Athletes who did not speak to the media

[SoCalDude]

Didn't Rocket Ismail decline interviews for a while?

And then Dale Murphy -- well, if you were a female reporter in the locker room. Right?

Not sure about Rocket, but Quadry was apparently a bit of a pain in the ass, at least in his college days.

One of the guys at my college paper went through the SID to get an interview with Quadry before they played against our school. The interview started with this bit of fun:

"You've got five minutes and don't ask me about my brother. Now go."

After a game against USC at the Coliseum, Rocket stayed in the training room a long time, hoping the writers would give up and leave. When several of us didn't, he ran to his dressing stall, quickly grabbed his street clothes and ran into a room where the equipment guys were. Some of us tried to corner him there and the SID (might have been Valdesseri, don't remember) finally came over and asked him to talk for a couple of minutes. He finally did, but didn't say anything enlightening.

 

[Steak Snabler]

I seem to remember hearing about a group interview session with Erik Bedard during his Orioles days that went something like this:

Bedard: "You've got three questions."

Reporter: "Only three?"

Bedard: "That's one."

 

[mrbio]

A couple of examples of the surliness of Marcelo Rios towards the media...

David Mercer (Eurosport and BBC Sport TV Commentator): "I got the impression that Marcelo Rios had a very low opinion of the media and he was neither very cooperative or forthcoming at press conferences or in interviews. In terms of interaction, I remember the tournament in Amsterdam in 1995 when he won singles and doubles. I was commentating on the tournament for Eurosport and we were staying in the same hotel as the players. By sheer coincidence I shared a car between the hotel and the courts with Marcelo on three successive mornings. On the first two I tried to make polite conversation with him. His responses were little more than grunts. On the third day I did not bother. I admired his talent as a tennis player. I did not admire him as a man."

Enrique Cano (Journalist): "Rios was sitting inside the car with his girlfriend in Miami, a blond model from Chile. A little boy asked him to sign his paper. And he signed the paper. And throws through the window the pen and the paper, 'Thank you.' And another time in Miami in '98, a journalist (Roberto Nappo of BBC Latin America) went to ask him three questions because the journalist arranged with ATP the three questions after the press conference. And Marcelo Rios disliked to do this and shouted with the ATP contact, 'Why? Why? Do I have to talk with the journalist? I made a press conference.' So we have to answer three questions. Rios says, 'Okay, I will do.' So the journalist asked him. He looks to the journalist and says, 'Yes.' The second question the answer was, 'No.' The third question the answer was, 'Yes. Thank you.'"

Source: "Marcelo Rios: The Man We Barely Knew" Amazon

 

[nate41]

As long as we're talking Virginia athletes in the niceness category, I'll throw in Brandon Inge. He's a classy individual. What I think strikes me the most about Inge is that he still appreciates being a big-league ball player. He still understands how lucky he is.

He's not from Virginia, but Carlos Pena is another one too. When he broke out for the Rays in 2007, our school paper did a story on him, being how he was one of the few athletes in any sport to reach that level of success.

I call the PR office, and sure enough, the next day the publicist hands the phone to him after BP and I got the interview.

Prior to the World Series, I got his email from his college coach and sent him over a few questions...and got a heartfelt response at 11:00 the night before Game 1.

Just blew me away how friendly and professional he was with an absolute nobody.

 

[Versatile]

As for Carlton, you actually could have a conversation with him in his later, post-Philly years but it wasn't about baseball and wasn't on the record. Finally, right at the end, when he realized he might need writers to get in the Hall of Fame, he started talking some on the record. Of course, it's impossible to believe that even the most revenge-minded guys in the BBWAA wouldn't vote for Carlton whether he talked or not.

You say that, and yet . . . Carlton received 95.6% of the BWAA vote in 1994.

If Seaver (98.8%), Ryan (98.8%), Ripken (98.5%) and Schmidt (96.5%) can't get every vote, I doubt anyone will. Maddux could make a good run at the record vote percentage, though.

 

[Mike Nadel]

Just to be clear, Walker didn't decline comment. He declined to comment.

Yes. What you said.