Shannon Sharpe, our hero: Rips Belichick for not doing postgame interview with CBS

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Shannon Sharpe has his share of critics on CBS’ NFL Today. But everyone was behind him Sunday after he pounced on poor sport Bill Belichick.

The New England coach reinforced his jerkness by refusing to talk to CBS’ Steve Tasker after the game. Now, it wasn’t as if the Patriots lost a heart-breaker on a controversial call. The Ravens pounded them in the second half. Pull yourself together and give two minutes to a network that is paying billions for the rights to these days.

Kudos to Sharpe for calling out Belichick. Also, watch Bill Cowher’s body language. What did he think of Sharpe’s verbal lashing?

Posted in CBS

Q/A with Eddie Olczyk: With short schedule, ‘It is such a crapshoot’; Pivotal season for Blackhawks

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Eddie Olczyk needs to make up for lost time. So the NBC/Chicago Blackhawks analyst hardly is easing into the new season.

His schedule since last Saturday through Sunday:

Saturday: Los Angeles for Blackhawks-Kings; Sunday: Phoenix for Blackhawks-Coyotes; Tuesday: Chicago for St. Louis-Blackhawks; Wednesday: New York for Boston-Rangers; Thursday: Dallas for Chicago-Stars: Friday: East Lansing to Michigan State-Penn State (his son plays for Penn State); Saturday: Columbus for Chicago-Blue Jackets; Sunday: Chicago for Detroit-Blackhawks.

I get exhausted just typing that. But Olczyk doesn’t seem fazed.

“I just forge ahead,” he said.

Olczyk, one of the best analysts in any sport, knows being busy beats the alternative. With the NHL season finally kicking off Saturday, I asked Olczyk to assess the fallout and look ahead to the factors that will impact the short 48-game season. Also, as a bonus to the Chicago readers, Olczyk weighs in on what will be an important season for the Blackhawks.

How did you handle the time off?

For me, I lived through this before as a coach and a player. I understand the dynamics of what goes in it.

It was a chance to spend time with my family. I have two boys playing college hockey. I saw a lot of their games. I have a son whose team I help coach. I was at the rink five nights a week. So I was around hockey quite a bit.

Were you nervous the entire season would be wiped out?

I was always banking on the common sense part of it. On the inside, I was hoping we would play. But the longer you go, you wonder if common sense would kick in.  But it’s a business. There’s no guarantees. It happens with everything in life. Unfortunately for us, it happens far too often.

Was this all worth it? Will the sport be better off?

It’s too early to get your thumb print on it. Any time you lose games, it’s not a good thing. So many people were affected (on and off the ice).

Where does the league stand now compared to 2004-2005 when the entire season was lost?

Back then, they came back with a lot of gadgets. The shootout. People were really jazzed up about that. There were rules changes (for more offense). You had Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin coming on.

Now I think we’re relying more on the momentum that the sports captured over the last seven years. The playoffs were big last year. People were so happy all those outlets had all the games. We’re going to tell stories, tell people why the game is as great as it is. Not only in person but on television as well. The bottom line is, it’s entertainment. We have to entertain.

If you were coaching this year, how would you feel going into the season without any real training camp?

Certainly, there are going to be challenges. You had only five practices to implement your system.

It’s going to be a 48-game push. For coaches, time management is going to be the key. You’re going to go through tough stretches where you’re not playing well in a certain area. You may lose three in a row and your power play is 0 for 20. You want to practice, but you’re going to have give guys a day off. Maybe rest is the most important thing you can give them.

You’re going to have to watch a guy’s minutes. You’re going to be playing four games in six nights. For a lot of guys, it won’t be physically possible for them practice on that off day and have them ready to go.

What’s the impact of a reduced schedule?

With the short schedule, it is such a crapshoot. The only thing I know for sure, the first 14 games are going to be big. I don’t think you can make the playoffs in the first 14 games, but I think you can knock yourself out. Is that .500? Is that a game over?

