C'mon, you guys knew this was coming eventually...There is a general sense amongst some of our readers that all we do is bash the Rays media coverage. The truth is we actually admire most of the working media and respect most of their work. We just get a sense that the Rays media coverage can at times be lazy. Just because the Rays were a second-class team for many years doesn't mean we as fans deserved second-class coverage. So while our frustration can manifest itself at times on this site, we want to know what you guys think of various members of the Rays media coverage. Next up...St. Pete Times beat writer Marc Topkin...

[Ed. Note: The above image came up under Google Image Search when we entered "Marc Topkin". It does have some resemblance to his byline pic. If it so happens to NOT be Topkin, please don't tell us. We like the image of Topkin giggling like a schoolgirl while groping two steroid-infused pro wrestlers.]

While Lancaster lost points for being a UGA grad, Topkin is a Drake University graduate. Don't know where Drake is? That would be Des Moines, Iowa. The hometown of Jeremy Hellickson and about 90 minutes west of where we did our undergrad work (that's 90 min by car. 4 hours by tractor).

Like his counterpart at the Tampa Tribune, Marc Lancaster, we have at times been pretty hard hard on Topkin. We love it when he shills for the Rays. But our favorite is when he called a game in Mid-May "something of a must-win game" or the time Jason Hammel gave up 2 runs in 6 innings and Topkin called it a "gem". We should just be grateful he is not the Rays GM...We haven't always been so negative. We have seen glimpses of what could be.

And of course there was the Barry Bonds rumors this past Spring that were almost single-handedly started by Topkin. We should give him a pass for that cluster-f*** as that story certainly drove a lot of attention to Topkin and the Times. So, even if the story was greatly exaggerated, it was a smart business move. It is just too bad that we as Rays fans had to pay.

There are some people that like his work: (From Topkin's St. Pete Times bio)

Marc has won numerous state writing awards for his news coverage and a national award for investigative reporting. He is also heavily involved in the St. Petersburg community, speaking to classes and coaching youth sports teams. In 2006, Marc won a Green Eyeshade Award from the Society of Prefoessional Journalists for his series "What Went Wrong: 10 Years of Devil Rays."

Of course, Topkin was only runner-up for the "Pink Eyeshade Award."

So: Do you like Marc Topkin? And let's hear your reasons in the comments...

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