The Tribune finally got to me. I encourage everybody to let them know if you think that Loyola has been slighted this year. Contact the sports editor:
Tim Bannon
435 N. Michigan Avenue
TT 500
Chicago, IL
60611
312-222-2434
tbannon@tribune.comHere are the gripes that I sent to Bannon this evening:
"Dear Mr. Bannon,
"Why are you shunning Loyola?
"There was not so much as a preview box for last night’s game against Drake, barely any coverage at all for last Sunday’s Wichita State (#15) game, and an inaccurate headline and description of Loyola’s last-second road win over Evansville. No feature stories. I could go on. I sit behind press row at Gentile Arena and have not seen Fred Mitchell or anyone else I recognized as a Tribune reporter all year. Articles are just (none too accurate) wire service clips.
"You need to get someone up here to see what’s going on. These young, undersized, scrappy team-oriented guys are relentless and fun to watch. Don’t just listen to me. Send Shannon Ryan out to talk to opposing coaches.
"According to the fine print in your own paper on Wednesday morning Loyola has the best record and the best RPI in the state. Of all the teams you consider to be area teams only Notre Dame (47) has a (barely) better RPI than Loyola (50). DePaul (RPI 173, SOS 149) gets much more attention than Loyola (RPI 50, SOS 88). I could go on.
"On Thursday, Notre Dame got 17 inches, Northwestern and Illinois 10 apiece (they played each other; the total was 20 for the game), and Loyola 1.5. One point five. Two reporters drove right past Loyola’s Gentile Arena last night and went on up Sheridan Road to cover the Northwestern game. You sent another guy to South Bend. Nobody covered Loyola. It’s not that you lacked resources in this case. They just weren’t deployed according to any sense of proportion, let alone fairness and equity.
"Look, we’re trying to build something special here. We don’t need any extra help – after all we won a national championship without support from the Tribune. But this team has earned at least minimal coverage if not coverage commensurate with its national standing. And your readers deserve to know what these warriors are accomplishing in the year after a 10-win team lost every player over 6-4. The players deserve some validation for all they’ve accomplished. It’s one of the most amazing seasons I’ve seen as a season ticket holder for the last 54 years at D1 universities. It’s a great story."