Columnist hangs beat writer out to dry

And it's like when teachers in school would always refer to each other by their last names in front of the students... well actually it's nothing like that, but I figured I'd to this thread in some way.

And I don't feel like I give up anything when I call them "Coach" because I insist that they refer to me as "Scoop."

 

If these guys don't matter, then why are we talking to them? Why do we seek out their opinion?

And while, yes, their players call them coach, if you walk around a high school with a coach, everyone from fellow teachers to principals to superintendents also tend to call them coach. Is the superintendent putting himself below the coach when he does this? Is he saying: "Coach, you can actually fire ME whenever you wish?" Is it because the superintendent moonlights as a 15-year-old special teamer?

 

Look, you guys can spin this any way that it sounds good to you to maintain the right to say "Coach." Nobody's going to prevent you from doing it. It was merely suggested in some corners that there might be a better way to conduct a professional interview.

 

Because they're the gatekeepers, they tend the flame. Doesn't mean the vast majority of them aren't thoroughly useless. But that's a question and issue for another debate.

Let's put it an entirely different way here -- you're calling him Coach in the same way that the shirtless fat guy with the suntan oil and team apparel whoops encouragement through the chainlink fencing for his Coach ("Dat dere, son, is Coach Tuberville") when the team takes the field the first day of training camp.

Same thing.

 

Great column by Jacobs.
As Ace said, he reported what happened. Folks who love Calhoun, will say good, he skewerd the reporter. People who hate him, will say, "what a dick"...

Jacobs did everything a good columnist should do. That's why we're on page 6 of this thread.
I doubt the New Haven guy got pissed. I bet he was honored. Jacobs spelled his name right, gave him some pub and made him a household name among us hacks.

No need to say Coach or Jim. Just ask the question. We all know who you're talking to.

 

Well, it's not exactly that simple. How you answer when he calls your phone (if you know it's him)?
You will eventually have to address the man/woman some way.

 

i really believe this is a regional argument.

in some parts of the country, coaches will refer to a "sports dork" (how's that for a name?) as sir nearly 80 percent of the time their paths cross. i had it happen many, many times when i lived in one region.

in another region where i worked, coaches, at any level -- most of them -- didn't ever show a sign of respect and came off as asshats who wanted to control every aspect of their lives ... including the media.

some regions are made up of folks who make it a habit to show respect, or at least defer to people with names of respect, simply because we're all human beings.

if i had grown up in the region where i once worked, where folks referred to strangers as sir and ma'am, i'd surely refer to a coach as coach and not think a thing about it.

but, i grew up in a region where coaches -- for the most part -- don't and won't show a media member new to the scene a sliver of respect.

i don't think i've ever said this on SportsJournalists.com, but after thinking about it and analyzing different regions, i think each and every one of you are right. you have to gauge your surroundings and adjust accordingly. god knows i've had to in every region i've ever put down digs.

 

Damn. Didn't think of it that way, Tom.

I grew up in the South. Hearing a coach called "Coach" doesn't make me think twice -- whether it's by a reporter, a player, a fan ... or even a friggin' governor. And, in my experience, it hasn't made a difference one way or the other in how they treat me.

You're right: different strokes for different folks. Mind yourself accordingly.

 

Good Christ.
"Coach" is a common noun. It can also be a verb. "Coach" Calhoun is a proper noun.
It's no more a pronoun than it is an adverb.

 

I think Moddy's right. We should defer to Applebee's.