Wikipedia talk:Articles for deletion/Ralph Barbieri

I hope I am writing this in the correct space. I could find no other place to contribute to the debate on the proposed deletion of Ralph Barbieri. I represent a group of Ralph's long-time radio listeners who know Ralph very well. I, personally, have been listening to him for the entirety of his 24 year tenure on KNBR in San Francisco. Ralph has achieved great success locally, and is also known nationally, in sporting circles, as a result of his writings and his appearances on ESPN. He deserves inclusion in Wikipedia. But that is not the central issue here. Ralph is an outspoken proponent of integrity in the sporting community. As a controversial talk show host he has developed myriad adversaries and detractors over the years. And therein lies the problem effecting Wikipedia. I don't know who generated Ralph's profile originally, nor do I have any idea who contributed to it. What I do know is that, ever since I first viewed the profile, it has been full of inaccuracies and mean-spirited (sometimes LIBELOUS) remarks, clearly designed only for the sake of mockery and ridicule. Finally I felt compelled to get involved and edit out some of the aforementioned remarks. Your editor made a very rational defense for retaining the mention of the d.u.i.s.  That was an accurate statement, but Ralph has compiled a 33 year body of work in the media. He has received accolades, attained great ratings success and popularity, been involved in numerous charitable endeavors, and become an exemplary family man. The d.u.i.s happened 15-20 years ago, and yet that was the most prominent event mentioned in describing Ralph's career, until I got involved in the editing. There are several detractors bent on trashing Ralph's profile, and I am the only person currently dealing with their scurrilous tactics. Ralph's family and friends reads these tawdry remarks, and are embarrassed by them. As it currently exists, due to my 67.188.191.52 (talk) 14:22, 31 March 2008 (UTC)changes, Ralph's profile contains at least some semblance of balance. Yet I am not writing this missive to convince you not to delete Ralph's profile, because I am certain that it will only be a matter of a short time before the detractors are at it again. And I simply don't have the time or energy to be a one-man police force. And I don't blame you for not being able to adequately police Ralph's profile on a continuing basis. There are too many detractors, and Ralph, himself, has stated, on the air, that he knows that they will be unrelenting. Plus, they are clever, and it is frequently difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. The fact is that, because of all of the aforementioned factors (because it is virtually impossible to keep it fair and accurate), Ralph's Wikipedia profile does a disservice to both Ralph and Wikipedia. The truth is that, while there are many of us who enjoy Ralph thoroughly, he is not so notable a figure that his deletion from Wikipeddia would create a major void. So, if you want to delete him, fair enough. But I IMPLORE you, in the interest of fairness, to grant one important request.

Please make note of all these difficulties involved in profiling Ralph Barbieri, and please do not allow another Wikipeda biography of Ralph Barbieri to be created again in the future. That would only bring about more problems for all concerned. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Sincerely, Hendricksen67.188.191.52 (talk) 14:22, 31 March 2008 (UTC)


 * While it's good to share your detailed thoughts on the issue on this talk page, if you'd like your opinion considered in the discussion, you need to add that here. Also, to ensure that this page doesn't get deleted, some references from reliable sources need to be added.  Currently the only reference is the station page.--Rtphokie (talk) 14:37, 31 March 2008 (UTC)