You’d be smiling too if you played third base like Brooks.
Sunday books: Reliving the summer of ’73; Reggie A’s, Yogi’s Mets, and new owner of Yankees
It’s funny how things work. I would be hard-pressed to remember much about a baseball season from two or three years ago, but I can recite chapter and verse about the summer of ’73.
I was 13 that year and was totally immersed in baseball. The games and statistics left an indelible mark in my mind.
They all came back in clear focus in Matthew Silverman’s fascinating new book, Swinging ’73. If Dick Allen hadn’t broken his leg in June of that year, Silverman might have been writing about my White Sox.
Instead, the book is about a memorable season that featured the end of Willie Mays’ career with the Mets and introduction of a new Yankees owner–fellow by the name of Steinbrenner. Another owner, Charlie Finley, was at his peak, showing equal measures of brilliance and cruelty.
The season ended in a tremendous World Series, which saw the great Oakland A’s defeat the surprising New York Mets.
I highly recommend this book. Here is my Q/A with Silverman.
How did you get the idea for the book?
I’ve always felt that 1973 was a crucial year that is often forgotten. Swinging ’73 afforded me the chance to look at multiple teams. Since they are a pennant winner, and one of the most unlikely ones ever, the Mets figure prominently, which would appeal to readers who have been very supportive on my past projects on the team. I also got to take an in-depth look at the A’s and Yankees, plus events outside of sports that year.
Talk about how that season was framed by the end of Willie Mays career and the beginning of George Steinbrenner’s run with the Yankees?
Willie Mays was 42 and running on fumes, but he still came through with big hits in Game 5 of the NLCS and Game 2 of the World Series. Yet he really couldn’t play the oufield any more and I don’t know if he would have been much better off in the AL as an inaugural DH. He announced his retirement as the Mets were making a stunning run from last place to division champ in one month. George Steinbrenner said he would do one thing and did the opposite–that became old hat but it was new and confounding to New York in ’73. He got under the skin of everyone on the Yankees–in the field and front office–and made illegal Nixon campaign contributions to boot.
What struck you about that Oakland A’s team?
They were a money team. They’d always found a way to win. They may not have all gotten along with themselves, their manager, or certainly not their owner, but when it came time to put it all on the line, they couldn’t be beaten.
I had forgotten about what happened to Mike Andrews during the World Series. Did that episode sum up the ruthlessness of Charlie Finley?
Charlie Finley did a lot of good things for the A’s and for baseball, but he had the ability to just make people nuts. He got it in his mind that something had to be done his way, and he wouldn’t be talked out of it. Mike Andrews made two key errors that cost the A’s Game 2 of the World Series. His manager, Dick Williams, made a mistake by putting him in the field, but Finley insisted Andrews sign a form after the game saying he was injured to get him off the team. It totally overshadowed an exciting World Series and led to the best manager in the game to quit minutes after winning a second straight championship. That decision, orange baseballs, and naming a mule after himself are the three things people most remember about him.
Who were your favorite characters from that year?
Tug McGraw and his “Ya Gotta Believe” mantra makes him the poster boy of ’73. Catfish Hunter was an ice-water-in-his-veins pitcher who also had a great sense of humor and actually had a really good relationship with Charlie Finley–for a while. Reggie Jackson was MVP of the league and the World Series, but everything had to be about him–it was great theater that he (and Catfish) spent most of their careers with Finley and Steinbrenner. Fritz Peterson is remembered for his wife swap in spring training of 1973, but before that he was the Yankees’ practical joker who helped keep the locker room loose–that changed after the swap, and his arm also started to wear down.
The first DH Ron Blomberg was–and still is–a character who has gotten more out of a bases-loaded walk in a blowout loss than most ballplayers could out of a bases-loaded hit in the World Series. There are a lot of minor characters who were fun to probe into a little deeper: George “The Stork” Theodore, Buzz Capra, Pedro Borbon, Darold Knowles, Duke Sims, and many others.
Anything else you’d like to add?
For Swinging ’73 I talked to many ballplayers, broadcasters, and writers who were there, and tried to create as much immediacy I could for events of four decades ago. It was a time worth remembering and exploring: the end of Vietnam, the middle of Watergate, and the beginning of the oil embargo. There was the Atkins Diet, Wounded Knee, the “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match, Secretariat, New York’s financial crisis, Elvis in Hawaii, Dark Side of the Moon, Keith Moon… The proverb, “may you live in interesting teams,” certainly applies to ’73.
The Who and Stanley Cup: Does it get any better than this Hockey Night in Canada video?
