MercNews Reporter Likes Yogi Berra

By: David | March 3rd, 2009

Just a quick post today, trying to keep up with the media frenzy surrounding the opening of WPS training camps.

A reporter from the FC Gold Pride’s “hometown” newspaper — the San Jose Mercury News — stepped up to the plate today with a predictably cliched story about the older womens soccer generation, including players Brandi Chastain and Tiffeny Milbrett.

At least I think that’s what it was about. I was going to comment on the story — since PR from the big local newspaper might be a good thing for the Club. But, well, the story started like this:

Yogi Berra would have appreciated the moment.

Tiffeny Milbrett, one of the most prolific scorers in U.S. soccer history, offered words of encouragement to fellow players waiting to run in the rain Monday morning.

“You guys, too,” shot back Brandi Chastain.

As the baseball Yogi once said, “It’s like déjà vu, all over again.”

Huh? This was the top story on the front of the sports section, and reporter Elliott Almond is channeling Yogi Berra? Badly. The story did eventually include two bits of mathematical analysis:

At least it seemed that way as FC Gold Pride, the Bay Area’s new professional soccer team, opened training camp at De Anza College this week with two of the game’s legends among 24 trying to win a job.

Only 10 of them will make the roster when the Gold Pride opens the inaugural Women’s Professional Soccer season April 5 at Buck Shaw Stadium. (At least six others expected to lead the squad currently are playing internationally.)

And from there, it kind of devolved into a story about how Milbrett wasn’t technically drafted:

Which raises the question, why wasn’t Milbrett one of the 70 picked in January’s general draft?

Um, no it doesn’t. Show me one person in the Bay Area — other than Almond, Chastain, and Millbrett — who wants to know why she isn’t considered among the top 70 players in the country.

She’s a great player, but is that the best the Merc could do? Seriously? Following the front page skort picture, I was hoping for some real sports coverage from the paper. We’re all still waiting.

Maybe he should read the Santa Cruz Sentinel?