Press Box fights or screaming matches

during the yankees/diamondbacks world series, someone stepped out of a derek jeter scrum. both brett haber (then working for a new york tv station) and george king of the new york post went for the open spot. they jostled and glared at one another. one of my reporters knew haber and said the next day, haber went to try to -- i don't know if apologize is the word -- but smoothe things over with king.

king looked at haber and said, "id rather eat a shit sandwich than apologize to you." i howled for three hours when told the story.

 

IJ is out of our business and is into making (and losing) money as a stockbroker/entrepreneur. he went into business with a friend of mine and my friend's father-in-law, and they, along with a few other investors, recently took a bath (to the tune of about $5 million). for my buddy and his father-in-law, it wasn't a drop in the bucket but no more than a cannonball in the pool.

 

I was covering the Big Sky basketball tournament in 2001 or 2002 in the "Matadome," basically the JC gym that Cal State Northridge calls home. We're in the press conference, and some jerkoff from the L.A. Daily News is asking Jermaine Boyette from Weber State a string of questions. Jermaine wouldn't bite on any of them. Finally after six questions, I cut in and ask the one I had patiently waiting to ask.

After the presser, jerkoff reporter comes up to me and starts yelling and screaming about how I had ruined his interview, calling me names and all sorts of bullshit. Hey, dicksnort, it's not a fucking one on one. It's a press conference. Not my fault he wouldn't answer your stupid questions. We actually had to be separated.

 

That was you? Damn you. My seventh question was a doozy!

 

not sure it was a fight, but the wife of the head football coach of a team in a BCS conference basically told off the columnist of the local paper who the morning before basically called out the team's starting qb for some off-field comments.

 

Just to clarify, I don't know what game is referenced above but it wasn't at Ohio's Peden Stadium. The Bobcats, as much as it pains me to say it, have never beat a Top 25 team. Ever. (And trust me, I've done the research.)

Oh, and Peden does have AC, you're right.

 

Neal McCready of the Mobile Register was legendary during his days on the Auburn beat.

I saw an almost-brawl at AU/MSU in 2000 ... two tv camera guys jockeying for position in that itty-bitty press room. Guy A gets his tripod bumped by Guy B; Guy A grabs tripod A and cocks it back for Cecil Fielder-style swing at Guy B. McCready (thankfully) intervened, which was odd. He's can be a peacemaker, too.

Seems like I've seen more. Can't remember them specifically.

 

Mrs. Fulmer?

 

Love the catch phrases from the Hawk, especially the first few on the list:

* "I tell you what" - used at beginning or end of any statement for emphasis
* "I am telling you what" - see above
* "I am going to tell you what" - see above
* "I am fixin' to tell you what" - see above
* "Boy I tell you what"- see above

Love this too, from Mariotti's wikipedia entry:

Mariotti also has an ongoing feud with Chicago White Sox television announcer Ken "Hawk" Harrelson. After a White Sox game in the late 1990s, Harrelson entered the press box to confront Mariotti about a column he had written. The two exchanged words and have been feuding ever since. In a separate, more recent exchange, Mariotti complained that Harrelson had intentionally bumped into him during a White Sox road game. Witnesses stated that Marriotti threatened to sue Harrelson.

Mariotti also has a beef with Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of the Chicago Bulls and White Sox, as he is highly critical of him. In June 2005, Mariotti threatened to sue Reinsdorf because Reinsdorf was angry at comments Mariotti wrote about how the contract negotations were handled on an extension for Scott Skiles, head coach of the Bulls.

Hey, Mariotti, you're a fucking baby. Gonna sue me now? You can fax the documents to my lawyer, who can be reached at 1-800-EAT-SHIT.

 

Mariotti threatened to sue someone? [sarcasm]I'd find that really hard to believe.[/sarcasm]  :

 

I thought you would like that post. ;D