Sportswriters Are Still Annoying
A couple of weeks ago, leading up to the NCAA Tournament game between Ohio State and Xavier, I nearly re-posted one of my December rants because I heard the media and fans in southwest Ohio were reverting to a familiar whine.
After Xavier's impressive Elite Eight run in 2004, then-coach Thad Matta was refuting speculation that he was prepared to leave the Muskies for Ohio State, and accepted the better job in Columbus just a day after his most recent denial.
Three weeks ago, a Xavier upset -- which almost happened -- would have left the coach seeking cleanup on Aisle Matta for quite the egg-on-the-face coaching moment, but OSU prevailed in overtime, and any potential storm of embarrassment had blown over.
But I'm reminded of this yet again now that Billy Donovan has been offering up the standard non-denial denials the last two weeks regarding the vacancy at Kentucky. This is basically the Notre Dame of basketball jobs. A sweet, sweet plum. Donovan should take it, but having been schooled as a player and an assistant coach (at UK, no less) under savvy Rick Pitino, the Florida boss is calmly trying to keep the media pencilnecks at bay.
"Sources" may tell reporters that Mrs. Billy D was spotted house-hunting in Lexington or that an offer has been made to Donovan's people, but the coach is saying nothing incriminating, and for the media to expect him to do otherwise is incredibly selfish.
Coaching is the only profession where reporters seem to think career moves need to be discussed publicly before they're made. Think about that. The very media that blasts a coach for saying he wants to stay but then leaves the next day is the same media comprised of newspaper scribes and TV pretties who put in their two or three years in a shitty market before quietly applying for a job in a mid-sized market and then a larger market. Before one expects the Billy Donovans of the world to say, "Yes, I am thinking about leaving my current job for another one," make sure you've done the same thing once in your career.
Anyway, here's the same rant from a few months ago.
Labels: Sportswriters
posted by Big Primpin' @ 10:32 AM
6 comments
6 Comments:
He will be the next coach of Who the Hell Cares U.
Thuggins is now in charge of West Virgina.
Ky Billy -- I really thought Calipari was going to take the UK job once Donovan rejected it. Gillispie's got some game and all, but I don't know if he can do what he did at UTEP and A&M at Kentucky.
And Zimpher -- Thanks for the hot news tip. I think Mary Lou Retton might win the gold medal this year.
Sincerely,
Water Is Wet
ESPN sucks and has done more to destroy sports than steroids, Barry Bonds, Pete Rose, OJ Simpson, or Pacman Jones.
Thanks to Chris Berman, every sports highlight is some kind of lame joke, and the ESPN crumbs spend all their time kissing butt to the sports agents who have turned every athlete into an expensive whore.
A few years ago, the coaches figured it all out and started whoring themselves as much as the players. The coaches all have agents now, and all the BS and hype about coaching moves is manufactured by the agents and put out there by ESPN because they have to whore out their numerous channels of sports programming and dozens of sports shows.
So when some story comes up about Billy Donovan coaching at Kentucky, the odds are that it was his agent that put the story out, and some ESPN whoremeister that ran with it.
I never watch ESPN unless it is Football specific. Sportcenter sucks and especially Rich Eisen, who sadly got sent to the NFL channel.
Spider: Excellent takes. Yeah, ESPN really has dumbed sports down more than the athletes ever did. Everything has to appeal to the shallow masses, and the true patrons of great sporting are left with sports-tertainment and frustration, and that's even BEFORE our favorite teams lose.
Phil Shmook will take the Kentucky job. Book it!
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