Excessive twitter use has worsened fundamentals of journalism

Isn’t it amazing how you accept certain levels of reality about how the world changes? Then, while you are not crazy about those changes, you know they are here to stay so you might as well go along with them.

However, just out of spite, you are only willing to go so far and you resist.

During my last two years in the newspaper industry, I became that way with social media, specifically Twitter. I like having a Facebook account because it has allowed me to reconnect with people from pockets of my life that I lost contact. However, Twitter has fundamentally changed how journalists do their jobs, and not for the better — because it has fed the instant gratification monster that has poisoned our society. As much as I dislike Twitter, I believe it can be useful as far as driving people to the finished product. The problem is, too many powers that be in news organizations encourage it to replace the finished product.

For those on the sports desk, where breaking news, photo finishes and down-to-the-wire games are a routine occurrence, reporting via Twitter and following what others are saying has become essential.

Quite simply, you now have to tweet your beat. For journalists who post a concentrated number of tweets in a short time span, follower growth rate is about 50 percent more than average.

I started a Twitter handle of @upvalleysports before the fall sports season of 2013. Since I am out of the newspaper industry as of about five months ago, I only use it sparingly.

Initially it was meant to give updates during football games but I continued to use it for other sports as well.

I have seen reporters tweet run-of-the-mill plays like “Johnson 5-yard gain” or “defense holds, forces punt.”

Personally, I just can’t wrap my head around doing that because too much Twitter posting while covering the game compromises your reporting in that you risk not seeing a meaningful occurrence.

However, social media is part of journalism for the foreseeable future, so I had to embrace it on some level but I was only willing to go so far. I guess that is an example of remembering the industry a certain way (pre social media) when I first started so I feel the need to hold on to certain ways of doing things that I recall.

With that being said, I was amenable to using Twitter for the following: a) posting final scores, b) teasing feature stories that are slated to appear in print, c) posting something meaningful that takes place before or during a game and d) posting a rescheduling of a game.

However, I can’t bring myself to tweeting every scoring play.

In the “B” category, one example would be catching up to Calistoga High athletic director D.J. Hein and football head coach Paul Harrell about the NCL II realigning for football. Another example would be catching up to St. Helena High graduate Maddy Densberger. Both posts had a tone of “stay tuned look for the story in next week’s paper.”

In the “C” category, one example would be Calistoga High inviting 1987 graduate Corey Beck back to be an honorary captain. Another example would be the inaugural athletic Hall of Fame class being honored at halftime of a football game. Point being, if I’m going to tweet anything other than a final score, it’s got to be meaningful.

Though I was enormously reluctant when I first established a Twitter account, having people appreciate the updates made me see the value of it. For example, I have had people tell me, “Vince, I couldn’t go to the game but thanks for the update,” and they are totally OK with the final score and nothing more.

Two things made me resistant to excessive use of social media in conjunction with reporting: a) Napa Valley Publishing management pounding it down the editorial staff’s throat and b) I remember one person (who shall remain nameless) in the “powers that be” category saying that people are text messaging each other during games so why not make that part of our jobs? My counter argument to that is, “If that’s the case, why am I wasting my time covering the game?”

What is also even more laughable about the twitter craze is that you would think everyone prefers it but I can prove where that is not true. My Twitter and Facebook accounts are linked, meaning any update I did with the former would appear with the latter. Since St. Helena and Calistoga often played road games in remote locations, some people could not attend the game. I got numerous comments to the effect of, “Vince, thanks for keeping us updated.” My response was, “If you only knew my views on Twitter?” They almost universally replied with, “Hey, we’re fine only giving the score, we know you’re busy covering the game.”

My goodness, it is refreshing to hear people that talk sense.

I could never be a twit that tweets too much.  

Time Out with Mandy Huggins (1999 Napa High graduate)

Vince D’Adamo: What did you enjoy most about competing in athletics throughout your life?

