The dumbest question you've ever asked/heard

I've changed my interview style since I've been at the paper I'm at.
I used to ask questions, which led to some bland responses, but now that's I've been here most of the players know who I am so it's a lot easier to have conversations about the event than just ask questions.
Of course, that leads to a lot of rambling. Ah well, it could be worse.

 

A version of it almost always happens on a postgame on the field or court interview by a TV journalist:

"Coach, great effort today."
Yeah, I thought about pulling myself in the third quarter with the game out of hand.

"Coach, your team obviously responded to the challenge today."
Well, I kind of figured they'd turn in their uniforms after last week's game but damn, they showed up for practice Monday, meaning the school has to continue to honor their scholarships. Gee, what else can I say about that?

 

But you get better answers.
Which beats a reporter who says "Talk about the win coach...." and then reports on what the coach said as his own words then throws in the quotes for redundant impact.

 

When I first started, I was always worried about specific questions, but I find it's much easier - especially at the high school level - to try and engage subjects in conversation.
I learned it from an old pro at the big paper in the state and while he sometimes struggled with it with high schoolers - I blame that on the kids being wary of someone much older than them - I found the quote he got from the state's top amateur golfers during the summers.
It's also a lot easier to talk to a kid after a big loss than start pelting them with questions. If they just lost a state title game, they don't want to hear a reporter say "Can you talk about why your defense struggled" as opposed to conversing them like you would a friend at the bar about some game you just watched on TV.
Except you don't drop F-bombs.

 

Covered the Coyotes-Blues series in 1999 ... Phoenix gakked a 3-1 series lead and lost 1-0 in overtime at home in Game 7. Radio guy comes up to Jeremy Roenick, who is clearly not in a great mood and asks, "so, what do you think of that Blues-Stars series coming up?" Roenick looked ready to kill him. As did the rest of the people trying to get game reaction from him.

 

Great game. I was there in the "obstructed view" seats.

 

I got it!

I was interviewing a young girl for a junior golf event and she relayed to me that her twin brother also won his age group that same day.
"Oh, he's your twin?" I said. "Identical or fraternal?"

Oy.

 

Who are you? Ralph Kiner?

 

My worst question was after a juco men's game. It was a conference game, and often those are good games. This particular one wasn't. It was a 50-point game. The losing coach started going off about how angry he was that his team quit.

Me: "You really think your team quit?"

Coach: "Have you been listening to me? If not, look at the fucking scoreboard."

Considering the coach was about six inches taller and at least 50 pounds bigger than me, I'm surprised I didn't just start sucking my thumb after that.

Worst question I ever heard was about nine years ago. I was covering a regional high school track meet. Jane Doe won four events, so I was chatting with her. This other reporter - a very large man who was drenched in sweat - comes up and says to Jane, "You mind if I double-team you?"

Her jaw hit the ground and I swear she almost started crying.

 

I got this one from another board member who was there for it. And it is legendary.
It's Cal Ripken Jr.'s farewell tour and the O's come to Atlanta. He's doing his pre-series presser and talks about his dad and one of the all-time greats in sportswriting (no, seriously, really one of the all-time greats) asks the question...
"Cal, how is your dad?"
Ripken Sr. had gone to the great diamond in the sky a few years prior.

 

I can't think of a particularly bad one for myself, but I do often catch myself on tape saying "ya know" at least twice in every question.

Worst I've heard?

I think we all remember the, "Did you think you could win this game?" question on TV following the Seahawks upset of New Orleans in this season's playoffs.

 

Today in school, my 13-year-old son did a project on my "Slap Shot" book, which was published in September.

I let him take my personal copy, which is signed by the Hanson Brothers. He mentioned to his class that I'd also given signed copies to each of the Hansons, as well as to some other cast members.

That's when his teacher asked him if I or somebody else had given a copy to Paul Newman, who, of course, died two Septembers before the book was published.