March hysteria

It’s here.  I covered the ACC Women’s Tournament this weekend and it far more fun that I thought it would be.

I’ve been in a reflective mood lately and it’s mixed with a lot of thankfulness.

My job is to cover sports for a living. I might have to wake up early for a drive to Greensboro in what turns out to be a 12 hour day of shooting and rapid editing, but I like that I do.   I feel blessed that work doesn’t feel like work.

The consultant told me her two main pieces of advice for sportos are STOP YELLING and SLOW DOWN.  She said I don’t have these problems, so we bull-shitted for 2 hours while we half watched a tape of my stories.

I could be happy in Raleigh for a long time.  Or it could be a springboard.  But I think I’ve finally settled down, not constantly thinking about my next move.  Because maybe I won’t move.  Maybe I’ll be here for the rest of my career.  Even at this point in my job, I’m still uncertain about where I want to end up.  I’m not so stressed out about that feeling anymore.

Let the madness begin…BRACKETS! Selection Sunday in six days…..

Hey chubster!

The consultant meeting got moved back to the end of the month so no feedback yet on my look. Thanks for caring.

Chub Deluxe

I met Wendi Nix last week.  On TV she looks like a normal size 6-8 woman.  Hell nowadays a 6-8 could be considered slim.  Anyway, in person, Nix is a 2-4.  Women know this, I sized her up.  She’s tiny, prominent cheek bones and built bird-like in a good way. Nice skin, that Wendi Nix.

I told her I admire her reporting (true) and how she lets her personality come thru on ESPN’s college football show We kept it short because we were both working the game.  Afterward I kept thinking Wendi Nix…she’s small!  Then I thought…oh crap!

I’m a stick myself. Dropped from a 4 to a 2 lately.  I think sizing up Nix reminded me people look thicker on air. I don’t know how that works, but it’s true. I look chubbier on air.  I think my face looks round.  But if you saw me in person, you’d wonder if I eat hamburgers.  I enjoy them greatly.

Back when my station did a food drive, an older women came up to me and said “You’re the sports girl, right?  You look thinner in person.”  What do I say to that?  It was a compliment but it gave me pause.  I’ve also gotten “you look prettier in person” and other variations of viewers trying to tell me I look different in person.

I like my shape.  I’ve always been slender, and I’m trying to add some muscle to this stick figure. I don’t work out thinking I HAVE TO exercise to be thin for my job, but I feel like no matter how skinny I am, my face is always going to look chub on TV.  My arms are always going to look like danish in tube.

Tomorrow I’m meeting with my station’s consultant, a lady who will review my collection of on-air clips and give me feedback on the my stories and how I looked presenting them. 

I hope she’ll give me suggestions on how to  look hotter on-air.  I don’t wear a ton of make up and I probably need some side-sweepy bangs.  I also hope I can convince her to convince my conservative boss that women in sports rarely wear suits anymore.  I can get away with more in sports and I’d like to dress my age.  Always professional…but I want to wear cute, feminine blouses instead of dumb, boxy suits.

The last consultant I met with said I need to go to a tailor to make my clothes tighter.  That’s right…a trimmer fit for a better silloutte on TV.  I’m down!  I have a small waistline, I swear!

All this stuff about looks.  Walking down the street, I feel fine.  At work…I don’t always feel fine.

Way to Go Duke

You were #1 for 3 days, then Wake Forest beat you. Then Wake lost to Georgia Tech, a team that was previously winless in conference play. I don’t get the ACC.

Therefore, Go Cougs.

HOLLAND!

The land of ACC basketball is intense and let’s face it—FUN. 

Duke got the #1 ranking this week, which added to the I TOLD YOU SO factor I talked about with A.J. In Boise back at the begining of the season.  I told him I was much more impressed by Duke than  UNC this year and A.J. reacted like I was the dumbest broad ever. 

Duke plays Wake Wednesday I think….that game’s gonna be nuts.  I think it’s at Wake, but I’m calling for a Duke win. (Losses to BC and Wake Wake made UNC open confercne at 0-2.  The Tar Heels learned nothing is going to be given to them this season and I think they were exposed.  Not as total fruads, but a team that thought they could cruise. Nope.  Suckas!)

Also—I will say this now.  Duke’s Nolan Smith is the best point I’ve ever seen. He’s a sophmore.  Ty Lawson is a senior.  Both good….but Smith is INCREDIBLE and he’ll get his props next season when he’s out from Lawson’s shadow.  Smith is better than Stephen Curry, the nation’s leading scorer, in athleticism.

