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I've come to a conclusion. Sports writers all have an
opinion.
Many of them, in fact, tend to be loud mouths about
theirs. I'm sure I have fallen into both categories
before. It's endemic to the trade, I suppose.
One of the things that amuses me about our ilk is our
approach to the business, life, etc. And, being an
observer and everlasting student of our trade, I tend to
notice a couple of things about sports and sports
writing that bother me.
I don't lie awake at night thinking about these
things, but they are, indeed, pet peeves. Like
redundancies, people who use the term "irregardless,"
and baseball players looking a third strikes or throwing
to wrong bases. Here are some tidbits you (two or three)
readers can annoy me with when you see me at the games:
Coach, talk about...: I've written about this before.
When writers ask questions of coaches, they sort of let
the coach of the hook with the following question:
"Coach, talk about your linebackers."
That's just lazy interviewing. The particular sports
writer has just given the coach carte blanche to mention
anything he wants. Instead of asking, "Why were your
linebackers seemingly lazy the third quarter," the coach
can candy coat things anyway he wants.
Even good writers and columnists, veterans, have
fallen into this trap.
Talk about annoying!
Match-ups are not sexy: About two years ago, I read a
columnist talking about how the Liberty Bowl passed on
one team to get a "sexier" game. I thought it odd
terminology. Then, about two weeks later, on a sports
radio talk show, I heard some self-important commentator
discuss how the TV networks opted to air the more "sexy"
Pittsburgh game instead of some other meaningless
skirmish.
I almost wrecked the car screaming at the radio.
Sports contests are NOT sexy.
Supermodels are sexy. Sports cars are sexy. I've even
heard classical compositions by Beethoven and Gershwin
characterized as sexy.
Sure maybe it's a matter of semantics, but this is
but one of those little sports writer buzzwords that
people in the biz overuse. It was sort of like liberals
discovery of the term "gravitas" when complaining George
W. Bush may not have the acumen to be president. Another
example? Read on.
Walk-off home run: Correct me if I'm wrong, but when
you hit a home run, you have to round the bases before
you walk off the field. This is one of those artificial
statistics that sports writers have invented to make
themselves sound smart. Trust me, folks, if I'm among
the fold, we aren't that smart. I'd prefer "game-winning
homer."
Great golf shot: I have heard time and again (on the
rare occasion that I watch golf) announcers describe a
golfer's performance thusly: "Wow, that was a great golf
shot."
You don't say? I thought it was a three-pointer from
the corner. I thought it was a three-run, walk-off
homer. I thought it was a jai-alai shot. I thought it
was a three ball in the sider pocket. Of COURSE it was a
great golf shot. They don't allow tennis rackets in the
golf bag. I bet the announcer after the match asked,
"Tiger, talk about that great golf shot."
Sexy.
Parting shot: I was listening the last month to the
radio and it was mentioned that Arkansas football coach
Houston Nutt was offered the Nebraska vacancy. Many may
or may not remember that Nutt was head coach at Murray
State about eight years or so ago. He moved on from
there to coach at Boise State, then took the Arkansas
job after a year in Idaho.
Murray, Ky. is about 40 miles from here. While Miami,
Ohio may be the cradle of coaches, Murray is certainly
the nursery. Nutt isn't the only one who has gone on to
great things from Murray. Twenty-five years ago, Mike
Gottfried led the Racers to a No. 1 ranking in 1-AA then
moved on to coach Pittsburgh (whom Johnny Majors led to
a national title just a few years earlier). Gottfried is
now a college football analyst for ESPN. His replacement
was none other than Frank Beamer, who began his stint
with the Racers in 1982. He left MSU to take the
Virginia Tech job and has made that program into a
national power.
All three former Racer mentors have moved on to
positions at more sexy programs and probably have access
to the best golf courses where they can work on their
golf shots.
Talk about living the good life. |
