TKC EXCLUSIVE!!! KANSAS CITY STAR COLUMNIST WON'T COME OUT AND PLAY!!! MIKE HENDRICKS HIDES HIS BLOG!!!

The Internet isn't a nice place. In fact, when it comes to Kansas City politics the Internet and local blogs are on the cutting edge of capturing the amazing vitriol, angst and hate that lies right beneath of surface of the most divided city in the Midwest. People who participate in local politics for any amount of time are hardened to the nasty facts of life of the political scene and even revel in the excitement of one series of ad hominem attacks after the next. Only the incompetent, inexperienced and naive complain about the vicious nature of it all.

After all, the price of leadership in any significant endeavor is enduring the absolutely cruel and vicious attacks coming from the anonymous mob . . . And then asking for more. Understanding all of this it's quite disappointing to see that the solo bloggy effort of a Kansas City Star columnist didn't last long on the Internets.

To wit . . .

A KICKASS TKC TIPSTER NOTES THAT KANSAS CITY STAR COLUMNIST MIKE HENDRICKS RECENTLY TOOK HIS BLOG PRIVATE LIKE A COWARD!!!



This is important because it sort of reflects on the overall failure of most Star offerings on the Internet. That 30 million pageview lie is growing tiresome for people who actually know a thing about web rankings -- It also ignores the fact that one-man news operations like Perez Hilton and Drudge garner far better numbers without all of the elitism and employing hundreds of reporters. Also, with only a couple of notable exceptions their blog efforts have been nothing short of mediocre.

Now, it has been demonstrated that one of their columnists currently employed at the so-called "paper-of-record" can't handle working in the wild of the blogosphere.

Newsies like to pretend that running a popular blog is something that anybody can do but we see that a guy who makes nationwide news with a dumbass column lamenting the death of an abortionist couldn't even attract a small crowd on the Internets without the Star brand backing him. Blogging is a bit of a meritocracy and online offerings are (mostly) just as popular as they deserve to be . . . That's why a captivating Star columnist with great subject matter like Joe Posnanski runs an incredibly popular independent blog and Mike Hendricks has to hide his shameful web failure.

Kansas City politics is cruel and the Internet is not exempt from the merciless behavior of this cowtown. The locals will tear apart any idea they don't like with a smile . . . Or even worse, leave it to wither away in the cold.

Sad that I'm already saying goodbye to the web presence of KC Star Columnist Mike Hendricks so soon after I was able to offer him a nice welcoming gesture. Here's hoping that Hendricks finds another way to leverage his tentative relationship with corporate media before it's too late.