, a new school, home schooling,on line classes etc. Why pretend it's a made up story?

The bottom line is that if Russ Farwell were just the Owner I have no doubt he would've already replaced Russ Farwell the General Manager, as would have any other Owner. So why not make the change and do what is best for the team?

Some have suggested it's a money issue but I don't think that can be used as an excuse. Especially now being in a situation where the team is more profitable at the ShoWare Center.

So who should Farwell hire as GM? That would be up to him. But it should be someone that has real control, not just a puppet. It could be someone who has been around, someone with good connections in and around the game or it could be a young, fresh face with new ideas and an open mind. That would be his decision as the Owner. Nobody is saying he hasn't done a good job in that regard for the organization, he may have saved the team from having to move out of the region and he found a new home in Kent.

As the Owner he needs to do the right thing for his organization and for the fans, to prove he truly is dedicted to bringing a winner to Seattle. He must step down as General Manager. 

Twitter @mike710espn

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Colin Jacobs and Marcel Noebels go in the 4th round of the NHL draft

Two Thunderbirds were drafted earlier today in the 4th round of the NHL draft. Colin Jacobs was the 107th overall pick (Buffalo Sabres) and Marcel Noebels was the 118th overall pick (Philadelphia Flyers). The draft was held in St.Paul Minnesota.


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Steve Konowalchuk to be named Head Coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds

On Thursday afternoon at 3 pm the Seattle Thunderbirds will announce that Steve Konowalchuk will be the new Head Coach taking over for Rob Sumner who was let go after seven seasons as bench boss.


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The Farwell Side: Russ Farwell talks about firing of Rob Sumner

It was announced today that Rob Sumner was relieved of his duties as Head Coach of the Thunderbirds. I spoke to General Manager Russ Farwell about his decision to let Sumner go as well as other issues that face the team this off-season.


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Thunderbirds final report card

A season that was exciting down to the next to last game ended in disappointing fashion for the Thunderbirds. They miss out on the playoffs for a second straight season. In fact they end up 10th in the Western Conference. After a solid first half where the Birds finished four games over .500 (15-11-3-4) the team went 12 games under .500 in the second half (12-24-2-1). That includes a nine game losing streak and 12 of 13 lost. It would be the second year in a row that a second half swoon would cost the team a shot at the playoffs.


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Thunderbirds end the season with OT loss to Americans

On the final day of the season for the Thunderbirds a spirited effort ended in a 4-3 overtime loss at the hands of the Americans, a team they simply could not defeat all season long.


Read the rest of the article at MyNorthwest.com