My lunch with Steve Sabol: In search of art museums at a Super Bowl

Like everyone else, I was a big fan of NFL Films.

So when I was approached during Super Bowl XXXV in 2000 about having lunch with Steve Sabol, I jumped at the opportunity. I looked forward to discussing football, the upcoming game between the Giants and Baltimore in Tampa, and film making, most definitely film making, with the famed president of NFL Films.

Now my memory is a bit foggy, but I’m fairly sure we initially started by talking about art museums. Yes, art museums.

Sabol loved going to art museums in towns he visited, and he was interested in what Tampa had to offer.

I’m not from Tampa and hardly an art expert. But thanks to my parents living in Sarasota, I was able to tell him about the Ringling Art Museum. I had been there once. All I knew is that Ringling (from the circus) was a notable collector and had some famous paintings from the 15th and 16th Centuries.

“Really?” he said, scribbling the name on a piece of paper. “That sounds terrific.”

I learned quickly that Sabol was a different breed. In fact, he had no interest in sports other than football.

“I have no idea who played in the World Series,” Sabol said. “Don’t care.”

Who knows? Sabol might not have had an interest in football if not for the chance to put the game on film.

Looking back, it really wasn’t a surprise that he was in search of a art museum during a Super Bowl. He truly was an artist with his vision for NFL Films.

My favorite was a series called Lost Treasures of NFL Films. It featured vintage old footage that had never been used before.

In a 1999 story for the Chicago Tribune, I wrote:

The programs are like opening a time capsule, tracing the roots of both the NFL and NFL Films, which first started shooting games in 1962. The shows go back to a period when everything was innocent, gritty and more passionate. Everything looked more genuine.

Included are vintage shots of Bears games at Wrigley Field, botched attempts to get audio from Vince Lombardi and the incomprehensible notion of players simply handing the ball to officials after scoring a touchdown.

“You think to yourself, `Boy, how have things changed?’ ” Sabol said. “There were no earrings or headsets. The feeling you get is like sitting around with a bunch of friends, saying, `I can remember what it was like.’ “

The original plan was to have actor Richard Kiley narrate the films. Unfortunately, the actor died two weeks before production.

Fortunately, it led to Sabol filling in. From the story:

Sabol doesn’t read from a script. Instead he talks over on the film, remembering things as he sees them again.

“It’s like sitting around with a proud father who has a bunch of old movies and is dying to talk about it,” Sabol said.

Sabol, the proud father, told those stories as only he could. In the clip above, he discusses working with John Facenda.

“The first words he said for us, ‘It starts with a whistle and ends with a gun,” Sabol said in this Lost Treasure. “We knew we were on to something. He read our scripts as if he was an after-dinner speaker for the Last Supper.”

Hence, Facenda’s nickname, “The Voice of God.”

Sabol, though, was the star of this series. He showed the evolution of the league and NFL Films. It was like an artist detailing every brush stroke.

And then there were stories. It seemed like every frame of film had a tale behind it, one better than the other.

“My dad has a great expression,” Sabol said when his father and NFL Films founder Ed was inducted into the Hall of Fame. ” ‘Tell me a fact, and I’ll learn. Tell me a truth, and I’ll believe. But tell me a story, and it will live in my heart forever.'”

Thanks to his work at NFL Films, Sabol’s stories will live forever.

Thinking back at our lunch at Super Bowl XXXV, I wonder what art museum Sabol chose to visit. I’d like to think he took the hour drive down to Sarasota to see the Ringling Museum.

It would make me feel good to give something back to Sabol considering all that he gave to us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Clayton, YouTube star: A tweet from LeBron, his ponytail, and does he have legs?

Part two of my Q/A:

John Clayton has to be the most unlikely person ever to be trending on YouTube. As of Tuesday morning, his ESPN SportsCenter commercial had nearly 2.4 million views and counting.

Then again, it’s always been about contrasts for Clayton. He is the bookish-looking ESPN analyst who seems more suited to talk about quantum physics than 3-4 defenses.

The new ad plays up those contrasts to the extreme. Off camera, Clayton lets down his ponytail, and is portrayed as hard rock loving 20-something who still lives with his mother. Brilliant.

Actually, Clayton is 58 and lives with his wife in Seattle. And James Brown, not Slayer, is his taste in music.

Clayton already was quite famous. However, the commercial has taken it to a new level. I asked him about it in Part 2 of my interview.

Does it all seem surreal?

Totally surreal. I’ve always have been low-key. I always have and always will be. A newspaper guy who has been fortunate enough to do TV. It’s just so different to have this kind of reaction. Just to see the reaction on all this stuff is amazing.

I mean more than 2 million hits on YouTube. Whoa. You’re looking on Twitter and you see LeBron James saying I’m hilarious in the commercial.

I mean, c’mon.

