Erin Andrews and the Cubs locker room: Discuss

Put millionaire stud athletes and female journalists who love covering them in one room and shit like this is bound to happen. I venture to say most times it's not about intent, either. Once the sex chemical in our minds activate ...

sportschick, was that point for me? (sometimes so many posts are made that the person you want to respond to is 4 posts down by the time yours gets through). That said, I'm just referencing this one instance, and having a bit of fun with vernacular. The crux of this story is Erin Andrews and big, bulgy man muscle arms.

 

Hell ... I am.

And by the way, at one of my former stops on the train, the court reporter is currently dating one of the Crown Prosecutors (our version of your DAs).

The editor has no issue with it.

I wonder what the world is coming to sometimes ...

 

My point was that Erin is a college reporter, first and foremost. So we're kind of used to her, specifically, at this point. Not saying there aren't sexy women in the clubhouses and locker rooms of pro sports. But she's the "it" girl of the moment in television sports, as Melissa Stark was before her. So she walks in a room where she might not be expected, people notice, owing to the level of celebrity as much as anything else.

 

And here's what was lost on me ... what was the point?

OK, there was a pretty gal 'flitting' about the locker-room. Did they go out and lose and did Mr. Nadel feel she was a contributing factor to their distraction? If so, how? Did they go out and win and did Mr. Nadel feel she buffed up their confidences to the point of being a factor in the victory?

Was he calling out the team for interacting with her? Or was he just calling her out for being a tramp -- because Lord knows, she's hardly the poster child for sluts on the job.

 

Fair. Maybe if that was the point Mr. Nadel was trying to make, he could have made it a tad more explicit ...

 

Erin also worked the MLB All-Star Game and was the on-field reporter during the Home Run Derby.
Not like she's never been in a baseball clubhouse.

Not like any Major Leaguers have never seen an attractive woman in the clubhouse, either.
The column was a waste of time and space, to me, but it has spurred a very interesting discussion.

 

Speaking not in any way specifically about this situation, but Piotr's post brings me back to a discussion we had here a bit back about how writers used to be "friendly" with athletes. Not friends, but friendly. They'd spend time together. Someone commented, I believe, that everyone wants us to be robots.

Should they be invited on group dates? No. But Ed Hinton's fantastic story about Maris' funeral involved him having several drinks with the '61 Yankees. Several. And exchanging stories. Got a stunningly good piece out of it.Should he just have stood against the wall and not involved himself in the piece?

Two weeks ago, I was in a group interview with Tony Stewart. Stewart called me "dear" as he is wont to do with female reporters. I said, completely sarcastically, "Oh,Tony, I do so love when you call me dear." His response was to rub my back and say "It makes it more personal." Now, should I have coldcocked him (ignoring the fact, for a moment, it's Tony Stewart)? Should I have lectured him about how that's improper behavior?

Look, if the issue is what women or men are wearing and whether it's distracting, then whatever. But if the issue here is if we're laughing at their jokes, or in any way acting friendly toward them, then I think that's a valuable discussion. Because I don't want to do something in which I'm going to have to just stand there like a robot and ignore any human interaction aside from straight questions and answers.

 

FWIW, Gordon Wittenmeyer from the Sun-Times wrote something in the print edition yesterday about how ESPN needs to start codifying the dress and behavior of its employees. Not sure if it was the same exact passage that he wrote on his blog or not.

I think far more than the Soriano bicep touch, what irks me was her walking over to the couch and congratulating Ramirez on his big game.

I get what she's doing - trying to loosen up some guys to get them on camera. Same thing we all do, in a different way. I've seen Toni Ginnetti hug players, give them brownies, etc., etc., and no one would bat an eye. Women just act different than men, and it isn't always necessarily sexual. Just ... softer.

Is it OK when Bruce Levine goes to dinner with Ozzie Guillen? If Joe Cowley plays golf or video games with Mark Buehrle?

 

Did you like when he rubbed your back, IJAG, or did you want to cold-cock him or lecture him. Be honest. Because it *was* Tony Stewart and not Billy Bob Boofer from Huntsville after winning a dirt race in front of 22 people (all of them his cousins) at a dark, dingy track.

 

Which brings me back to my first post on this thread: Doesn't ESPN tell Erin Andrews what to wear?

 

Not to say that Billy Bob Boofer is not Tony's progeny.

 

Did I like it? No. Did I feel uncomfortable when he did it? No. Did it creep out others there? No idea. It's just a relationship you build up.

I did a one-on-one with Tony prior to the season. Since then, he'll call me "dear" or "hon" or "sweetie" whenever I ask a question. He does the same thing to Angelique Chengelis or Raygan Swan. He does NOT do the same thing to David Poole or Monte Dutton. Is it sexist? Absolutely. Am I going to get in a throwdown with him over it? No. I just realize he doesn't care enough to learn the women's names, and I move on.