No joking about no cheering in the press box

[Doc Holliday]

It's gosh darn distracting inside or close by when you are trying to think, and live mics can pick it up. Crowd noise from the other side of the glass is enough.

This. I don't know how many forking times I've been in the zone, concentrating on the game, collecting my ideas and planning my piece or writing my piece when some asshole bursts into a thunderous roar because "the boys" just scored. Just once, I'd like to walk across the pressbox and jam my uniball pen in his eye with a copy of the rules for cheering attached to it.

 

[maumann]

Closest I've witnessed an "Anchorman" turf war situation was post-race at Atlanta Motor Speedway one evening.

Normally, NASCAR photogs have their own building or separate area, and I'm guessing they have a good time chatting about stuff while they upload their pics. However, AMS has one big media room that everyone shares.

Just like any sport, once all the driver interviews are complete, it's a frenzy of keyboard pounding for the beat folks. Typically, it's library quiet, but this time apparently someone got a great photo and several guys started a conversation that grew louder and louder. Finally, either Ed Hinton or David Poole (RIP) stood up and shouted across the room, "Will you shut the f--- up!"

Well, that escalated quickly to a "Do you want to take it outside?" shouting match while the rest of us sat dumbfounded. As for me, I was hoping either they'd drop the gloves right then and there -- or literally take it outside and let us work. Finally, someone from NASCAR PR or AMS got on the PA system and eased the tension but it was quite frosty in there.

Mexican and Central American media members have no such qualms about "cheering in the press box." They were jumping up on the media room tables, hugging each other and throwing things in the air in celebration when Juan Montoya won at Mexico City in 2007. I can only imagine what a World Cup win for Brazil or Argentina might be like.