If this doesn’t put you in the mood for the playoffs, nothing will.
How to profile an elusive subject: Sports Illustrated’s McCallum details techniques in Popovich piece
This article should be required reading in every sports journalism class.
Jack McCallum always has been a favorite, and not just because he actually saw my birdie on 12 at Augusta National. His recent Sports Illustrated profile of Gregg Popovich was terrific.
Turns out there was more to the story.
McCallum faced quite a challenge since the San Antonio coach doesn’t like to talk about himself. He made it known to McCallum that he wouldn’t be doing any interviews.
McCallum and SI decided the story would be done with or without Popovich’s cooperation. At JackMcCallum.net, he gives an excellent behind-the-scenes about his reporting for the story, and how he eventually got some time with Popovich.
McCallum writes:
(Spurs PR man) Tom James was not thrilled that I was doing the story. On the one hand, he knows that Popovich deserves the attention, and, as a p.r. man, it is his job to get attention–positive if possible–to the Spurs. On the other hand, he was the one who had to tell Pop: “McCallum is coming anyway.” But he’s a pro and he knows the deal. This isn’t China. You can write stories about people even if they don’t want them written. “Pop will be difficult,” said Tom, “but you’re welcome to come and I’ll help you in any way I can.”
My hope, of course, was that Pop would change his mind and talk, but one had to prepare in case he didn’t. That means talking to more people about him than usual, which presents opportunities that can more than compensate for a silent subject. Fortunately, Pop’s influence is far-reaching. There were many candidates.
McCallum did a ton of interviews. Still, he wanted to get something from “Pop.”
Pop’s reticence in talking about himself is genuine. Some people tell you they don’t want to talk about themselves, but they really do. That’s not Pop. But I believe that time management has almost as much to do with it. The Spurs, with Pop at the top of the organizational flow chart, are nothing if not time-management-conscious. As Pop sees it, every minute that he’s talking about himself is one minute away from the mission, which is preparation and, ultimately, winning.
“What about if I just checked some facts with you?” I said, playing somewhat of a trump card. A guy like Pop has to respond to fact checking. Hopefully, it was an Academy thing.
“Okay,” said Pop. “That’ll be okay.” And then he was gone.
Over the next couple of days, I reminded Tom about the fact-checking session and finally Tom told me, “Okay, Pop said he’ll do it before the game.”
Here’s how it went:
I asked a question about leadership and discipline just to get things rolling, and soon we were back at his days as a small-college coach at Pomona-Pitzer in the 1970s. I had a list of questions (something I do rarely these days but wanted to be ready in this case), but this wasn’t going to be his once-upon-a-time life story. In instances when interview time is at a premium, the journalist is better off getting a lot of material on one subject than only a little bit on several different ones. That’s my philosophy anyway.
And that’s pretty much how it went. I heard several things I had never heard before about his time at Pomona, including his enduring friendship with a distinguished scholar named Dr. Steven Koblik. I knew that would be a followup possibility.
Soon, Pop was gone, having given me only 20 minutes or so. But they were good minutes, and you can get a lot done in 20 good minutes.
Kudos to Jack for some fine reporting. Thanks for showing my sports journalism students how to get it done.
Chicago Tribune: Blackhawks owner found Collins’ videos ‘offensive’
As has been speculated, it appears as if the Chicago Blackhawks weren’t aware of Susannah Collins’ previous work doing racy sports videos prior to being hired as a sports reporter by Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
In a front page story in the Chicago Tribune, Robert Channick obtained a copy of a letter Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz sent to CSNC vice-president and general manager Phil Bedella.
Channick reports:
Launched in 2004, CSN Chicago is a partnership between Comcast and the Cubs, Sox, Blackhawks and Bulls. Comcast owns about 30 percent of the sports network, and the teams control the rest. Management at CSN Chicago is solely responsible for the hiring of reporters, according to the network.
But on Wednesday, Wirtz sent a letter to Phil Bedella, vice president and general manager of CSN Chicago, which the Tribune obtained, addressing his concerns about the Sports Nutz videos.
“In my opinion and those of others, (the videos) are incredibly offensive to a number of audiences, going well beyond professional athletes,” Wirtz said. “Had we known of this earlier, we would have raised the issue immediately.”
The letter went on to ask CSN to “remove her from our broadcast immediately.”
The racy nature of Collins’ Sports Nutz videos were magnified in the wake of her now infamous “tremendous sex” slip-up on Tuesday night. However, as I pointed out yesterday, Collins didn’t try to conceal that she did those videos. Quite the contrary, she proudly points them out on her biography. In fact, they led to her getting sports reporting work in New York, and eventually a job back in her hometown in Chicago.