What did you think when you heard the idea for the commercial?

I had no problem with it. It seemed to be so fun, so funny and so different. The one thing about SportsCenter commercials is that you can laugh at yourself.

I only go to Bristol one time a year. So every time I’m seen (during his regular ESPN shots from his home), it is from the chest up. People see the same shot all the time. This is like pulling back the curtain.

Yes, people always have wondered if you have legs.

More than a year ago, a guy takes an alias on Twitter of ‘John Clayton’s Legs’. The guy is funny. He must be a writer.

Last year, we did a show at ESPN. A rapper I guess likes me and saw me in the studio. He tweets out to his 3 million followers. ‘Hey, Clayton’s here, you can actually see his legs.’

(Long-time center) Kevin Mawae came over to me several years ago when he was at Tennessee. He said, ‘You have the camera at your house, don’t you?’

Yea sure.

He says, ‘When you do your TV hits, what do you wear under the suit?’

Trying to be funny, I said, ‘Nothing.’

Kevin goes, ‘God dang, I’ve got to play a game today for three hours and I’ve got that visual in my head now.’

Do you really have a ponytail?

Dan Patrick started this thing that I have a ponytail. I don’t have a ponytail. I don’t have enough hair. Because of Internet, tweeting, it’s always this question, ‘John, do you have a ponytail?’

The ad incorporated that, which is funny. It seemed to address a bunch of stuff. I thought, ‘Whatever you think is fine. You just tell me what to do.’

What was it like doing the commercial?

We shot the commercial in some area underneath some bypasses in Los Angeles. I wondered where they were taking me. It looked like either there was going to be a crack deal out there or a shootout. I told my driver, ‘Am I here to shoot a commercial or to be shot?’

There were 65 people on the set. I’m the only one involved in this commercial and you have all these people here. It was surprising.

We did 22 takes. I think by 10 they were pretty comfortable. We tried a couple different styles. Do you want it loud? Do you want it snarly? The original script was pretty much the way it came out. The outtakes were from 10 through 22. They were trying to experiment to see if there was something else that worked better.

Describe your office. Are the walls covered with rock posters?

We just built a new house. Everything is brand new.

In the office, there’s the ESPN backdrop, which everyone sees. The camera is on a shelf. It is only 6-inches tall. They control it from Bristol.

You’d see a desk where I do my work. There’s a radio set-up (with an ISDN line for his many appearances during the week) and fax.

This is the first time I’ve been able to display the awards I’ve been lucky enough to win. There’s the plaque for the Dick McCann Award (awarded by the NFL Hall of Fame). The two sports Emmys ESPN was nice enough to give me. There’s a plaque from going into the Duquense Hall of Fame (where Clayton went to college in Pittsburgh).

Are you a big fan of Slayer?

Sure. Of course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q/A with John Clayton: His 24/7 study (obsession) of football; That’s what I do

First of two parts:

Here is what’s more amazing than John Clayton becoming a YouTube sensation (more than 2 million views) with his new ESPN SportCenter ad: The fact that he even took a day off to shoot the ad.

Clayton rarely takes days off. Maybe 10, 15 tops, all year, he says.

The truth is, a day off separates him for doing what he truly loves: Studying football.

Study, not cover, is exactly what he does for ESPN. Hence, his nickname, “The Professor.”

I always have been fascinated by Clayton. In Chicago, he does a weekly report on Wednesday at 4 p.m. on WMVP-AM 1000, the ESPN-owned sports talk station. I am continually astounded at his knowledge and his ability to name players buried deep on a team’s depth chart

How does Clayton do that?

I now know how after talking to Clayton late last week. His schedule is insane. For instance, after covering the Atlanta-Kansas City game during week 1, Clayton woke at 3 a.m. the next morning so he can begin watching replays of the other games prior to going to the airport.

Note: Our interview was interrupted twice because he had to takes call from NFL front office people. No doubt, calling him for information.

Here it is:

Who is the third string running back on the Bears?

They just made the change. Remember, they had Kahlil Bell, and they cut him. They made the adjustment with Armando Allen, who they brought up.

How do you keep track of all that? You’re talking about a guy who barely gets on the field. Do you have photographic memory?

Oh, well. Any free moment I have, I study it.That’s what I try to do. I’m even doing more things this year than I ever have before. I find it so essential to do.

I want to know everything I can about a roster. Everything.

I keep track of every contract in the league. I have every roster in the league. I make sure my rosters are updated every day.

I have these databases. One data base has every salary of every player, every age of every player, every height and weight of every player, every year of experience, every entry level.

What I do with the salaries I build a program, takes the salaries and add them up. I have the proration of their signing bonuses, and the money they are likely to earn. I mix that all together so I can put together a salary cap number of every team in the league.