Every night somebody is gaining on you. You have to be able to stay out of going 2-5 on a road trip. If you don’t win for two or three games, you’re going to drop off big time.

You can see how close the division races were in past years. You think about all games are within the conference this year. Everyone will need to brush up on the tie-breakers. With the short season, it’s going to be so close. The difference between home ice advantage and missing the playoffs…It’s going to be really, really crazy.

You work as a local TV analyst for the Blackhawks for Comcast SportsNet Chicago. Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2010, the Blackhawks have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in two straight years. How big of a season is it for the Hawks?

There’s no doubt that they’ve got to take that next step. Losing in the first round is just not good enough. I know the philosophy of (owner Rocky Wirtz and team president John McDonough). Regardless of changeover or anything else, their expectations are one thing: To win.

The Hawks need the goaltending to go to another level. They need to be able to win those defensive type of games, those tight-checking, neutral zone type of games. There are their special teams. And put that in the blender, and hope you get to the next step.

Can they do it without making any major changes?

That’s a good question. They get Hossa back, they get Daniel Carcillo back, and he’ll give them a physical presence they were lacking for most of the season (Note: Carcillo got injured in the opener Saturday and will miss some significant time.) They have some depth on the back end, which will help. How much time will their best defenseman play (Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook)? And can they improve their power play?

Those things can be the difference, not only during the regular season, but in the playoffs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Katie Couric lands TV interview with Manti Te’o

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Edges out Oprah?

From the New York Times:

Katie Couric has landed the first television interview with Manti Te’o, the Notre Dame football star who said he was tricked into believing first that he had a girlfriend and then that the girlfriend died of leukemia. The girlfriend never existed.

The oddity of the preceding sentences explain why Mr. Te’o has received so much attention in recent days, and why the first interview of him has been so hotly pursued.

The ESPN reporter Jeremy Schaap interviewed Mr. Te’o for two and a half hours on Friday night, but Mr. Te’o’s representatives insisted that it take place off-camera. Now, it seems, they are ready for him to go on-camera.

Ms. Couric’s interview will be televised on Thursday on “Katie,” the syndicated talk show she began last fall, a spokeswoman for the show said on Sunday. Excerpts from the interview will be broadcast in advance on “Good Morning America” and other ABC News programs.

Mr. Te’o will be joined by his parents, Brian and Ottilia, for the interview. Mr. Te’o apparently misled his father about the girlfriend, claiming at one point that he’d met her in Hawaii.

 

Tatum O’Neal reflects on legacy of Bad News Bears: ‘It’s just so wrong on so many levels’

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The next edition of Costas at the Movies features the classic, Bad News Bears (Monday, 8 p.m. ET, MLB Network).

Bob Costas sits down with Tatum O’Neal to recall the movie and its legacy. Then the movie follows.

Here’s same excerpts of the interview from MLB Network:

Tatum O’Neal on preparing for the role of Amanda Whurlitzer:

“I took three months of heavy-duty pitching lessons.”

Tatum O’Neal on Walter Matthau:

“He was so talented. I’m just so lucky to have worked with him. He could do anything and he knew exactly how to do this role. He knew exactly how to just be a complete mess.”

Tatum O’Neal on her character:

“It’s so funny because I have a group of 48-year old men, like Vince Vaughn…who have posters of “Bad News Bears,” Jason Patric, Quentin Tarantino. There’s a group of people, mostly men, who think that character of Amanda Whurlitzer is the most appealing little girl at that age…It must be a toughness with a little femininity.”

Tatum O’Neal on being visited in the hospital by Matthau after a car accident:

“A couple of years later, when I turned about 15, I had a car accident. Lumbering down the hall was Walter, he said, ‘Kid, I just had to come in and see that you were all right.’ I can’t say that was true for every actor I’ve worked with…It was a pretty special moment for me, one that I will never forget.”

Tatum O’Neal on the relationship between Amanda and Coach Buttermaker in the film:

“It’s so real. You see the camaraderie that Walter and I had in the same way really that me and my father did at the time.”

