re: Marcello is Outtie

The nature of this gig makes it impossible to get an ideal guy:

1) Likes/respects Auburn
2) Will be openly harsh as required and give unhedging opinions
3) Doesn't sensationalize/wildly speculate
4) Has sufficient connections

MM/JC obviously fit 1, 3 and 4, but I don't really think the CGM era has left any of our beat guys with truly inside tracks. I assume MM and JC are the most respected, in no small part because they're the most hesitant to go out on limbs without verification.

But that sort of caution kind of undermines the entire purpose of people paying for inside scoops. It's a model that made a lot more sense before Twitter and the like. Once upon a time it wasn't all that easy to get small scoops about how some 18 year old in rural AL felt about Auburn, but that just isn't the case anymore.