Second data base: How they were built. I’ll have the name of the player; what year he came into the league and position he plays. I can keep track of whether the team is too old, how many new players they have.

I keep track of the inactives on Sunday…

Why do you need to know all this?

Because that’s what I do.

Not everybody does this.

OK, do I follow the salary of a player because I care about what he makes? No. A decision is made for that guy to make that salary. What does it mean that you have a back up who is making $2 million? Well, before the start of the season, they’re going to come to him and ask for a pay cut. You know going in, certain guys are going to go.

If you’re above the cap, you know Kyle Vanden Bosch is going to redo his contract to give (the Lions) cap room.

I also need to know who is the third receiver. When I talk about fantasy receivers, how do they use those guys? People want to know.

You live in Seattle. Nothing is close to you besides the Seahawks. Why do you feel you have to be at a game every Sunday as opposed to watching all of them on DirecTV?

To me, it’s the best way to get a feel for football and finding the changes and finding the trends. The game changes to a certain degree every 3 or 4 weeks. I’m at the game and I’m watching every game. I’ve got the iPad.

When you’re at the game, you get a full view of what’s going on and the immediacy of going down to the lockerroom and answering those questions. You don’t have the ability to ask those questions if you’re sitting at home.

I go to Atlanta-KC. I see what I see. Then I have the ability to go over to Matt Ryan and talk about what he’s doing with his offense; get a feel for the Chiefs.

I’d go to 32 training camps if they let me. When you’re watching practice, I’m pretty intense about following everything. You watching and saying, ‘this guy is in good shape, this guy has lost some speed…’ You’re putting that all in perspective and you have the immediacy of asking somebody.

Do you watch every game eventually?

Before I’d tape every game I could. Now thanks to NFL.com, they have the digital version of every game in 30 minutes. So literally in KC, I got up at 3 on Monday morning. I watched four games at the hotel. Went to the airport and watched three more. I had seven games done by the time I flew back home. When I got home, I watched the rest.

Does anyone do what you do?

The teams are. If teams are doing it, and if I can get in the heads of the teams, it might help me out a little bit.

You go, ‘All of the sudden. Wait a second. If the fourth round pick is ahead of the third round pick, then you start to realize maybe the third-round pick is being phased out.’

Do you have GMs hitting you up for information?

Yeah.

How do the players treat you? I imagine it is different than when you were covering the NFL as a newspaper reporter.

In 2000, ESPN did a Clayton Across America. I went to 31 teams in 28 days. The top players would be nice enough to come over to you, particularly on teams 23 and 24. They were following me. They would come over and say, ‘Hey John, I know you must be really tired. Do you need me for anything?’

I always do the Inside the Huddle notebook, because I’m trying to stay on top of trends. Once I started doing that segment, the top players on the teams were so cooperative. They would tell the little things they were doing differently. What trends they spotted.

If you’re a negative, ripping person, they’ll like you or hate you. I am what I am. I try to find the trends and do the most honest job I can. For whatever reason, that’s gone over well. Most of the top players are good to me when I see them or need them.

So what’s your daily routine?

I get up every day at 4,5,6. I try to go as long as I can before I get fatigued.

How much writing do you do?

Today, I did 3,500 words. Tomorrow, I’ll do about 1,400 words.

Do you ever see your wife?

Every Friday night is date night. As soon as I get done with my last segment, I take her out.

Do you ever take any days off?

Year round, maybe take 10-15 days off. It’s a seven-day-a-week job.

Do you feel if you did anything less, you’d be slacking off?

I would, yeah. What it all comes down to is that even though I’ve been doing this for a long period of time, I’m trying to always reinvent myself. I’m trying to get better. You can only get better when there’s so much new information out there.

You really love this, don’t you?

My only goal in life was to be an NFL beat writer for a team. Now instead of doing it for one team, I get to do it for 32 teams.

It’s phenomenal how much fun it can be. There’s so much information out there. I would like to do more with the numbers from a sabemetrics perspective. Sort of like what they do for baseball. Could I find a wins against replacement number for a QB, WR, Offensive tackle? I can see things visually, but I’d like to translate them into numbers.

It’s a fantastic job, and it’s only getting better.

Tuesday: Clayton on the making of the commercial, the reaction, and what’s really in his office.

 

 

 

 

 

What’s new for NFL 2012: NFL Network gets more quantity, quality; Finally continuity with Nessler-Mayock

Last in a series:

The NFL didn’t just give the NFL Network more games. The league also gave the network an improved schedule.

NFL Network kicks off its expanded 13-game schedule Thursday with Chicago-Green Bay at Lambeau Field. I’m sure ESPN would have preferred that hated rivalry game over Baltimore whipping Cincinnati for its Monday night debut.

Then again, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the NFL took care of its own with a marquee opener. The league wants to build this enterprise, which is a big reason why the Thursday night package landed on NFL Network as opposed to another network.