Tatum O’Neal on the film’s legacy:

“It’s so funny. It’s so sweet. It’s sweet and, yet, it’s completely wrong. It’s just so wrong on so many levels.”

 

Posted in MLB

Sunday funnies: Kobe, Lionel Messi team up for Turkish Airways ad; plus behind scenes look

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l saw this commercial repeatedly during a recent trip to South Africa. I was considering overseas expansion for ShermanReport, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out cricket.

Anyway, I don’t think this ad is running in the U.S. At least I can’t remember seeing it. That’s not to say it hasn’t been seen by many Americans since it has more than 100 million views on YouTube.

If you haven’t seen it, it is well done:

And here’s a behind the scenes look at the ad.

Jeremy Schaap on Te’o interview: ‘If people saw him on camera, he’s very convincing’

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It’s been whirlwind couple of days for Jeremy Schaap.

“I’ve been sitting in the same conference room for the last 17 hours,” said Schaap around noon on Saturday. “I’ve been up for the last 35-36 hours. Yeah, it’s been a bit crazy.”

I called Schaap to get the backstory and his insights into landing the big interview with Manti Te’o last night. He spoke to the former Notre Dame linebacker off-camera for 2 1/2 hours.

Update: Here’s a link with the edited transcript of the interview.

Earlier, I wrote Schaap now has become part of the story. He said in his 11-minute ESPN report that he thought Te’o was “credible” in telling how he was duped in an elaborate hoax. Schaap’s view carries a lot of weight since he is the only journalist to interview Te’o.

Here’s my Q/A with Schaap.

How did the interview come about?

We became aware of the story (about nine days ago). We were trying to break the story, but Deadspin beat us to it.

It looked like I was going to get an interview with Manti on Thursday night. I flew down Thursday morning. By the time I landed (in Bradenton, Fla.), the interview was definitely off. His advisors wanted more time to consider his options. They said they weren’t ready to put him on camera.

What happened Friday?

Yesterday, at 3, (a Te’o representative) said, it’s a go, but no cameras.

What was your reaction to the no cameras part?

I said, ‘We really would like to have cameras. This is TV.’ They felt he would be more comfortable doing this without cameras. They said, “He’ll open up more in a relaxed setting. He’ll be a better interview. That’s our condition. You can ask any question you want. You can keep him as long as you want.”

Our obligation journalistically is to submit him to the tough questions. Obviously, you can accomplish those things without a camera there. I understand there are people frustrated that it wasn’t on camera. None more so than I.

Was it a smart move on their part?

He was very candid and forthcoming. Who knows if he would have been as forthcoming with cameras there?

Part of me disagrees with his advisors here. He was so comfortable. If people actually saw him on camera, he would be convincing.

The dynamic, though, changes with a camera. So you don’t know.

Did you have to negotiate to use the sound bites on air?

Yes. I said, ‘You remember when the Washington Post interviewed Joe Paterno, they put out a couple of sound bites.’ We agreed to put out some sound bites that would best tell the story. In no way were we fettered with any restrictions other than being off camera, which is disappointing.

Was there any point in the interview where you felt he was lying to you?

He admitted he lied to his father. That led to the stories that he had met her. He admitted that he mislead interviewers. It was embarrassing for him to say he never met the love of his life.

Maybe I’m the most gullible guy in the world. It’s a strange position to be everyone’s believability monitor here.

But he was calm, composed. He wasn’t hemming and hawing. He didn’t lose track of dates and events. I didn’t think he was lying. I thought he was telling the truth. I’ll be blunt about that.

Did you think twice about being so strong with your judgment?

Sure, there’s some hesitation. You’re always hesitant when you report a story like this to offer up your opinion. But this was a special circumstance. Part of my responsibility here was to share my opinions with people.

If I’m watching on TV, the first thing I want to know is, “What’s his explanation?” The second thing is, “Do I believe him?” It’s a fine line. It’s not a line I haven’t crossed before.

