VentureBeat owner Matt Marshall confirmed to me that he matched respected veteran Valley biz reporter Dean Takahashi's salary to lure Takahashi away from the San Jose Mercury News. How much is that? Unknown, Captain, but in the 1990s, Takahashi's rumored $125,000 annual pay at the original Red Herring had local journalists frothing over their beers. Wait'll they find out what the guys in IT make.