More Thursday night games will help drive more eyeballs to the network. And it will put more pressure on Time Warner Cable, the lone holdout with Cablevision now in the fold, to finally come to a resolution with the NFL Network.

During a conference call, I addressed those issues with Mark Quenzel, senior vice president of production and programming for NFL Network.

What is the impact on the network of having games in September as opposed to starting in November? 

Quenzel: I think we have a lot of great quality programming, some great people and great shows on our network, and great analysis that we do.  But the bottom line is there’s nothing that even comes close to games.  And to be able to have five additional games to start the season, to be able to deliver that kind of value, and to have the kind of promotional platform that games bring, allows you to talk about everything else you’re doing. Our network is a lot more than just games obviously, and it allows us to tell our fans, to tell NFL fans, what else is out there that they can watch and be a part of.  So that’s a huge thing.

What does it mean for the distribution of the NFL Network?

Quenzel: Obviously we are thrilled Cablevision came on two weeks ago, and that’s a big, big score for us, particularly in the New York market. It’s a big deal.  Obviously a lot has been written about Time Warner, and they’re the only major carrier that doesn’t have NFL Network.  I’m hoping, I think we’re all hoping, that we can figure it out because there are a lot of NFL fans in those Time Warner markets, and they deserve to see the 13 games, and they deserve to see all the other programming and have that choice.

I’m hopeful that we can work something out with them, and I think that would be obviously to everybody’s advantage, but clearly to the NFL fan, that’s the best thing that could possibly happen.

Regarding the schedule, it seems like this is the best NFL Network ever has had. The league obviously owns the channel; they make the schedule. Is there any connection there? What goes into determining who gets what games?

Quenzel: As in most things with the National Football League, and I’m telling you from my heart, it’s an incredibly level playing field.  I go in there, there’s a gentleman named Howard Katz, who is the master of all things with the schedule, and I go in probably right behind the ESPN guys and right behind the NBC guys and I beg Howard for the best games I can possibly get, and he looks at me and smiles and says, I’ll see what I can do.

But the point is I think that ‑‑ look, I know it’s the NFL Network, but speaking frankly, we have some great, great partners that pay us a fair amount ‑‑ pay the NFL a fair amount of money, and they deserve great games.  So while I’m thrilled about our schedule, I think if you look at it, I think if you asked Fox how they felt about Green Bay‑San Francisco yesterday or NBC with Peyton Manning against the Steelers last night, I think they feel pretty good about their games, too.

I’m thrilled with the schedule.  I think that we got some great games to start off, and I think we’ve got some real potential, particularly in the back end of the schedule, New Orleans‑Atlanta, obviously Denver‑Oakland, those games, divisional games, so I am thrilled with it.  But I do think if you look across the entire spectrum of our broadcast partners that everyone has got some things to be excited about, particularly after yesterday and some of the initial ratings I’ve seen from (week 1) look like they’re pretty darned good.

*******

Continuity in the booth

For once, one thing that won’t change for the NFL Network is the announce team. Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock return for their second year in the booth with Alex Flanagan on the sidelines.

That’s no small item for a network that has struggled with its announcing team. Remember Bryant Gumbel on play-by-play?

Continuity is a good thing. Nessler, Mayock and Flanagan appear to be in for the long haul.

Quenzel: It’s not a secret that we’ve had a little bit of a revolving door in terms of our on‑air talent for Thursday Night Football. The three of them I thought were spectacular last year, jumping in, by the way, for the first time really together and trying to do it midway through the season.  To have them back for a second year, to start at the beginning of the season, I can’t tell you how excited I am about being able to do 13 games with them and really being able to get a rhythm because I think they’re fantastic.

Nessler:  Mark talked about Mike and Alex and I, and our production team.  We kind of feel like we were just getting revved up when the season ended for us last year because of the half‑season schedule, and so this year we’re ready to go full bore.

 

 

 

Michelle Beadle looks to be in line for morning show at NBC Sports Network

Just checked my cable guide for the morning listings on NBC Sports Network.

After its new highlights show, The Lights, the network’s daytime programming for Tuesday features a huge block of outdoors shows from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. ET

Nothing against hunting and fishing (actually, I have a lot against hunting), but NBC Sports Network isn’t going to compete with ESPN with that kind of programming.

That should change soon. Michelle Beadle looks to be in line for some sort of a morning show on NBC Sports Network.

Network president Jon Miller definitely wants to find a role for Beadle, who joined NBC in the spring. Her duties at Access Hollywood make mornings a likely fit for Beadle on NBCSN.

“We’re trying to find the right format for her,” Miller said. “She could be a perfect morning show for us. We’re talking with some other people she might work with. She’s really a talent. She’s looking to work more and we’re looking to put her to work. It’s only a matter of time before we come out with an announcement about a show with her.”