There’s some bball talk for ya Holland.  I could talk women’s hoops but I doubt you want to hear that.

What else….Super Bowl next Sunday.  I don’t care much.  Steelers?  Sure.

On a personal note, I’m about to be way more of a hermit. The love of my straight life, Allison, is moving Saturday with her man Dan back home to Washington. The bought a big ass van they could put their matress in and they’re road tripping across the south, to Arizona and up California back to Washington.  Dan is chasing a sweet job and Allison is following.

Me and Al had an intense talk about what it means to follow a guy.  Al and Dan are talking about marriage and kids and they see eye to eye on a future together, but Allison was talking out what it means to be devoted and put someone else first.  Since college, she’s either worked at her parent’s  store (managing, so that’s good) but as she and Dan got more serious and moved in together, she’s kept flexible jobs that don’t pay much. And she was working two jobs  because they don’t have a lot…she worked at a coffee shop and at a kid’s museum. When she left the museum, her boss/mentor suggested she put together a picture portfolio of her experiences at the museum.  Her boss let her take a look at her portfolio, and Allison was so impressed with what this women had accomplished.  Her boss is one of the leaders in the community for early childhood education…Allison could see herself working at the museum for a long time.  But now she’s moving.  Uprooting again for Dan, the guy she left the west coast and her family for in the first place.

Allison talked about the “what ifs.” what if she and Dan don’t work out?  What does she have to show for employment history?  She’s always worked, but it’s entry-level stuff and she quits before she has time to move up. 

It really wasn’t a conversation about some uncertainty with Dan, or even the jobs.  It was more a reflection of everything she’s given up for him, and my independent-minded friend coming to terms with what it means to rely on someone else.  That’s devotion. That’s a risk.  I think it’s going to work out for them.  Hearing Allison put it into words was a big moment.

Anyway, Al and Dan leave Saturday.  I took Friday off to be with her while Dan finishes up at work. We’re cleaning her house from top to bottom and laughing and not talking sometimes and looking over at each other and waiting to cry.

Still glowing

Shaking hands: “Hey, I want to let you know you’re the first pro coach I’ve ever interviewed, so….thanks for not scaring me.”

“You were the one who scared me at the podium. You’d ask me questions I didn’t want to answer….”

All that philosophy and ambient lighting and there it was, a sparkling Stanley Cup ring that glinted when his hands moved.  The whole time I was thinking of that Fight Club line: Only after we’ve lost everything are we free to do anything.”

You’re free, Coach.  Hope I run into you down the way.

Happy Holidays, You’re Fired

My second favorite baller I’ve met reminded me I’m lazy with this blog.  That’s because I’m living sports. Writing sports takes a back seat, but today deserves some mention.

The Hurricanes fired Coach Peter Laviolette and get this: the new coach is the one Lavy replaced in 2003.  Huh? Paul Maurice was fired, Lavy took over, won a Stanley Cup with the Canes, became the winningest US-born coach in NHL history, and got fired today, now replaced by Maurice.

So…if Maurice wasn’t right for the job anymore in 2003, why is he right for the team now?  That’s the big question for a team that needs a big freakin’ kick in the pants.

A couple things.  Maurice is the winningest coach in Canes franchise history.  His kids were born here and he says it feels the most like home.  He just finished a short tenure in Canada coaching the Leafs, which is like surviving gunfire after being dunked in acid. He’s also good friends with the Canes GM so the chemistry at the top of the program should be good.

Really though, a coaching change isn’t 100% about the coach. Players admitted today their crappy play lately cost a man they like his livelihood. My angle today was player reactions to the change, and a lot of the guys were frank about how much they’ve sucked, how much they like Lavy, but lots about how Coach Mo could be the spark-plug disciplinarian that gets the Canes back on track and to the playoffs.  Carolina is the only NHL team that’s missed the playoffs for two straight years after winning the Cup. Based on the way Mo dropped F-bombs at practice, he’s a fiesty, no-bullshit guy.

Mo had his press conference, and then 30 minute later he was out on the ice with the players.  Like the first day of school, everyone was on their best behavior.  You could hear the skates slicing the ice quicker than past practices.

Canes play the Pens tomorrow. Hopefully this marks the end of the same “I dunno….we didn’t play a full 60 minutes” soundbites.

Mo’s not magic, and I almost feel bad for the guy coming into this situation.  He’s under the microscope for the rest of the season and when you’re expected to be the savior, it’s a rare occasion that you can live up to the role.

