Bob Yates is the top sports editor over at our favorite paper. Apparently he popped a gasket at a recent Associated Press Sports Editors convention in Orlando and went strong mayor all over a guy in front of a full ballroom. The guy had written something critical of the APSE site, which is Yates’ baby and is hosted on Belo’s server. So Yates, according to witnesses, grabbed the guy’s shirt collar, called him a “pissant,” and used other unsavory language. You can wade though this discussion board for details, but the juiciest posts follow after the jump.
The FBvian who brought us this info, by the way, used to work for Yates. He says–and I’m paraphrasing here–that Yates is a stinky monkey’s bottom. IJS.
Our first sample:
Bob Yates was indeed steamed at the criticism of the web site. After he read the story in the Bulletin about it, he freaked out. Later on, he grabbed some small-town editor by the collar — while the award ceremony was going on — and called him a “little pissant” about something he said regarding the APSE site. All this happened within full view of about 20 people.
All I could think while watching the mess unfold was that, while working at the DMN would be a huge step up for me, I would never take the job because I’d hate to work for that dude.
Hang on, though. If your mother tells you she loves you, get a second source. Here’s ours:
I was sitting at the table behind the SJI group and heard the whole Bob Yates thing, and I was stunned. First of all, the brunch had just started, and it had this quiet, Sunday-morning-at-church (dressed casually, of course) feel to it. Then, to borrow young Brian Collins’ catchphrase, “Boom goes the dynamite.” Yates walks up to Leon Carter, who is sitting at a table at the very front of the room, in front of the whole Ritz ballroom, and gives him an earful, which could be heard quite clearly at our table. To be honest, I was impressed with how calm Carter was with Yates leaning down into his face and telling him how the story was “bullshit.”
Now, I don’t know Bob Yates from Bob Saget or Leon Carter from Leon in the Budweiser commercials, so I have no clue as to whether they’re good guys or not. And, I don’t know who has an agenda or whether Yates could have made any valid points had he not flown off the handle.
We’ll let this poster have the last word:
I know yates and yes he’s an asshole.