As for the rest of the network’s programming, Miller said he is pleased with the progress. Miller said The Lights soon will be expanded from two to three hours in the morning.

Wednesday, NFL Turning Point makes its season debut. Hosted by Dan Patrick, the show features analysis and behind-the-scenes video and audio from games. It was nominated for an Emmy last year.

“People are finding they want to do business with us, and we’re open for business,” Miller said. “We’re not looking to knock anyone out from No. 1 anytime soon. That’s not our goal right now. Our goal is to provide content driven, attractive sports programming that people will want to watch.”

 

 

 

 

 

What’s new for NFL 2012: Another lineup switch for ESPN on MNF; how long before Gruden coaches again?

Since ESPN took over Monday Night Football in 2006, the only constant has been Mike Tirico in the play-by-play seat.

The first year saw Tirico work with Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser. The chemistry wasn’t right, and out went Theismann and in came Ron Jaworski for 2007.

That trio lasted two years until Kornheiser decided he had enough of MNF, or they had enough of him. Take your pick. Enter Jon Gruden in 2009.

Again, ESPN felt it wasn’t right. After a three-year run, the network sent Jaworski back to the sidelines last spring. Now ESPN is banking two is better than three with Tirico and Gruden on the call for 2012.

Why another change? On the eve of the 43rd season for Monday Night Football, I posed the question of Tirico and producer Jay Rothman:

Tirico: I would say the difference, simply, having more of a conversation with one person, as opposed to spreading it out back and forth. That’s where the dynamic of the broadcast changes. People were under the false impression that a three‑man booth led to more chatter. Like any other broadcast ‑‑ there are no plays that go by with complete silence so, there’s just as much real estate.

We’ll be able to take a conversation and develop it and follow‑up on things. I’ll give you a great example, there was a screen pass in the game that we had in the preseason and Jon talked about the perfect phasing of the offensive line. And I know that term only because I’ve been around Jon for last four years and he’s taught us that. I was able to follow up with him on the next play, as opposed to going somewhere else.

So I think we’ll be able to do more of that. Just the nature of ‑‑ a conversation with two people who like each other, love football, and are prepared for the entirety of what’s in front of us that week with the two teams. I think you’ll get more of that in the broadcast with two, as opposed to three.

Rothman: Well, the only thing I would say about that is Jon is a unique talent and has a lot to offer. I think it’s very difficult and you’ll see there’s really no three‑man booth out there in terms of football coverage, really in NFL or college football.

It’s very difficult in a game with a play clock and the short window in which you dissect the game and analyze the game, that sort of thing. It’s cluttered. That’s why you don’t really see it.

I think this allows for more space and it allows for us to be more precise and on point. It allows us to showcase Jon and Mike’s talents, and we think it’s the right move.

*******

However, will ESPN have to make another change in 2012? I think it’s an upset that Gruden, 49, is back for his fourth year.

I asked Tirico if he is surprised that the former coach hasn’t become a current coach again?

Tirico: I think that after all the stories I read that Jon was not going to be back after year one, here is what I’ve learned over time. The more energy you spend predicting the future is wasted energy. You have no idea what’s going to transpire and what’s going to go on.

The unfortunate thing with a three‑man booth because I know that if at some point, Jon leaves, it’s because he gets sick of me.

But hopefully Jon enjoys what he’s doing ‑‑ and he can speak for himself, he’s a big boy. But we love having him and every day, whether it’s for the next 20 years or the next 20 months, every day that I get to work with Jon has made me a better broadcaster and I look forward to it and I hope the run doesn’t end, I really don’t.

******

As for Mr. Gruden, this is what he has to say about his future:

Gruden: When I got fired from coaching, obviously I had a tremendous loss. I didn’t know what to do. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to be on Monday Night Football and be on with Mike Tirico and have a chance to work with Ron Jaworski at ESPN that have helped train me, and I know that I have to get better.

But when you work at ESPN, they call it “the worldwide leader” for a reason; if you can see the tape that they send me to watch, that’s what has really quenched my thirst for coaching. I get plenty of video to evaluate. I get to go to different teams and spend days there and watch them practice and see their facilities, meet their players and coaches.

So it’s really been a tremendous growing opportunity for me professionally, trying something new, and also staying on top of what’s going on in football. I’ve really enjoyed it.

*****

Gruden hits 50 next year. That’s a sobering number and you start to hear the clock ticking a bit louder.

I can’t see him not coaching again. If the opportunity is right, Tirico will be in line for yet for another partner.

 

A Sportswriters Life: Beat writer for Cubs during long road trip to nowhere

This is the first of an occasional series on the life and times of sportswriters.

My first installment is going to be on my old friend, Paul Sullivan, the Cubs beat writer for the Chicago Tribune.