Mandy Huggins: I think being a part of a team was what I always enjoyed most about competing in athletics. Knowing that you don't want to let anyone down and working together to win makes it that much more rewarding. The hard work is bonding and knowing your teammates are there working hard next to you is something I miss that you don't really get to experience in many other areas in life.

D’Adamo: What have you been doing since graduating from high school?

Huggins: After high school I lived in Arizona for six years, then moved to San Diego for six years. I moved back to Napa about three years ago and currently am the Sales Support Manager at Janson Capsules. I got married a year ago and had a baby boy a few weeks ago so that has kept me pretty busy.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite class at Napa High?

Huggins: Probably Sports Literature, which combined my love of English and Sports. We got to read all sports themed books like the Natural and A River Runs through it.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite athletic moment at Napa High?

Huggins: It's hard to pick only one. I am really proud to have never have lost to Vintage. Also, when I was a Junior we upset Will C. Wood at home when their team was really good and had three girls who were taller than me.

D’Adamo: How much do you feel you have grown personally since graduating from high school and how much of that do you trace to athletics?

Huggins: I think I have grown a lot since high school but by participating in athletics from a young age, it has built a foundation of a hard work ethic that I have carried with me through adulthood. I think it has taught me how to mutli-task and work well with other to accomplish a common goal. I think being a student athlete really taught me how to find balance and to be disciplined to make sure I was organized to get everything done to the best of my ability.

D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?

Huggins: My parents definitely. My Dad has a passion and love for sports that was passed down to my brothers and I. Both of my parents always encouraged us and pushed us to be better or the best we could be.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet.

Huggins: I am not really sure on that one. I have met a lot of professional athletes and they are just normal people who have a talent in a certain area and often can be disappointing when you meet them in person. I would like to have met Pat Tillman. Besides the fact that he was a Sun Devil and from the Bay Area (so we'd have that in common) he was a pro athlete living his dream and he gave it all up to follow what he believed in and that is so admirable and heroic.

Dominic Riebli (1994 Justin-Siena High graduate)

Vince D’Adamo: What did you enjoy most about competing in athletics throughout your life?

Dominic Riebli: Competition serves as the best motivator to improve your life. Things always seemed to flow better when I was involved in sport. In college, I got better grades in-season than out. I needed the structure and pressure to perform. After college, there were so few opportunities exist to compete. I consider myself blessed to have had a 14 year career playing rugby. Since my retirement three years ago, I've found it much harder to motivate myself to get to the gym or do the extra work to keep myself fit and strong. I learned that "training" is much easier than "working-out."

D’Adamo: What have you been doing since graduating from high school?

Riebli: I got recruited to play football at Columbia University in New York City. Though I don't have a lot of fond memories of the school itself (my politics didn't exactly mesh with the majority of the student body), I'm proud of what I accomplished as a member of the football team. In my freshman year, we recorded the first winning record since the 1960's. My junior year saw the best record since the 1908 Rose Bowl Championship team. I received Academic All-Ivy honors in my senior year.

After graduating, I took up rugby and quickly fell in love with it. I started with Pasadena Rugby Football Club for the first couple years and then Santa Monica Rugby Club for the last 12 seasons. In that span we won back-to-back Division I national championships, I played a season for Eastern Suburbs in New South Wales, Australia, and got into the USARFU Eagles pool in 2001. I keep up with the Club in a management capacity and now coach my eldest son in U8s touch rugby.

During the national championship runs, I had the good fortune to meet a wonderful woman named Jennifer Moore. She lived in Walnut Creek, I was in Los Angeles, so we dated long distance for a year.  At some point, one of us needed to move and we agreed that she would be the one. We've been married for nine years and have four beautiful children. Outside of sports and family, I do licensing for CBS Television.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite class at Justin-Siena High?

Riebli: Bob Morrish's English class. I'm the youngest of four and my eldest brother, A.J., had a very close relationship with  Mr. Morrish. I had a lot to live up to but I also knew the inside jokes. I still recall the day that he literally performed a scene from "The Tempest" during a particularly heavy rain storm.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite athletic moment at Justin-Siena High?

