The "Homer" sports writer

[Ben_Hecht]

Hofmann's column about Santana/the Mets was pretty bad. It was a Philly
Phanatic Pander, for certain.

 

[Thanks for comin' out]

College football radio update guys. Enough said.

 

[Damaramu]

Do you guys think it's wrong to say "good luck coach" before a game if the coach were to be talking to you or to congratulate a coach after a big win? Just saying "Good win coach" or something like that?

Oh here's another story. I was covering a game once. Hometown team wins a close playoff game. Well when hometown player catches the winning touchdown a reporter standing near the end zone slaps him on the ass and yells "Way to go XX!"

 

[Damaramu]

College football radio update guys. Enough said.

Yes but what about when radio guy is known as "the voice of rural county" or whatever? If they're the voice of that team isn't there a little bit of homerism that goes into that?

 

[mike311gd]

Do you guys think it's wrong to say "good luck coach" before a game if the coach were to be talking to you or to congratulate a coach after a big win? Just saying "Good win coach" or something like that?

Oh here's another story. I was covering a game once. Hometown team wins a close playoff game. Well when hometown player catches the winning touchdown a reporter standing near the end zone slaps him on the ass and yells "Way to go XX!"

Dude, where the fork do you work? That's forking crazy. Are most reporters like that there?

 

[Thanks for comin' out]

College football radio update guys. Enough said.

Yes but what about when radio guy is known as "the voice of rural county" or whatever? If they're the voice of that team isn't there a little bit of homerism that goes into that?

Sure, but not at the Major D-I level. I don't give a shirt if you live in Starkville or Clemson, calm the fork down in the press box when "your" team scores a touchdown.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

Years ago, I almost got into an actual fight on press row.

It was at the state basketball championships. One of our outlying towns was playing another rural town from across the state. During the first half, there's a guy sitting three seats down from me yelling encouragement, clapping and even giving advice (Timmy, you can take this guy off the dribble) to the rural town.

After a few examples of this, I motion for a tournament official. Politely remind him only working media should be on press row and ask him to check the guy's credentials. If he is a journalist, remind him of the no cheering policy. Gramps walks down there, talks to the dude and rats me out as the person complaining about his antics. This causes him to increase his output, since I'm "with the other team."

Finally, I yell down the row "No cheering on press row. Go sit in the stands if you're going to act like that." I do it loud enough that several people sitting behind us in the stands hear it. He tells me to fork off and if I want him to shut up, I'll have to make him. He ends it with "We'll settle this outside."

At halftime, I go down, tap him on the shoulder. He's in his late 40s about 5-foot-9. I was in my early 30s, 6-3 and working out religiously. I guess he couldn't tell that when I was sitting down. But he turned white when I said "Let's go outside, asshole."

 

[Pete Incaviglia]

For some reason, habit I guess, I always say good luck to whoever I interview for an advance story. That includes the out-of-town coaches.

I usually only do it over the phone or in a one-on-one interview.

Not sure why I do it or how I started doing it.

 

[Some Guy]

I had a co-worker try to high-five me once when we were walking down to the locker room after the team we were covering won a playoff game in overtime.
I believe I gave him the same look I would have given if he asked me to blow him.

I've had that. More than once.

You've had a co-worker ask you to blow him?

 

[TwoGloves]

Last year, during a minor-league hockey playoff series I was covering, the woman who covers the other team involved in the series wore her team's colors to every game. Red sweater or jacket to EVERY game. Couldn't have been a coincidence. She high-fived somebody in the press box after one goal. Several years ago, after a playoff game in the same league, a reporter high-fived one of the players he covers after a game. That said, I always wish somebody good luck before a game, whether it's the team I'm covering or the other team. Nothing wrong with that if you ask me.

 

[kingcreole]

My former boss called the college he covered "We." And I covered the high school, and after every Friday night game, it was the same question. "How did we do?"

I cover a junior college now, and about half the coaches in the conference refer to the team I cover as "You guys" when I interview them. Ugh. They're not my guys. Although it's pretty embarrassing when a couple of players give me the "man hug" after an interview. Dude, just shake my hand (if calling him dude won't pish him off).

 

[Some Guy]

My former boss called the college he covered "We." And I covered the high school, and after every Friday night game, it was the same question. "How did we do?"

"Well, the lead went pretty well, but there was a metaphor I mixed in the third graf that was really tough. And the cliched coach quote in the fifth. But you've got to have a short memory when it comes to sportswritin'. I just kept taking it one graf and a time, and before I knew it, I had the perfect circle kicker ending."