I talked to Sullivan the other day from the lobby of his hotel in Washington. He was in the middle of what only can be described as the road trip from hell: A 10-game trek to Washington, Pittsburgh and Houston in September.

“I’ve been dreading this trip all season,” Sullivan said.

I know exactly how Sullivan feels. I covered a series of bad White Sox teams in the late 80s for the Tribune. There’s nothing worse than being on a long road trip in September to cover meaningless games for a team going nowhere.

Unfortunately for Sullivan, he has experienced this drill before. He’s been on the baseball beat for 19 years, most of them with the Cubs. The last time they were somewhat relevant was in 2009, following back-to-back division titles in 2007-08.

However, despite three straight beyond-bleak years, and the prospect for several more with a rebuilding team, Sullivan said his enthusiasm for the beat hasn’t dimmed. “I love writing, and I love baseball,” he said.

And he wants to remain on the Cubs beat, if for no other reason than out of fear of leaving.

“I know the minute I come off they are going to start winning like crazy,” he said.

Here’s my Q/A with Sullivan on what it is like to cover a bad team in September:

So what is like at this point in the season? It has to feel like a death march.

I can’t lie. I’m looking forward to October. I’m seeing some bad baseball. It’s not pleasant to write negative things about people you like and respect. There are no players on the team I don’t like.

You look around for players to talk to after the game. After going to the rookie pitcher, who else are you going to talk to? When the team is winning, it’s easy to go from one guy to the next.

It makes you appreciate the veterans like Carlos Pena and Mark Grace, who were the go-to guys. This team is so young, they don’t have any real go-to guys.

Your stories now are often features with a smattering of game detail. When was the last time you wrote a true game story?

Probably the end of April. You have to find different stories, but I never have a hard time doing it.

The hardest part is that (manager Dale Sveum) isn’t the most quote-worthy managers. I spent eight years with Dusty Baker and Lou Piniella. That was like the golden age. I like Sveum, but he isn’t the most quote-worthy guy.

What is it like to cover the new front office regime of Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer?

It’s different. I had good relationships with Jim Hendry and Kenny Williams and Ron Schueler (from when he covered the Sox).

These guys are insulated. You don’t know if you’re going to hear back every time you reach out to them. A lot of time, they do it by Email.

They’re never around. They’re never in the clubhouse or hanging around the batting cage. They don’t want to chat with the writers.

I don’t know (Epstein) enough to like him. I don’t dislike him, and I agree with his game plan. But I have no relationship with him.

19 years is a long time on the beat. Do the long seasons, especially losing seasons, ever get you thinking about doing something else?

The travel is tough. I’m going to be gone for 12 days on this trip, and I’m already running out of clothes.

But it’s still baseball and it’s still writing. I love baseball and I love writing. I still enjoy what I do.

 

 

 

 

 

Q/A with Jim Murray bio author: Columnist was the ‘Last King’

Ted Geltner has a new biography about Jim Murray. I find the title intriguing: Last King of the Sports Page.

Indeed, is it possible we will never see another columnist who had the impact of Jim Murray?

Even though he wrote for the Los Angeles Times, Murray’s brilliant prose was able to reach the entire country, thanks to syndication. A young aspiring journalist named Bob Ryan, growing up in New Jersey, recalled being influenced by Murray.

Now with the Internet, there are so many voices, and most of them are loud. The clatter seems to obscure the writer and writing, as everything is about the message.

Geltner, a journalism professor at Valdosta State, probably is right. Murray is the Last King. With access to his files, he wrote a fascinating portrait of the top sports columnist of his generation. A must-read if you are a student of this profession.

Here’s my Q/A with Geltner:

How did this project come about?

While I was in graduate school at the University of Florida, I wrote about the history of Sports Illustrated. I was already a big Jim Murray fan, but I had no idea he was involved in the creation of SI. Through that project, I was introduced to Jim’s widow, Linda. She runs the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation and travels around the country speaking to collegiate sports journalists. She told me that Jim’s archives were located in her garage in La Quinta, Calif., near Palm Springs, and that she was the only person who had been through his papers. She invited me to take a look, and it was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

What sources did you use for the book; how did Murray’s own autobiography play in writing the book?

Well, that garage turned out to be a treasure trove of Jim Murray, sports and journalism history. There were letters from presidents, actors, athletes, journalists, from John Wayne to Groucho Marx to Richard Nixon to Arnold Palmer to Muhammad Ali. Jim was a pack rat, so I found amazing artifacts: notes on his first stories when he was cub reporter in Connecticut, ticket stubs from the Academy Awards in the ’40s, scorecards from championship fights, reports to his editors at Time, etc. It was a ton of fun to dig through it all. In addition, I interviewed many former colleagues, friends, relatives and sports personalities. Murray was worshipped throughout his profession, so people were always excited to talk about him.