How did you address the speculation that Te’o created these stories to cover up that he is gay?

I didn’t ask him any questions about that. I saw no credible information that would suggest that he is gay. During the course of our interview, without my prompting, he spoke several times about his romantic relationships with women. He said he had a girlfriend after learning (the made-up person) had died.

Are you confident that you hit him hard and asked all the right questions?

I’m sure someone will point out the things I missed. I’ve avoided the Internet during the last 12 hours.

I’m sure something will come to me at some point. But at this point, considering I’ve been up for the last 35 hours, nothing comes to mind.

Did his people indicate to you whether Te’o will do more interviews and eventually answer questions on TV?

They did indicate he would do something, but they didn’t say when and where.

There are interviews that never happen with athletes in this circumstance. Is it in his best interest to do more after our interview? It probably is, because he is very credible.

Will the story start to fade away now?

I think it does. People wanted to hear his side of the story. They heard him answer questions that were aggressively put to him.

I can say he was very relieved at the end of our interview. It appeared like he had a huge weight off of his shoulders.

Is this the nuttiest story of all time?

It’s up there. I was talking to a friend today. There’s a good quote from Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of Sherlock Holmes) that applies here:

“When you’ve eliminated all which is impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

In Jeremy we trust: ESPN’s Schaap now part of story by saying Te’o is ‘credible’

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Let’s keep in mind the Manti Te’o story centers around some incredibly cruel and twisted people and an incredibly naive football player. Maybe I’m naive, but I still have a hard time believing there are people out there who find sport in deceiving a person in this way. It really makes me feel bad about society.

Did Jeremy Schaap’s interview with Te’o on the late SportsCenter last night slow down the train a bit? Perhaps.

For Schaap to say the Notre Dame linebacker came off as “credible” is beyond huge. It carries a lot of weight for one of the most respected journalists to maintain that Te’o passed the bullshit test in his eyes.

In a way, Schaap now is part of the story as the only journalist to gain access to Te’o. He has become our eyes and ears. If Schaap says Te’o is credible, the majority of us will feel the same way.

It is interesting to note that Te’o’s handlers didn’t let him appear on camera for the interview. In retrospect, that appears to be a good move. It seems to have allowed the conversation to be more informal. A kitchen-table talk, if you will. It took away the pressure of Te’o having to be conscious of himself in front of a camera, although that day will come soon.

The sound bites that were released were pretty convincing. Maybe Te’o really was that naive.

For more, here’s the reaction from Deadspin.

Here’s the reaction from Big Lead.

 

 

 

 

 

ESPN advances story with interview, but is anonymous friend to be believed?

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ESPN’s Shelley Smith landed an interview with a friend of Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, the person alleged to have been behind the Manti Te’o hoax.

From the post:

The friend, a woman in her mid-20s, agreed to be interviewed under the condition that she not be identified, saying she was fearful for her family’s safety because of the overwhelming publicity the story has generated. In the interview, she did allow for her voice to be recorded.

She says Tuiasosopo gave her the tearful confession and account of how he played, what he said was at first a game, on the unsuspecting Te’o. And, she says, he told her that it wasn’t the first time he had done it.

“He (Ronaiah) told me that Manti was not involved at all, he was a victim. … The girlfriend was a lie, the accident was a lie, the leukemia was a lie,” said the woman. “He was crying, he was literally crying, he’s like ‘I know, I know what I have to do.’

“It’s not only Manti, but he was telling me that it’s a lot of other people they had done this to.”

I think ESPN exercised caution in this situation and carefully vetted the source. But who knows anymore? What if this woman is just another extension of the grand hoax?

I asked ESPN for a comment, and spokesman Mike Soltys replied, “We’re going to let the reporting speak for itself.”

Still, there are plenty of doubters on Twitter:

Jason McIntyre of Big Lead: “What evidence did Shelley Smith have that the “mastermind” confessed to the “friend?” Polygraph? Recorded? Or is this another rabbit hole?”