Riebli: Winning the SCAL Championship in basketball my senior year. It was the only league title I won in my scholastic career. Of course, that joy was offset by losing to Colfax in the opening round of the playoffs.  I still have nightmares about missing the opening layup in that game.

Tony Alvaro ranks right up there with some of the best coaches I've ever had. I was discussing this with fellow JSHS alum Mike Kramer a few months back: Tony was right about so many things that he said about us; we were just too naive or self-involved to recognize it. He called us "valley boys" and wanted more than anything for us to be tough. We never took it as the put-down he intended because we knew that we played hard. We confused playing hard with playing tough. They're very different things - tough and hard - but we didn't understand it at the time. I'd like to think I eventually became the tough player he'd always hoped for; at least, I have several scars to support my case.

D’Adamo: How much do you feel you have grown personally since graduating from high school and how much of that do you trace to athletics?

Riebli: The biggest thing was shifting my psychology from "playing not to lose" to "playing to win." I spent most of my life playing not to lose and while it motivated me to accomplish some admirable things, it kept me from accomplishing much more. When you play to win, you're willing to take the risks that you wouldn't take otherwise. You become a more confident player and person. Your teammates and associates pick up on it.  Now, whether they accept it is an entirely different matter.

D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?

Riebli: My eldest brother, A.J. Without him, Columbia wouldn't have recruited me. He put my highlight reel together back in the days of VCR editing. He introduced me to rugby. It was such a great fit for me.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet.

Riebli: I regret not having known about William F. Buckley and Fr. Richard John Neuhaus while I lived in NYC.  I became a loyal reader of National Review in my mid-20's, in the waning years of WFB's life. In my mind's eye, I surely could've done an internship there while I was an undergrad.  I feel the same about Fr. Neuhaus and First Things magazine. Two great Catholic men in my city for four years and I completely whiffed.

Time Out with Macklin Bickford (2015 St. Helena High senior)

Vince D’Adamo: What have you enjoyed most about competing in athletics throughout your life?

Macklin Bickford: What I've enjoyed about competing in athletics the most is the competition. Being able to apply the abilities I have worked hard to perfect towards a competitive sport is one of the most rewarding feelings you can have. Standing toe-to-toe with an opponent who's worked just as hard as you is a type of challenge  everyone needs.

D’Adamo: What are your plans after high school?

Bickford: After high school I will be attending Santa Barbara City College. To me, choosing a junior college wasn't just about saving money. Being able to develop a better idea of what I want to do for a career as well as having fantastic transfer possibilities are some of many reasons why I'm choosing the college I am.

D’Adamo: What might you choose as a major? What intrigues you about going that direction?

Bickford: Since I was young, my favorite subject has always been history. Ancient societies and cultures such as Greece and Mesopotamia have always fascinated me. A reason why I'm not going to a four year college straight out of high school is to find out the directions I can go with an ever expanding passion for history.

D’Adamo: What has been your favorite class here at St. Helena High?

Bickford: My favorite class has undoubtedly been Ms. Dunlop's AP Literature class. Learning how to write efficiently and organize my thoughts and insights into an essay has been incredibly helpful and is easily applicable in my life.

Within your family who have been the most influential people?

Bickford: The most influential member of my family has been my father. Being an exemplary role model my entire life, my father represented what a father should really be like. Even though he passed away when I was fourteen, I have yet to meet a better man than him. He is the reason why I never give up and continue to push myself physically and mentally.

Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports, that you would most like to meet.

Bickford: If I could meet any historical figure I would choose John Lennon. Not only is he my favorite musician/artist, but he was one of the most influential musicians of the past century. Contributing to activism from his career in the Beatles until his death in 1980, John Lennon is a constant inspiration and role model for all the right reasons.

Time Out with Noelle Roldan (2010 Napa High graduate)

Vince D’Adamo: What did you enjoy most about competing in athletics throughout your life?