His autobiography was a tremendous resource. Murray hated writing about himself – he never felt there was anything interesting about him. So, only 1/3 of the book is about his life. The rest is his take on the people he’d covered in his career. The personal portion of the book provided a nice roadmap to his life story.

You likely read hundreds, if not thousands of Murray columns, doing the research. When you read that many columns in a row, what struck out you about Murray’s style?

Jim wrote over 10,000 columns, starting in 1961. At first, I set out to read them all. I got about halfway through 1962 before I realized it would have taken me until about 2025 to plow through the entire lot. But I did read hundreds and it was a great ride through sports history. I knew about Murray’s humor, but I was struck by his incredible knowledge of history, and his ability to relate it to sports. He had a great respect for the intelligence of his readers, and he took his column to places well beyond the world of sports.

What were the memorable columns that stood out? Did you have a favorite?

There are so many brilliant, hilarious columns and perfect lines in Murray’s work. But because of the nature of my project, the most memorable to me were the personal columns, which were rare. Almost everybody I talked to about Murray directed me to two columns in particular. The first was the one he wrote when he lost his eye (“You might say Old Blue Eye is back.”) The column wistfully recounts all the amazing things he’d seen it his lifetime. The second is the one he wrote when his first wife, Gerry, died, a perfect tribute that had the entire city of Los Angeles weeping when it was published. My personal favorite might be his tribute to his Uncle Ed, a hustler and card shark who was like a surrogate father to Murray during his childhood. It includes many of Uncle Ed’s (and Murray’s) rules of life: “Never bet on a dead horse or a live woman. Never take money from an amateur, unless he insists.”

On the personal side, was he a happy man? His sons had problems and you write he regrets he didn’t spend more time with them.

That was probably Jim’s one great failing – that he let his pursuit of fame and success get in the way of his relationship with his children. He spent a lot of time on the road and was so dedicated to his work that he lost touch with his kids. But I would say that overall he enjoyed his life immensely. It was a life of tremendous peaks and valleys – a really rough childhood and great personal loss later in life, set against incredible professional accomplishment and lasting friendships. And because of his childhood of poverty and disease, he was always grateful for what he achieved later in life.

Was there anything that surprised you in learning about Murray?

The most surprising element to me was the scope of his career prior to joining the LA Times. He worked 20 years as a journalist before he wrote his first sports column. He covered famous Los Angeles crime stories like the Black Dahlia murder, broke the story of Nixon’s Checkers Speech for Time, found Marlon Brando and Marilyn Monroe before they were stars. He somehow always managed to be at the right place at the right time.

Why did you dub him the Last King? Have we seen the last of somebody like Jim Murray?

I think we may have seen the last of journalists who reach Jim’s level of notoriety through writing – definitely the last to do so through newspapers. Jim grew up in the era of Grantland Rice and Ring Lardner, guys who became national figures by writing newspaper columns. In his lifetime, he saw broadcasters like Howard Cosell and Jim McKay become the most recognizable faces in sports media. Today, many sportswriters achieve widespread fame, but only after they move to television. Murray made his name solely based on what he wrote, and that’s what I think makes him the last of his kind.

Was he a columnist for his time? Could he have succeeded in the Internet age?

I think the form that Murray mastered, the 800-word column, is something that doesn’t really fit too well in the new forms of media. It’s a dying art. And he wasn’t somebody who liked to adapt to new technology. He was happy with his typewriter, and actually preferred pencil and paper. But some of his best, and funniest, columns were a succession of one-liners, all perfect for the age of Twitter. I’ve been digging up and tweeting some of his best lines, and many fit nicely into the 140-character limit. The other day I came across: “If big guys were as mean as little guys, there wouldn’t be any little guys.” He had the knack for saying a lot with just a few words.

Anything else?

Something that hit home for me while I was working on the book was that beyond all the jokes and the Hollywood friends and the fame, Murray really thought of himself as a journalist first, and always tried to be true to the principles of good journalism. Those principles – accuracy, storytelling, objectivity, fairness – were extremely important to him, I think, and that went a long way toward earning him such a high level of respect throughout the profession.

Payton book in paperback: Author hopes for a second chance in Chicago

Jeff Pearlman hopes release of his Walter Payton biography in paperback this week will help right a wrong, especially in Chicago.

When excerpts of Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton ran in Sports Illustrated last fall, Pearlman was vilified. It couldn’t have been worse if he dressed in green and gold and staged a Green Bay Packers rally on Michigan Ave.

The excerpt detailed Payton’s troubled life after football; addiction to painkillers, issues with depression, affairs and a non-existent marriage. It hardly was the picture Bears fans saw of the valiant warrior during a spectacular 13-year career.

Reaction was harsh in Chicago. Mike Ditka said he would “spit” on the book. Everyone follows “Da Coach” here and you could have filled Lake Michigan with all the saliva. Not a pretty image.

