Come On Get Happy
the sad state of New England's sports media

September 16, 2002

With two twenty four hour sports talk radio stations, two major newspapers, six local television networks, television and newspapers from five other New England states, not to mention the national media, there is no shortage of coverage of the Boston sports scene. The media members, in their relentless quest to find a story in a crowded and competitive environment, focus on the negative, as controversy sells. The media can create controversies out of seemingly minor incidents. An issue is often blown out of proportion or left festering long after the team has moved on. In many cases, objectivity and professionalism are absent. If a representative of a team is reported on, often their interactions with the media are the basis for the connotation of the coverage. If a reporter has a negative interaction with the player, the player is reported on negatively. If the player is cordial or polite, they are covered in a positive manner.

During Monday September 9's game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Manny Ramirez failed to run out a ground ball hit back to the mound. Red Sox manager Grady Little explained afterwards that Manny apologized to the team, atoning for the mistake and avoiding punishment in the process. Little added that Manny's bat is too important to the team to come out of a game during a pennant race. Manny homered to put the Red Sox ahead and eventually win the game in his next at bat, validating the skipper's point. On Saturday afternoon, a full five days after the incident, the media continued to report extensively on it. Not running out a ground ball was a black mark for the Red Sox and the game of baseball. No players expressed anger, but the story persisted. Little eventually fined Manny and said he would not tolerate anything similar from one of his players. As usual, the media's negative influence creates a controversy when the players and coaches have moved on. How important is it that Manny did not run on the play? Have you ever let hit the snooze button on your alarm clock or put something off until the next day?

On Thursday morning, the day after the one-year anniversary of the September 11 tragedies, the Dennis and Callahan show on sports talk radio station WEEI devoted most of it's time to criticizing Manny's behavior during a pregame ceremony honoring the anniversary. According to their accounts, Manny showed no reverence to the victims by his actions- dancing, pacing and spitting while the rest of the team watched respectfully. Each player was also paired up with a member of the armed services as they were introduced to the crowd. The other players interacted with the servicemen, but Manny ran ahead, doing windmills with his arms and otherwise ignoring his counterpart. The hosts of the show, John Dennis and Gerry Callahan spent upwards of 15 minutes criticizing Manny. He was not respectful, was a piece of garbage and does not appreciate this country. They called him stupid, saying that anyone with only one talent (hitting a ball) should be thankful for the opportunity to be paid to play baseball. They even said they would refuse to interview him and would no longer talk to him if the opportunity arose. Not to worry, Manny rarely grants interviews, and if he did, he would be doing himself a disservice by talking to them.

S I D E N O T E

Perhaps Manny can't run the bases because of the giant sack of cash he is carrying. Does anyone know how much $160 million weighs?

Dennis and Callahan had watched the game on television. They were not at Tropicana Stadium to get a full account. Instead they slandered Manny based on limited information. All they saw was what the cameras were following, and every shot was not devoted to Manny. No player, coach, commentator or Red Sox representative mentioned Manny's behavior as inappropriate. Dennis and Callahan were completely off base and should be held accountable for their foolishness. Is it a surprise Ramirez does not talk to the media? Manny is no doubt regarded as thoughtless and disrespectful by many fans. Sitting in the stands at Fenway on September 13, the Sox first home game since Dennis and Callahan's comments, fans continually berated Manny. Among the jeers directed towards Ramirez, one fan sitting near me yelled "Puerto Rican piece of trash," while detailing the Dennis and Callahan reports. False reporting led to this reaction, and the fans should not be blamed. The show sponsors a blooper reel featuring lame skits performed by it's hosts on the Fenway scoreboard. The Red Sox should pull this advertising immediately, but likely will not. The media is rarely held accountable for the validity of it's coverage, and the team is revenue hungry, running out of places to put advertisements (we joke that our trips to the bathroom are sponsored by Bud Light.) The station or the Red Sox should at least require an apology.

On the other side of the coin, all season long Tony Clark has been lauded for his personable demeanor and friendly attitude. Although Clark has struggled mightily, very little has been said about his lack of production by the media. The former All Star has been a bust in every sense of the word. Never before have I seen a high paid athlete receive such a free ride, and the fact that he is a "nice guy" is the reason. Jose Offerman underperformed and was not friendly to the media. He had comparable, if not better statistics than Clark when he was released. Offerman could at least play three positions in the infield and run the bases reasonably well. The media and the fans ran him out of town. Clark is still here earning similar money, and no one has complained all season. Why hasn't Clark been treated similarly? Since the media reports that Offerman would not talk or was rude to them, fans are biased and react harshly. Attitude and demeanor are complimentary, but they don't replace talent. Skills are skills, and both Clark and Offerman possessed declining skills. If I am looking for someone to watch the game with me, I'll take the nicer guy, but if I am looking for someone to win the game, I'll take the talented guy, regardless of attitude.

It can be said that a part of the professional athlete's job is to interact with the media. With the volume of coverage in most markets, it is ridiculous to expect them to be available 100% of the time. Players have lives outside of their sports, just like most people have lives outside of their jobs. Imagine leaving your office after a particularly tough day, only to have microphones, tape recorders and notepads shoved in your face as you are bombarded with questions asking you to dissect your poor performance. The average sports fan does not spend time with the team off of the field. Whether or not they are cordial while being interviewed or if they do not answer every question is of little consequence. Further, because of our limited access to athletes away from the games, the media has a responsibility to be unbiased and fair with their coverage. Often we read the player's reaction to a question, but never the manner or situation when a question is asked. We all enjoy the coverage, and recognize it's necessity, but can't it be done in an objective and/ or positive manner?

EXTRA EXTRA: Jason Varitek was evolving into one of the American League's elite catchers in 2001 prior to breaking his wrist. Many observers said his was the biggest void during a season where Nomar and Pedro were also absent for an extended period due to injury. Despite starting 2002 with a bang, Varitek has not been the same hitter. His power numbers are low- Doug Mirabelli has almost as many homers in significantly less at bats. Varitek has also fared poorly with runners in scoring position. Red Sox ownership may have to make some tough decisions on contracts because of the Sox bigger hit from revenue sharing. With Mirabelli, a very capable back up, on the roster and prize prospect Kelly Shoppach in the fold, Varitek might make valuable trade bait to help replenish the Sox thin crop of minor league talent.