Noelle Roldan: I am an extremely competitive person. So the competitive nature of organized sports is what  I loved the most. That and the camaraderie. There is nothing like being a part of a cohesive unit and being able to come together and successfully accomplish a common goal of winning.

D’Adamo: What have you been doing since graduating from high school?

Roldan: I played four years for an NCAA D-II program at Dominican University. I travelled all over the place; playing in Hawaii and even Alaska. Academically, I received my degree in Communications and Media Studies with a concentration in sports broadcasting. And although broadcasting was a major passion of mine I found my way back into the hospitality industry. Which, naturally, being from Napa and being bred into that industry has been a fun environment for me that I definitely thrive in. I run the taproom at Napa Smith Brewery. The only production brewery in Napa.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite class at Napa High?

Roldan: I can't really say what class was my favorite at Napa High, but I definitely had a favorite teacher and that was my honors english teacher Katy Howard. She was extremely influential in my personal growth as an individual and I don't know what I would have done without her.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite athletic moment at Napa High?

Roldan: There was a tournament we went too my junior year and we were in the semi-final round playing Sheldon. The game was tied and Coach (Darci) Lewis drew up a play that ended with a three point shot from me. It could not have been ran any better than how we did it. Literally textbook. The game was tied and I remember shooting the three from the left baseline corner and it flowed from my hands perfecting. Sunk straight through the bucket, nothing but net. It was the most clutch I think I had ever been in my entire career and to this day was one of my favorite moments.

D’Adamo: How much do you feel you have grown personally since graduating from high school and how much of that do you trace to athletics?

Roldan: I have grown so much personally since graduating high school. I think college is where I really found myself and could decide the type of person I wanted to be. Throughout all those years I was still playing basketball which shaped me into the person I am today. I credit my time as an athlete for my work ethic, determination, and ability to work with others and as you can imagine these are all things that I need on a daily basis to be successful in anything I do. Often times my co-workers laugh at me for always making correlations between life in the hospitality industry to life on the court. I always say, "We're a team. Everyone has their specific role and if one person is not doing their part the whole team fails. Whether you're the six man off the bench or the starting point guard. every role matters." I often times laugh at myself when I say that and think I sound just like the Lewis sisters. Which is not a bad thing, they were and are amazing role models for the young women athletes in this city.

D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?

Roldan: Both my parents are very strong individuals and I like to say I embody the best parts of both of them. They both are extremely independent, hard-working, and passionate individuals. and of course my Nonna, who I think everyone in the family could agree that she is the definition of positive role model.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet.

Roldan: I can't say there is anyone specific. I would like to meet a women's basketball player from way back so we could talk about the strides the sport has made. I mean women back in the day had to play in dresses and couldn’t even play long enough to get sweaty because it wasn’t lady like. I think it would be incredible to hear first hand from a women that had to deal with that sort of discrimination and to see their reaction to women who can dunk. I enjoy learning about my sports history and knowing that I was a small part in a huge change. I have even heard  from alumni players from the 80s that the game has evolved so much and how incredible it has been to watch so I'm sure a woman from the 1900s could shed some light on how fortunate the younger generations are.

Time Out with Tim Malloy (1987 Justin-Siena High graduate)

Vince D’Adamo: What did you enjoy most about competing in athletics throughout your life?  

Tim Malloy: The competition itself. I think society has become delusional on the role athletics plays in everyday life. I am a firm believer that there are winners and losers, athletics taught me that growing up. Today, there are too many outside influences corrupting young people. Not everyone should get a ribbon or trophy. We learn life lessons from failure as much, if not more, than from success. Competition teaches us to focus, deal with adversity and most importantly gives us the understanding that not everything is going to be easy. This can be carried on throughout life in so many different ways.

D’Adamo: What have you been doing since graduating from high school?

