From the Flyers to James Harden, let’s answer some responses from some angry readers

When you write a sports column in Philadelphia, even if you’ve lived in or near the city for a while, it takes some getting used to the feedback you receive on your work.

Quick story, one I’ve told before: In 2012, when I worked for the Wall Street Journal — yes, the Wall Street Journal had sportswriters then and has sportswriters now — I was covering the New York Jets. There was a presidential election that year, of course, and one day a reader sent me an email asking a question: “Is Rex Ryan related to Paul Ryan?” A year later, I was a week into my job here at The Inquirer, and I wrote a column criticizing the Flyers. (Shocker, I know.) Less than 10 minutes after the column appeared online, a reader sent me an email wishing that someone would defecate on my chest. I knew I was home again.

Over the nearly nine years since that unfortunate image landed in my inbox and my memory, I’ve become pretty calloused to the criticism that accompanies weighing in on the Philly sports scene, no matter how personal or distasteful that criticism might be. It’s part of the deal: If you’re going to dish it out, you have to be able to take it. Colleagues, friends, and family members will say to me, Ignore it! Don’t feed the trolls! But if people are taking the time to respond to what I write — or, better yet, to read what I write — then at some level I owe them the courtesy of acknowledging them.

» READ MORE: The 2022-23 Flyers will be ‘hard to play against’ under John Tortorella. And harder to watch.

The last week or so has featured plenty of emails and social-media reactions to some recent columns. Here’s a sampling, with my best, most sincere attempts (wink, wink) to address these readers’ questions and concerns.

From a reader named Mike, who thought my writing about the Flyers and their general manager, Chuck Fletcher, has been too harsh:

“You do not acknowledge the limitations this group has to work with. In Fletcher’s defense, he is a collaborator, and you can bet he gets everyone’s opinion that matters within the organization. Let’s face it, he inherited a miserable hand. … Just try to make an effort to learn a bit more about what you are covering.”

Dear Mike,

My most recent column about the Flyers was headlined “Blame Chuck Fletcher All You Want, but the Flyers’ Problems Predate His Arrival.” No matter, though. I shall endeavor to familiarize myself more with the franchise’s struggles. Hot take: The Flyers might need a fresh approach. Just sayin’.

From Joe in Burlington, N.J., regarding a column arguing that the Flyers should not sign Johnny Gaudreau:

“Mike, You have got to be the most negative writer there is. … Now your hockey genius is telling us that Johnny Hockey would not be worth it for the Flyers, only pointing out the negatives. Question: With all your great knowledge of all sports, why aren’t you running a team somewhere?”

Dear Joe,

I tried running a team once, back in 2019. But after I guided my son and 11 other 8- and 9-year-old boys to a 2-6 record in the Central Bucks Athletic Association’s Summer Basketball League, the players’ parents ousted me as head coach. And I mean ousted. Torches. Pitchforks. Graffiti spray-painted on my house. Side-eyes at neighborhood barbecues. Demands to hire Jay Wright away from Villanova. It was ugly.

My latest column, about James Harden’s decision to accept a lower salary next season from the 76ers, was met with a fair amount of anger and outrage. Generally speaking, these readers raised three overriding objections to the column: 1) I should have credited Harden more for sacrificing money to help the Sixers; 2) I didn’t understand the NBA salary cap; and 3) I am little. For instance, @BlazeJordan posted on Twitter: “you don’t understand the salary cap lil bro.”

Now, I guess I could have spent hours on Twitter expounding the points I had already made in the column. I’m skeptical that Harden will actually end up sacrificing any money at all. I’m skeptical that Harden — an aging, declining player — is in a position to maximize his free-agency earning power, given that he already plays for the GM, Daryl Morey, who values him more than any other executive in the league. And I’m skeptical that Harden — who had several superstar teammates in Houston and Brooklyn and still moped his way out of both towns — has had a sudden epiphany that winning a championship is the most important thing to him. But there were only so many people who wanted to discuss those points.

» READ MORE: James Harden can spin his situation all he wants. His actions will matter more than his words.

From @PedriandMaxey:

“You small weak man, disgusting individual. Glorified blogger, get a real job. Clown.”

Dear Pedri,

I’ve been a full-time sportswriter since 1998. That’s almost a quarter century of getting paid to watch sports. No lie, the last real job I had was in college, when I was a short-order cook at a deli in Northeast Philadelphia. Now my wife barely trusts me to toast bread, let alone throw some burgers on the grill. It’s all very emasculating. Do you happen to have Dwayne Johnson’s phone number? He’s a tall, strong, and not-disgusting manly man. Maybe he could help me. You’re welcome.