“To me, it was crushing,” Pearlman said.

Pearlman tried to do damage control. He did numerous interviews in Chicago, pleading with people to read the entire book. He said there was much more than the SI excerpts.

Indeed, the book is meticulously reported, detailing with the incredible highs and lows of Payton’s entire life. Once people read the book, it received rave reviews and landed on the New York Times’ bestseller list.

Now with the paperback edition coming out, Pearlman hopes the critics in Chicago will give the book a second chance. Here’s my Q/A.

How did you feel about the initial reaction to the book in Chicago?

To be honest, I thought I was treated unfairly in Chicago. One anchor on the news did a report and then literally shook her head and said, ‘Shameful, shameful.’

(Chicago Tribune columnist) John Kass became my least favorite media figure in Chicago. I felt like he was another guy who didn’t read the book. I called and emailed him to see if he ever read the book. I offered to send him a copy of the book. He never responded.

I think Michael Wilbon is great, excellent. But he questioned my motives. He said it was all about money.

Nobody read the book (beyond the SI excerpts). In today’s media world, we need to turn it around really quick. ‘What’s your take on this?’ People just read the excerpt and said, ‘How dare he?’ To me, it was crushing.

What kind of reaction did you get once people read the book?

I received a number of apologies over Twitter and Email. I had never experienced anything like it before.

When the book first came out, I got a lot of ‘To hell with you,’ and much more vulgar stuff that I won’t get into.

About a month later, I got a number of notes that said, ‘You know what, I owe you an apology. I was wrong. That was a great book.’

Many people think SI’s choice of excerpts hurt you and the book. What do you think?

I used to think something different, but I don’t feel that way anymore. I thought the excerpts showed a fascinating part of his life. I thought the depression he suffered was pretty telling, especially with what we know now (about concussions). If I was editor of Sports Illustrated, I would have gone with the same excerpts too.

You have said that you came to love Walter Payton more after writing the book. Yet for many of us in Chicago, your details of how he treated some people and other issues made us love him less. Please explain your view.

Walter was aware of his shortcomings. He wanted to be righteous, but he didn’t know how to go about it.

He knew what he meant to people in Chicago. It was very important for them to view him in a positive light. He never wanted people to know about his depression.

You always think, ‘If I could have this guy’s life, that would be awesome. What does he have to complain about?’

Walter had a lot to complain about. I had sympathy for him. I realize it wasn’t easy being him.

Now that it is out in paperback, what do you say to Payton’s fans who initially passed on buying the hardcover edition?

I understand that people want their heroes to be heroes, or that they care only about what happens on the field.

But this guy had an amazingly fascinating life beyond football. There was a lot to him. Just because somebody had hard times doesn’t mean you still can’t appreciate him. It doesn’t mean you should change your perception of him.

For more with Pearlman, here is an interview he did with Steven Bennett on last week’s edition of the Sports-Casters. The interview begins at the 1:40 mark.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My First Job: Jittery Golic almost had career-ending moment as analyst in first NFL game

The NFL preseason isn’t just an opportunity for the rookies to impress on the field. It’s also a chance for the rookies to make their mark in the broadcast booth.

In the latest edition of My First Job, a look at people’s initial forays in the media business, ESPN’s Mike Golic discusses calling his first NFL preseason game shortly after retiring as a player. He describes a harrowing moment during the opening kickoff when he thought his broadcast career might be over.

Here’s Mike:

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I did color for the Jacksonville Jaguars preseason games in 1995. It was the first real gig I had going.

I had done some college football previously, but this was the NFL. This was really nerve-racking to me.

I was unbelievably nervous. I would have rather been on the field. My comfort level was on the field. But now I was describing the action, and I had to do it in a time frame to give it back to (the play-by-play man).

Kevin Harlan was the play-by-play man. He was a real pro. They kick the ball off, and Kevin went through the call and then left it open for me. I froze. Maybe I said three words.

I was like, ‘Oh my God, oh my God, I’m blowing it.’ It was just amazing to me.

I don’t know why I was so nervous because I had done college football before that and it was no big deal. But I had just gotten out of the NFL, and this was big. I’m thinking, maybe I’ll do NFL games down the road.

It was so embarrassing. When it finally went back to Kevin, I’m thinking, ‘Oh my god, what the hell was that?’

I had to calm myself. I remember saying to myself, ‘Just talk football, just talk football.’ That’s kind of what I did from then on. I got into the groove.

Still, when the game was over, I remember thinking the guy who hired me must be saying, ‘Oh my, did I make a mistake here?’

The next time I was that nervous was when Greeny (Mike Greenberg) and I did a Monday night game a few years ago. Now this was Monday Night Football. I didn’t freeze like that, because Greeny was more nervous than me. He had never done an NFL game.