Malloy: After high school I attended and graduated from St. Mary’s College in Moraga. I went to work as an underwriter for Allied Insurance Company after graduation in 1991.  I started working for the Insurance Agency my great grandfather started (1911) in October of 1993 and became partner in 1997. I married my college sweetheart, Christine Nicole, on March 5, 1994 and we started our family on September 29, 1997 (Morgan Alexis Malloy). On March 23, 2007, we welcomed our second child, Thomas Biron. Morgan will graduate Justin-Siena High School on June 4. She will attend St. Mary’s College in the fall. Tommy had been concentrating on gymnastics for the last couple of years. He started playing basketball and baseball this year after seven years chasing his sister from gym to gym, city to city.  It appears as though Chris and I are starting this sports thing all over.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite class at Justin-Siena High?

Malloy: Geometry with Mr. (Gary) Rose. He had the ability to teach an abstract subject with enthusiasm and conviction. He kept us all engaged and helped make the school day go a little faster.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite athletic moment "as an athlete" at Justin-Siena High?  

Malloy: I participated in varsity baseball for three years and varsity basketball for two years. I would have to say there are many memorable moments with both of those sports. I had caring coaches (Gary Rose, Steve Meyer, Lynn McCarroll, Greg Schmitz) who all taught us how to compete, value relationships and truly tried to teach us how to be great people. With that being said, my most memorable moment was helping re-start the cross country program in my senior year with Mr. (Frank) Defilippis. I was the only member of the varsity boys team and Coach D helped give me a confidence that carried on throughout my senior year, into college, and ultimately continued into my professional life.

D’Adamo: You have served a variety of different roles with Justin athletics since graduating, how much do you enjoy staying connected?

Malloy: When I moved back to Napa, I was given an opportunity by Steve Meyer to help with the baseball program. Coach Tom Bonfigli was hired in 1994 to be the head varsity boys basketball coach and he asked that I coach the freshman boys. I have been helping at the school in some capacity ever since. I truly enjoy the student/athletes and try to help them understand the value of high school sports. “Staying connected” was never my goal. I had a great experience at Justin-Siena as a student/athlete and have been fortunate enough to give back to the community.

D’Adamo: How much do you feel you have grown personally since graduating from high school and how much of that do you trace to athletics?

Malloy: I believe I have grown tremendously since graduating high school and I can attribute a lot of my growth to athletics. In reality a lot of my personal growth has come from coaching. As an athlete, I never really understood the big picture, I wanted to compete and I wanted to win. That was my mindset when I first started coaching as well. It wasn’t until I started coaching Morgan in fifth grade at St. John’s Lutheran that I truly started to understand the value of athletics and the influence coaches have on student/athletes. There is a lot more to athletics than winning and losing. Bob Hauch was the athletic director and boys basketball coach at St. John’s Lutheran when I started. He helped me understand how much of a difference we can make as coaches.  He explained there are two paths, I believe he helped me find the right one.

D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?  

Malloy: My Grandpa Malloy has had the most influence on me. He had a calming personality that was infectious. We live in a selfish society, my grandfather was the most selfless person I have ever known. He taught me that everyone puts their pants on one leg at a time. His simple life lessons were to look everyone in the eye, give those you are talking to your undivided attention and most importantly refrain from talking about yourself.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet.  

Malloy: This is a tie. I would love to have a 30 minute face to face conversation with Pete Rose.  I think all young athletes (every sport) should watch videos on Pete Rose. We try to teach our kids to play every possession and not take plays off. Pete Rose never took a play off. If I saw a player sprint to first base when they walked in baseball I would guess they have seen a video of Pete Rose. Society has taught young people that looking good matters. Pete Rose never cared about how he looked, he cared about helping his team win. I would need a lot more than 30 minutes with John Wooden but would love to pick his brain as well. He was a believer in repetition, commitment and competitive greatness. Something I think a lot of people need to understand a little better.

Time Machine: 1998 high school football playoffs: Calistoga at St. Bernard

There are certain eras of most any program that are etched in your mind forever. Calistoga High football in the late 1990s would be one stretch of time that comes to mind for me. Small town sports programs go through peaks and valleys as far as talent levels of various classes but the Wildcats football program had a special group of athletes with a tremendous work ethic and resolve in the late 1990s. Couple those qualities with talent and you have a special group.