Channick writes:
A Downers Grove native and University of Illinois graduate, Collins previously worked as a reporter for Showtime Sports, the NFL Network and as a weekend sports anchor at WCBS-TV in New York, according to CSN’s press release announcing her hiring. There was no mention of Sports Nutz at the time, and it is unclear if any CSN executives had viewed the videos before employing her.
“We are very pleased to bring someone of Susannah’s experience and local sports enthusiasm to our network on a full-time basis,” Charlie Schumacher, the then-news director for CSN Chicago, said in the September press release.
Schumacher has since left the network and didn’t respond to a request for comment for this story.
If there was a problem or concern with the videos, it should have been addressed when Collins was hired. The whole thing leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. It just seems unfair that Collins had to be embarrassed like this.
It also is a perfect example of how one slip can derail an entire career in today’s media environment.
Saturday flashback: Classic covers from ESPN The Magazine; Remember Ricky and Ditka?
ESPN The Magazine is celebrating its 15th anniversary this week. Check out my interview with editor Chad Millman.
I thought I would roll out a few of the more memorable covers.
When it comes to all-time bizarre, nothing beats the beautiful couple of Ricky Williams and Mike Ditka. By the way, how long did that marriage last?
Here the first cover in 1998 featuring the next crop of sports superstars. Kobe Bryant and ARod did alright for themselves. Eric Lindros dominated, but his career got cut short. Kordell Stewart? Not so much.
This one just makes me laugh. Who should go first in the 1998 draft: Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf?
Here was a true Next: LeBron James’ first cover in 2002.
The full Serena from the first Body issue.
Sometimes you just need to run a cover with a unicorn.
Yes, they’ve definitely changed the Press Box at Churchill Downs
I can guarantee you the old Joe E. Hirsch Media Center didn’t look like this.
As I wrote Wednesday, the press box is gone. It has been renovated (to say the least) and now is “The Mansion.” Only high-rollers need apply.
Leigh Montville gave his assessment as only he can in a column at Sports on Earth.
One day it was right there, “the Joe Hirsch Media Center,” the place where Damon Runyon and Ring Lardner and Red Smith and, sure, Joe Hirsch typed out descriptions of the characters, machinations and adventures involved in the first 138 years of Kentucky Derby. The next day, poof, the same space is occupied by “The Mansion,” a special area designed and interior-decorated for only the highest of high rollers, the biggest of big wigs, the corporate killers.
The prime rooftop views that once were the basis for stories on America’s most famous horse race, tales of Whirlaway and Citation, Secretariat and Seattle Slew, stories that were shipped around the country and around the world, now have a price tag. A maker might pay as much as $12,500 for the right to sit next to a $12,500 shaker for an afternoon to discuss bloodlines, the market and the virtues of a well-made mint julep in the exact same spot.
Montville then makes up a bewildered young sportswriter who learns he has to watch the race on TV:
“Dateline Louisville. Ace Reporter here. I am told that it is sunny outside today for the Kentucky Derby, but I do not know for sure. I am inside the press room, watching the many screens. I can hear the song — ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ — being played as the 21 horses parade down the track. I think it’s being played at the track, too, but can’t be sure. It is being played on the television screens. …
“The horses all have entered the gate. There is a little commotion on the screen. A hush in the room, probably out on the track also. A bell. The gates are open. They’re off … wait a minute. Did somebody just hit the clicker? Why are all the television screens tuned to something about duck hunters? Where is the race? Duck hunters?
“I’m going to be fired when I get home.”
Comcast SportsNet Chicago ‘parts ways’ with reporter; says reason not related to unfortunate on-air slip
Susannah Collins, whose unfortunate slip went viral this week, has been fired by Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
In a statement issued late last night, Phil Bedella, vice-president and general manager of CSN Chicago said:
“Due to circumstances unrelated to her on-air remarks Tuesday night, Susannah Collins and Comcast SportsNet Chicago have parted ways. We appreciate everything Susannah has contributed to our network over the past year and wish her the best in her future endeavors.”
On Tuesday, Collins, who had been working as a reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks, said during Game of the Minnesota series that the Hawks had enjoyed “a tremendous amount of sex” during a segment. She tried to correct herself by quickly saying, “success.”
The next day, Collins sent out this tweet:
Thanks for laughing along with me & my “tremendous” slip, guys. Who couldn’t use a good chuckle every now & then right??
#Whoops!
Apparently, CSN Chicago and the Blackhawks weren’t laughing.
