NEW YORK–Takeaways from the Sports Emmys last night.
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Bob Costas won an Emmy for outstanding studio host. It is his 25th, begging the question of whether he has a warehouse to store all of his trophies.
“We have a part of the house where they fit,” said Costas of what must be an immense trophy room.
I asked Costas if winning ever gets old?
“No,” Costas said. “I’m proud that they have come in different categories. I’m more proud of the one I won for Later and the one for news for my Jerry Sandusky interview.”
Costas, though, did make an admission.
“I mean this sincerely,” Costas said. “Half of me was pulling for Rich Eisen, or Ernie Johnson or (James Brown) to win. I almost feel like a guy who wins the Gold Glove a bunch of times. Do you deserve it or do you get it based on reputation and momentum? All of those guys do a terrific job.”
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All told, NBC cleaned up, winning 11 Emmys, the most of any network.
It was a big night for producer Fred Gaudelli and the Sunday Night Football team. Al Michaels won for best play-by-play; Cris Collinsworth for best analyst; its game coverage for best live sports series; and Super Bowl XLVI for outstanding live sports special.
NBC’s coverage of the London Olympics also won several awards. It was a chance to reflect back for executive producer Jim Bell, who already is fully immersed in preparing for Sochi, 2014.
“You’re always looking forward to the next one, and then the next one,” Bell said. “So it’s nice to be able to pat yourself on the back and say, ‘Hey, we did a good job there.’
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Collinsworth won in a category that includes Jon Gruden. He thinks it is only a matter of time before the ESPN Monday night analyst gets his due.
“I keep telling him to go back into coaching,” Collinsworth said.
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NBC’s Pierre McGuire and Tom Verducci of MLB Network and TBS shared the award for top sports reporter.
I asked Verducci, with Emmy in hand, if this meant he was going to give up his day job at Sports Illustrated?
“No,” Verducci said. “I’m very surprised by this. Shocked. I was grew up wanting to be a writer. I never thought of doing anything else. The TV thing has sort of evolved. I grew to love TV.”
McGuire also was elated.
“I’m very grateful to NBC for giving me this opportunity,” McGuire said.
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Charles Barkley won for best studio analyst. Of course.
Barkley wasn’t there to accept; he was working for TNT. However, the show’s host Ernie Johnson, was given the night off to attend the Emmys. He accepted for Barkley.
“If Charles was here, he would say it was because of me,” Johnson said.
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For the first time in a long time, there wasn’t a winner for the Lifetime Achievement Award. Paul Pillitteri of the Emmy Awards said there wasn’t a candidate who received enough votes from the committee to receive the honor.
“It’s not the first time this has happened,” he said.
With Tim McCarver announcing his retirement, he will be a strong favorite to win the award next year.
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Great to see Jeremy Schaap and producer Beein Gim win an outstanding sports journalism Emmy for an E:60 feature on Beitar Jerusalem, a soccer team in Israel. The piece presented the sports side of the Israeli-Arab conflict. It was really powerful.
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Weirdest pairing of the evening. Joe Namath and former heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko presenting awards together.
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And finally, Schaap recalled the late, great Beano Cook. He told the story of how Cook was railing about how The Sports Reporters was a terrible show.
“He said, ‘It really sucks,'” Schaap said.
Cook wasn’t aware that he was standing next to Schaap, whose father Dick hosted the show at the time. When they were finally introduced, Cook said: “Oh, your father is great, but the show sucks.”