This is good news. I agree with a lot of what you say. Pretty nice promotion. Will he still write for the Press? I still want him to be able to give his opinion, which I think might be censored on Rockets.com.
It's not fair to necessarily assume that he will lose his independence being a full-time Rockets employee now. I mean, clearly, the Rockets were impressed enough with his style of writing that they decided to make him their voice, so maybe they will allow him to continue his ways. I can understand why most of us would feel that since he now works for a larger domain, he will be censored to an extent, but I'm holding out hope that the essence of his writing style will remain in tact. All in all though, congratulations Jason! This is a well-deserved opportunity that you are being given. I hope you enjoy yourself, and I look forward to reading your pieces on rockets.com in the future.
Fritz's writing is terrific, not just by Rockets-beat standards, but by national sports-writing standards. Great news for him, great news for Rockets.com. Congrats dude.
congrats man I enjoyed reading your articles. So what happened with Damien Pierce? Did he move on to other things or is Jason just a new writer along with him? Just dont ignore me at a game like Pierce did Jason! (but its all good DP and I patched things up afterwards )
All, Just want to thank everyone for the comments. It's amazing how fast news travels these days. But more than anything, I want to thank you all for reading (and commenting on) my material from the past year. It's been awesome having you as an audience, and I do hope everyone will continue reading my work as I make the transition to a new position. Just to be clear, my goal today is the same as it has always been: to serve as a conduit between the team and the fans. That's my job, and I'd like to think that this new position will allow me to do it even better than I did before. I'm sure not everyone will agree, and that's a-ok. I'm all for freedom of choice and expression. But I certainly hope that even the dissenters will find something worthwhile in the stories, podcasts and video reports I file. So for now, I'll sign off the same way I always do: Thanks so much for reading, and please keep sending your comments, critiques and suggestions. It will help me do a better job and, hopefully, it will ensure that you get what you want from your regular Rockets fix. JCF
Congratulations, Fritz! You're quite obviously a true Rockets fan and you must be thrilled to be working for the Rockets organization. That's every fans dream come true.
I am rooting for you to be able to remain independent and honest while serving your employer to the best of your ability, as an employer has the right to expect. I just, regrettably, do not believe you will be able to satisfactorily accomplish the retention of your 'voice'. Let me ensure you that I congratulate you and wish you lotsa mazel on what must be a good career move. How long until you are the Dir of Media Relations?
It takes something real good to pull me out of lurk-mode in here fritz. As much as I do fear your writing may suffer for not being freelance anymore, its s great move for your career and as such Im thrilled for you. You truely deserve it, your writing has been a joy to read. Congratulations, and don't be a stranger.
Does that mean you'll still be able to post? Maybe give Clutchfans a "first look" before it goes onto the site?
Looks like those late night interviews with Morey paid off Congrats to a great writer - I hope he will continue to contribute here.
Fritz's farewell column for the Press: http://blogs.houstonpress.com/ballz/2008/06/jason_friedman_signs_off.php