Dan Levy of Bleacher Report: “Re: this Te’o hoax…these ppl spent 2 years tricking him & 3 months watching nation fawn over the story They aren’t playing us now? Please.”

I mean, has anyone seen this woman’s birth certificate? How do we know she’s real?

And the story continues.

 

Still not buying that Notre Dame reporters failed on Te’o story

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Nothing like a little hindsight to make us all feel like idiots on the Manti Te’o story. You would almost think this is journalism’s darkest hour since Janet Cooke won the Pulitzer.

More piling on:

Ronnie Ramos of the National Sports Journalism Center at Indiana:

It has become apparent in the past year that as mainstream media and journalists work online and across social media platforms, they have not brought with them the same accountability and transparency they demonstrated when they worked  for newspapers.

(Later he wrote) One of the outcomes of this Te’o hoax should be an in-depth review of how stories are vetted and a constant standard established for each organization across all platforms. We saw last year that lax standards for Twitter contributed to the false report about former Penn State coach Joe Paterno’s  death.

Patrick Hruby in The Atlantic:

The Te’o debacle isn’t like crediting the wrong player with a touchdown catch, or reporting an anonymously-sourced trade rumor that turns out to be false. This is a journalistic failure of the highest order, on a systemic scale, and frankly, there ought to be some sort of independent commission established to get to the bottom of how so many different organizations could be so very, very wrong about something so very, very basic.

********

And there were readers weighing in with comments on my site:

Barry: Not one reporter thought to contact the Stanford sports information director’s office on the outside chance of getting an interview with the “girlfriend’s” roommate, parents, a teacher, SOMEBODY, anybody that knew her personally?

Doing so more than likely would’ve revealed that the girl DIDN’T GO TO STANFORD! After which it likely would’ve been determined that SHE DIDN’T EXIST!

Might not be a bad idea for sportswriters to work the police and/or political beats for awhile before they migrate into the toy department. That way, they might be able to tell more easily when someone’s story sounds fishy.

Derek: Yes, a story should be verified before you run with it.  Journalists like to hold themselves and their profession in high regard, but when they fail to display even a shred of the intellectual integrity necessary to the pursuit of truth, and act with the unquestioning credulity of the proverbial choir member, things like this, which make the entire profession seem indistinguishable from the much-maligned, amateur blogosphere, are bound to occur.

Because no one at SI, ESPN, or any other outlet felt it necessary to scratch beneath the surface of a good story, the entire media is now being forced to absorb yet another black eye to its already battered reputation.

*******

And finally, Deadspin editor Tommy Craggs offered this assessment in his interview with Poytner:

I have less sympathy for the folks who crafted those painstaking “Love Story”-in-cleats feature stories about Manti and his dead girlfriend. Those were dumb, infantilizing stories to begin with, and they were executed poorly and sloppily, and if there’s any lesson to be drawn from this, it’s that this kind of simpering crap should be eliminated from the sports pages entirely.

*******

As I posted yesterday, I have a hard time blaming the reporters who covered the story and wrote about Te’o’s girlfriend. Why wouldn’t you believe Te’o? Why wouldn’t you believe Notre Dame? Brian Kelly made a spectacle out of giving him the game ball after the Michigan game.

Perhaps, reporters should have dug deeper to find out about the deceased girlfriend. To add details of who she was to the narrative. However, I don’t think it was imperative, considering what Te’o said about her.

It’s all hindsight. And don’t forget the media now works in a world where the deadline was five minutes ago. It does put a premium on going with what you’ve got now.

Obviously, the lesson here is the age-old notion of making that extra phone call. Easier to say now than prior to Deadspin publishing its story.

And speaking of Deadspin, the writers don’t get that story without receiving a tip. Otherwise, they had no reason to believe Te’o’s girlfriend was make-believe.

Deadspin did a superb job of running with what they got. It was a good day in journalism for them.

However, to condemn everyone else isn’t fair. The reporters who worked on this story didn’t have the benefit of hindsight.