His final column with the paper is in today's issue. I'll miss reading his insights on all things LSU in my morning paper throughout the season(s)...especially football season. Just FYI.
I think this may be a poor move for him. Tigergumbo.com It seems like it might be a similar site as tigerbait.com or any generic rivals/scout team specific site.
It's just the way the industry is going. paper circulation and ad revenue is down the toilet thanks to the internet (craigs list and ebay killed the classifieds, news sites killed the rest of the content), so there is less money to pay good journalists like Rabalais. The fact that he wasn't immediately hired by the times-pic shows you what a state the local papers are in. Hell, the boston globe had to let go of 2 of their long time celtics beat writers in the middle of the freakin' NBA playoffs this year. Best of luck to him, and welcome to the low frills world of blogging. I suggest you find a second job, because the only one writing full-time who isnt affiliated with some conglomorate like rivals is Dandy Don. And he's retired. P.S. If Rabalais gets to keep his press pass, then why can't other bloggers (not me, but some of the better writers like Pittman at And the Valley Shook or even our own clair)get one? EDIT: I just read the coming soon page at his new site. He's basically working for ESPN now (and probably getting paid much better than he was at the paper) Worry-not for him. Second EDIT: Seems that Will Weathers is also jumping ship to go write for Rivals. Something tells me The Advocate is headed for bad times.
it's happening in many media outlets. Tony Barhart, perhaps the most widely respected sports journalist in the deep south, has left the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. Longtime columnist Phillip Marshall has left the Huntsville Times to lead a new website. IMO, many of the daily newspapers have neglected the needs of their subscribers for more than a decade. Professional journalism has given way to sensationalistic reporting at the expense of credibility and integrity. As far as I'm concerned, the newspapers (and their whore-ish editorial staffs) are getting their just desserts.
The Advocate is a very smartly run newpaper and will not be going anywhere soon. They have turned over sportswriters regularly and always seem to get good ones. It's time for Scooter Hobbs to get out of podunk Lake Chuck and come write about the Tigers in Baton Rouge. Then Gisclair can take over at the Podunk Times and pay his dues.
They get them now. The press room in here in Ttown has more than a handful of them. Obviously some schools and teams move a little slower.