Setting the scene: The program had fallen on hard times from 1992-1995 before Dan Conner took over as head coach in 1996. Conner had been the Wildcats head coach from 1974-1977 and was also an assistant coach for several seasons. Conner infused a phrase known as “Restore the Roar.” Calistoga reached the CIF North Coast Section Class B playoffs in 1996 and 1997 only to get ousted in the first round by St. Bernard (Eureka) and Ferndale respectively.

In 1998, the Wildcats went 8-2 in the regular season and would get yet another four-hour bus-ride to Humboldt County for the third straight postseason. This time against St. Bernard, which ended Calistoga’s 1996 season with a 29-14 loss.

During the week leading up to the game, I remember going to practice to interview Conner and a couple players for a preview story for the Napa Valley Register. Wildcats’ starting offensive lineman Levi Thomas walked up to me and said, “We’re going to win.” Thomas’ Joe Namath like moment came true on a rainy, mud-soaked day as the Wildcats pulled off a 14-6 upset. The field was not a work of art, neither was the game, as both teams lose a combined 15 fumbles. Look up the word “quagmire” in the dictionary and this game qualifies as such.

Thumbnail sketch of the game: The Crusaders led 6-0 early in the second quarter. Calistoga faced third and 13 from the St. Bernard 42. Crusader cornerback Bobby Ludden intercepted quarterback Jake Blakeley but Calistoga’s Leo Leon, who was the intended receiver, tomahawk-stripped Ludden of the ball. In the meantime, offensive tackle Adrian Orozco hustled to recover the ball, giving the Wildcats a new set of downs at the Crusader 28.  

On the next play, Wildcats running back Ben Alfaro, ripped off a 22-yard gain to the St. Bernard 6-yard line. Two plays later, he scored on second-and-goal to tie the game at 6-6.

Corey Pinochi fumbled an Alfaro punt that Don Bohan recovered at the St. Bernard 19. Calistoga later faced fourth-and-goal from the 1 but during the time out, running back Ernesto Marron changed his socks, which were drenched. Marron got the call on fourth down and scored as the Crusader defense was keying heavily on Alfaro, who had 73 yards on 19 carries. Blakeley connected with Leon for the two-point conversion to give Calistoga a 14-6 lead midway through the third quarter.

The Wildcats, however, had to fend off more Crusader charges. With 6:30 left in the contest, St. Bernard trailed 14-6 and had first-and-goal from the Calistoga 1. However, Crusader quarterback Alton Tomlin and Bohan recovered to give Calistoga possession. Three plays later facing third down and 4, Calistoga opted for a “quick kick” as Alfaro punted but St. Bernard’s Ryan Redner inexplicably tried to dive on the ball, this making contact and the Wildcats recovered to get a new set of downs.

St. Bernard later had one more chance at the Calistoga 47 but with two seconds remaining Alfaro intercepted Tomlin’s pass in the end zone to send Calistoga to its first section title game appearance since 1978.

What it meant: Truth be known, it was probably one of the ugliest games you’ll ever watch. The constant downpour and quagmire field conditions had a lot to do with both clubs combining to lose 15 fumbles. In fact, I would venture to say there was about an inch and a half of water on the field even before the game, in which the Crusaders were considered heavy favorites. Did the conditions help Calistoga? Perhaps so because it can be an equalizer for the underdog but it should also be pointed out two years earlier when St. Bernard beat Calistoga there was also a lot of rain.

Though Calistoga’s trip to the section title game one week later was a 25-0 loss, the win over St. Bernard had to be a huge confidence builder one season later. Most of the roster returned to fashion one of, if not the best, season in school history. In 1999, the Wildcats went 9-2 with both losses coming by a combined six points. The Wildcats capped the next season with a 22-18 come-from-behind victory to win over St. Bernard in the NCS Class B title game.