Blazers battle: this too, shall pass
A good friend of mine, who has a position of some influence in our community, has a strict personal policy that’s got him pretty good results over the years.
When he sees something in the media to which he takes strong exception, he sits down at his computer and vents his indignation, telling the offender he’s a so-and-so.
It makes him feel better. Then he prints off a copy, puts it in his bottom left-hand desk drawer, and deletes the original file. Forty-eight hours later, he pulls it out again and rewrites it into something he won’t later wish he hadn’t.
The Daily News and the Kamloops Blazers are currently taking a leaf from that book of sober second thought. We’ve had some interesting private conversations, exercised our respective vocal cords, and are settling in until next Tuesday morning, when we’ll sit down in the company of Western Hockey League commissioner Ron Robison.
The single item on the agenda will be Blazers’ general manager Craig Bonner’s decision to ban sports editor Gregg Drinnan from contact with anyone associated with the team.
Given public reaction to the ban, and some of the misinformation that’s been going around, it’s a test of patience for both sides as we wait for that meeting. I have a mental picture of a couple of hockey players out on the ice trying to settle their differences without unnecessary roughness while fans riot in the stands.
The emotion and indignation surrounding the issue is understandable. Admittedly, a truce won’t be easy, given the positions going in — Bonner and majority owner Tom Gaglardi want Drinnan off the beat; The Daily News isn’t willing to entertain that. Blazer management intends to keep its ban in place if Drinnan is in the picture; The Daily News wants the league to enforce its media-access policy and order the ban be lifted.
Nevertheless, we’ll try. While I’ve heard the claim we broke an agreement to keep the ban a secret, that’s not the case. If the ban had been lifted, even on an interim basis pending the meeting, the whole thing might have been quietly dealt with. Without Drinnan restored to good standing with team personnel, it changed our coverage.
And word started getting around about Bonner’s letter (it’s hard to keep a secret in this town). So, we needed to explain to our readers what was going on. Which, in turn, sent the Twitterverse into a frenzy, set the blogs and comments and letters to the editor in motion, and led to a media storm across the country. (When As It Happens calls, you’ve gotta think it’s the kind of story that piques interest.)
When somebody asks me a question, my inclination is to answer, but we did not “go national” with a “campaign.”
A question has been raised about whether the league knew of Bonner’s letter before he sent it, but dwelling on that is of little value at the moment.
Both Bonner and Drinnan have stepped aside from the fray, a positive move pending next Tuesday’s meeting. There aren’t any villains here. The meeting won’t be a shouting match.
There’s no question this paper finds the ban on Drinnan’s access to Blazer personnel to be objectionable and counter-productive for the team, its players and fans, not to mention our ability to cover the team. It’s equally true the Blazers’ top brass are royally cheesed off at Drinnan, and believe they’re in the right for much the same reasons.
But it’s not the end of civilization as we know it. I’m convinced both sides want to restore an amicable relationship. That’s in the best interests of all concerned.
mrothenburger@kamloopsnews.ca
ArmchairMayor.ca 
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