Hey. This is Jody Genessy here (@DJJazzyJody on Twitter).
First off, thanks to those of you who've said some cool things about me. It's much appreciated.
To answer your question: Yes, I read this message board on occasion. I also swing by SLCDunk, Salt City Hoops, Purple & Blues, even the Salt Lake Tribune, from time to time. It's good to try to keep up with what people, fans included, are saying about the Jazz. (Or in this case about me.)
I get that not everybody loves my sense of humor and certainly not every joke I throw out there. Heck, even I wonder what I was thinking after clicking "post" sometimes. I do, however, take exception to Young Blood's assertion that only 20% of my jokes are funny (or at least not cringe-worthy). I'm at least 25% funny.
Since I started writing about sports at the D-News (perhaps before some of you were born), I've taken the approach that stories should be as interesting as they are informative. So, that's my approach. I try to entertain and inform. Sometimes players/coaches/others provide the fun content. Sometimes I try to. And when it's not appropriate, I just stick with the facts and/or story.
It can be a tricky balance.
I guess this led to the original reason for this post. I found Hayward's "bully" comment to be a great insight even though he did couch it with some "kind of" syntax. I wanted to do a story on Hayward and explore the pros/cons of his offseason weight gain, and thought this would be an interesting angle to use because most people don't equate the word "bully" with Hayward.
Just look at the definition of bully:
"use superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do what one wants."
synonyms: persecute, oppress, tyrannize, browbeat, harass, torment, intimidate, strong-arm, dominate
So, maybe his quote wasn't as mean as you wanted it to be. However, combined with him saying that word, Burks openly admitting Hayward is stronger and Snyder talking about how he wants him to be aggressive and efficient, I just don't see how I misled anybody. Playing like a bully is playing with an edge. If Hayward is able to do that (and shoot better), he could really turn out to be quite the player.
Anyway, this corny-joke-telling fool has babbled long enough. Feel free to drop by Twitter or email me at
jody@deseretnews.com if you have any other comments/criticisms/compliments/comps at restaurants for me.
Jody
P.S. HighlandHomie, I was the one who asked Hayward if his video-game playing time had decreased, leading to his fun response that all the media used. I was keeping it for this story.