Losers in the Locker Room

The worst moment in my job is interviewing a losing team. They’re already down and now I have to ask them to disect the loss?  Crap.

The hockey team got spanked tonight and when the media wave rolled into the locker room, I watched at least 15 guys stand up and walk to another room.  The team was exhausted, beaten down, sweaty and miffed.

One brave reporter approached a good talker.  “Hey man, would you mind…?”  “NO,” he said and kept undressing with his head down.

We got soundbites from the foreign guy and the captain.  The captain was wearing a hat, you couldn’t see his eyes much and he mumbled most of the interview. 

Kudos to the captain however.  No matter what, the guy will give us something after a loss, like he sees it as his duty to speak for the team no matter what the situation. He’s still not thrilled about it.  After 20 years in the pros, the guy has probably seen and heard everything the media can throw at him.  He’s probably repeated the same cliches thousands of times.

What went wrong tonight?  If we knew, we’d fix it.

How do you bounce back?  We take it one game at a time.

It’s the same old song and dance.  Media have to figure out new ways to ask the same questions and break down the responses we already know we’re going to get.

In the coach’s interview, I almost thought we’d see a tantrum.  Almost, like the wrong question would set him off and he’s lose his cool.  But the man is always cool.  He strikes me as genuine, but smart about his answers.  I asked him if he needs to see more out of a particular star player who has been glaringly silent the past several games.  Coach answered the question in general, saying he needs more out of every player.  Tactful and no excuses.  Nice coach, but you didn’t answer my question. 

“Did your goalie get the help he needed tonight?”

“Like I said, they didn’t get many opportunities to score, but when they did, they got it in the net.” The goalie let five pucks past him.

“Did you think about pulling him?

(Pause) “Some coaches would do that to give their team a spark.”  (Pause).  “But no.”

This coach won’t call out a player (yet) and I admire that, but I’m going to have to rephrase my questions to press him into giving specifics.

Oh well.  How hard do you press on a night like this?  You don’t.

Everyone’s down, everyone wants to leave. Let’s get the hell out of here.

Hey America. Thanks.

I’ve never been prouder of my country.

Let’s forget Obama’s skin color for a moment, because I truely believe that’s not the single reason why people voted for the man. Obama has the savvy and sophistiaction that the world will appreciate in the stark contrast of Bush’s dislikability.

The voting turnout was unprecidented in my state and in several others around the U.S. as well. People demanded change.

Sure people here looked at race.  At the HBC’s the stadium announcer at football games reminded people to vote early every time there was a break in the game.  People bought and sold Obama buttons, T-shirts and posters alongside the BBQ at these games.  Obama united the black population in my community, and that was a smaller example of how Obama united America last night.

Whatever the reason to vote Obama–skin color, his policies, his polish–these things contribute to a HOPE of something better. And we got it.

answering the sports phone

I have a hateful relationship with the sports phone, because you never know who’s calling and what the hell they want, although 95% of the calls fall into these two categories:
 
1)      You made a mistake. You are the dumbest fucker on the planet and it’s my job as a viewer to correct you.  I hope you can hear me sneering through the phone.
 
2)      You don’t cover my favorite team enough.  I can’t believe your blatant bias. You should be fired for playing favorites. You’re the dumbest fucker on the planet.
 
People really like the word blatant when they’re trying to make a point. It’s all very predictable.
 
The remaining 5% of calls are from other sports people looking for video, a viewer wanting to know a score, and the rare, rare person calling with a compliment.  I mean, RARE.
 
I’m learning how bonkers people are about their teams here. It is cutthroat ugly how deep the hatred runs between the locals teams, and this hatred defies logic like any good rivalry.
 
Take this example from my weekend show:  Team A had a big football match up versus a ranked team that traveled to their house.  Team A got bounced from the rankings the previous week in a tough loss, so those boys were hungry.  Team A wins in stunning fashion, in a blowout almost against a team you simply don’t blowout this year because the conference is so tight with one-loss teams. I lead my show with Team A’s win, and had some post game comments from the player who had a career day.  I mean, this guy should play on Sunday after this performance alone. No brainer.
 
Now Team B was on the road versus a nonconference opponent and there was no way I could get highlights until the feed came down after my early show.  I mentioned Team B’s score in my early show so I didn’t ignore them, but I moved on to my next piece of video because I only have so much time.
 
Like a minute after I walk off the set and back to desk, a news producer transfers a call back to me.  Producers don’t run interference for shit, so this one’s all me.
 
