FIUGoldenPanthers.com

Made a couple of calls tonight to see where our boy Pete Pelegrin is....tried calling him but haven't been able to talk to him since last weekend.

So called some friends at FIU, apparently Pete has been removed as FIU's beat writer for the Miami Herald.

What does this mean for the fans, no more live blogs by Pete, no more newsy updates by Pete. God only knows who the Herald, if anyone, will put in his place.

I for sure am totally disappointed and if this is true, which I trust my source, is pretty sad. I, as an FIU fan, will be writing to share my displeasure with both Executive Sports Editor Jorge Rojas (jrojas@miamiherald.com; 305-376-3213) as well as Senior Vice President/Executive Editor Anders Gyllenhaal (andersG@miamiherald.com; 305-376-3790).

I know Pete has his fans and his non-fans, but he by far has been the only voice of the FIU fan at the UM driven Newspaper since he took over that beat so many years ago. It won't be the same without him, so please join me in writing to Rojas and Gyllenhal.

im definitely gonna email them to show my displeasure!

Horrible news, I will definitely be e-mailing them.

Roman, has he been removed from the FIU Beat Writer Position or has he been let go completely?

what i was told is that he has been removed from the FIU beat writer position.

I like Pete and he gave us much more coverage than anyone has in the past, so I hope they will find someone to replace him (maybe he got a promotion). The only thing I want is for it to be someone who is less of a cheerleader and more of a journalist. Frankly, when he was at the tournament and the FIU Media department was updating the spring football for the Herald, I didn't notice the difference.

If it is a promotion, good for him. If it is just a whim by the powers that be at the Herald, then it is a big loss for FIU and all of us. I think we all have to understand where we've come from to where we are at in terms of FIU coverage, in order to make an overall judgment as to how Pete Pelegrin has covered FIU. Also, there's no doubt in my mind that Pete is an FIU guy through and through, which leads me to the other point that there's no doubt in my mind that there's a lot of...not just apathy towards FIU Athletics....but anti-FIU sentiments from that paper as a whole. Pete must have had to be swimming against the current in that environment, and for that I believe every FIU fan must be grateful towards his pro-FIU stance....to counter the Cote's, Navarro's, LeBatard's.....etc....of the world.

I will definitely write an e-mail of support towards Pete to the people posted above by Roman. Thanks Roman for letting us know of this issue....

I know it wasn't a promotion if that helps at all...

So who is going to cover S. Florida's largest University's sports team.

Also, once this is resolved we will have a better understanding as to the Herald's postion on covering FIU athletics. We should not jump to conclusions.

man.. these are some sour grapes... i hope they find some1 to cover FIU Soon then..cause the non news isnt a good thing

Never mind.

Since it's evident it's NOT a promotion, I already sent them an e-mail showing my displeasure with their decision, mostly showing my support for Pete Pelegrin.

As for who the Herald might pick to be FIU's beat writer, rather than Pete Pelegrin, if that happens I hope he/she puts half the passion and enthusiasm about FIU, as Pete used to do. Guys, don't be naive with this. It's evident there are budgetary problems within the newspaper industry, and it's a matter of re-assigning priorities in order to survive. And we all know how much of a "priority" FIU Sports is for The Miami Herald.

Sure, Pete focused mainly on the positive side of FIU Sports, but....when your cards are stacked against you (FIU), that's exactly what we need in there in order to provide a voice....the voice of all FIU fans....inside the halls of that newspaper, and trascends into the articles, and ultimately the blogs he used to write. I just can't think of anyone they pick to become FIU's beat writer that will have the passion and energy...and more importantly....the guts to stand up for what should be covered regarding FIU, as I'm sure Pete has done over the years.

In my opinion, a voice from an FIU alumn and fan has been silenced. In many ways, it resembles my passion, views, and voice.....and NO, I don't like it.

I imagine one of the main motivations behind the decision was economical... that being said, it is still a tough break.

Joel, your going to need to really start filling those shoes.

PIKE is saying on the blog that the decision was made for personal/business reasons to further isolate FIU from its community. FIU has sent a certified letter to the publisher asking them to reconsider this move.

We'll have to wait and see how this thing escalates. Could be a battle of the titans shaping up. Stay tuned Sports Fans.

I love Pete for everything he has done for us. I hate the Herald even more. I always had a feeling they were fishy...