Health crisis for Mary Lou Retton

I guess my main point was that Al Michaels, could have been, maybe should have been elevated to a top position - it took three years before ABC gave him the sole baseball gig - after Lake Placid. Three more before he got MNF. These days you post a hot take on Twitter and they hand you a pre-game show.

 

Al was a pretty good boxing guy for ABC back in the day too. He was ringside for Hagler - Hearns.

 

Wonder how Mary Lou Retton is doing.

 

I hope Ms. Retton is recovering.

Now back to Al Michael's career. Roone Arledge played golf with Gifford when he was at CBS. Jackson lived in the Los Angeles area, did not play golf with Arledge, and was not close to him personally. I believe that is why Gifford got the MNF gig.

Jackson found out about the change when he checked into a hotel in Milwaukee and was handed dozens of telephone messages from television reporters calling about his removal from MNF. Arledge had procrastinated and never told Jackson. Arledge, as the extremely successful head of ABC Sports, ran that division as a quasi-fiefdom. Arledge had also not told his immediate supervisor, the President of ABC, Elton Rule.

Elton Rule had been the General Manager of the ABC affiliate in Los Angles and had worked with Jackson there. Unlike Arledge, he had a personal relationship with Jackson, and was not happy with the way he had been treated. It was widely believed a meeting between Rule and Arledge ensued- and in the book I read not denied by Rule- where Rule expressed his displeasure. Jackson soon replaced Chris Schenkel as the Number One College football voice. Jackson also did the World Series until 1983, the year Rule retired. A coincidence I am sure.

Arledge left ABC Sports in 1986. The new President of ABC Sports was Dennis Swanson, who came in from the Chicago station, and did not golf with Gifford. He immediately moved Gifford off Monday Night Football PBP.

Politics is everywhere.

 

Olbermann does not think this is as innocent as it appears - thinks Mary Lou Who is grifting.

Said she lived in a 9K-square-foot-house as recently as last May.

 

Maybe Olbermann is correct. She’s making a Lazarus-like recovery.

Mary Lou Retton making 'remarkable' progress

 

I’m glad to see the posts on the daughters’ social accounts saying she’s recovering. The outpouring of support is commendable.

They’ve also raised way beyond the published goal. What is the protocol here? Do they keep all of it? Does the crowdfunding site require medical bills or another form of validation?

On the journalism side and regarding what Olbermann is getting at, I’m always a little apprehensive when news is reported based solely on social media posts, especially when it’s sensitive news and led to hundreds of thousands of dollars changing hands. I saw the AP did report that the hospital is in Texas. I wonder how the AP obtained that information and (it appears) nothing else beyond what was posted on the daughters’ social accounts. I’m reminded of the journalism 101 line, “If your mother tells you she loves you, check it out.”

 

I'd call it someone looking for clicks if it wasn't KO.

 

The whole thing seemed weird. Typically, you reach out to a friendly media person and give them the exclusive. Having it all go through social media was odd. Hell, the daughter may have been estranged from Retton, wanted some quick cash and posted it. Couldn't believe news outlets ran with it just off of the social media post.

 

Do you believe in miracles? YES!!!

 

and it comes full circle.
I have detected (not necessarily on this forum) a push to include Michaels in Vin Scully territory - he is not even in that zip code.
Michaels was no better than Dick Enberg, in my opinion.