It’s a guy, I can tell he’s middle-aged by the level of incredulous huff in his voice and he says, “You know….you talked about Team A for a long time and then you showed an interview.  But Team B was playing too and I think you know where this is going.”
 
He actually said that. “I think you know where this is going.”  Yeah dude I do, because you’re like every other dumb fan.  It gets better:
 
“I want to see equal coverage from you or you’re going to lose my viewership!”
 
OH NO!  NOT YOUR VIEWERSHIP!  I love how irate people toss that around. 
 
I’m an exceptionally friendly person on the phone, especially with huffy viewers,  I’m giving him the Yes Sir, I Understand line while explaining as quickly and concisely why Team B didn’t get equal coverage.  It’s best to keep these conversations short because they can often go on for ever.  Plus any explanation you give them sounds like an excuse.  There’s simply no winning this conversation.
 
It’s over in maybe 60 seconds thank God, but this call burns me afterward because of the perceptions people have about sportscasters.
 
Let me give you a window…a day in the life glimpse of someone doing my job and dealing with people who don’t understand the balancing act of cramming a day’s worth of content into a four minute show.
 
First of all Mr. Caller, equal coverage is more of a political term, something laid out by the FCC to ensure one candidate doesn’t get more coverage than another candidate .  What you mean to say is balanced coverage, and even that doesn’t mean second-for-second similarity.  I got both Team A and Team B in the best I could.  So suck it.
 
One of my mentors explained you know your coverage is balanced when BOTH team’s viewers call to complain they’re not getting enough air time.  If you’re pissing them off equally, you’re doing your job. i’m sure i’ll piss people off daily during basketball season.
 
I don’t care about ANY of these teams personally.  I’m a Pac-10 girl so this new east coast conference ain’t a thing for me yet. And I’ll never be a FAN of the teams I’m currently covering, because that’s unprofessional.  I repeat:  I don’t care about your team, so there’s no premeditated bias in how I stack my show. I want the best story first, no matter who it comes from, ya dig? 
 
Moving on to call number two! It’s a guy named Roy, on of the five-per centers, and old man Roy wants to know who won the Nascar Nationwide Sometherorrather Race.  I chat him up nicely while I pull up Nascar’s web site.  The computer is running slow so he’s opening up more and more in his drawling mumbling voice, and I see Carl Edwards is winning the thing, but it’s not over.  Okay, says Roy, I’ll call back later and talk to you or leave a message with my phone number so you can call me back with the winner. 
 
Wow. Look man, I want to help you, but I don’t make personal calls to viewers and I KNOW I’m going to miss you because I’m about to go back out on the desk.  I’m sure the producer will transfer you to my boss’s voicemail, and I can’t check that. It’s lose-lose and I know it.
 
Sure enough he called, left a message, and GUESS WHAT, called me back today.
 
I’m learning a lot of people out here in the rural areas have an antennae and limited internet access, so it’s kinda cool they think of calling the TV station for scores. It shows they’re watching and they feel like we’re friendly people who can keep them in the know.  
 
Roy however looks like he’s turning the sports line into his speed dial. He called looking for Sunday’s Nascar results and he mentioned right way he was disappointed I didn’t call him back when he left a message.
 
Sigh.
 
It’s nothing personal.  I assure you, anything I’m doing at work is NOTHING PERSONAL.
 
My third notable call of the weekend was from a guy who said he’s been in the business 40 years and he’s never seen anyone like me.  He’s giving me a COMPLIMENT, oh my gosh, this is amazing!
 
Suddenly I’m smiling and falling all over myself to thank him and let him know he made my day.  Which is true.
 
I couldn’t hear most of what he was saying…he was on a cell phone so he was breaking up, and I told him that to excuse myself from the conversation, seems like everything had been said, so he adds, “Alright then, I’ll call you back.”
 
Sure enough, homeboy calls back and talks my ear off for 10 minutes with conference history, his own days on the gridiron and a few things I didn’t understand about his brother.
 
I can’t cut off the guy, he paid me a compliment. He wanted to know who my boss is so he can let him know I’m doing well.  I mean, how nice is that???
 
So I talked sports with the guy, careful not to throw in too much to the conversation so it continued forever, but adding enough “uhh-huhs” and “yeahs” that I could at least edit some video while I had one ear on the phone.
 
Then he was silent for a moment.  I was too.  He said. “Ok, I’ll let you go.” And boom, he hung up. The conversation fell off a cliff.
 
Phew.
 
How come the crappy callers are never the ones to say goodbye first?  They can hang up on me all they want.  It’s means I’m off the hook.