Robert Channick in the Chicago Tribune writes that the slip-up brought attention to Collins’ work on a series of “raunchy” YouTube videos uploaded between 2009 and 2010.
As co-host of Sports Nutz, Collins pushed the boundaries of sports journalism — and good taste — with sexually explicit reports and potentially offensive racial stereotypes.
Produced by Middlebrow Media, the 16-video series drifted more toward lowbrow humor, with Collins and her female co-host, Sam Raddock, delivering everything from rowdy man-on-the-street interviews to a dramatic reading of the sexual exploits of former NBA player Darryl Dawkins’ from his autobiography “Chocolate Thunder.”
Obviously, CSN Chicago and the Blackhawks, a part owner in the station, knew of those videos when Collins was hired in September. She lists Sports Nutz on her bio:
But Susannah’s true calling came in 2009 when she was given an opportunity to host a new web-based sports show, Sports Nutz, allowing her to combine her love of sports with her charismatic, on-camera abilities.
So it’s difficult to buy that her slip-up wasn’t unrelated to the dismissal. The likely reason was the gaffe, which dragged up those “raunchy” videos, were a lethal combination to Collins’ stay at CSN Chicago.
Riding again: Gary Stevens will provide NBC with different view of this year’s Kentucky Derby
Networks are supposed to be objective, with the obvious exception of pulling for major-market, star-studded teams to win to boost ratings.
NBC, though, will have a rooting interesting in this year’s Kentucky Derby. One of their own is in the race.
Gary Stevens has left his analyst seat to return to riding again. The Hall of Fame jockey is on Oxbow.
During a conference call, Stevens noted the race has great storylines for his NBC colleagues.
“I am going to be a little bit greedy here and hope to become a main storyline of the race,” Stevens said.
Indeed, NBC will be well prepared either way. Stevens will be wired throughout the entire day.
“I am still part of this team,” Stevens said. “And that’s why I’ve offered to do anything to make this show better. As being on the announcing team, I’ve asked a couple of favors from some guys ‘Hey can you wear a microphone during the race?’ How can I ask that question then not volunteer to do it? So I’m very happy to accommodate to do anything I can to make this telecast any better.”
As for why he returned, Stevens said:
“It was just something that started to grow within me over the past year and a half. And I started getting fit. I didn’t know whether I would be able to come back. I wanted to take it slowly. I did take it slowly.
“And talking with a number of folks, friends, family members got a lot of encouragement. And I thought, you know, if I can do this why not and if I can do it at a high level and continue to do it at a high level. And to be back after four months of racing and riding in the Kentucky Derby I can just say that it’s pretty gratifying.”
Stevens has won three Kentucky Derby races. Can he win a fourth?
“I’ve got a lot more control on a horse’s back than I did sitting in the booth,” Stevens said. “It’s a positive feeling knowing that I can have an impact on the shape of the race. And I feel that I will have an impact on the shape of the race because of my post position where I drew with Oxbow and where the way I wrote him last time in the Arkansas Derby.
“So I’ll just say it here now I’m sending this horse away from the gate and if anybody wants any part of me early on then they’re probably going to pay the price for it. I’ll let that be known right now.”
Nantz: Ailing Ken Venturi to miss his induction ceremony at the World Golf Hall of Fame; Extended stay in hospital
It doesn’t seem fair. After waiting for years to earn a place in the World Golf Hall of Fame, Ken Venturi will miss his induction ceremony Monday night in St. Augustine, Fla.
The 1964 U.S. Open winner and long-time CBS golf analyst has been hospitalized for nearly two months in Palm Springs, according to his former partner Jim Nantz. Venturi, 82, has been suffering from an infection and a subsequent stomach surgery.
Nantz described Venturi’s condition as extremely weak.
“It’s such a shame,” Nantz said. “I kept thinking about how he battled during that final day of the U.S. Open, when it was so hot and people were telling him not to go out there. I kept hoping that there would be the same storyline here, and that he would snap out of it and be well enough to be there. It’s not going to happen. He will be terribly missed.”
Venturi had asked Nantz to be his presenter at the ceremony. Nantz, along with his sons Matt and Tim, now will accept the honor on his behalf.
Nantz said the acceptance speech will be “very spare” in the hope that Venturi can return in 2014 and speak on his own behalf.
“We’re going to tell people that we want Ken to be making this talk,” Nantz said. “We were thinking if he didn’t make it to the Hall of Fame, it would crush him. He would have a hard time recovering. But once he hears he has a chance to come back in ’14 and give that speech, he’ll be OK. God willing, he’ll be there.”